[mythtv-users] Can I downsize my HD mpg instead of transcoding

[Chris Pinkham]

> >  I  should have provided a few more details.  I don't have a HD display.
> > All my viewing is done from SD tv's or a laptop over 802.11b so svcd is

> MythTranscode supports transcoding mpeg2 --> mpeg2.  I think most
> people tend to use it to trim the beginning 'junk', the commercials,
> and the ending 'junk' from their recordings, but I don't see why you
> couldn't use it to re-encode your mpeg2 files to a smaller size
> (resolution AND bitrate).

Biggest reason why not is that it's not possible.  The MPEG2 -> MPEG2
transcoding is _lossless_, so it can't change the resolution or bitrate
of the video, it just cuts out the portions you don't want and fixes
up errors in the part you do want.  The only way to change the resolution
or bitrate is to use the MPEG2 -> MPEG4 (nuppel container .nuv file)
transcoding.  It would be nice at some point if the MPEG2 -> MPEG2
transcoder could run a sort of tcrequant on the video to save space
that way, but I'm not sure if that's possible or if Geoffrey has any
interest in coding that up in his MPEG2 -> MPEG2 code.

-- 
Chris