Best program to convert resolution to dvd?

[dssnike]

I have many video files that are not the 720x480 or whatever for dvd making. What is the best program for it? Ive tried the simple converter programs, but they never convert the whole thing. Also, I tried windows movie maker, but it messes up the sound and picture, they dont match. Anyone know a free or where i can get a program that is fast and good and converting the files?

[SaSi]

To convert these videos to 720x480 for DVD making, you practically need to encode them to this resolution with an MPEG-2 encoder.

Both Mainconcept and Tmpgenc will resize your source video into the proper resolution. Both allow you options for croping the borders if you need. Tmpgenc is cheaper but it's slower.

Depending on the codec these videos are encoded with, it may be impossible for the encoder to open and encode the video. Tmpgenc is better in this. It will accept a broader range of source video types.

You can also use VirtualDUB (freeware) to resize the video before feeding them to an MPEG-2 encoder.

Also, if you use the VirtualDUB approach, you can use these resized video streams with several simple and nice and cheap DVD authoring programs that can encode them to MPEG-2 but not resize them.

However, authoring programs that also encode are notorious for not producing exactly what you want, especially in terms of bitrate.

[andkiich]

Something else to consider. generally a file that is encoded up in resolution will look like junk, so if your source resolution is smaller than 720x480, you'll probably be better served by encoding to 352x480.

[ZippyP.]

Something else to consider. generally a file that is encoded up in resolution will look like junk, so if your source resolution is smaller than 720x480, you'll probably be better served by encoding to 352x480.

Or even 352X240 if the resolution is really low.

[dssnike]

Yea, but my dvd authoring programs only accept 720x480 video files

[ZippyP.]

Yea, but my dvd authoring programs only accept 720x480 video files

Time for a new one!

[dvasco]

Yea, but my dvd authoring programs only accept 720x480 video files

Which DVD authoring program do you use?

[dssnike]

adobe encore

[ronnylov]

I use FitCD to generate an avisynth script which is resized to correct resolution and then feed it to an mpeg2 encoder.

[awlchu]

I had many mpeg1 movies that I wanted to convert to mpeg2 resolution.

I wasn't happy with the scaling performed by my mpeg2 encoder (output was blocky) so did this:

In my editing program, I imported the mpeg1 video stream. As a background, I added a black screen (on a different layer) to give me a poor man's 'letter box' effect. The size of the background is of course NTSC or PAL.

The output is the mpeg1 quality is maintained within the border of the properly sized mpeg2 screen res. The mpeg2 encoder worked just fine and I was able to author the mpeg2s without error.

[bugster]

I had many mpeg1 movies that I wanted to convert to mpeg2 resolution.

Why?

mpeg-1 video at 352* 240 (or 352 * 288 for PAL ) is valid for DVD. Re-encoding to full D1 resolution will only make it look terrible. If your mpeg-1 is at the resolution for VCD as described, all you need to do is re-sample the audio to 48khz.

Try SVCD2DVDMPG

[ZippyP.]

Why?

mpeg-1 video at 352* 240 (or 352 * 288 for PAL ) is valid for DVD. Re-encoding to full D1 resolution will only make it look terrible. If your mpeg-1 is at the resolution for VCD as described, all you need to do is re-sample the audio to 48khz.

Try SVCD2DVDMPG

Bugster, I think there needs to be a post that explains that fact. There's too many people who don't realize that there are several DVD resolutions and converting VCD to full D1 res actually reduces quality.

[FulciLives]

I thought that 352x240 was only OFFICIALLY supported on DVD if using MPEG-2 vs MPEG-1

In other words you can have 352x240 on a DVD but it must be MPEG-2 ... not MPEG-1

Or is that incorrect?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ZippyP.]

I thought that 352x240 was only OFFICIALLY supported on DVD if using MPEG-2 vs MPEG-1

From what I can find it can be mpeg1 or 2. Look here and scroll to allowable picture resolutions.

[bugster]

I thought that 352x240 was only OFFICIALLY supported on DVD if using MPEG-2 vs MPEG-1

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

Taken from https://www.videohelp.com/dvd, under the heading of Technical Info for DVD-Video, NTSC

352 x 240 pixels MPEG2
352 x 240 pixels MPEG1 (Same as the VCD Standard)