Converting to .mp4 with low specs.

Hey all,
What’s the best way to go about converting videos to .mp4 with my current specs? (I know they’re abysmal):

– 1.9ghz Pentium 4M
– 1gb RAM
– 40gb HDD
– 32mb GFX

I’d like some suggestions for conversion apps/methods/setting, if possible.
Thanks,
-digztytwo
Answer #1
I’ve got an old Dell laptop that is not much better specs than that (2.1GHz Pentium M, 2GB RAM) it will encode movie files fine, just takes a while longer.
Use Freemake, or EM Total Video Coverter
http://www.freemake.com/
http://www.effectmatrix.com/total-video-converter/
Answer #2
digztytwo replied: Hey all,
What's the best way to go about converting videos to .mp4 with my current specs? (I know they're abysmal):

I'd like some suggestions for conversion apps/methods/setting, if possible.
Thanks,
-digztytwo
Is there a reason why you need to convert them? Re-packaging mkv videos to mp4 would be a lot faster especially with your PC specs. Hell and freezing over come to mind. That hard drive could be the biggest problem, especially for HD video. It’s barely big enough for an OS.
Answer #3
Mighty_Marvel replied: Is there a reason why you need to convert them? Re-packaging mkv videos to mp4 would be a lot faster especially with your PC specs. Hell and freezing over come to mind. That hard drive could be the biggest problem, especially for HD video. It's barely big enough for an OS.
I think the HD video problem is largely cancelled out by the graphics capability, but I’m going to try to get a decent external during January.
Can I repackage from other formats, or just .mkv?
Answer #4
Why don’t you just download what you need in MP4?
Btw you can probably get a 10x better rig for around $100.
Can I repackage from other formats, or just .mkv?If the codecs are H264 and AAC then it’s possible to do it from any format.
Answer #5
-paroxysM^ replied: Can I repackage from other formats, or just .mkv?If the codecs are H264 and AAC then it's possible to do it from any format.
Ah, I see. Thanks.
Answer #6
digztytwo replied: Mighty_Marvel replied: Is there a reason why you need to convert them? Re-packaging mkv videos to mp4 would be a lot faster especially with your PC specs. Hell and freezing over come to mind. That hard drive could be the biggest problem, especially for HD video. It's barely big enough for an OS.
I think the HD video problem is largely cancelled out by the graphics capability, but I'm going to try to get a decent external during January.
Can I repackage from other formats, or just .mkv?
I was thinking that you might want to play HD video back using a console such as XBox or PS3 which don’t like Mkv containers but can play Mp4.
-paroxysM^ replied: Why don't you just download what you need in MP4?
Mp4 files are in short supply and finding the video that is wanted could be quite difficult.
Btw you can probably get a 10x better rig for around $100.
Can I repackage from other formats, or just .mkv?If the codecs are H264 and AAC then it's possible to do it from any format.
The audio codec is not that important because even a low powered PC could transcode it into any suitable audio codec. It’s the video which would take a large amount of time to convert if it had to be done, which is why re-packaging the video into Mp4 can be so much faster even if the audio has to be converted.
Mp4 can contain different A/V codecs, it could be audio/video such as H.264 video and AC3/AAC audio, Mpeg4 ASP video such as XVid or audio only such as AAC. Why does it need to be in a Mp4 container rather than Mkv? Do you want to play the video on a console or TV that only supports Mp4 playback? The codec used inside the Mp4 container is important and would need to be supported by the hardware. That is why I asked why it needed converting.
I’m not a fan of Mp4 containers because they are crap and can be for audio or video and don’t support video very well. Try playing a partial Mp4 file and you will see what I mean.
You could re-package an avi XVid into a Mp4 container if you wanted or avi H.264 video into Mp4. However without knowing the reason/purpose it becomes difficult making suggestions for a solution. There is software available to convert/re-package for console playback.
Answer #7
Why do you need to convert to .mp4 and what files are you converting ?
Answer #8
Nel replied: Why do you need to convert to .mp4 and what files are you converting ?
I was planning on converting all the seasons of American Dad into .mp4 so I can get to them conveniently in iTunes.
I know there are far better media players for this etc. etc., but I’m prepared to spend the time converting/repackaging rather than bothering to get used to another media player that supports Movies and TV Shows as well as music, and works fine on my spec.
Answer #9
Are u planning to play the converted mp4 files on a apple device aka IPod touch/iPhone/iPad ?
Answer #10
wazz12 replied: Are u planning to play the converted mp4 files on a apple device aka IPod touch/iPhone/iPad ?
No, just iTunes. I want to keep the original quality of the videos.