Universal Video Format?

[Wishmaster]

IMHO, MKV container wins hands down

Extremely universal with a low overhead. Basically any format Audio/Video Stream you choose to use it will support it as well as subs etc.

Its just far superior to AVI or MP4.

The only down side to it is Win 7 does not support it out of the box.
However, Sharks Codec will work if you wish to go that route.

If Not, all you really need is Haali splitter and your good to go. maybe AC3 filter too, just because it sounds so much better than Win7s built in decoder



~~The only way I know of to recode a Fullscreen video --> Widescreen is:
For DVD, Typical FS res is 720x480 and WS is 720X400 Anamorphic.
If you create a AVIsynth script and crop 40p from top and bottom, Resize using Laczos at 700x400.

This works, but it isnt ideal.
Youll miss a large portion of the image. Esentially your just blowing up the center part of the frame to create a WS look.

If it has black borders on top and bottom youll be fine though.

 

[seekermeister]

Tepid

That answers the question in my mind about FLVs...I will probably just keep them filed on the PC, rather than burning them. I suspected that the result of changing the resolution would result as you described, but I have bought DVDs that had the screen at the beginning about it being reformatted to fit the screen. Yes, most of the time, they still had bars, but with the right player they could be stretched to fill or almost fill the screen and still look good. Of course, they must have access to better software and equipment than most of us.

 

[seekermeister]

IMHO, MKV container wins hands down

Extremely universal with a low overhead. Basically any format Audio/Video Stream you choose to use it will support it as well as subs etc.

Its just far superior to AVI or MP4.

The only down side to it is Win 7 does not support it out of the box.
However, Sharks Codec will work if you wish to go that route.

If Not, all you really need is Haali splitter and your good to go. maybe AC3 filter too, just because it sounds so much better than Win7s built in decoder

Is that superiority just limited to handling the files, or the end result while viewing it as well?

 

[Wishmaster]

The handling of files and what you can put inside the container.
The actual playback will depend on the quality off the video/audio stream and what you are using to split/decode it.


By superior I mean it can handle pretty much anything you wish to throw at it.
If you choose MKV, you can have pretty much all of your videos in that format.
likely not so choosing others.

For example:
If you wish to have a H264 codec for Video, AC3 Audio, and Sub titles you may have issues with the MP4 container & likely AVI.

MP4 will require different splitters and and may not playback properly in all players.
It technically doesnt support AC3, although you can get it to work.

MKV will have no issue.

Another good example. MP4 is usually capped at 4GB. There are workarounds, but your pushing its limitations.
MKV can hold a significantly larger file size. Upwards of 40GB. Excellent if you recode HD video.

 

[seekermeister]

Wishmaster,

Perhaps you can clear something up for me...in the article in this link:

Matroska - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It says:

LG has added Matroska support to Blu-ray players[12] as well as select HDTVs[13]

I can understand the compatibility aspect for players, but I wasn't aware that it mattered what format a movie was, as far as the HDTV itself goes...how so?

 

[Tepid]

being reformatted to fit the screen

Mostly because they are using Raw Footage. They aren't generally ripping the DVD and converting it.
You can't do that with Standard Def to WS. Either have Black Borders, or Stretched and Squished, or you are zooming into the center of the screen and you actually will lose more of the picture that way.

They take a Satandard Def Raw Footage film that has the aditional content around the edges that get cut out for Standard Def. They are just re-burning it from raw footage with that missing content. My one theoretical way they do it. There is no other way, or you get what I explained above. You can't generally add content to make it widescreen.

 

[Wishmaster]

Wishmaster,

Perhaps you can clear something up for me...in the article in this link:

Matroska - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It says:

LG has added Matroska support to Blu-ray players[12] as well as select HDTVs[13]

I can understand the compatibility aspect for players, but I wasn't aware that it mattered what format a movie was, as far as the HDTV itself goes...how so?

Im not sure exactly what your asking, but I will try to answer.
Are asking about the container (MKV) and LG player/HDTV support for it, or the codec to encode the video itself?

MKV containers are more suited for HD videos due to thier size they can hold.
If you were to compress a Bluray disc for example, say from 1080P --> 720P, Its still going to be quite large. Usually in the nieghborhood of 5-7.5 GB (with 5.1 sound)
For 1080P compressions in MKV, your looking at nearly double.

So in this scenario, you really can only choose MKV container, as a MP4, AVi etc will not hold something that large.


Many players used to support DIVX as well, but now that MKV and the x264 video codec are becoming popular, it seems they are headed that way for player/HDTV support.

Considering MKV is mainly used for HD content, it seems to me its a good call on thier part. As it will have far better picture quality being played back on a HDTV. It will have no isses holding a compressed 1280x720 or 1920x1080 video.

As far as the codec itself goes, H264 is maily what youll find inside of a MKV container. As well as most HD Bluray.

Its an excellent HD encoder, and standard resolution encoder as well.
Typically it can give the same results as a Xvid or DIVX at lower bitrates. And is superior at the same or a bit higher.

 

[seekermeister]

No. Maybe I'm misunderstanding their statement, but it sounds as though they are saying that not all video formats will play properly on their HDTV unless it is setup for it. I would think that any DVD, regardless of how it is made, if the DVD drive, and the software player were compatible, that it would play on ANY HDTV...am I wrong?

 

[Wishmaster]

Oh, Yes any DVD player should work.

Some, can upscale DVDs to HD resolutions. It will not look as a good as a true HD, but does look quite good depending on the player itself.

All they are saying is with that player you can burn a DVD disc as a DATA disc, with a MKV file on it and that player will play it back.

