Megui H.264 Conversion Guide
Updated: 07/06/2007 09:24 AM

MeGUI is one of the newer tools that has been designed with H.264 encoding in mind, while supporting other types of conversion, such as XviD. This guide shows you how to encode a H.264 (MP4) using MeGUI from a DVD as the primary example (instructions for converting other types of video files are also included).
This guide is aimed at intermediate users, basically users that are familiar with DVD conversion/backup and want to experiment with H.264 and MeGUI. As such, basic knowledge of DVD ripping and conversion is required, although brief instructions will be provided in any case.
Software you'll need (all freeware):
AVI-Mux_GUI.zipNeroDigitalAudio.zip

Show details for Step 1: InstallationStep 1: Installation

Show details for Step 2: DVD RippingStep 2: DVD Ripping

Show details for Step 3: D2V CreatorStep 3: D2V Creator

Show details for Step 4: AviSynth Script CreatorStep 4: AviSynth Script Creator

Hide details for Step 5a: Video Encoding Options MP4Step 5a: Video Encoding Options MP4

We'll now set up the H.264 encoding options in the x264 encoder. This step has the most options to configure, and too many to cover in this guide alone. What I'll recommend is to use one of Sharktooth's profiles, and if you need further explanation of the options, refer to our x264 Options Explained article.
In the MeGUI "Input" section, select "x264" as the "Codec" and "MP4" as the "Container".
MeGUI: Video

For the "Video Profiles" option, select one of the x264 encoding profiles so we don't have to manually configure all the settings (unless you want to , then click on the "Config" button to do so). A full explanation of what each profile is used for can be found on the official forum thread for the profiles. For compatibility, I recommend using the CE profiles, particularly the "CE-QuickTime" profile (this will make the MP4 file playable in Apple QuickTime 7 or newer). The "CE-Baseline" profile is also fully QuickTime compatible, but uses less advanced features (and so will be faster during encoding at the expense of some quality).


Show details for Step 5b: Video Encoding Options XVIDStep 5b: Video Encoding Options XVID

Show details for Step 6: Audio Encoding OptionsStep 6: Audio Encoding Options

Hide details for Step 7: AutoEncode and starting the encodingStep 7: AutoEncode and starting the encoding

We're nearly finished. Press the "AutoEncode" button to launch the Automatic Encoder setup windows.
MeGUI: Automatic Encoder

This is pretty straight forward - just specify the output size of your video file (and make sure the Container is set correctly, to "MP4" for the purpose of this guide). The output location can be changed as well - this file will be the final output file that you want, so make sure you remember where you put it and don't accidentally delete it when cleaning up (I like to put this file in a different folder to all the other files, just in case). Press the "Queue" button and all the necessary jobs will be added to the encoding queue.
Click on the "Queue" tab and all the jobs should be listed there. An explanation of the queued jobs shown in the screenshot below:
  • job1: D2V Creation (already finished)
  • job2-1: Encoding audio track 1
  • job2-2: Encoding audio track 2
  • job2-3: Encoding video, 1st pass
  • job2-4: Encoding video, 2nd pass
  • job2-5: Muxing audio and video to MP4




When you're ready to start, press the "Start" button to start the encoding and when it's all finished, your MP4 file should be ready. You can delete all the other files, unless you plan on making more encodings from them.
We're done :)


Show details for MeGUI Custom x264/AVC video profiles. (Updated: 2006-12-21)MeGUI Custom x264/AVC video profiles. (Updated: 2006-12-21)


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