Which format to convert WTV to is best?

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londonfog

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Which format to convert WTV to is best?

#1

Post by londonfog » Fri Nov 04, 2016 1:09 am

Hi Everyone,
FIrst here is my setup:

HTPC:
CPU & RAM: i3-530 & 16gb
GPU: GTX 460 768MB
Tuner: Ceton Infinitv 6 pci
Shark codecs installed

Media Center Extenders:
Two xbox 360's

So my question is which format/settings are best to convert WTV files to? THe WTV files are finally starting to clog up my storage so I want to convert some of them and save some space.

I'd prefer to maintain as much video quality as possible, and don't like seeing obvious compression artifacts if at all possible.

Then, is it possible for the files to still show up in the "Recorded TV" section of the menu after conversion? It seems to do a better job than the Movies or Videos section for organizing files, as well as all the data related to the episode.

choliscott

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#2

Post by choliscott » Sun Nov 06, 2016 8:04 am

I honestly would say that which format/settings are more of a personal preference, as what I think looks good might not be the same as what you think looks good.

If I remember correctly there are only a few programs that can handle native WTV files. Are you looking to keep the ability of being able to Rew/FF or just wanting to compress & still have a decent picture?

If you're looking to keep the ability or even if you are not, I would look at "VideoRedo". The program isn't exactly cheap ($100, & there is a 30 day trial), but it will automatically scan for commercials (if you wanted to edit them out) & allows for compressing to different formats, including H264 WTV & you can also compress from a 1080P format to a 720P format.

For the Recorded TV section, I can't remember If other file formats show up in this list besides WTV files. Another program I would suggest (which is now free) is RecordedTVHD. I like this program because it will show "Posters" instead of a "label" & will separate issues by season.

ZippyTheChicken

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#3

Post by ZippyTheChicken » Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:52 pm

I have been converting my wtv files to h.264 with MCE Buddy and then batch converting those files to h.265 with Handbrake for windows. I could just use MCEBuddy but the process is too slow and I need to get the WTV files converted and off my system drive and on to an external drive that I place them temporarily and then I use RichCopy4.0 a tool from Microsoft to send the h.264 files to my NAS from the External Drive... and then... geees .. and then when I have recorded an entire series I will convert those files to h.265 ...

Normally for shows that are cartoons like Family Guy i will see no loss of quality and a 60% reduction in file size when I convert from h.264 to h.265

for sitcoms and regular shows that have humans .. I see about a 40% reduction in space normally

Sometimes if I am recording a lower resolution original that comes off a antenna station in 480p or something.. I will only see a 10 to 20% reduction in size but that is very rare.. normally i average about 40% reduction in space with no appreciable loss in quality...

Everything I record is converted first by MCEBuddy to 720p h.264 MP4 files

My archive of shows from My Ceton 4 usb tuner is now........

TV SHOWS
29,657 Files(episodes), 614 Folders(series)

MOVIES
2,379 Files, 48 Folders

It takes a long time to convert to h.265 but it is worth it and my Android TV Box plays them very well off my NAS

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