The easiest and best way to encode TV epis. compilations.....help!

Hi- You should have run a compress test first. The results would have told you not to try and put 3 50 minute episodes on a CD. Even 2 eps/CD is kind of iffy. No wonder it looked crummy. Your resolution would also play a role, but you didn't say what that was. You can use job control to encode multiple episodes at a time. And if you truly used Nandub for this, then it's DivX3.11 you're using and you shouldn't be posting in the DivX5 Forum.

Thanks for the response. I did run the compress test. But basically it only let me look at one episode at a time. And the compression test showed that I couldn't go LOW enough in terms of bitrate (I was well over 100% with the slider all the way to the right). I ticked the other option (other than divx 3.11) and I wasn't aware that I couldn't use 5 with Nandub. I guess what I'm asking is what the best way to do this is. Clearly I can't use gordion knot because it wants to make every episode fit on one disk. At the very least I want two per disk. Is there some override so that you can manually input file size into Gordian Knot? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Macros

Hi Acaila- Glad to see you around more often recently. My experience with 50 minute TV episodes is quite different, but I'm working with old noisy BBC TV series and also trying to squeeze in 2 episodes per CD. But also without B-Frames, at 512x384, using low bitrate matrices in XviD or various filters, and mono MP3 audio, I come up with average quants over 4. Aren't the Buffy episodes also full screen (I wouldn't know-I won't even watch them on TV, much less waste time making XviD copies)? I guess the source material is pretty good, so why, with average quants under 3, are they blocky? Maybe limit the quants drastically so they don't climb during action sequences.

Hi Manono, The source is in fact not really great (how is yours, Macros746?). You'd think that for the DVD release they'd have some good masters lying around, but I guess they didn't. The problem seems to be mostly TV transmission noise (or something), the frames appear clean enough on static scenes, but during motion it becomes ugly. I'm encoding them at 576x432 and even with quants restricted to 2-3 (which isn't to strict in case anyone is wondering) the noise/blocks stay visible. Maybe these are "clean" sources compared to other TV series, I wouldn't know coz this is the only TV series I own on DVD myself. But they're aweful compared to the (clean) theatrical movies I'm accustomed to. Right now I'm running a 1st pass with the Wavelet Noise Reduction filter which I stumbled on earlier today. Can't believe I missed that one. I must say that while tweaking the settings I was amazed at how well it performed. I may have found a new favorite filter :). Albeit it a slow one.

Thanks for all of your input folks. So I reencoded an ep last night having wrestled with Nandub file size (for some reason I can't just type in a number that I want....like 325...I have to type in a forth number and then delete a number and keep doing that until I have the number I want...weird) As for the source quality...I think it's fairly clean....but it was obviously NOT a big budget show until around the 4th season. The film quality wasn't that great. With a final file size of 345 including sound I didn't see any obvious blocks....I did however have VERY obvious 'combing'. I'm going to try again and see if I can't get rid of that (it's fine for watching on TV but NOT for watching on my laptop). Anyhow, thanks for all the help.....I think I get the gist now. I wish there was an easier way...since I plan to do this with Angel, Six Feet Under and the Sopranos.....sigh. Macros

by the way...Buffy is 4:3 (but another one of my small quibbles is when I encoded it didn't take up my whole TV screen....maybe I'll try to encode to 1:1 instead of 4:3. Also I had seen that guide and have no problem using Gordian Knot to make movies...just not series ...until now. Macros

buffy is 24fps, not 30fps. If you see combing, you forgot to do IVTC. About that 4:3 or 16:9 issue, I could swear it was even 16:9 anamorphic :confused: May be there is a fullscreen and a widescreen DVD version?! [EDIT] I think, I should add that it was season4 of buffy I ripped.

Mine is PAL widescreen 4:3 (1.33:1), 25fps, interlaced. My blocks/noise are clearing up nicely with this Wavelet Noise Reduction filter btw. Three episodes on 1 CD now give me a compressibility test of about 65% (@576x432). Should be enough I think. The only downside is that it encodes at around 6fps.

Thanks for all of your input everyone. Season 3 disc 1 is finished and, if I do say so myself, looks pretty great. The combing WAS caused by not forcing film (for some reason DVD2AVI isn't retaining settings these days....I just assumed it was selected) The great results ended with a 340 file size for each episode. I'm going to shoot for 3 per disc for the second DVD and see what happens...I'll let you know. THanks again for the help guys! Macros