Quickly convert DVR-MS with Expression Encoder
Way back when, I setup Expression Encoder to convert my DVR-MS files to WMV (for size and portability). One thing I found was the command-line switch to make the conversion run at close to real-time, even for HD. While I assume this will work with the new WTV format (and EE 2, for that matter), it’s not something I’m working on or maintaining anymore.
The switch is “/VideoComplexity 0″, and it reduces the computing time to process the video. I never noticed a difference between setting it to 3 or dropping it to 0, but YMMV.
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft Expression\Encoder 1.0\Encoder.exe” /Source “e:\HD_SOURCE.dvr-ms” /Target “E:\HD_TARGET.wmv” /VideoComplexity 0 /VideoProfile “HD Archive (CBR)” /Log On /Time
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft Expression\Encoder 1.0\Encoder.exe” /Source “e:\SD_SOURCE.dvr-ms” /Target “E:\SD_TARGET.wmv” /VideoComplexity 0 /VideoProfile “SD Archive (CBR)” /Log On /Time
I setup two different profiles (SD and HD), and had each bring the resolution down to 720×480 for SD or 720×404 for HD. Of course, this was all automated with commericials removed by DTb.
why 720×404 for HD?
That’s the max res supported by the Zune. My only purpose for converting the files was for portable devices. With the iPhone it maxes out at 640×480, so it’s even lower
gotcha. Does the iphone play wmv?
No – h.264/aac, which the Zune also supports (I have both – I’m a multi-platform sadist). I’m using Handbrake to convert to that. It’s pretty fast and the results are pretty consistent.