MEncoder: Tutorial & Best Practices

Tool to encode videos

MEncoder is a command-line video encoding utility that is part of the MPlayer suite of media playback tools. It is primarily used for converting video from one format to another, or for applying various transformations or effects to video files.

MEncoder can be used to encode video in a wide range of formats, including AVI, MP4, and MKV. It also supports various codecs, such as H.264, Xvid, and VP8, and can be used to encode video with or without audio. In addition to encoding video, MEncoder can also be used to perform tasks such as resizing or cropping video, adding subtitles, or creating a video slideshow from a series of images.

To use MEncoder, you will need to have MPlayer installed on your system and be familiar with using the command line. Once you have MEncoder installed, you can use it to encode video by specifying the input and output files, along with any desired encoding options, on the command line. For example, to convert a video file from AVI to MP4 using the H.264 codec, you might use a command like this:

mencoder input.avi -o output.mp4 -ovc x264

Use these settings for DVDs:

mencoder VTS_01_1.VOB -oac mp3lame -lameopts preset=128 -srate 44100 -af volume=+3db,resample=44100:0:2 -ovc xvid -xvidencopts vhq=2:bvhq=1:chroma_opt:quant_type=mpeg:threads=2:bitrate=2000 -sid 7999 -vf scale=1024:576 -force-avi-aspect 16:9.0 -o movie.avi

Add the option pp=ci to -vf to use cubic de-interlacing for movies from TV.

MEncoder is a powerful and flexible tool, but it can be challenging to use if you are not familiar with command-line video encoding. If you are looking for a more user-friendly option, you may want to consider using a GUI-based video encoding application such as HandBrake or FFmpeg.