DivX

[hiredgoonz]

Anybody else into this? Not the old circuit city format, but the mpeg4 codec that brings the compression of video to new heights...specifically the backing up of dvds...

It's been called the video equivalent of the mp3 format and essentially you can now do the same thing for dvds that can you do for cds...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[AwARe]

heya goonz,

DivX is great! but probably not as great as it sounds at first.....

Its not quite as good as MPEG no matter what compression/settings you use. There used to be "2" codecs 1 for fast motion and 1 for slow motion, but now the new codec has them blended. I prefer the old one however, and at times DivX is quite blotchy looking. You're better to stick with MP3 audio and not the DivX audio, sounds better, its easier to use, and its really not that much less compression.

A friend of mine tried to do a couple DVD's, they turned out pretty good, but to do 1 single DVD takes hours and hours of work. I use it to record TV on my comp, it works pretty well for me, but I can only do 320x240 resolution, because the compression ratio is so high my comp/cards cant keep up with it, and then I need to recompress it a second time to compress the audio.

Its some pretty kewl stuff, but you'd actually need a 5ghz and some other much faster better equip before its going to be all that practical.

If you just want to backup DVD's, might be better to stick with MPEG, you can make an MPEG and burn it to a CD in VCD format and alot of DVD Players can still play them. With the DivX it's about half the size, but it wont play in your DVD Player anymore. 1 CD DivX compaired to 2 CD's if done with MPEG. The MPEG takes alot less time to make, and it looks better as well. The only benefit to doing it in DivX is (other then it makes a pretty small file), you can take it to work and watch it at lunch hehe.......

Some day when we all have light speed comps they will most likely use something close to DivX so we can all watch PPV over the net, and they will charge us through the nose. Right now its pretty much something for people like you and I to play around with, and its also what some of those "Bad" people use to make pirate copies of DVD's for free download heh http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif . If you really want to backup DVD's, MPEG is a better way to go for quality, and the fact you can still play them in the DVD Player (that is "some" DVD Players, and only if you make them exactly the proper way)

......and thats the basics of DivX http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

EDIT: The short version of all the stuff you need to do to backup a DVD with DivX.......you need to extract the DVD to "several files", then convert it to something you can work with, then they suggest you make a couple dif versions of the video using both the fast motion and the slow motion codecs, then you need to combine it all back together and add the audio, and each of these processes takes a couple hours to complete http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif (You need a pretty good size empty HDD for all this)

There are several programs that try to combine some of these steps and they are getting faster, but it still is alot of work and takes alot of time. Then in the end, there is also the posibility you find out your audio lost sync with the video, and you have to do it all over again hehe.....

PS. Somehow this doesnt seem like its posted in the right place heh

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place.......

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 06-26-2001).]

[skhips]

I've played a little and found downloading animated movies excellent quality whereas movies need to be really large to keep the quality for full screen, the over the top widescreen is a bit annoying.

Seems to be quite a diffeent codecs, anyone know where to get the best that can then do anything.

[Ghost_Hacker]

Try this site http://codeczone.virtualave.net/fixes.htm for codec downloads. I use to have a link to a better site, but I've lost it http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

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Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"

[hiredgoonz]

Thanks for all the info, I guess I should have explained my post better...I wasn't looking for instructions...

I've been into DivX for a while (over a year, anyway) and was mostly just interested in what everybody thought of it (which is why I posted it here and not in any of the other forums http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif )

DivX is becoming more mainstream, with Flask you can convert a movie in one step after ripping it from the dvd, it's a gui, and fairly idiot-proof...so I was wondering how many people have started using it...

To get the best performance, you really need the progs that aren't as easy to use (mpeg2avi, virtualdub, ac3dec), but the reward is better and faster results...

Still, you're right about the time issue...I can convert a movie in about twice play time plus an hour (I can rip a dvd in 15-30 minutes or so, convert at 16-17 fps and then about 45 minutes to convert audio and interleave w/vdub) So you're looking at almost 5 hours for pretty much any movie and stuff like "The Patriot" takes almost 8 hours...

The results are nice though...even converting at 720X480, you can fit all but the longest movies on a single cd at acceptable quality...

If anybody is interested, www.divx-digest.com (http://www.divx-digest.com) is the best site I've seen so far, and if they do lack anything, their links section can hook you up...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[hiredgoonz]

Skhips, I've tried all of them and I've gone back to the original 3.11a release, I always use fast-motion codec, and I use a bitrate of 910-1100 (depending on how long the movie is since my goal is one cd per movie)

Unless you have a fast system (800mhz+ w/a good video card and a decent amount of ram) they will start to skip at a bitrate higher than 1300, and the slow motion codec is even worse...

But those are just my personal preferences...I wasted alot of time coming up with them though http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[AwARe]

ahhh kewls,

The way you posted, sounded like you just found out about DivX, and to be honest at 1st thought I was thinkin........where you been goonz? heh

Sounds like your settings are about the same as mine which "I also wasted alot of time" figuring out.........

I havent really done much with DVD's (just got a DVD finally actually, but I doubt Im gonna bother all that much. Too much trouble, and for what really? Mostly I just play around with recording TV, but I use about the same settings as you stated, except I use MP3 audio. I really havent done anything with the TV all that serious either, but maybe in the fall Ill make a copy of the Enterprise series when it starts lmao

Mostly I just used it to see how it all werked and recorded a few music videos etc........I didnt like flask all that much. I use VirtualDub and AVI Util, and Ive also messed around a bit with some Mpeg Tools. Unless your doing something very big the quality is way better, so Im kinda debating when I go to record something if I want to do DivX or try to get it to fit with an MPEG............what Id really like to figure out how to do, is to make an MPEG video combined with MP3 Audio. Probably can, but I really havent tried to figure it out.......

I also played around a bit with MS's Media Tools which is a pretty good alternative to DivX, the files really arent all that much bigger. The video has a completely different look (or at least it seems that way to me), Im really not sure which I like better, hard to say...........

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place.......

[hiredgoonz]

Nah, I'm almost an old-timer w/divx http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif Just wanted to plant the idea in some impressionable minds...

And I use mp3 audio also, I just use vdub to convert it after ac3dec takes it from the vob files...no volume or sync problems that way...

You're right though, it is a lot of trouble unless you have a purpose (like the bad people you mentioned earlier http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif )

Of course, with enough storage space, you wouldn't have to rent that dvd from blockbuster twice if you didn't have time to watch it...

Flask is very...picky would be a good way to describe it, but mpeg2avi is, relatively speaking, FAST

Anyway, if anybody out there is into video/audio editing (not just with divx) alot of the progs that are available for free on the divx sites are quite good for other uses...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[AwARe]

Wanted to add this earlier and forgot,

I figured out that if you use just the right resolution, in other words a resolution thats 100% a multiple of the output screen youre going to be watching the video on (in other words 320x240 when watched on a 640x480 screen for instance), you can crank down the bitrate to somewhere close to 450 (somewhere around 450-500 it starts to really lag) and still get a pretty darn good picture and "alot" smaller file..........The resolution is a very odd component in the whole mix sometimes higher resolution is not always best, at least this has been "my" experience.........


This is not meant as an instruction tutorial goonz, just sharing hehe <- wanna make sure you understand http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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What I meant by what I said is hopefully less confusing then the contemplation of the question that led to the confusion in the 1st place.......

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 06-27-2001).]

[erauqssidlroweht]

DivX 4 is out, along with a DivX player. I have had problems with this newer version not being backwards compatible with older DivX compressed files...

I like DivX it can compress as well as Real Player does, and with better quality. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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