[MPlayer-users] [newbie] GUIDE to mencoder (1 or 2 CD)

[Giacomo Comes]

> > may I suggest you to try encode2mpeg?
> > Download from:
> >     http://spazioinwind.libero.it/encode2mpeg/encode2mpeg-0.1.1.tar.bz2
> > and use in this way:
> >
> >     encode2mpeg -o FILM1 dvd://1 -aid 129 -avi
> > to encode at the _BEST QUALITY_ with very high video compression
> > and very high mp3 audio quality
> 
> That's not "_BEST QUALITY_".

Yes, you are right. But as written in the README, it should be a very good
quality when you want to obtain the highest compression with unlimited video
bit rate. I don't pretend to be 100% right in what I say, just I have not
seen any "magic" combination of libavcodec option that gives exactly what
I want. There are too many options, it depends of what you want, AND
your video source is important too.
By the way, if you or anybody else has a suggestion on a set of codec
options for the _BEST QUALITY_ I will glady include them in the program.

> 
> By the way, why do you use '-lavcopts acodec=mp3:abitrate=$abr"' in your 
> script? "preset=$abr" instead of "abitrate=$abr" should give better 
> quality.
> 
>        Matthias

Mmm... I think there is a little bit of confusion here.
abitrate=$abr is used with libavcodec to create the mp3 audio stream
preset=$abr or preset=standard is used with mp3lame lib for the same purpose
Both usage are possible:

-encode 3:m:i
    will use: -oac mp3lame -lameopts preset=standard
-encode 3:m:i,aaa
    will use: -oac mp3lame -lameopts preset=aaa
-encode 5:m:i,aaa
    will use: -oac lavc -lavcopts acodec=mp3:abitrate=aaa

If you are asking why bother about libavcodec if mp3lamelib is better,
the answer is that with libavcodec I can have not only mp3, but also mp2 and ac3.

And if you use one of the preset encode options -encode 1 .... -encode 4
it will use -oac mp3lame -lameopts preset=standard

Giacomo