Is the only diff between DVD and SVCD the resolution?

[Z.Sath]

Looking to convert some LDs to DVD, and am going to use SVCD.

Not really got into the authoring stage yet, but will I still be able to use DVD authoring software to create my SVCDs with all the same menus etc as I would if I were authoring a DVD?

Many thanks in advance

Paul.

[Baldrick]

THe audio is also diffffferent, 44 khz in svcd and 48 khz in dvd.

Most authoring tools will complain about the resolution and some dvd players will have problem it.

But why use svcd resolution? You can use low resolutions in dvd also like 352x480/576. www.videohelp.com/dvd

[Z.Sath]

Will low res DVD (352x480/576) not be lower quality than SVCD (480x480/576), or will this not be noticeable?

[bugster]

Will low res DVD (352x480/576) not be lower quality than SVCD (480x480/576), or will this not be noticeable?

It wil not be noticeable to most people.

[Gurm]

Differences:

1. SVCD's do not, in fact, have "all the menus" and such. They play. That's it. Some SVCD's MIGHT have a rudimentary "pick which chapter to play" menu, but I'm not sure if all players support that. They OUGHT to, it's in the spec, but...

2. Some DVD players don't play SVCD's at all.

3. SVCD is 480x480 with lower bitrate than DVD. The audio is also only 44khz. All of this translates to a perfectly ACCEPTABLE resolution, I certainly enjoy my SVCD's just fine, but you shouldn't kid yourself about them being "the same".

4. Hybrid SVCD-DVD's are even less compatible (i.e. not very).

[adam]

1. You'd be suprised how much the SVCD standard supports by way of menu's. Just about anything that can be done on a DVD can either be duplicated or replicated on a SVCD or VCD.

[Capmaster]

@Adam, does anyone even make VCDs or SVCDs anymore? Granted they were a godsend in their day, but with DVD writers and media being so cheap, as well as more players accepting DVDs than CD-video, isn't it limited to nostalgia anymore?

[ropdoh]

The real difference apart from the resolution is the bitrate you can use:
SVCD has a max video bitrate of 2600kbps

while a DVD has a max video bitrate of somewhere around 9800kbps.

Since bitrate is essentially the quality of the video, DVD can achieve much higher quality videos.

Of course whether you feel you can see the difference between the two is a different story...

[adam]

Capmaster, unless you are in a country where dvd writers and media still aren't practical, no I don't see much point in making VCDs or SVCDs.

[Cole]

@Adam, does anyone even make VCDs or SVCDs anymore? Granted they were a godsend in their day, but with DVD writers and media being so cheap, as well as more players accepting DVDs than CD-video, isn't it limited to nostalgia anymore?

I know I am not Adam, but I just wanted to say that VCDs still have thier place IMHO. For example, if I have a movie under 50/60 minutes, I would create an xVCD rather than use a DVD-R for such a short movie (usually a VHS conversion). Granted I am maybe not creating the 'best' quality that I could for the movie, but at 1800Kbps and 48000Khz, it may well end up on a DVD-R at some later stage.

[Capmaster]

@Adam, does anyone even make VCDs or SVCDs anymore? Granted they were a godsend in their day, but with DVD writers and media being so cheap, as well as more players accepting DVDs than CD-video, isn't it limited to nostalgia anymore?

I know I am not Adam, but I just wanted to say that VCDs still have thier place IMHO. For example, if I have a movie under 50/60 minutes, I would create an xVCD rather than use a DVD-R for such a short movie (usually a VHS conversion). Granted I am maybe not creating the 'best' quality that I could for the movie, but at 1800Kbps and 48000Khz, it may well end up on a DVD-R at some later stage.

8) I was just wondering out loud. Makes sense, and there's a certain skill level needed to finesse 60 minutes onto a CD and still keep a high enough quality level to make it watchable