Converting flv to avi without generating HUGE file size

[Kat]

I regularly download streams and most of the time with success. The problem is the conversion. I do it and the resulting video quality is more than adequate but I wind up with HUGE file sizes.

I'm currently using iWisoft which is free and has other functions which I like. As an example, yesterday evening I download a stream which was 100 MB in size (640 x 480) pixels. When I go to convert it, it winds up being 235 MB. I don't really want to skimp on video quality. I know someone who records the exact same file as me and yet they have avi files that are ~ 100 MB, the same as the original, the quality seems to be on par with the original too. I asked them what they did, no response.

Is it a magic codec that I'm missing or should I just use something else?

Why do you convert your recordings?

Have you tried to use h.264 video codec or xvid? Do you know that in some cases it is better to remux flv into mp4 losslessly?

[Kat]

Thanks for replying.

I make edits, people don't like flv format nor do I. I make DVDs and they need to be avi. I have those codecs, file size is still large.

I did an edit of a file yesterday that was 20 minutes long, 100 MB. The edit was 5 minutes 15 seconds long with the Xvid codec and it wound up being 60 MB which I think is ridiculous for something so short.

Even some network media players support FLV format, so it is not that bad.

Also note that DVDs don't have to be with AVIs.... Many portable players support .MP4, .MKV video files.

And what do you mean by editing? Just splitting or removing some parts?

If your FLV files use h.264 video codec, I recommend to try

1. to remux them into .MP4, .MKV or .AVI first,
2. to remove parts of your video with AviDemux

Both can be done with AviDemux.

As for Xvid and other codecs, if you change settings (like bitrate), you should be able to get a comparable size. Although sometimes your files will become bigger.

[Kat]

I meant it had to be avi for me. Most people don't have dvd players that'll play files in mkv containers or mp4s.

Even if I just keep the flv file type, they're still big.

Thanks for the tips, I'm going to try AviDemux today.

There are really a lot of FLV converter can do that. If you think the converted avi file is too large, you can use a video splitter like Replay Media Splitter to split it to smaller pieces.