Windows What video compression codecs and software are best?

Hi all, I've just installed a new video input / tv encoder card, and hooked up my VCR to my PC. Before I start doing anything important with it, I would like some advice on video codecs, as I'm a noob in this field.

The PC I am using can only convert the video directly into raw AVI files, as it is too slow to compress the video in real time (dropped frames everywhere if I try to compress in real time) The end result is good video, but HUGE file sizes!

Question: What compression codec would you recommend to compress my videos so that about 1 hour fits nicely onto a 700Mb CD?

Also, what resolution would you record at, and what tools (preferably freeware) are available for converting / compressing AVIs to various levels?

Thanks.

 

Get the Tsunami Filter Pack. Here.

It contains almost every codec you could possibly want.
Another good one to grab is the MPEG2 codec, such as this one. I'm not sure if the Filter pack has it or not, my version doesn't. It's mostly used for DVD video, very good compression and quality. Another one would be the DIVX codec, that's good for compression and quality as well.

For your video working needs, VirtualDub will be perfect.

The best advice I can give is to just try a bunch of codecs, play with their settings and see what you get. And be patient. Video and audio compression takes a lot of time, especially on lower spec/CPU count machines.

What sort of output are viewing on? TV, monitor, etc? That'll change the resolution. Usually you want somethign between 320x240 and 640x480. There are exceptions, especially if you've got/want a widescreen output.

Good luck.

 

A very good codec is XviD.

The quality is excellent

 

Forgot to say...

What program are you using to capture from your VCR?

I use Virtual VCR. It's the best capture program Ive used.