VirtualDub file size too large?
After recently purchasing a Hauppauge ATI 600 usb clone (thanks lordsmurf) I am now ready to switch over from my Elgato device and software and into VirtualDub. I know that HuffyUV is recommended for the best quality, but the file sizes just seem way too big for me, especially if I'm going to be converting dozens of tapes for people.
Which codec would be best to encode with without sacrificing too much quality? Also, I've read that videos encoded with H.264 and are mp4 format are more widely accepted by devices. Is this true? My goal would be to find the best setup to where my file sizes aren't astronomical but yet I'm still getting better quality than I did with the Elgato setup, also keeping in mind wide compatibility among playback devices as I plan to use flash drives to store them on. I'm using Windows 10. |
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Once you have your files in the final form that you wish to distribute, then you should render to MPEG-2 or similar. My preferred tool for this is Corel VideoStudio; it's powerful, cheap, and easy to use albeit still a little unstable (save your work frequently!). Others here have their own recommendations and most of them have more experience with the process than I do, so take their recommendations seriously. |
no matter how much I tried to configure everything myself, I failed((
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I really don’t plan on doing any kind of editing after capturing other than interlacing. Just want to achieve better quality than I did with my Elgato setup without sacrificing the extra time converting to other formats
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[not an expert]
I echo the above and would highly recommend you pick up an external hard drive - storage these days (even for "dozens of tapes") should not deter you from capturing in a lossless codec, especially after you've gone through the trouble of changing over your capture device and workflow to try and get better results. HuffYUV seems to be the one most highly recommended, even if you are only going to be doing minimal processing. Besides de-interlacing, you should also probably look to mask any tape noise that appears at the bottom of the frame. Your final files, which you say will be placed on a flash drive (I assume to be played on another computer or directly on a smart TV) can be encoded in H.264 in .mp4 container. But I would retain the original captures as well on your own external hard drive as well just in case. If you want better results than you were getting with your Elgato, I would not try to take any shortcuts. It defeats the purpose. Conversions can be queued and work overnight while you're sleeping. |
Do you have any software recommendations for encoding the video into H.264 and in .mp4 container? It wouldn’t be too difficult if I were able to let them run overnight and be queued like you mentioned
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It has been recommended to me to use Hybrid and QTGMC but I have yet to tackle that myself, and I believe there is a bit involved to get it going plus a learning curve.
If you want simple and ability to queue, you can look at Handbrake. I've used it along with plenty of other people, but I've been told it's not a great choice. I'm also revamping my capture equipment and workflow. I was using Handbrake before. I'll be looking into Hybrid next. There's plenty of information about it in the forums. |
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- capture lossless - filter/restore and/or restore (optional), then encode compressed/lossy Quote:
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capture codec = Huffyuv intermediary for restore/edit = Lagarith or ProRes422, or stay Huffyuv delivery = MPEG for discs, H.264 as MP4 or MKV for streaming Quote:
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- Shortcuts can ding quality, or tank quality, but it's always negative. - Leaving a computer on 24/7 is why heat+cooling was a concern when I built it. It often works when I sleep. Quote:
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Using Avisynth, Hybrid can also do all the masking, but you need to start in AvsPmod and Avisynth, then open the .avs file in Hybrid. This is more complex, a reason for my guide, and something I'm trying to sort out with selur (hoping that one day the external .avs isn't needed, AIO in Hybrid instead). Software developers are usually a-holes more than not, so it's nice to meet a dev that is so workable. (Note that I can also speak his language, meaning advanced video jargon, so that may be part of it. Laymen/newbies may not get the same sort of interaction.) |
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