Conversion of flac files to mp3 files in linux can be done with this shell script I found here online: http://lglinux.blogspot.com/2007/09/convert-flac-to-mp3.html

Example Usage:

cd /to/where/you/have/flac/files
nice -n 19 flac2mp3.sh /tmp/mp3 standard

Requires: lame, flac, id3v2

flac2mp3.sh:
 
#!/bin/bash
 
DESTDIR=$1
PRESET=$2
 
if test "x$PRESET" = "x"; then
PRESET=standard
fi
 
if test "x$DESTDIR" = "x"; then
DESTDIR=.
else
mkdir -p "$DESTDIR"
fi
 
echo
echo "Preset=$PRESET Destination=$DESTDIR Source=`pwd`"
echo
 
for a in *.flac
do
OUTF=`echo "$a" | sed s/\.flac/.mp3/g`
 
echo
echo "Source=`pwd`/$a Destination=$DESTDIR/$OUTF"
echo
 
ARTIST=`metaflac "$a" --show-tag=ARTIST | sed s/.*=//g`
TITLE=`metaflac "$a" --show-tag=TITLE | sed s/.*=//g`
ALBUM=`metaflac "$a" --show-tag=ALBUM | sed s/.*=//g`
GENRE=`metaflac "$a" --show-tag=GENRE | sed s/.*=//g`
TRACKNUMBER=`metaflac "$a" --show-tag=TRACKNUMBER | sed s/.*=//g`
YEAR=`metaflac "$a" --show-tag=DATE | sed s/.*=//g | cut -b -4`
 
echo
echo "Launching: flac -c -d $a | lame --preset $PRESET - $DESTDIR/$OUTF"
echo
 
flac -c -d "$a" | lame --preset $PRESET - "$DESTDIR/$OUTF"
 
echo
echo "Setting id3 ($TITLE, $TRACKNUMBER, $ARTIST, $ALBUM, $GENRE, $YEAR)"
echo
 
if test "x$TITLE" != "x"; then
id3v2 -t "$TITLE" "$DESTDIR/$OUTF" > /dev/null
fi
 
if test "x$TRACKNUMBER" != "x"; then
id3v2 -T "$TRACKNUMBER" "$DESTDIR/$OUTF" > /dev/null
fi
 
if test "x$ARTIST" != "x"; then
id3v2 -a "$ARTIST" "$DESTDIR/$OUTF" > /dev/null
fi
 
if test "x$ALBUM" != "x"; then
id3v2 -A "$ALBUM" "$DESTDIR/$OUTF" > /dev/null
fi
 
if test "x$GENRE" != "x"; then
id3v2 -g "$GENRE" "$DESTDIR/$OUTF"
fi
 
if test "x$YEAR" != "x"; then
id3v2 -y "$YEAR" "$DESTDIR/$OUTF"
fi
done

h264 seems to be the new kid on the block. Here is a GUI for a command line encoder you're probably going to end up using (-8

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MeGUI

Guide to pull your DVD to mkv/h264 file:

http://kitty.110mb.com/dvd2avc/dvd2avc.html

Popcorn Hour, they recommend a bunch of software. Here is the forum link, and the one at the bottom will do DVD→mkv directly:

• http://www.networkedmediatank.com/viewtopic.php?t=3178

AutoMKV - Recommended for BluRay/HD-DVD/DVD → MKV conversions

• (.95c - Stable)
• (.96 BETA - has 'PCH' profile)

Well, I've not had too much success with Mythtv's built in transcoding, probably due to a bad setup on my part. I have found that if I use the “Super” encoder on the raw .MPG file recordings, it does a very nice job of crunching down (especially cartoons for the kids) the files from their original HD size to something manageable for archive.

1. First thing to do is make symbolic links to the recordings so I can copy them all properly named in human readable format. I am using these two things for that:
   1. Mythname.pl (which I put in ~/bin/mythname.pl) to give us a command line program that can interogate the data base to find the name of the recording.
   2. This little bash script that will make symbolic links right where you are

      #!/bin/bash
      for filename in /var/lib/mythtv/recordings/*.mpg
      do
        fname=`mythname.pl --rep=. --subtitle $filename`
        echo "Linking $filename to $fname"
        ln -s $filename $fname
      done
      exit 0

2. Download everything to your PC with “Super” on it
3. Use this () configuration for transcoding
4. Dump all the files into SUPER and wait a very long time!

Looks like avidemux2 might be the program you want to try.

Russ emailed me a set of instructions on how to encode video for the mst3k stream, so I posted it: MST3k encoding for 128k stream