Encoding Video for Zaurus...

[TonyOlsen]

Some of us have been able to get Video Encoding working, and some of us haven\'t.  (I haven\'t... and I\'ve been trying to get it working for weeks now...)

In here I use the term \"Encoders\".  When I say \"Encoders\" I mean people who are able to succesfully encode video files for the Zaurus.  I am NOT talking about software.

I didn\'t know how to word this so I\'m just going to say it... I would think that someone who has it working might want to volunteer to encode video files for other people.  The other people could list (offline... NOT on the forum) which videos they need encoded for the Zaurus, and the person who is set up to encode could look at the list and choose which files he/she wants to encode for them.  Those people would talk to that person offline, setup a method to transfer the original video over the internet, then the encoder encodes it, and then sends it back.

This could be a great opportunity for the \"Encoders\".  There are 2 reasons why... and I won\'t say which one is better :wink: :

* Because it makes you feel good to help someone else
* Because you could \"forget\" to erase the original file you offered to encode for someone else after the encoding is done... and you could... er... add it to the list of videos you currently have?

It\'s a win-win situation and both sides benefit.

With that in mind, this forum is a place for \"Encoders\" to post their names and offline contact info.  (Also, this forum is for discussing this idea)  Then someone on the forum would send a list of videos (offline) they have which they would want reencoded for the Zaurus and the Encoder would choose a few (or even just 1) from that list, and arrangments to transfer the files would be set up.

For legal purposes, it is assumed that the Encoders will only offer to re-encode videos which he/she owns on DVD/VHS/VCD/etc... and that the forum participants likewise own the originals.

*gag*

Also, I have a webserver and I can receive files via AOL Instant Messenger, so I can help with the transfer of these files if help is needed.

Also, it is important for the Encoders to mention which video players their newly compressed videos will support (and it is assumed they have succesfully done this at least once and it works... otherwise this is a big waste of time  ).

Again, this forum is for discussing this idea and for the posting of \"Encoders\" offline contact information, the codecs they use, and which video players their resulting videos will support.

Have Fun!!

[TonyOlsen]

Hm... I\'m surprised.  No comments... no takers?  Any thoughts, input, etc?

Ahm\' the sheriff of this here ghost town!  Silence... wind blows, tumble weed rolls past...

[leskimo]

But this filesharing thing would probably be just as complicated as the encoding!

Wouldn\'t it be better if someone posted _really_ detailed instructions?

[locutus]

I forget what video format ( mpeg 1? ) the Z supports by default but might I suggest Knoppix is tried for this.  For those running MS Windows, you would have to boot the Knoppix CD and then enter whatever commandline/script is required to convert your video before booting back to your regularly scheduled program/OS.

If there are those who feel the desire to convert files for others then that\'s great too. Doing it yourself is usually the way to go or, it is for me....

Just a thought.

lob

[TonyOlsen]

But this filesharing thing would probably be just as complicated as the encoding!

Nah... it would be as easy as going to a private URL to download...

Wouldn\'t it be better if someone posted _really_ detailed instructions?

They\'ve already been posted and I followed them, but to no avail.  I even installed WindowsXP on my machine to try to get Windows Media Encoder and Movie Maker working... but they couldn\'t recognize the MP3 codecs I had installed.

The thing is that even with the detailed instructions, diffferent machines will need different troubleshooting.  That\'s why I proposed this...

I forget what video format ( mpeg 1? ) the Z supports by default

MPEG 4... but a very picky version of MPEG 4.  And audio only works with MP3.  I have 4 encoders on my machine and I encode all the time.  It isn\'t the a simple matter of encoding... it\'s getting the very picky combination of codecs, bitrate, and size.  In fact, the ONLY version of MPEG 4 it supports is Microsoft\'s MPEG 4... BUT Microsoft doesn\'t let you use the MP3 codec when exporting, and Zaurus doesn\'t recognize Microsoft\'s audio codec... so you have to hack the Windows Media encoder to get it to spit out MP3 with the video.  It\'s a big headache and not many have gotten it to work.

...and last I heard, it has only worked on Windows2000 or WindowsXP machines.  Linux is currently not an option (ironic, isn\'t it?).

