So I'm ripping DVD's and have a target output of 1.4 to 1.7 Gig file size. these are DivX encoded with Ultra DivX settings of "Insane" quality (a name DivX uses in their DivX Author to refer to quality vs speed ratio of encoding *Insane takes the longest but is highest quality) and I'm setting the bitrates to about 1,700 to 1,800. The resolutions are source at 720 x 480. Additionally, (I don't know how this is relevant, but it may be with regard to file size) I'm also using 320kbps MP3 or 320kbps AC3 depending on the source audio.

Where I'm confused is the 2 pass/multipass encoding. I know this takes twice as long, but reading briefly about it I inferred that 2 pass was supposed to be better ultimately, but reading somewhere else just a few minutes ago, it seemed that someone was explaining that if you have high bitrates then multipass is a waste and doesn't matter.

As is, it now takes about 4 to 5 hours to encode each movie. This is in part because of 2 pass encoding. My question is: is 1,700 bitrate high, thus justifying only 1 pass? And do I even need to be using 2 pass encoding? Will the difference be profound? Or even noticeable?

Any light shed on this for me would be cool.