Recording quality vs. redistribution quality

slowish but expensive*

for instance, i pay $au160/month for 8/.0384 40/80, i only d/l xvid and always end up going over my
quota,

i also feel i am paying $au100/month more than i can now afford

i am only going to switch to hd when i win lotto

hi, i've just joined the site and can't find a way to post a new thread so ive found the closest i
can to my question for an existing thread.

what converters do you guys use?

i've seen many 1280x720 HDTV shows that are about 350mb and at a certain bitrate, but when i try and
convert a 1280x720 that is over a gig down to 350mb at the same bitrate another show is at (assuming
it would be the same quality) it looks blocky and terrible. any help would be appreciated as i have
limited space and don't want 45 min shows that are a gig (just cause of the way they were uploaded)
when i know the same length shows can be compressed to a fraction of the size without losing quality.

i currently use Freemake, and im talking about 45min documentaries that get put up at a gig when
other 45 min shows are 350mb and look the same :/

cheers

My exact interests as well. I would Very much welcome some direction on how to master rendering a recording to the finest
350 meg video file. I enjoy recording and rendering but I have not yet reached my goal. Thanks in advance.