Highest Quality

[robertsmith26]

I want to back up my DVDs to CDs. I rip using smart ripper and then encode using TMPGenc. The quality is so so. I'm looking for the best way to encode to the highest possible quality. I don't care if I have to use 4-6 cds per movie, just as long as the quality is good. Any Templates or suggestions would be appreciated.

rs26

[Baldrick]

Do you want the play the backup on a standalone dvd player?

[robertsmith26]

yes

[Jeomite]

To go all out for highest quality.
Try creating a MiniDVD of the movie.
NOTE: Your DVD *must* support MiniDVDs in the first, very few do.
Look for the tutorials on VCDHelp.com Menu - Convert.

Your more compatible alternative is creating SVCDs @ 2500kbit CBR (few DVD Players support above 2500kbit). With Highest Quality Motion Precision (in TMPGEnc if used).
This may take a while as well.

[robertsmith26]

thanks I'll try that out.

Looks like it going to take 11 hours but I don't care about that.

[Kdiddy]

if you truly want to have preserve the dvd quality, bare minimum for an average movie is gonna run you 11 disks...do you really want to change out 11 disks, to watch a movie?? in anycase....not that it matters because you will run into probs on 2 fronts a) your player more than likely does not support miniDVD B) if you are lucky, your standlone has a 2x (most only have 1x) dvd drive in it...well the x = 350mb/s, therefore your drive at theoritical max can only read info off CDR(W) (not dvd, reads dvds differently than CDs) at 700mb/s, which equates to 5.6mbit/s.....so if you encode at the average 9.5mbit/s that a DVD movie comes at...you player will NOT play it correctly...the highest you can theoritically do is 5.6mbit...which is about 1/2 the quality of a DVD, still very good....but not true DVD quality IF THATS WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO....

personally, a 3 disk VCD/SVCD is very good...11 disks is not worth the hassle, you need to a backup DVD that bad, just go buy another copy

[icemanatvcd]

I agree with kdiddy. What is the point if it going to take like 2 days for the whole procedure? You waste energy, time and money. It will be a lot cheaper to get an another disc.

[VidGuy]

Most DVDs are actually recorded at more like 3.5MB->6 MB, not 9.5 MB. 9.5 is the max. If they all used it, there would be no "market" for SuperBit DVDs, which do average more towards the 9.5 MB side.

[Kdiddy]

I dont know what DVDs you have been getting at 3.5 mbit...but I have yet to get one (american made NTSC, region 1) that is lower than 7 mbit...you must be getting some really old or crappy DVDs, not that you could tell before you buy it, but there is no way I would pay for something encoded at 3 mbit...

[corwin1]

TMPGEnc works good, try out 2 pass VBR or use Cinema Craft encoder 3pass VBR. Just crank up the bit rate and use a bitrate calculator, like the one on the "Convert" page of this site.
I have to agree that if you are using as many discs as possible to get the best quality, it may be cheaper and waste less time by simply buying another DVD if you can. In my experience I find that an average 2 hour movie with lots of effects can be done with good quaility over 3 80 min CD's.

[vitualis]

I have to agree with sentiments in Kdiddy's first post. Making a VCD or SVCD from a DVD (i.e., DVD rip) is a trade off between functionality, quality and price. You could theorectically make a perfect DVD quality "miniDVD" transfer but as Kdiddy stated, it'll be on 11 discs and it will probably play on nothing, not to mention the investment in time and money to create such a thing.

At some point, it would be more economical to simply purchace the DVD.

Regards.

[Jeomite]

If you really want the best possible quality, buy the actual DVD. It seems that you want this movie so bad, let alone in true, fullest quality. Instead of spending a bunch of CDRs (10+) and a whole TON of time in the ripping/encoding/conversion process... go out, spend about $20 and buy the actual DVD. Then you'll save time (time is money!) and get the upmost possible DVD quality of this movie you favor so highly.

[thxkid]

DVD's run all over the place, my star trek 1st contact runs anywhere from 4.2 to 6.5, while along came a spider is 7 to 10. I also notice that most of the lower bit rates are on single layer discs while the higher bit rates are on dual layer discs.

[Kdiddy]

that may be...but I have never seen one no where near 3.5 mbps

[robertsmith26]

ok. Let me clarify what I'm trying to do. I would be happy with a true SVCD quality, Hell I'd be happy with VCR or greater quality. I don't need DVD quality as I previously mentioned. I just want to get a copy of a DVD on 3 to 4 80min cds.

I think I created a template that looks good. The quality looks great on the screen, but shortly into the movie I get blocks and the move stalls. Any ideas on that?

thanks for all the replies

[pinoy2201]

go download pinoy2201's vcd Templates at the tools section
it gives great quality in video

[Kdiddy]

if your movie is "stalling" still sounds like bitrate is too high for your standalone....max SVCD bitrate is 2600 which right near the 1(X) theoritical max barrier (which is why most dvd standalones wont support SVCD)...check to see if it stalls on your PC as well....if it DOES NOT stall on your PC, then yes your bitrate is too high for your standalone and the bitrate needs to be lowered...if it DOES stall on your PC, then you have done something wrong in the encode process...only thing I recommend is follow the guides word-4-word first, see if that works....then start tweaking your process to your liking.

[robertsmith26]

It looks fine on my pc. The max bitrate was set to 2520. Any suggestions on what to set it at? Pioneer DV-333

[Kdiddy]

nope just keep lowering till it works...go in 500 increments is what I would do..2000, if the same problem occurs at 2000...then I would go back to say the prob is in the encode process

[robertsmith26]

cool.

thanks I'll try that.

[robertsmith26]

Same Problem at 2K. I am using 2 pass vbr, does that mean that my bitrate is double what I set it at? So If I use 2K is it actually 4k?

[Kdiddy]

no it doesnt...most likely sounds liek you are doing something wrong in the encode process..OR it doesnt like that media, do you have a different brand media, try that as well...other than that, you need to list you EXACT steps that you use ot create you video, so maybe I decipher where the problem might be

[robertsmith26]

can i email you my template?

[robertsmith26]

It was the media I was using. I feel like an iddiot. I was using the cheap blue cdrs. Nothing but cdrw from now on.

thanks for all your help kiddy

rm26

[Kdiddy]

its KDIDDY, not kiddy, LOL, but you are welcome all the same.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kdiddy on 2001-10-15 14:12:59 ]</font>

[Hateslife]

By the way, beyond the immense difficulty of making and playing MiniDVD's, they only hold 15 mins of video...

My Daewoo(yes, Daewoo) DVD player theoretically plays them, but it's such a bitch to make and use them that I'm never going to find out for sure

[Kdiddy]

Wrong, they hold more than 15 mins of video...and its not a hassle at all making them....the hassle is finding a player that plays them...which to anyone in the US, is not hard at all...Wal-mart carries 2 GE series model that in conjunction with a firmware hack plays miniDVDs just fine...

as for your Daewoo...it does NOT play miniDVDs in their true form, ie, with menus, chapter skipping, icons & such...it WILL play the .vob files in its file mode, like playing regular mpegs...except of course you get the AC3 sound.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kdiddy on 2001-10-16 00:00:56 ]</font>

[Shifthrow]

Max out everything. If you don't mind that it comes out using 4 or 5 cdr's than use a high constant bitrate. Up the resolution to 720 or 704 by 480.