divx or xvid conversion help

[superflysocal]

I am interested in converting the mpg to divx or xvid overnight using a queue or right after a show is recorded. I tried to use the built in function in config but results were horrible. How do I change the bitrate or quality settings? I know it is in config.xml but what exact settings to I need to change? Can I resize?

Also, i have heard about script's out there that will automate this task as well, with possibly better results. People mention a script from Stattik but I can't find it. Can someone give me a link?

[mikeh49]

There has been a fair amount of discussion of conversion quality in this forum. Search the this support forum for "ffmpeg quality". I use a quality setting of 7.5 rather than a bit rate setting, but can't recall the exact command line. Search in config.xml for "ffmpeg" and you should find the conversion lines. GBPVR uses FFMPEG for the conversion, so Google on "ffmpeg" to find the documentation. I've only used the bit rate and quality settings, but there are many many others to play with.

[superflysocal]

thanks.

quick question. what is the best way to edit config.xml. I think i used wordpad and gbpvr config was not able to open. should i use notepad or en editor that saves in a format that linux can read. after editing config.xml should i restart gbpvrecording service or open and close config or anything else?

if anyone can provide a link to Stattik's xvid conversion script, that would be appreciated.

[sub]

Notepad is fine. Dont use wordpad - it breaks the file.

[superflysocal]

Notepad is fine. Dont use wordpad - it breaks the file.

there are no carriage returns when i open in notepad. There are two very long lines of text.

[sub]

Thats odd. I definitely have them shown correctly when I use notepad.

[zehd]

there are no carriage returns when i open in notepad. There are two very long lines of text.

Purhas you';ve already opened and saved (without editing) or converted the file so the carriage returns were removed.

You can check how the the config.xml is supposed to look if you open in WINDOWS notepad, config-master.dont-edit-me.xml... as the name implies, don't edit or convert this file. It's for reference only, but it's a great fallback when you get into trouble.

Alternatively, you could delete the config,xml which effectively returns GB-PVR to defaults...

[pcostanza]

Sorry to butt in but as a backup....if you get tired of tweaking to get the converted file you like, there are external programs that I find work pretty well. Look for Handbrake and AutoGK. These do most of the work for you. I have found for my taste that while not the great quality that you may find when you download tv or movies from the net, these programs do an admirable job of converting my mpeg file to xvid and on my systems, a bit faster too.

[mkenyon2]

I would love to set up automated conversion, but I'm a bit anal about commercial editing. I don't think I've had a single show/movie recorded that didn't need a tweak. (Though I've had some come pretty close.) Comskip is great, but I don't think I'd trust it implicitly. (Perhaps my version is older.)

[superflysocal]

i found the stattik script. It works quite well. Why does it work so well even in 1 pass mode compared to the built in function. I mean better quality and smaller files. Is mencoder that much better than ffmpeg? I always thought it was the other way around.