Coming out of encoding retirement

[Frederick]

I used to batch re-encode dozens of movies every day on USENET, but then the Usenet went to hell, so I stopped.

There are people posting great movies now, with excessive file sizes.  I am working on figuring out which settings are best for encoding without losing any quality.  I prefer to stick with the defaults of a program, but they usually need some tweaking.  You have to consider the codec, the format, and the resolution.

There are various codecs, but I have not yet determined which is best.

For formats, I'm looking at AVI, MP4, and WMV. 
The MP4 format has several sub formats including V1, V2, and PSP.  Why anybody would select V1, when there is a V2 is beyond me.

I value QUALITY above anything else, so if there is a noticeable difference in quality, I reject them.  A good way to compare quality is to look at the watermarks on the video.  If the text is just as crisp on the re-encoded movie as it is on the original AND the video plays smoothly, then you have a winner.

I am using AVS Video Converter, but I can get any of them.  If anybody has a recommendation on a better converter program or the best settings, please let me know.

I don't like buying a new 8 TB hard drive every 3 months to store oversized files.

I have a funny story related to that.  I once worked for a cheapskate who did computer installations for small government offices such as their city halls and public works.  My boss told the city manager that the computer he was building for them was fantastic.  It has a 1 GIGABYTE hard drive.  Not TB.. GB.  My boss told the city manager that 1 GB would be more than enough to last a lifetime.  I must admit that my cheapskate crook of a boss was telling the truth.. because my boss dropped dead 18 months later!  Serves him right for all the abuse I took from that idiot.