Best avi or mp4 conversion software for WD TV mini Options

[axiomprime]

I'm unlucky enough to have converted the bulk of my DVD collection into mp4 using an H.264 codec. Can anyone suggest a piece of software that will convert from DVD, H.264, and anything that is too hi-res for the mini to play into something that it likes?

I'd also like some numbers on maximum resolution and bitrate if anyone has them.

[WDUser]

For info. on supported containers and audio/video codecs, see the manual. There are no further detailed technical specs. available for any of the models. The Mini's limit is 720p video, so convert accordingly. You can try SUPER I guess, though there are plenty of other programs out there, both free and paid. A good place to ask encoding-related questions is videohelp.com

[axiomprime]

The manual doesn't seem to have made its mind up yet.

[WDUser]

The manual doesn't seem to have made its mind up yet.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Regarding?

The best thing to do is try the files you have (as many types as possible) and figure out an approximate upper limit quality-wise. Then try to emulate that when you convert/re-encode videos yourself.

[axiomprime]

These two bits (below) are taken from the manual. They're not the same. I haven't found a mention of maximum bitrate or resolution. I thought asking the community might be quicker than encoding a file with different codecs at different bitrates. I haven't had any luck with H.264 playback.

Video—MKV, OGM, AVI, WMV, QuickTime, Real, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4,
DVD (VOB) (Codecs: XviD, MSMPEG4, ASP, H.264, AVC

----------------------

Supported Video Formats
The following video file formats are supported.
• AVI (Xvid, MPEG4)
• MPG/MPEG
• VOB
• MP4/MOV (MPEG4)
• RM or RMVB 8/9/10

[WDUser]

Ah yes, now I remember that stupid confusion in the Mini's manual. Typical of WD... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) See this topic for more.

Since I don't own this model, I'll leave it to a Mini owner to answer your queries in detail, if possible. Since there aren't too many Mini owners though, don't be surprised if you don't get a detailed reply. If you do manage to figure out yourself what's the best supported quality level (for both audio and video), container format and codecs, be sure to let us know too.

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

P.S. If 720p H.264 in either an MKV or MP4 container doesn't work, the next best thing I guess would be an Xvid or DivX AVI with MP3 audio. Or since you mentioned DVDs, simply play the ripped VOBs directly without wasting hours re-encoding (AVIs will be smaller though if space is an issue).

[axiomprime]

My HD camcorder puts out H.264 @ 1080p so I knew that wouldn't play but it confused me that it won't play standard def stuff from my it. Maybe it's cos it's a 50 frames per second. I'll post my findings after I've tested a bunch of file types.

[spindrift]

One program that seem to work for me is RealProducer, to make realmedia files. It is a weird quirk of the chip that the best support is for realvideo, that nothing else will generate. However, real producer is free, and quite tweakable, seems to be h.264 quality encoder and takes a big variety of input formats. I'd try this as a basic transcoder. The problem is that the files are then really only useful in the WDTV mini, but if that floats your boat, go for it!

[WDUser]

Real? Gah! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Still, if it works... Thanks for the tip, spindrift. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[spindrift]

Real? Gah! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Yeah. I know. But it seems to be what the decoder was actually designed for. The mini is not a flexible bit of kit, so the user has to be flexible instead, but it does seem to give really good results with the right files.

The question is where all this real media support came from! I hadn't come across real for nearly ten years before I started researching this box...

[WDUser]

The question is where all this real media support came from! I hadn't come across real for nearly ten years before I started researching this box...

Who knows? I never used to touch Real files even back when they were semi-popular. Hated the player - was and still is borderline malware IMO. The Mini of course is the only device in the line that supports this format. Like you said, the converted files might play well on this device, but they'd be pretty much useless elsewhere. Thus I'd highly recommend that people retain the original formats so that they can play those directly when they do decide to upgrade from their Mini to a better, more powerful full HD-capable device.

[bronze_titan]

For info. on supported containers and audio/video codecs, see the manual. There are no further detailed technical specs. available for any of the models. The Mini's limit is 720p video, so convert accordingly. You can try SUPER I guess, though there are plenty of other programs out there, both free and paid. A good place to ask encoding-related questions is videohelp.com

What codec and container does the video/audio need to be in for 720P? I have a short 1280x720 uncompressed .avi that i want to display on a 720P HDTV via component. Any help suggestions?

[WDUser]

720p implies resolution, not a specific container. As long as the audio/video codecs inside the AVI container are supported (read manual for more, and check your files using MediaInfo), your file should play back fine on the Mini (which can apparently upscale to 1080i).

[spindrift]

The highest resolution is only specified for RealVideo files in the manual (720p)
If you are ripping DVDs, just keep the original files from the DVD without re-encoding (eg DVDFab set to DVD9 mode) - the Mini plays these fine and clearly no loss of quality whatsoever. Large files though.