[mythtv-users] Transcoding my recordings down to AVI (DIVX?) format?

[jedi]

On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 06:47:19PM -0400, Johnny wrote:
> > Saw another thread here earlier and made me realize I should be converting
> > my recordings. I just checked the Transcoding page on the Wiki and I see
> > that it only transcodes to MPEG2 (unless I read it wrong). I am very noob
> > with mencoder/ffmpeg/etc. CLI conversion tools, I'm hoping someone could
> > give me a basic idea of how to take my recordings (all are analog/2ch/mpeg2,
> > no HD or nuffin) and convert them down to ~350mb/43m and ~175m/21m sizes,
> > preferrably using the xvid codec and avi format? Sure would save me having
> > to grab a new hd for a while, hehe.
> >
> > I suppose I'm a bit confused as to whether to go CLI (and if so, what cmd(s)
> > to use), or set up some profiles in FE.
> 
> Why do you think you "should be converting" your recordings? Is your
> goal just to save some space? Or are you under the impression that it
> is necessary for some reason? Most people don't recommend transcoding
> everything. It generally a waste of energy and time, if you are just
> going to delete the recordings later. If you are interested in long
> term storage then it may be worth it.
> 
> Why do you want to go with xvid and avi? Using h264 will give you
> higher quality at a given bitrate than xvid, and with VDPAU and other

    It's also MUCH more computationally expensive.

> hardware acceleration coming available you don't need to worry about
> cpu, especially for SD recordings. Also MKV is quickly becoming a

    While this is certainly true, DIVX is also a pretty easy format to
decode. The weak Atoms even seem up to the task. OTOH, the newer cards
and versions of vdpau will also handle divx decoding too.

> standard as far as containers go. It has a lot of advantages over AVI,
> is open source/spec, and is much more future proof.
> 
> Having said that, I would look into Nuvexport and Mythnuv2mkv on the
> wiki. They both can be setup to run as a user job in mythtv.

    There should be a MPEG4 standard transcoder profile that does divx.
This is what I used to use for my PVR150 and HDHomeRun recordings. The
results could be played back on my AppleTV even for HD content.

    With 4 tuners, having the number of CPUs dedicated to the problem
of transcoding everything eventually seemed to be more trouble than it
was worth. So when I moved from the PVR150 to HD-PVRs only for my cable
stuff I just forgot about transcoding altogether.

    ...although with stuff like SD reruns on HD stations I am still tempted.