Is it better to convert an AVI to NTSC or pal?

[Keithchr]

I want to use tpmgenc 2.5 to make an mpeg1 file and put it on a dvd. My TV and DVD player support both. Will I get better quality if I choose NTSC or pal.

Thanks

[BJ_M]

it s better to choose the one that matches yoru country and what your player supports

[Keithchr]

Well, does it matter which country I am in if my TV & DVD player will play both?...I need to know which will convert to the highest quality...NTSC or pal.

[andyp1]

It's April 1st isn't it . It has to be.

[BJ_M]

you are posting from the UK , so pick PAL

[jimmalenko]

Is is wise to keep whatever format the AVI is in at the moment. You can do NTSC--> PAL conversions and vice versa but IMO you are better off keeping the original format.

[Keithchr]

Sorry to sound like an idiot - but how do you tell if it's NTSC or pal...To me it's an AVI file that I need to convert to mpeg1.......Oh Andy....this is a serious question from a newbie.

[andyp1]

Having recovered

Pal / NTSC has NOTHING to do with quality.
If your players support both then convert according to your source
NTSC AVI to NTSC Mpeg
PAL AVI to PAL Mpeg

If you try to convert from one framerate to another , that's when your problems will occur.

Don't forget you will need an Authoring software if you want to burn them to a DVD and play them on your DVD players.

[Supreme2k]

According to BJ_M, he comes from the country of yoru, which I believe is PAL. They also wear hats on their bottoms and eat with their feet.

[Keithchr]

Andy.you must be ashamed to have me as a countryman!..The source file is an AVI downloaded from the net......How do I tell if its an ntsc avi or a pal avi.

[andyp1]

Get AVI Codec it will give you all the info on the files you need.

[Keithchr]

Hi Andy
This is what the avicodec says:

File: 59 MB (673 MB), duration: 1:22:44, type: AVI, 1 audio stream(s), quality: 50 %


Video: 598 MB, 1010 Kbps, 25.0 fps, 544*416 (4:3), DX50 = DivXNetworks Divx v5, Unsupported

Audio : 75 MB, 128 Kbps, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, 0x55 = MPEG Layer-3, Supported

Is it possible to tell from this if its NTSC or pal, and if so, which part tells me?

Thanks for your time.

[jimmalenko]

Video: 598 MB, 1010 Kbps, 25.0 fps, 544*416 (4:3), DX50 = DivXNetworks Divx v5, Unsupported

25fps = PAL. 29.97 or 23.97 = NTSC.

[andyp1]

As Above.

Is there any particular reason you want to convert to Mpeg1 when you question was reguarding quality.
If you want the best quality you can you should be converting to DVD Mpeg2.
Mpeg 1 will be lower quality than your AVI wheras with Mpeg2 you can near enough equal the quality of your AVI

[Keithchr]

Well thanks to you I now know the answer. I appreciate the help - you gotta start somewhere!

If I choose High Quality mode in TmpgEnc 2.5, will this increase the quality when I have converted from AVI to Mpeg1? Or does it just make the encoding process significantly longer.

[Keithchr]

As Above.

Is there any particular reason you want to convert to Mpeg1 when you question was reguarding quality.
If you want the best quality you can you should be converting to DVD Mpeg2.
Mpeg 1 will be lower quality than your AVI wheras with Mpeg2 you can near enough equal the quality of your AVI

Sorry Andy I didn't see your answer here before I posted the previous post.
If I can maintain the best quality I would like to convert them to Mpeg2 and put them on a DVD. As an example I have an 800meg AVI. Would this fit on a 4.7 DVD?

[andyp1]

It's time for you to find a guide
Click on TMPGenc in this post and scroll down for a guide on converting AVI to DVD.
Nobody is going to spell it out for you when it is already written in great detail in the guides.

Have a read and if you get stuck on a particular point , feel free to ask.

I know you are new to this and we all were at one time .

Asking for info in dribs and drabs is only coing to make it more difficult for you and its hard to remember all the steps you went through when you have finished.
At least if you have a guide you can print it out and follow it for the first few times , then once you get used to it , it will become much easier.

I'll give you a few hints what to look for

1 Use virtualdub MP3 freeze to check the AVI for bad frames and fix as necesary.
2 Extract the audio from the file using virtualdub
3 Convert audio to ac3 using ffmpeggui
4 Convert the video to Mpeg2 using TMPGenc
5 Use TMPGenc DVD Author to create a menu and combine the audio and video and create a VIDEO_TS folder
6 Burn to a DVD using Nero or other burning software (TDA will burn to DVD
7 Put DVD in DVD Player and enjoy.

I must say that the above list has been is simplified and each step will require learning and practice and time to perfect. The results however are well worth the effort.

[andyp1]

Edit - removed

for some reason videohelp has started to go extremely slow for me tonight and I thought I had lost the above post.

[alanparrott]

I am new to the forum and just realising how complex this can all be!

I used WinDVD Creator to transfer an NTSC AVI file to DVD, selecting PAL for one run and NTSC for another, apart from the PAL taking twice as long, I could tell no difference on my TV.

Cheers