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I'd like to convert a video DVD into a video file that I can put on my NAS in order to watch it via PC or my TV (FullHD). Of course, I'd like to preserve high quality and high compatibility, as new devices may join my home network in future.

The original video dimension is 720x576 and gets cropped by Handbrake to 720x572 which removes the black line at the bottom. I'd like to remove this line in future, too.

First question: Is this dimension okay or should I change the dimension to an accepted standard? If yes, how would I do that?

Overview

On a high level this is my process so far:

  1. copy video DVD to iso file via dd
  2. convert iso file to mkv video (v:x264, a:libvorbis) via Handbrake
  3. convert mkv video to mp4 video (v:copy, a:libmp3lame) via avconv

Handbrake (iso -> mkv)

I encode the video via x264. I use a custom profile that bases on High Profile. My only change is to use libvorbis for high quality audio encoding.

Handbrake version is rev5474 (x86_64).

avconv (mkv -> mp4)

I use the following command to

  1. set the video title (without Umlaute)
  2. use mp3 for maximum compatibility
  3. use preset superfast for surviving the encoding process completion

  4. swap the audio tracks (english <-> german)

    avconv -i video.mkv \
    -metadata title="Videotitle" \
    -c:v copy \
    -c:a libmp3lame -ab 128k -ar 44100 \
    -preset superfast \
    -map 0:v -map 0:a:1 -map 0:a:0 \
    video.mp4

avconv version is 9.18-6:9.18-0ubuntu0.14.04.1.

More verbose
libavutil: 52.3.0
libavcodec: 54.35.0
libavformat: 54.20.4
libavdevice: 53.2.0
libavfilter: 3.3.0
libavresample: 1.0.1
libswscale: 2.1.1

What's the Matter?

Second question: What can I do to further improve the quality/compatibility/fault tolerance of the encoding (e.g. set FPS or bitrate) with respect for playback devices like FullHD TVs?

Third question: What can I do to reduce the video file size without or with a reasonable low effect on the video quality? (e.g. re-encode)

I'd appreciate any qualified comment on this issue. Cheers

llogan
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Sebastian Schlicht
  • 361

1 Answers1

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First off let me say that there are going to be varying opinions on what is better as for quality, and this type of question isn't usually best suited for this type of forum, however I will try my best to tell you what has worked for me.

First answer: - 720 x 576 is actually a 5:4 ratio, so unless your source material is this ratio it will look a bit distorted. Essentially what you want to do is maintain the ratio of the original source material. You may wish to look into using anamorphic encoding. There is a good guide on the Hanbrake site HERE.

Second answer - This is a VERY loaded question with a plethora of possible answers. You may wish to visit the Handbrake forums to look at ways to maintain visual & audio fidelity.

One recommendation I would make would be to lose the MP3 audio. This format is simply not used in modern encodes, as it seems to be lossy compared to other formats.

Another thing to take note of in regards to quality of DVD rips is that many older DVDs were made with interlaced frames which seems fine when viewed on CRT televisions, however when viewed on a more modern television set the picture will often look like it has jagged edges, especially when there is lots of movement. To avoid this interlacing of frames there is a feature called deinterlacing in Handbrake. You can check the handbrake site on interlacing HERE

Third answer - As for making smaller file sizes, if you navigate to the video tab in Handbrake and set the preset value to slow or very slow, you will get smaller file sizes and better quality, however this will come at the cost of the encode taking much more time to complete.

Kalamalka Kid
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