Best converter ?

Hi,

Looking around the Web and the forum, I think the conclusion is that H.264 is the best format for Apple TV... please correct me if I'm wrong.

Then I needed a converter... so I went for Handbrake which seems to be generally appreciated around here...

So I downloaded it and it won't open any of my files !!
I have DivX, XVid.... and a wide variety of AVIs...

So how do I convert them ?
Am I using Handbrake the wrong way ?
Do you have other suggestions of converter that I could use ?

THANKS !

UgE

PS how do people writing messages make the small apple logo in the text of their messages ?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.1), Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 Ghz, 4Gb RAM

Posted on Jul 30, 2008 8:22 PM

23 replies

Aug 2, 2008 3:48 AM in response to Uge

DON'T use that software, I'm not even sure we are able to type its name here, it might get deleted like profanity does when posted. The software is DODGY. Meantime I will ask for this post to be removed.

Aug 2, 2008 4:47 AM in response to Uge

These are my mpegstreamclip settings.

http://web.me.com/gartside1104/z008

Aug 2, 2008 6:26 AM in response to Uge

granted Visualhub costs money $23.32.....
It is hands down the easiest video converter that I have used.
I'm not a pro at this at all.....
but VH makes me look like I am.
The developer is VERY active in the forums and answers questions quickly......
I tried MPEG streamclip and was a little overwhelmed.....
I would suggest you try it as ALL you have to do is
1) drag and drop you file........
2) Then select what you want to convert it to.......
3) Then select the quality.....................

Uge Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 2, 2008 8:01 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Hey Winston,

Which software are you referring to when you say "DON'T use that software" ?

Because I talked about 4 in my last post 😉

And your little web page is very instructive, thank you very much !

One last question remains: what is the impact of the frame size ?

I see you set 16:9, and I used HDTV 1080i
does this have any impact on the file size?
I was wondering because I thought that whatever the frame size it gets stretched to fit and therefore if the quality is the same, whatever the frame size you select, the result should be the same! Am I right?

Aug 2, 2008 8:12 AM in response to Uge

Someone mentioned some software which I can't even mention because it will get turned to *** when I post, the software is a scam, I reported it to the forum moderators and the original post with the link to the software has been removed, which is why my post doesn't make a lot of sense anymore.

Assuming the frame size is within the tv limits you should keep it the same, by choosing one of the presets, if not you could keep it the same by choosing other or a preset that is close and keeps the same aspect ratio.

Reducing the frame size will reduce quality, increasing it will simply waste space assuming you increase the bitrate proportionately, otherwise increasing the frame size may also reduce quality.

Chenks

Level 5

7,435 points

Aug 2, 2008 8:13 AM in response to Winston Churchill

i believe the software in question starts with a "c" and end with "soft", which a few letters inbetween.

Uge Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 2, 2008 8:19 AM in response to Chenks

hmmm so I guess Winston was referring to a post that got deleted before I could read it 😉

I'll never know about the software in question but since it seems to be a forbidden one, it's better thant way I guess 😉

Ok folks I just wanted to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL

Basically it answered all my questions!

In conclusion, I feel that the best way to transcode is to maintain the same settings as the source file so you don't waste space and do not reduce the quality either.

Thanks to all and to all a good day !!

DonH49

Level 6

16,716 points

Aug 3, 2008 8:17 AM in response to cmendill

Handbrake works with most .m2t files ie those off a set top box.

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Best converter ?