If only RealNetworks had RealPlayer for the Zaurus... then I would be set!

I would guess that there are only 5-7 people on the entire ZUG user group who have actually gotten it to work correctly.  ...and I would guess that about 30 people have really tried.  That makes those who have actually gotten it to work a rare commodety.  ...and valuable.

[cmisip]

I have been using a script to encode for the Z.  It is based on mplayer and mencoder and uses oggenc and oggmerge.   I am getting pretty good results ( not perfect but very usable).  I posted it on my site, but so far have only gotten a couple of feedbacks after several hundred hits.  The disadvantage is  that you need to find a suitable AV delay value for encoding and depending on the performance of your Z or the settings you choose, you might lose AV sync every now and then on complex scenes (high motion) but these are not cumulative and mplayer will resync the audio even if it has to drop frames to do it.  Movies with black borders on the top and bottom fare better than fullscreen ones.   You might tweak the settings a little bit.  Been using on the 5600.   I use a version of this script to convert mythtv recordings for playback on the Z using nuvexport.  Works pretty well.   I would appreciate any feedback from anybody who tries the script though.

http://cmisip.home.insightbb.com/index.htm

[TonyOlsen]

I\'ll try it out tonight!  Thanks!

[javab0y]

I have to repsond to this thread...I had coffee shooting through my nose when I was dying of laughter...

I didn\'t know how to word this so I\'m just going to say it... I would think that someone who has it working might want to volunteer to encode video files for other people.

High quality encodings can take as long as 5-6 hours...sounds like this volunteer has a lot of time to burn   In addition, the uploading of a full DVD (up to 8 Gig) would take a couple of days, even with broadband.

Also, I have a webserver and I can receive files via AOL Instant Messenger, so I can help with the transfer of these files if help is needed.

I refer you to http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/April/04_crm_263.htm.  I would recommend that this is not the right time to be thinking about this.  Seems like there are not alot of places to hide form having a federal \"friend\" knock on your door and \"borrow\" your computer for a while

Anyways...(the above answers were somewhat tongue-in-cheek) in all seriousness...

Your upload/encoding idea won\'t work...too much bandwidth for high quality encoding...and too much time it takes to encode good quality stuff.

Do a search for my userid on this site.  Awhile back I posted a short but sweet how-to for encoding good quality videos with vidomi.

[TonyOlsen]

the uploading of a full DVD (up to 8 Gig) would take a couple of days, even with broadband.

No, no, no... I\'m not talking about DVD files... I\'m tlaking about 400-700 MB DivX (or other) files.  I buy DVDs and then put them on my computer and put the DVD in a box so that it doesn\'t clutter up.  I assumed that everyone knew that I wasn\'t talking about MPEG1 or MPEG2 files, but something of a higher compression.

I\'m not tlaking about compressing files... I\'m talking about recompressing them using another codec, bitrate, etc, combination.  For example, my 1,000 kbps DivX files would probably be best as a 200-300 kbps on my Zaurus.  Also, the 640x480 video would shrink to 320x240, so hopefully there wouldn\'t be too much qualirty loss, although I\'m sure that some would still happen.

Normal Broadband should only take about 2 hours to upload a file like that, and about 30 minutes to send it back...

High quality encodings can take as long as 5-6 hours

I know... but that isn\'t 5-6 hours of YOUR time... it\'s 5-6 hours of your computer\'s time.  It goes without saying that these encodings will likely be the last thing you do on the computer at night and then you can see the result in the morning.

I refer you to http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/April/04_crm_263.htm. I would recommend that this is not the right time to be thinking about this. Seems like there are not alot of places to hide form having a federal \"friend\" knock on your door and \"borrow\" your computer for a while

You\'re probably right...  What\'s this world coming to?  Congress is passing laws to support business models instead of letting good business models stand for themselves.  Old dynasaurs are vying for immortality instead of just dying, not caring if their efforts are holding up technological advancements.  *Gag*  *Sheesh*  Micky still isn\'t public domain...  Man... I\'d welcome a thread to bash the record industry, but it probably doesn\'t have much to do with \"Zaurus\"...

[TonyOlsen]

By the way... your link brought up:

\"We are sorry, but we are unable to locate the page you requested on the Department of Justice Website.\"

What did it say?

