[Hanekurai]

If you don't have already, go grab XVid4psp (note: before installing, make sure to have your codec pack installed or updated) and install it (note 2: Version 6 of XVid4psp is not recommended so far, you'd better stay with the latest Version 5).

A) Open XVid4psp and drag and drop your mkv you want to convert into the main window.

1. Chose "Avi Hardware" for most compatibility.
2. Go to Video > Resolution/Aspect

Choose your output resolution (2a) and eventually your resize filter (Lanczos might not be the best for resizing from 1080p to 400p) and click OK (2b).

3. Choose your video encoding settings: 2pass for better quality at reasonable filesize (3a) and bitrate (3b) and click OK (3c). For a 400p output a bitrate of 750 - 850 should really be enough (also many standalones are not able to play higher bitrate videos), you might go up to 1.500-2.000 for a 720p output-resolution (for better quality just don't stick with avi, switch to hardsubbed mp4 that can also be encoded with XVid4psp and will be displayed on most players as well).

4. Choose your output audio format. A proper avi will never have something else than a MP3! If you want to stick with FLAC or other audio codecs you shouldn't convert to avi at all but maybe to hardsubbed mp4 that at least can be played on Playstations as well (although I never tested it with FLAC-audio).

5. Before encoding you should make sure that your subtitles will be converted in your new avi-file, too. Therefore just play the video to the first subtitles. If they don't show up in the preview-window they won't be encoded either (in this case you probably will have to extract them using mkvExtract and add them manually to XVid4psp. Also be aware that some groups are hardcoding their karaoke, so make sure you're verifying your video-preview on normal text and not only karaoke).

6. Press the Encode-button and choose your output-directory then press Save.

Done. Enjoy your avi.

[caboose]

Thank you for making a guide.
It is something that was really needed.

[Toddler_Naruto]

Does this program work for both SoftSubs AND HardSubs?

[caboose]

if you read the guide it addresses subs
and the answer is yes

[Hanekurai]

Um, okay first of all thanks for your feedback. Since your question doesn't really specify what you want to do (import soft/hardsubbed video or get hard-/softsubbed video as result of encoding?) I guess I'll point some things out:

First of all: XVid4psp can more than just converting to XVid-avi for PSP-Hardware.

Quote

Import formats:
AVI DIVX ASF MPG MPE M2V MPEG VOB TS M2P D2V MOV QT 3GP HDMOV RM RAM RMVB RPX SMI SMIL MKV OGM WMV DVR-MS PMP FLV.

Export formats:
PMP AVC, MP4 PSP AVC, MP4 PSP ASP, MP4 iPod, MP4 iPod 640, MP4 iPod Touch, MP4 iPhone, MP4 PS3, MP4 Xbox 360, MP4, AVI, AVI DV PAL, AVI DV NTSC, AVI Hardware, MPEG-2 PAL, MPEG-2 NTSC, MPEG2-TS, MPEG2-PS, FLV, MKV.

Minimal requirements to system:
Windows Vista, XP SP2.
Microsoft Framework 3.0
DirectX Update-Check

On Windows Vista don't need install framework, but need need turn off UAC (Control Panel - UAC - X) and update DirectX to real worked version.

Program can encode any file playable in Media Player Classic. So for correct work must be installed correct codecs. Like KLite Codec Pack Full.
Important rule: AviSynth 2.5.7 or newer must be intalled. (AviSynth included in full versions of XviD4PSP.)

Now for the subtitles: You can import both hardsubbed and softsubbed videos. But as I stated under Step 5 there is a slightly possibility that XVid4psp is not able to import the subtitlefile directly and you'll have to extract it first from your mkv by using MKV Extract Gui (note that it must be installed in the same folder as MKV Toolnix) and then importing it manually to XVid4psp by choosing "Subtitles > Add". From over 200 files I've converted this happened only one time, so it's nothing to complain about I guess.

If you want softsubbed videos as output just don't use XVid4psp but MKV Toolnix to just merge and not reencode your material.

[Toddler_Naruto]

What I was mainly asking about was, after I re-encode a hardsubbed 720p MKV file to a hardsubbed 400p XviD AVI file, would the subs be unaffected and look/work fine?

[Craig]

Baby_Naruto, on 16 February 2011 - 02:57 AM, said:

What I was mainly asking about was, after I re-encode a hardsubbed 720p MKV file to a hardsubbed 400p XviD AVI file, would the subs be unaffected and look/work fine?

Deary me, silly question.

Think of it like this:

Softsubbed stuff is like a sheet of glass with a picture drawn in felt pen on it. You can wipe off the pen and start again, or add to the drawing in different colours.

Hardsubbed stuff is like a sheet of glass with a drawing engraved into it. It's there until the glass breaks.

Once you encode softsubbed videos to hardsubbed avi, the subtitles are on the video. Re-encoding it won't affect the subtitles in any way. Other than reducing the quality/sharpness of both the video and the subtitles slightly, as happens with all re-encodes.

[Toddler_Naruto]

Ah, okay, thanks for clarifying my confusion, I shall now be able to re-encode worry-free.

[Hanekurai]

Quote

a hardsubbed 720p MKV

? For now I haven't seen a hardsubbed MKV so far (with the exception of karaoke-part), since this container is predestinated for softsubs, are you really sure about it? (You can check your video specifications with Mediainfo if you haven't done yet)

Anyway it is as Craig said. Once subs are burnt into the videoimage (=hardsubbed) they are no longer changeable, so reencoding won't have any effects on it.

[Toddler_Naruto]

Hanekurai, on 16 February 2011 - 12:26 PM, said:

? For now I haven't seen a hardsubbed MKV so far (with the exception of karaoke-part), since this container is predestinated for softsubs, are you really sure about it? (You can check your video specifications with Mediainfo if you haven't done yet)

Anyway it is as Craig said. Once subs are burnt into the videoimage (=hardsubbed) they are no longer changeable, so reencoding won't have any effects on it.

I'm sure, sometimes when I watch a subbed MKV file, DirectVobSub's green arrow thing never shows up.

[Toddler_Naruto]

Just letting you guys know I'm re-encoding MKVs to AVIs just fine now, with the exception of subs with karoke.

[Samishii23]

I wanna break this program. Errors on the 2nd pass and doesn't give a reason for the error...

[Hanekurai]

No error-message? I had a time when it always failed at muxing audio to video. Reinstalling solved the problem, though.

Just out of curiosity, you aren't using XVid4psp 6, do you? In that case 2nd pass is likely not stable, yet. Try out with version 5 then.

[Samishii23]

Hanekurai, on 30 May 2011 - 10:31 AM, said:

No error-message? I had a time when it always failed at muxing audio to video. Reinstalling solved the problem, though.

Just out of curiosity, you aren't using XVid4psp 6, do you? In that case 2nd pass is likely not stable, yet. Try out with version 5 then.

Using 5.036. Down graded from 5.039 at Craigs suggestion. It errors on the 2nd pass, or 1st pass if I just selected 1 pass. Won't start on Consistant bitrate.

[Hanekurai]

Hm, I've got 5.037, but that shouldn't be the problem. Did you actualize your codec-pack? Which one are you using? What is your OS?