Is it really necessary to do this, and also why are most movie file downloads in .avi if they do have to be converted??
Its not that they HAVE to be converted, in most cases you can just watch them on your pc as long as you have to proper codecs! To download any codes just click software on this web page and click "video codecs and filters" + TMPGEnc will convert most avi's to mpg (as long as they don't have compressed audio). I'd give the url for TMPGEnc but if you click home there, you will see an article on the new TMPGEnc so get it there.
The reason WHY people convert AVIs to MPEG-1/2 is simple: -people are too lazy and use Kazaa or other lame (as in easy-to-use and full of fakes) P2P networks to download the smallest possible version of a pirated movie, which is always an AVI (DivX or XviD) (generally speaking all the pirated movies are released directly in MPEG-1/2 as well, people just prefer to download as small files as possible -- DivXs normally take one CD and decent qualit SVCDs 2 or 3 CDs) -then they suddenly notice that it would be cool to actually watch the movie using their DVD players instead of their PCs (TV out simply sucks) -then you need to convert the AVI to something that's a standard -- VCD or SVCD -- that your DVD player plays
1st: Thanks to DaBoss and the others there at Afterdawn. Your explanations are quite helpful as I don't know jack about all this. 2nd: You mentioned TV out sucking. Does this work with a cable running from the computer to the TV and is that an s-video cable? Thanks, J
Yes, TV out == the cable that comes from your PC and goes to your TV. Much better solution is to rip your movies directly to VCD or SVCD format and watch them using a stand-alone DVD player (those funny black boxes that you put next to your TV and plug into it directly).
