What codec do i need for my old VHSs conversion?

[Shasoosh]

Hey all,

I'm helping my dad with a project to convert all of ourfamily VHS \ Hi8 to files. I've read tons of guide online and tried several softwares but i'm still very confused. In what resolution those files should be and more important, what format is preferred for the final outcome. Will divx do the trick without loosing data for those old vids?

Thanks

[Coldgunner]

Personally I'd do it in MPEG2 for easy transfer to DVD, depends on your HDD space though. maybe you should consider MP4 (h.264), as many new devices now support it as standard.

[Shasoosh]

space is my main problem, he is using a laptop with 20 gigs of free storage (but he does have another external 500 gig hard drive)

[Coldgunner]

Whichever you choose, make sure you record in the best quality you can. I know its a no-brainer but for archive purposes you should always take the best recording.

[Shasoosh]

ok, so you think using mpeg2 in the best quality then convert it to h.264 will be a good solution?

will i benefit much space \ quality using h.264 over divx?

[Coldgunner]

afaik h.264 gives the best compression/quality tradeoff

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Don't convert between formats, you don't have much quality to work with and re-encoding is going to get rid of that.

Try to rip it directly into H.264, or MPEG2 if you want to put it on DVD's.

[Shasoosh]

I see, well, the only disadvantage in h.264 imo is that my Divx Dvd will not be able to read those videos, but i guess that h.264 players will be more poplar in the future. Is there a preferred h.264 encoder? (i'm using pinnacle 12 studio for now, is the mp4 converter good enough?)

[Coldgunner]

from what I can tell, PS3 and 360(?) support MP4 h.264

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

I see, well, the only disadvantage in h.264 imo is that my Divx Dvd will not be able to read those videos, but i guess that h.264 players will be more poplar in the future. Is there a preferred h.264 encoder? (i'm using pinnacle 12 studio for now, is the mp4 converter good enough?)

DivX got more traction because it has lower hardware requirements than H.264 (It's a simpler codec), I think that's about the only thing that's keeping it popular.

Anyway, I use x264 myself, but that's a bit harder to use.

[Volatile]

A good product you can use that will tell you what codec a file uses is Gspot

[Shasoosh]

from what I can tell, PS3 and 360(?) support MP4 h.264

my old man doesn't have a ps3 (yet! :p ).

cool, The_Decryptor, i didn't knew there's a free version of h.264 (thanks wikipedia..) but i don't mind paying for a descent simple encoder, my dad is having hard time editing those vids as it is.

[ozgeek]

While it's a good idea to convert from analog to digital. It's a good idea to keep the tapes a while longer. You never know what future might hold for you in regards to media storage.

[Shasoosh]

While it's a good idea to convert from analog to digital. It's a good idea to keep the tapes a while longer. You never know what future might hold for you in regards to media storage.

of course! I'm not getting rid of the tapes, i'll just box them deep in storage.