Thanks a lot Marco!

Yes I know, it's just that I want PCM audio. I'm a conservative. Musicvid told me that other audio formats would do as well, but I don't trust it since I don't understand it. My audio files are 48khz/24bits wav files and I was told that by choosing a video template using 48khz/24bits pcm, my audio will remain untouched, no conversion. But yes, I agree, It's a hard to read crappy video format...

Hi @Marty111

Video for Windows (AVI) format allows you to select any video codec and keep PCM format.

Are you sure of that ? I tried some other formats and they either didn't accept pcm, or rendered literally 10 times heavier files than xvid.

@Marty111

For sure i'm sure.

Render as -> Video for Windows > any profil > custom profil -> audio tab: set PCM 48000 24 > video tab, "video format": select any codec that you what > show audio tab => still PCM

Your just need to install a codec such x264 or other to be able to show it in the video format list.

You "could" use x264vfw and PCM inside AVI. But it's just a kludge that works.

Hi Musicvid!

I think I tried it, I don't remember, Maybe it was too heavy, or the result wasn't readable. What advantage should I expect from x264vfw and PCM inside AVI over xvid+pcm ?

I think I tried it, I don't remember,

I just explained to you, so do not think, just do it and see.

Hi Musicvid!

I think I tried it, I don't remember, Maybe it was to heavy, or the result wasn't readable. What advantage should I expect from x264vfw and PCM inside AVI over xvid+pcm ?

You think you tried it but you don't remember but maybe it was this and maybe it was that and maybe it was another thing?

So your not going to try and see for yourself what advantage you "might" expect?

Maybe someone else can help you. Entitlements are killing me.

It really is a shame that more modern codecs don't have universal support for uncompressed audio. As they've said above, it can be done, but it kills compatibility with a lot of players in the process, so it's a catch 22.

What advantage should I expect from x264vfw and PCM inside AVI over xvid+pcm ?

@Marty111

WIth the good settings, h264/x264 codec is much more efficient than Xvid. About file weight, image quality, and readability on recents devices.

Except if you plan to read your video on an elder DVD player, or Windows 98, you will get only benefits.

"You think you tried it but you don't remember but maybe it was this and maybe it was that and maybe it was another thing? So your not going to try and see for yourself what advantage you "might" expect? Maybe someone else can help you. Entitlements are killing me."

"With the good settings"

Yes, with the good settings, it is the whole point. I like to know what I'm doing. I already tried it and wasn't happy with it. You're right to call me lazy though, I'm probably trying to spare myself some work and deception.

@Marty111, Nobody calls you lazy, we just want to help you, but finally, if you don't want to try what we purpose to you, why do you ask it?

However keep this at mind; The Best Way to Understand Anything is to Practice it.

In the case of encoding, there are zero risk, you can change all the settings you want, you just have to try, see, compare and analyze the results, until it satisfy you.

Also, many informatons and tuto about x264 encoding exist on the web.

Well I would just be messing with settings and numbers I don't understand, not knowing what I'm doing. How many times did I use some gear and some settings and looked at my work few months or years later and had to sing again my songs, reedit my videoclips. I have about 50 songs, I sung most of them at least two times, as for the video I'm yet to redo most of them because I didn't know a thing about resampling.

And we see where this philosophy has brought you today.

Some things can not be guessed, you have to learn them. Tutorials exist.

... or ask them. But since you're complaining even before you've seen what it looks like, you're stagnating and wasting your time (and ours) talking about it and guessing instead of moving forward in your work... While it's not no more complicated than the Xvid. Most of the settings can remain the default values and you only have to adjust the bitrates to find the compromise between quality and weight that suits you. This will be sufficient given your level of requirement.

That said, now, you do what you want.

Xvid was about getting every last bit of quality and performance out of the ageing low performance/powered h.263 standard. Often constrained by a certain bitrate due to a requirement that must fit on a single cd etc. AVC doesn't have the same issues. If you visit handbrake encoding forum you'll still see the enthusiasts using command line entries to get peak quality for a given bitrate, but it isn't necessary especially when uploading to websites that re-encode. Low bitrate versions that the end user will see can benefit but not to the same degree as what you were used to in your Xvid days

"and you only have to adjust the bitrates to find the compromise between quality and weight that suits you"

I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in quality. Only after one year I would see that I did something wrong. That's usually how it is with me. For now xvid seems to suit me enough for archival and streaming purpose as anyway when streaming the video is reencoded by the streaming service.
 

Sorry Bob, your answer appeared after I posted. AVC doesn't support pcm.

anyway when streaming the video is reencoded by the streaming service.
 

One more reason to make a better quality at start ;)

Trust me, the quality difference with Xvid you'll see it.

You know that you are wrong but you persist... when in couple of years you can no longer decode your Xvid you will come crying for good reason.

x264 or h264 into an AVI also is AVC. And if you remember what we said you above... ? Yes, it support PCM.

Look at this video, just for example

x264, higher quality for lower file size
Xvid, lower quality for higher file size

i can't help you more.

Ok I'll try it then. Tank you.

"when in couple of years you can no longer decode your Xvid you will come crying for good reason."

Already happening actually, MPCHC randomly freezes for no reason, I have to close it then wait for about 20 seconds to start reading the file again.

Yeah I'll definitely try it then Just to know, maybe I should find some old player for my own work that can't be reprocessed as I didn't always keep the original footage ( Few years ago I didn't care at all about the video part of my work, sometimes I would just through a bunch of jpg in a row). And I have some old french movies that I couldn't find anywhere because they stopped selling them. I guess in America where freedom is king every old movie can be bought, but in France it's fucked-up, big majors buy entire catalogs of movies just to NEVER issue them, it's kind of a soviet thing we're having, culture tightly controlled by the state and we're left with either Amelie Poulain shit or antipathetic socialist propaganda.