Any other DVD player will work on the HDTV without issue, youll only be able to play regular DVDs. (or DVD & Bluray if its a regular Bluray player)

 

[seekermeister]

No, I guess that I wasn't clear. It DVD player wasn't what I was asking about, the HDTV is.

 

[Borg 386]

That answers the question in my mind about FLVs...I will probably just keep them filed on the PC

Yes, that I found out with various experimenting. They may look OK on a PC monitor, but put them on a TV & yipes!

As Tepid said - Garbage in = Garbage Out

I should warn you that Windows DVD maker has a bug they haven't resolved yet. Even if you select 16.9, it'll come out 4.3. There's a workaround with Win Live Movie maker, but it's basically a PIA.

 

[Borg 386]

Most of you on this thread have had more experience in making & playing with vids & codecs, so I'd really appreciate it if someone could answer a question for me.

I recently got a movie in AVI format that has over-modulated volume. The normal voices sound alright, but anytime there is music or loud voices, it's clearly blaring. From what I researched, I haven't found a way to correct that. Is there a way? My research into this so far points to "No,there is not."

Thanx

 

[Tepid]

Most of you on this thread have had more experience in making & playing with vids & codecs, so I'd really appreciate it if someone could answer a question for me.

I recently got a movie in AVI format that has over-modulated volume. The normal voices sound alright, but anytime there is music or loud voices, it's clearly blaring. From what I researched, I haven't found a way to correct that. Is there a way? My research into this so far points to "No,there is not."

Thanx

The real answer is Maybe.

You have to De-Mux the Video and Audio, Re-encode the audio to normalize it and then encode it back.

This ain't quick and not exactly easy.
I have not done this in a while,, so I am going off memory of things.
There might be better tools I am not aware of now
but, Get something like TMpeG editor to de-mux the video (i think it will de-mux avi)
Then something like AC3 Machine to recode the audio and normalize it
Then re-encode the movie back (i would just make it an mpeg) but you could re-do it to divx I suppose.

The problem is, you will really need to learn each of these tools. I probably spent 100 hour or more learning what I know, and have forgotten a lot. Plus some things have changed.
And, then end result if something goes wrong can be desynched audio with the video.

You can use AViSynth and stuff, but then you have to learn how to write a script to do it.

Honestly, if this is a movie you can buy, it would be easier buying it.

VideoHelp.com

 

[dood]

One word...DIVX.
(Ya..ya..I know divx is just an avi wrapper...but lets just set that aside...)

Why?
Dang near any player can handle it..(I use Media Player Classic - Home Cinema - Video Player )
Plus...I have a couple of DVD STBs that natively play DIVX.
No transcoding into VOBS needed.
Just burn onto a disc..drop it in the player..and away you go.

(I long a go gave up transcoding to VOBs ever since the first divx capable dvd players hit the shelves.)

 

[whs]

Most of you on this thread have had more experience in making & playing with vids & codecs, so I'd really appreciate it if someone could answer a question for me.

I recently got a movie in AVI format that has over-modulated volume. The normal voices sound alright, but anytime there is music or loud voices, it's clearly blaring. From what I researched, I haven't found a way to correct that. Is there a way? My research into this so far points to "No,there is not."

Thanx

WLMM has an Audio Mix button (on the home tab). Maybe that can lower the volume. If the loud volume is only in certain sections of the movie, you may have to split the movie into these pieces and adjust the volume only for the selected pieces (if that is at all feasable). Once you save the movie starting at piece #1, it is all being put back together.

 

[Borg 386]

Thanx Tepid & whs,

If it's going to be that much of a pain, I think I'll just go with trying to find the movie to buy.

Thanx again!

 

[Wishmaster]

One other option similar to what Tepid has suggested would be AFTEN AC3.

Same basic method outlined above, except you can Recode the Audio and use the Normilization option with Aften, then re-mux.

This method likely will not work as well, but may be easier.

Most of the option to Normalize in software are 1 pass solutions and normally dont do a great job.

Also, a tool like MeGUI, (Even if you do not want to learn AVIsynth scripts and encode atm) is a good call.
It will include many great tools all in one package.
You will still need to install AVISYNTH first however.
X264 Encoder
Muxers for MP4, AVI, MKV
Audio Encoders for AC3 (Aften) MP3, and AAC (optionally the Nero AAC codec, I prefer this one myself)
and many more

YAMB is also a great tool for Demuxing AVI and MP4.

 

[Tepid]

split the movie into these pieces and adjust the volume only for the selected pieces (if that is at all feasable)

Yes, this can be done. Very time consuming process.
This is where you run the highest risk of re-coding out of synch with audio and video

Honestly, unless it's a home movie, or something really rare (and in that case I would say leave it and deal with it through EQ), while you will learn something in the process,, it's really not worth the effort for commercial stuff.

 

[Borg 386]

Thanx everyone,

I'll go with trying to find it on DVD, although....I might play around with it a bit as some of you suggested with various software. You can never have enough experience at playing around with various software, can you?

 

[mitchell65]

Hi Borg
If you are going to play around may I suggest you download the TBYB* copy of Corel Video Studio x3. You will have 30 days to play and that program has the advantage that you can put the video into the timeline, set it to show "Audio View" Then you can see where the loud sound is, use a feature called rubber banding and reduce the offending part of the sound without splitting the sound from the vision thereby avoiding any out of sync problems. Is a fairly quick and easy answer to your problem, plus you could do the job for free with just one program. Just uninstall the program afterwards if you don't need it for anything else.
I use it a lot and find it very versatile. Happy to assist you with it if necessary, PM me if you wish in case I miss the Post here.

*Try before you buy!