Why and how to transcode video?

To be able to talk about the recoding of video files, it is necessary to understand some important terms in this matter. Especially - to mention the codecs. Surely everyone at least once heard this definition, but not many can explain its essence. What are the codecs? If you do not go into narrowly specialized terms, you can say that the essence of the work of such programs is encoding and decoding information. This can be both video and audio files. In fact, each such codec is a special algorithm used for encryption. There is an algorithm for each format.

Codecs and players

In order to view the video, we also need the appropriate codecs. In an effort to facilitate the task of users, most developers release players, where they are already built. An example is the Media Player Classic, which can recognize and reproduce virtually any format. In rare cases, most often after a full (or incorrectly performed) reinstallation of the OS, when playing a file, you may receive an error. In its content, as a rule, it is said that there are no necessary codecs in the system. You can solve this problem by downloading them additionally. Search query on the Internet can be found not only individual programs of this kind, but also whole packages containing a set of the most popular codecs.

How to transcode video and why?

There are times when a user needs one particular video file format. There may be different reasons for this. One of them is the need to reduce the size by recoding. This is due to the fact that outdated codecs have an imperfect encryption algorithm. And the video made with their use takes considerably more space than it could. And you can inadvertently download a file on the web with an inconvenient for viewing extension. Not so long ago, many did not know what to play the VLC video, which not every media player is able to understand. And although this problem is no longer relevant, it explains the people's desire to learn how to transcode a video.

Easy conversion with AutoGK

At the moment, MPEG-2 can be considered obsolete coding. To turn such video into an easy and modern format XviD will help a utility called AutoGordianKnot (AutoGK). The program takes a bit more than 11MB on the hard drive, is free and fairly easy to use. The interface in English, but almost intuitive, so that the basic knowledge of the language will suffice for the work. During installation, it is recommended to leave all the default settings except for one: when the window with a choice of a chipset appears, it is necessary to select ESS.

Now the main thing is to learn how to transcode video with this utility. We will assume that it is already installed on the computer. So, firstly, let's start our AutoGK video recoder. Let's pay attention that here at once there is an opportunity to choose directories (two columns above), whence the source file is taken and where its final variant is saved after converting. Fill these lines manually, or click on the button next to each and specify the finished folder. Just below the left, you must select the preferred size for the destination file. If we are talking about the film, then it needs at least 1.4 GB. On the right there are also additional options that can be used to improve the quality of the picture.

Detailed example

Now, step by step, we learn how to transcode a video using the example of a DVD with a movie. Select the top row to indicate where the source file comes from. In the case of such a format, you should search it in the VIDEO_TS folder. Usually it contains several files with the .IFO extension. Some may contain advertisements, other menus, but you need to choose the one that takes the most place. Probably, this is the film itself. If there are several films, then when you open the file, this will be demonstrated in the form of a list. In this case, you have to convert each separately. After opening the video file we will be shown its characteristics: audio tracks and their number, the presence or absence of subtitles, duration, aspect ratio.

In the event that there are several audio tracks, we put ticks only opposite to those of interest. This will improve the quality of the future film. Now we write the name for the final file and select the directory for its placement (the second graph on top). After that it will be possible to set the desired size. For example, to make a film in two parts at once, so that it's easier to write it on a CD later. In the advanced settings, select the XviD codec. The rest can be left by default, but for better quality it's better to put Original or CBR sound. Next, press Ctrl + F9 to open another additional menu. The only thing that needs to be checked here is the presence of a checkmark below the ESS.

Apply the changes made and click Add Job. After that, you can do the same with other movies on the disc. Then, several tasks appear in the list. At the moment there is only one. You can start it by using the next Start button. Everything, now it remains only to wait, when the long process will come to an end.