Ovathinker

Greetings my fellow smokers

Can anyone help me with this. I am trying to convert dvd files into smaller video files.
I am currently using dvd decrypter which gives me multiple large files (around 4-5gigs worth of vob.'s etc), I am wanting to convert these files into a smaller single file (such as 700mb avi's).

Any help would be appreciated.

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Vicki

I am also interested to know because we just got a DVD camcorder, but I plan to put the video on a memory card, then transfer to PC. I'm curious as to how to re-size it smaller myself.

I don't think you can upload video directly to this site, so I may have to pick a safe place to put it, and then link it here. I do worry about anonimity.

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mufasa5446

hmm... i'm not so sure bout PCs, but i know a few for macs, like Toast.
i think Xilisoft Video Converter works on PCs, and that one's pretty good. Download.com is an alright place to check, or thepiratebay.org if you don't like to pay for things.

IGemini

I've done this process quite a few times. I use K-Lite's Mega Codec Pack (which has true codecs for encoding-decoding, not just decoders) with X-MPEG. Both are free and tend to work well. I find the best compression quality is done with H.264 codecs. The KMCP also has a bitrate calculator that would give a rough estimate of encoding rate needed for your desired video size.

Ovathinker

Thanks IGemini.

Can you paste a link? Is it a straightforward process?

fight4theright

I use MacTheRipper or Handbrake, then use VisualHub to convert the VIDEO_TS folder into a .avi (DivX). I end up with a good quality 800mb movie file. The three programs mentioned are all for OS X, not sure what you're on.

Try using Google to search: DVD Ripper for _______ <--your operating system. Once you've found one you like, search for a movie converter. Should only take a few minutes to find one that works for ya.

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IGemini

Sorry it took a while to get back. Turned out my old mainstay of XMpeg wasn't working out so well, so I had to find a new converting program.

Yeah, like above, I've found Handbrake to be a very capable program. I did converting the old way by playing around with bitrates until finding the desired size. In the case of Handbrake, load your data, choose an output directory, and then your encoding options.

Video: In my case, I can output in H.264, XviD, and MPEG-4. I'm not sure if these are integrated to Handbrake's program or if they're from the codec pack. XviD is more compatible and works if you have any standalone DivX DVD players, though H.264 retains more quality.

EDIT: (be warned, lots of number figures) H.264 versus XviD encoding takes around twice as long for the same file size. How fast you encode is strongly dependent on your CPU speed. I use a Core 2 processor which has two processors clocked at 3.4 GHz. It takes about 15 minutes to encode a 45-minute feature from DVD in XviD format, and 30-40 minutes for H.264. Quad-core machines will work faster (maybe by 25%). The newest AMD processors are slightly slower. A Pentium D dual-core will take maybe 50% more time with the same speed of 3.4 GHz by the way the CPU processes information.

You can also change your video to something desired
640x480 is standard definition TV resolution
720x480 is standard widescreen resolution (most modern DVDs)
1280x720 is HDTV (720p) resolution
1920x1080 is HDTV (1080p) resolution (Blu-ray & HD-DVD)

Resizing won't really affect the resulting file size, but also won't make video quality any better. It's basically used for making it fit to the desired level on your screen you plan to play it on.

For encoding itself, video has 1-pass and 2-pass. 1-pass produces good quality on its own. 2-pass is supposed to retain more quality, but takes a lot longer to encode. I haven't really tried to see the difference.

Audio: Four formats: AAC, MP3, OGG Vorbis, and AC-3.

- AAC is a format used by most current consoles and Apple products. It's supposed to have a lot of audio support, but I haven't really tried this format.
- AC-3 is how audio comes on most commercial DVDs with Dolby Digital output. Using this allows you to retain the 2.0 and 5.1 outputs, but takes up the most space.
- MP3 is the most compatible, but probably loses the most quality and only supports 2.0 audio, at best. For "decent" MP3 quality, I recommend at least 192 kbps.
- OGG Vorbis has roughly the same quality as MP3 for the same bitrate while being about 1/4 the size. The way to go if space is a prime concern.

marlinl

I think you can get a DVD ripper. You can take a look at this Xilisoft DVD Ripper Platinum. It is lightning fast, easy-to-use DVD Ripper software with powerful and integrative functions. It can rip DVDs to all popular video files and audio files, etc. This is the best dvd ripper I find. Great quality in image and sound, lots of features and easy to install.

mufasa5446

Yeah, Mac the Ripper works really wonderfully for me

warlock