DVD Ripper Trying to get better quality rip for MediaCenter viewing

[curiousgeorge]

I've purchased a copy of DVDFav DVD Ripper and am trying to get it to make better copies for viewing on desktop PC using Windows MediaCenter. Can anyone offer any guidance on how I can create a profile that will give me high quality rips in say xvid format?

I've tried going into the Conversion Settings dialog and upping the Fixed Bitrate to a much higher number but it produces the same sized file (and quality) as lower bitrates. It feels like the setting is not sticking. I am also using the 'High quality encoding (2-pass)' option. Finally I also tried setting a Fixed File Size. Nothing seems to be improving the quality.

Thoughts?
I'm using v8.2.1.3 on Windows 8 x64 RTM.

[wickerman]

What hardware are you using to perform the encoding? Check your settings in DVDFab to see if it is relying on the CPU, GPU, or something like QuickSync to do the work. Personally I have found that raw software (cpu) based encodes have given me the best quality of image when compared to DXVA or CUDA (GPU) but QuickSync and software tend to be very difficult to tell apart. You can refer to THIS article at Anandtech.com and towards the bottom they have some comparison shots of a rip of The Dark Knight showing the image quality difference between CPU (i5 2500K, QuickSync disabled), QuickSync (i5 2500K), GTX 460, and HD 6870. Or THIS link from the same site comparing the new QuickSync on Ivy Bridge to SandyBridge, GTX 680, and HD 7970 - so basically the newest hardware. Obviously that isn't DVDFab they used, but the hardware ATI and Nvidia use have their limitations. But this may be the biggest factor.

I don't know if it has been the same for other users and I would be interested in hearing the results. But do note that depending on your system specs, relying on just the CPU to do the work as opposed to the other hardware will likely increase the time it takes to rip your content by a fair bit.

Also, you may want to try encoding with H264 instead of xvid to see if you can get better quality with the given settings you are using in your profile. Generally speaking H264 should be able to provide better compression without sacrificing so much quality. But it may be something you'll have to compare, perhaps do a sample video that is a few minutes long and just compare them.

Another factor can be the way your video settings are configured for playback, through your driver control panel that Nvidia, ATI, and Intel provide. You can adjust color and image settings in there that specifically target video playback. Sometimes people modify these settings (and others) as part of calibrating their monitor and don't realize the effect it can have on their videos. Obviously its impact is limited, but if the quality you are having issues with are things like washed out color, or contrast, then it is a good place to look.

[90312]

nimbus, I deleted your posts. This forum is provided by DVDfab and you need help to attain the quality you want, ask. Rants and mentioning other software is unacceptable, this is your only warning!

[maineman]

I have to say that wickerman's post is absolutely spot on.

You really need to look at h264 conversions.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of mkv.h264audiocopy profiles.

For BDs, I maintain a kbps of ~ 15000.
This affords a file reduction of about 50% (or a bit more) with absolutely no discernible difference from the original in terms of video quality.
Nothing scientific here at all and my only claim is that I personally, see no difference in video quality...when viewed via a media player to a 42" HDTV by my "63 y.o. eyes"...lol

If it's an option, an Intel Quick Sync cpu is your best bet.

While I'm not fanboy of CUDA...it has its place for some users.
My core i7 build is about 3 years old and I see about a 20% boost in encoding speeds with a nVidia 260 GTX superclocked GPU.
Others report problems and marked degradation in quality.
Again, I don't see this on my rig.

I believe that Lightning recoding causes more trouble than not, but again, it's an option that works for some users and hardware configurations.

My A/V Codec settings are:
Video decoders...all software only
Video encoder...usually software and CUDA.

I often use older versions for conversions...such as v.8085 (last of the pre-Qt versions).
If a current version stumbles in some regard, I find that the older versions are more reliable.

Many of us "old-timers" keep a few versions installed.
They play well together and any hdd space used is insignificant.

[curiousgeorge]

I'm running on a brand new hand built system with an i7-3770K CPU, using the integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics. In DVDFab it is setup with the Intel QuickSync codec for H264 and Software for the others. I am very happy with the encoding speed, DVDFab seems to do a decent job of utilizing my 8 logical cores.

I haven't touched my video playback settings at all so they are the default Intel driver settings. I am ok with colors and contrast, but the video for xvid is very pixelated.

Last night I experimented with H264 [using the generic.avi(2gb-).h264.audiocopy profile] and while the video quality was much improved the audio was out of sync. If I could get audio working correctly that might just be the ticket. Any ideas?

Maineman mentions a mkv.h264audiocopy profile. I don't see this in my setup. Are profiles like that something I can find elsewhere and install or do all the profiles come with DVDFab (yeah I am a newbie here for sure).

[CBR929]

Hi curiousgeorge
You can find the mkv.h264audiocopy profile either in the "generic" drop down box or by choosing MKV clicking the "more" in options.

Try not to use the (2gb-)profiles.
CBR929

[Greenbutton]

Hey -- I'm a newbie here and have yet to get a successful rip that I like. I'm on a pretty new (8 mos old) Intel Core i3-2120 PC but with a pretty low cost NVidia GeForce GT 430.

You guys are talking about disabling CUDA, doing software/CPU encodes... I can't find a setting in DVDFab to change that. (I have version 8.2.1.5). How do you try those modes?

thx

[signals]

DVDFab Settings->AV Codec, check the box that disables all GPU acceleration. You should experiment to see if that improves it. If not, re-enable CUDA for either encode or decode to improve your conversion speed. Settings is the green circle with the white checkmark in the upper right border.