Corel video x3 wont render a mp4 file

[Mountainbiker]

Hi,
I would like to convert my AVI files captured from my dV Sony camera (uses the small digital tapes) into mp4 files to save space on my drive.
I was able to render one AVI file to my hard drive but the next time it crashed and wont let me do it again, no matter what I tried. I also downloaded the latest patch.
I did used the enhance mpeg rendering and seemed to work.

What video file format would give me the same video quality as the original AVI captured from my camera?
Should I use mp4 or there is a better alternative since keeps crashing the program?

I will appreciate any help with this issues.

Thanks!

Juan Carlos.

[Ron P.]

Welcome to the forums,

Are you using one of the MPEG-4 templates? If so, try going the Custom route, selecting MPEG-4 as the file type. Then press the Options button, go to the Compression tab, and select one of the compressions that are close to your DV (avi), such as the Frame Size, and Field Order. Some of the settings only allow Frame Based, which is fine, so long as you don't reverse the field order. Your DV (avi) must use Lower Field First or you can use Frame Based as the output.

Do you have DivX or Xvid? They both provide very good quality and small file sizes. Both generally use the avi wrapper. In fact one of DivX's major selling points early on, was how it can save space on your system.

[Mountainbiker]

Ron,
So do you think that mp4 or dvx is the best route to save my captured AVI files for later movie projects?

Does corel support dvx rendering or I will have to buy a plug in for it?

How About mpeg2? would it also be a good quality video for later projects?

I will try your recommendations to see if it will work on mp4 rendering.

Thank you,

Juan Carlos.

[Trevor Andrew]

Juan Carlos

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “good quality video for later projects?”

So what are you intending to make with your video files?

If you are intending to burn a DVD then yes convert the video to Mpeg2.
Share Create Video File – DVD

I would not convert to Div X then have to convert back to Mpeg2 if I wished to burn a DVD.

Personally I would opt for DVD-Mpeg2 at 4.3 Gb per hour

[Mountainbiker]

Trevor,

You see, when I capture from my Sony digital camera I have only the option to capture as AVI files so then I would like to convert them (after cutting unneeded footage).

So, should I use mpeg optimizer OR HDV and choose the 720 and 30 frames option for HDV to render my AVI files at their best quality/resolution?

I plan to use these video files in projects, adding titles, chapters, transitions, etc, and then burn them to a DVD to share with family and friends.


Thank for your help.

Juan Carlos

[Mountainbiker]

Trevor,

Forgot to ask you:
When you said to use DVD mpeg2, is that in: Create a video file/DVD/NTSC DVD MPEG2 (720 X 29fps)?

Thanks,

Juan Carlos

[Ken Berry]

Trevor already gave you your answer:

If you are intending to burn a DVD then yes convert the video to Mpeg2.
Share Create Video File – DVD

And believe me, apart from the large size, the DV/AVI format you have captured is the best quality standard definition format video available, and easy to edit. But if your intention is to burn a DVD, then at some stage you have no choice but to convert it to mpeg-2. Why? Because the international DVD standard requires video to be in mpeg-2 format.

If you convert your DV/AVI to mpeg-4, you will lose at least one degree of quality, and then you would lose probably more than one degree of quality if you later converted it to mpeg-2. That is because you are going from very highly compressed formats (mpeg-4/DivX) to a much less compressed one.

The same would happen if you used AVCHD or HDV. Your original video is standard definition, and no amount of wishful thinking will convert it to the same level of high definition just because you used a high definition format such as AVCHD or HDV. And again, later down-converting this to standard definition mpeg-2 for burning to a DVD will again significantly lower to quality.

So my advice would be to go out and buy a big external hard drive and store your video in its original DV/AVI format until you have time to edit it and burn it to DVD.

As for which DVD output setting you would use, if you live in an NTSC country, then yes, you would choose NTSC output. If your video project is less than one hour, then you would use Share > Create Video File > DVD (though you would need to make sure it is set to use Lower Field First since your DV/AVI uses that and you must maintain that throughout the project, including the burning.) This will produce a disc with the highest quality video. But if your project is longer than one hour -- or something else needs changing, like changing the default field order to Lower Field First -- then you would use Share > Create Video File > Custom. By default, the DVD properties will then appear in a dialogue box, but then you press on the Options button on that box and change the Compression rate downwards from the default 8000. If your project is 90 minutes long, then you would need a bitrate of around 6000, and if it is 2 hours long, then you would need a bitrate of 4000 kbps. Note however that reducing the bitrate also reduces quality. 6000 will be fine, but with 4000 you will only get quality which is like VHS tape. You can also make other adjustments, such as changing the Field Order or audio format. Using Dolby, for example, produces a smaller audio file and thus will allow you to burn perhaps 10 minutes more of video to a DVD.

[Mountainbiker]

Thanks!,
So I will be converting my AVI to dvd mpeg2, since this is what intent to do anyway with my files and I'm not planning to do any major editing besides adding tittles, transitions and chapters.

One question though, when I went into share/create video file/custom, I choose options and under the compression tab the quality slide was set at 70, I pushed all the way to 100, will this make the output file's quality better or I should leave the default of 70?

Thanks,

Juan Carlos.

[Trevor Andrew]

Juan Carlos.

Hi

The Custom options should be similar to these:-
If you used Settings Make Movie Templates Manager you could create a template to the same settings.
You will be able to use the template again, using Custom you may have to input the details each time you use?

MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Lower Field First
(DVD-NTSC), 16:9
Video data rate: 8000 kbps (up to 60 minutes of video)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

Approximately 4.3 Gb per 60 minutes of video.

Quality Slider

I use the default settings, 70 %. Increasing the slider will force the encoder to shall we say take a little more care in its conversions. Whether we can see any difference in quality is another matter.
Some users say yes it does improve quality others not. As far as I know it does not affect the rendered file size. The choice is yours, your findings would be welcome……..

Archiving your video
After editing render the project to DV-Avi.
Then export the file back to the camcorders Mini-DV Tape

[Mountainbiker]

Thanks to everyone who provided me with all this good information about rendering mpeg files.
I really appreciate your help!!!
Thanks,

Juan Carlos