I'm converting videos from my miniDV camera to divx (raw avi to divx),
using virtualdub and DivX 6.8.5 codec.
Although I'm setting the best quality possible - Encoding Mode: Insane Quality, I'm not happy with the outcome.
The quality is fine when there is a scene with no move (I'm mean the object not moving and me having steady hand).
But as soon as I move with the camera, compression can be seen, especially on a flat unicolor surfaces. There are "squares", and the quality is not good at all.
Is this normal ? How could I possibly convert to divx with better results ?
I even tried the 1-pass, and Nth-pass thing, but the result is the same. I can't believe these would be the limits for divx.
I've used dr.divx 2.0 before and got excellent results using the default "home theatre" mode. You mention the 1-pass mode, that is the fastest method where quality suffers. You need to use the 2-pass mode, that is the slow method but produce the best quality.
In the 2-pass method, the 1st pass analyzes the video and makes notes on where the slow/fast scenes are in the video. The 2nd pass (encoding pass) uses those notes to increase/lower the bitrate as required.
If you can't get the quality with the divxcodec, see if the h264 codec in the free avidemux can get you better results. That's what I have been using when I want the best quality.
For some reason I'm getting an error "can't load the video" when I'm trying to open the file using the software you recommended.
I have tried the Multipass method with VirtualDub before, 1stPass and NthPass .... I can't see the difference in the output file.
I changed the "Certification profile" from "Home Theatre Profile" to "720 HD Profile" ... now the outcome is satisfactory. I think I will stay with it.
