Neouser: -Xvid & other-help.

[Old Dude]

I'm trying to convert mpg files to xvid (mp4 I'm assuming ?) for use on a Pioneer DV-410V-K DVD player via a usb port and a thumb drive.
(Perhaps later via a notebook drive.)

I have downloaded xvid. Went through settings as suggested here.
http://www.divx-digest.com/articles/xvid...page1.html

I've selected auto convert vxid in the gb- pvr auto conversion in the setup menu. I've read the auto convert won't work until my next recording. In lieu of that I went to my video library and selected a mpg. The only conversion that works manually from that window was dvix. Xvid was an option, but if fails to convert the file and just closes the window ?


A few other questions. Should I record in low quality since the file will be converted anyhow ?

And does gvpvr automatically move files from the recording directory to video library ?

Thanks in advance.

Note: I should mention I'm using a Hauppauge 1600.

[pBS]

what does the config.xml profile you're using look like?
gbpvr uses ffmpeg to make xvid, so nothing else needed, it's probably the settings used in config...
i would suggest using ffmpeg from the command line to experiment with the parameters needed so you can see any error messages,etc..
then put those settings into config.xml...you can add several new profiles if you wish...
you can also actually use the xvid.exe or mencoder.exe or whatever to encode with if you adjust the config.xml correctly..

another suggestion is to add your recordings dir to the list of dirs in video library...
i also usually put the livetv dir in there too...so i can browse in vid library
or you can just make a shortcut[.lnk] to the recordings dir and stick it in a vid library dir..

are you compressing hd or sd?

[Old Dude]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm compressing SD, normally with the medium setting.

I'll list my config.xml at the end of this.


I read many post referencing scripts and ffmepg. I did finally figure out it was part of GV-PVR but had no idea how to approach the problem and found no specific solution.

I might mention I would like a reasonably good picture on a standard TV.

The pixelation on my monitor is awful with the standard dvix encoding. I understand it should be much improved on my tv but as long as about an hour long file will play from my thumb drive (2gb) I would be pleased and a file size less than that is not much a concern.


Config.xml - Below: (I hope. First time trying this.)

http://docs.google.com/Edit?tab=view&doc..._0rd47vrfg

[mikeh49]

Try this:

• Make a backup copy of config.xml in case something goes wrong below.
  Open config.xml with the notepad editor (don't use wordpad or a word processor)
  Search for ffmpeg in the file
  You should find severl entries around the auto conversion tag area.
  Find the xvid conversion line and see if it contains a -qscale parameter.
  If not, replace the -b parameter with -qscale 7.5
  This should give you a file about 50% of the mpg and pretty good quality, at least it does for me.
  Search on Google (or wherever) for "ffmpeg documentation" to get the complete info on ffmpeg

Should work by using the transcode menu item in video library. Make sure your recordings directory is included in the video library setup in the config application.

[Old Dude]

Ok. I've moved the directories into the Video Library folder.

Searched the config.xml

Closest to auto conversions that I thought may be relevant was:

<AutoConvertMpgToFormat>XviD</AutoConvertMpgToFormat>

and

<CustomFFmpegConversions>
<Conversion name="XviD" cmd="-y -i {SOURCE_FILE} -f avi -ab 224 -ac 2 -acodec libmp3lame -deinterlace -vcodec xvid -qscale 5 -vtag XVID {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension="2.avi" />


I changed -qscale 5 to 7.5 but it wouldn't open and had to restore the original cfg.
Update: I also tried the Xvidtemp but only got audio.

Same issue when I try to transcode a file with Xvid. The window closes and it doesn't process.


My config.xml is here:
http://docs.google.com/Edit?tab=view...bfs3_0rd47vrfg

[mikeh49]

Here's my xvid conversion line:

<Conversion name="XviD" cmd="-y -i {SOURCE_FILE} -f avi -ab 224 -ac 2 -acodec mp3 -deinterlace -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale 7.5 -vtag XVID {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension=".avi" />

I think this is "stock" from what Sub provides except perhaps for the -qscale parameter. (I think Sub's original had -b 1000, but he may have changed it in recent versions based on a discussion of transcoding quality here in the forum.) There are some differences from yours; I don't know if they are significant. I changed to the -qscale 7.5 several GBPVR versions ago. I don't think I changed anything else. (The lower the qscale value, the greater the compression.)

I don't know how Sub handles config.xml during upgrades with respect to changes that users may have made.

When I run this, I get the .avi transcoded file in the same folder as the original recording. I can delete the mpg and play the avi from the Recordings menu, so Sub makes it transparent to the program and user. I have the recordings folder listed in the video library folder designator box; you can have multiple folders listed there BTW.

Have you installed an xvid decoder? I had to. Google on it and you should be able to find a free one. I don't have a link ready at hand.

[Old Dude]

Well, from an lot of reading today the problem was in the -acodec.

My original file had -acodec libmp3lame. After changing it it to -acodec mp3 it works !

I wish I had saw mikeh49s post first but the reading enlightened me a bit.

My original config.xml also had targetExtension="2.avi". It inserts a 2 at the end of a xvid converted file name. For now I've change mine to X to distinguish it from a Dvix file.

I'm converting a file now and hope that it (the x) won't affect anything. I did have a couple of successful files transcode before the x was added though. So the fix is found.

I will change the qscale to 7.5 and see if it helps the quality but I must say the qscale 5 setting was much better that the dvix I made the other day.

The transcode window still closes out after a few minutes. Perhaps like a screen saver (it turns black). When I wake it, the transcode window is gone and no new file is showing until I open the directory its in. This its not an issue for me, now that I know this.


Thanks for all the help. Many knowledgeable and talented people here.


Cheers.

[mikeh49]

Glad you got it working. I was suspicious of that -acodec setting, but didn't know enough to make an intelligent comment.