HandBrake

Hello, I am VERY new to this so I would like to ask 3 questions. I am encoding some dvds for my @tv. I used the preset for AppleTV in HB 0.9.0. I encoded a chapter that was 2:22 long. Using the AVC/H.264 Video / AAC Audio Codec with the H.264 encoder, it took roughly 3:22 to complete. When I changed the Codec to M-PEG4 Video / AAC Audio with the FFmpeg encoder, it took about 0:40 to encode.

My first question is: are there major advantages to using h.264 / disadvantages for the other that make it worth it for the extra time?

2: I also noticed the tests are all much darker on the @TV than when I play straight from the dvd player. Both are hooked with HDMI cables to a 1080p LCD. I don't know if there is a way to correct this.

3: I have been using handbrake to encode dvds to watch on my little Archos 604 which worked great. Unfortunately, I encoded them as AVI's and now if I want any of them in my @tv, it ain't working. Is there any way to watch AVI's on the @tv?

Thanks.
-eliot

1. Please, please read the HandBrake Guide, it answers stuff like this. H.264 is much better.

2. QuickTime deficiency. Hack your ATV and install Perian? That is beyond the scope of this forum though.

3. Hack it. Or remux to mp4. Again, beyond the scope of this forum really.

Can anyone point me to a site that goes more into how to "hack" my ATV?

awkwardtv.org. It may void your warranty, even if you use the non-opening-the-box hack... I believe the first step is installing ssh on it and everything flows from there, but I could be wrong. I don't have one, myself.

i did this when it first came out and really, I cant recommend it more. Don't really care if it voids my warranty... its a pretty cheep box.

looks like awkwardtv.org is down for the moment. I'll try reading up as much as I can on this site. The problem is I don't write code so anything that involves terminal and unix has to really be spelled out for me so I can copy and paste. I'll see if I can find it somewhere. Thanks for the help.