[LilMikey]

Basically \"All your base...\"

[TonyOlsen]

\"...are belong to us\"  :twisted:

[TonyOlsen]

I have been using a script to encode for the Z. It is based on mplayer and mencoder and uses oggenc and oggmerge. I am getting pretty good results ( not perfect but very usable). I posted it on my site, but so far have only gotten a couple of feedbacks after several hundred hits. The disadvantage is that you need to find a suitable AV delay value for encoding and depending on the performance of your Z or the settings you choose, you might lose AV sync every now and then on complex scenes (high motion) but these are not cumulative and mplayer will resync the audio even if it has to drop frames to do it. Movies with black borders on the top and bottom fare better than fullscreen ones. You might tweak the settings a little bit. Been using on the 5600. I use a version of this script to convert mythtv recordings for playback on the Z using nuvexport. Works pretty well. I would appreciate any feedback from anybody who tries the script though.

http://cmisip.home.insightbb.com/index.htm

After reading it I just came to the obvious point I missed at the beginning... this is a LINUX script meant to run on a LINUX Intel machine.

I don\'t have Linux on my Intel machine (it\'s my work\'s machine and they are Windows-based).

Is there a Windows version of this?

[javab0y]

Looks like I had an extra period on the end of that link...anyways...try this link:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/April/04_crm_263.htm

I know... but that isn\'t 5-6 hours of YOUR time... it\'s 5-6 hours of your computer\'s time. It goes without saying that these encodings will likely be the last thing you do on the computer at night and then you can see the result in the morning.

Hehe...you don\'t know me...it is my time!  I spend alot of time on my computer. :-P

You\'re probably right... What\'s this world coming to? Congress is passing laws to support business models instead of letting good business models stand for themselves. Old dynasaurs are vying for immortality instead of just dying, not caring if their efforts are holding up technological advancements. *Gag* *Sheesh* Micky still isn\'t public domain... Man... I\'d welcome a thread to bash the record industry, but it probably doesn\'t have much to do with \"Zaurus\"...

Trust me...I am on your side.  I fully concur with you.  Unfortunately, we have laws that were made that protect corporations more than it does us, and also, unfortunately, we have to abide by them, or you may end up as a target as shown by Operation Fastlink. It goes to show that if you are going to \"trade\" files, you had better do it real secretly.  Your posting to ask for folks to engage in \"trading\" in a public forum makes you a potential target for the MPAA, RIAA, and USA.  Just my .02...be safe.

Again, look for my thread on encoding video for the Z with vidomi.  You will get 100% excellent rip everytime.

[TonyOlsen]

Again, look for my thread on encoding video for the Z with vidomi. You will get 100% excellent rip everytime.

All I saw was stuff that runs on Linux machines.  I skimmed through all of the video encoding part and didn\'t see anything mentioning something that works on Windows.  Did I miss it?

There has to be a legal avenue to have people re-encode video for you.  There are many companies that broadcast video on secure servers.... but the video has to be uploaded to the server to begin with.  If encoding services can be legal, then why can\'t they use the internet to transfer that information (as long as the transfers aren\'t public and noone else can use them).

This is a real need and I feel it is a valid legal business...  I was only attempting to get a freebie by appealing to various motivations for offering that service.  I don\'t publically share videos with others.  My web server is for personal files, but I could use it to help transfer files via private links on my server to and from \"encoders\", if that help was needed.

How could we do this publically and legally?  I\'m serious about wanting to set something up and there must be a legal way to do it.  I own all of my movies on DVD, so having them on my Zaurus should be perfectly legal.

I resent the facist RIAA corrupting the system, like a \"big brother\", so that people can\'t even speak openly on public boards without the fear of retaliation.  Is this the new age freedom everyone keeps talking about?  

To the RIAA: \"No, you may NOT borrow my computer and terrorize my family!  You are not welcome in my home and you are not welcome on my land!  I will persue voting for any and all laws that extinguish your existance!  I will make sure that anyone I vote for knows to veto any \"amendment to the constitution\" you whisper into Congress\'s ears.  Get a real job!\"

Boy... talk about a sore spot...