[mythtv-users] Re: Transcoding existing video

[Tim Tait]

Brian Topping wrote:
> Hmm, this is starting to look bad.  I found the transcode package, see
> now how it is different than mythtranscode, but it's still looking very
> difficult.  All I really want to do is make the file size smaller, but
> it's looking like I might have to rip all the DVDs again, is that true?
> 
> thanks for any info,
> 
> -b
> 
> Brian Topping wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I just got done ripping some DVDs without compression, thinking that I 
>> could transcode them afterwards, in bulk, while I was sleeping or 
>> something.  I originally thought I could queue them up, but after 
>> looking at the jobqueue table, it appears that it's only usable for 
>> broadcast video.
>> So at this point, I'm thinking I'll need to call the "base transcode 
>> command" that is listed in the DVD Ripper Settings, but I can't find 
>> that command anywhere.  Any ideas on how to do this?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Brian

No new rips needed, you can fire off transcode from the command line. 
When you rip a DVD, check the mythfrontend console output, it will tell 
you the exact command it uses. My older install (0.16) used this command 
for a "good" quality Xvid, I made a little shell scipts out of it:

-------------
#!/bin/sh

echo converting $1.vob ...
nice transcode -i "/var/lib/mythvideo/$1.vob" -g 720x480 -f 0,1 -M 2 -V 
-j 0,8,0,8 -y xvid -w 1618 -o "/var/lib/mythvideo/$1.avi" --print_status 
20 --color 0 &> tc.log &
--------------

HTH-

Tim