What are some decent audio/video encoding programs?

[The Doc]

I would like to get into audio/video encoding, as well as video creation/editing. What are some decent yet cheap programs out there that would suit my needs?

 

[piller1999]

For encoding/editing avi files, I like to use VirtualDub. There's a bunch of guides on the net on how to use it.

For mpegs/mpg, TMPGEnc is a really nice app. It can split and join mpgs, re-encode them in the different mpg formats.

-edit-
I forgot that TMPGEnc is not free, but you can use a trial for 30 days

As far as video creation, I dunno.

 

[Pixeleet]

for all video authoring, use Vegas if you can get your hands on it.