[mythtv-users] Optimum encoding for remote mythtv

[Boyd II, Willy]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org 
>[mailto:mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of John Kuhn
>Sent: Monday, May 10, 2004 10:36 AM
>To: Discussion about mythtv
>Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Optimum encoding for remote mythtv
>
>
>why not use nuvexport and convert it to mpeg4? smaller file size.. 
>similar quality
>
>--John
>
>Timothy.Weaver at at.redbull.com wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>About nine months ago, I setup a mythtv box. Using Jerod's 
>>instructions, I had little difficulty setting up mythtv 
>running on Red 
>>Hat 9.0 using a P4 2.5GHz, 512MB of RAM and a PVR-250.
>>
>>The purpose was nothing short of survival. I currently live in Europe 
>>but setup the box at a friend's house in the USA so that I 
>could record 
>>and download my favorite TV shows (How could I live without Curb Your 
>>Enthusiasm?). This has worked just fine. The only downside is that, 
>>even with my friend's "business" cable connection that provides about 
>>40kbps upstream, downloading a 30 minute show is about 3-4 
>hours using 
>>my current encoding profile settings.
>>
>>Those settings are currently 720x480 with a max bitrate of 3000 and 
>>audio at 48000 and 96k. There is only an analog cable input to the 
>>PVR-250, so I am sure those settings are overkill and are making the 
>>files larger than they need to be for the quality I would find 
>>acceptable.
>>
>>My question is can someone suggest better settings? Obviously, I can 
>>test a variety of encoding settings but it's not so painless 
>because I 
>>then have to download the file before visually inspecting it.
>>
>>Currently, my idea is to drop the resolution to NTSC level (approx 
>>352x525) while leaving the max bitrate at 3000. Am I heading in the 
>>right direction with this change?

Not sure if this has been addressed yet, as I just caught this reply and
I'm not using threaded messaging.... but:

You won't help your download times be leaving the bitrate the same.  The
video will still be the exact same size:  3000 kilobytes-per-second.
The only thing that will change by reducing the resolution, is slightly
better quality on a TV, because you're encoding less pixels, but more
information about them.  Make sense?  I can't think of a better laymen's
way to explain but someone else probably can.

So I would suggest doing both:  reduce resolution to, say, 352x480, and
drop the resolution a bit until you find it just acceptable to watch.
i.e. 2000kbps might look really bad at 720x480, but not quite so bad at
352x480.



>>
>>Also, I would like to define the Low Quality profile for recording 
>>animated shows like The Simpsons or South Park. Any ideas 
>what settings 
>>I should use for that?
>>
>>Should I look at transcoding to something other than MPEG 
>files? If so, 
>>what? I know I cannot yet use the commercial cut 
>functionality on MPEG 
>>files, so that will have to wait.
>>
>>All help, advice, feedback, criticisms, and monetary donations are 
>>appreciated.
>>
>>  
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------
>---------
>>-
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>mythtv-users mailing list
>>mythtv-users at mythtv.org 
>>http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>>  
>>
>