VDR`s vs. Tmpgenc

[sccasper]

Hi Iv`e been using tmpgenc for awhile now and am very pleased with the output.BUT!!! I`m starting to get a little tired now of all the time it takes to Capture/encode/write vcd or svcd, etc. I always will use this method for high quality vids I want to save, but am thinking of buying a vcd recorder ie. Terepin, Malata, etc. I`m assuming that my tmpgenc vcd`s are probably better and will keep using that way for important vids. But for just regular movies and stuff maybe a VDR for speed and convienence.
Could anyone tell me of thier personal experience with a Terapin or other such VDR and is it anywhere near comparable to a TMPgenc VCD?

thanks for any input, I know there has been previous threads about this but I want some current input.

[ejai]

I love it, it works similar to a VCR and gives very good quality video (depending on your source). I've even made movies that look better than the originals, if you can believe that. The movies I'm talking about were old and looked better after being digitized.

What I like to do is record to a 80min CDRW and convert it back to mpg using Myflix. I would cut it up using Tmpgenc and burn it back with menus using Nero. I could do 4-5 movies in one day that use to take 2 days to make 1 movie using software encoders.

The quality is execellent in terms of VCD standards, especially when using satelite and cable to capture from. Fast moving video looks clean in most cases except for areas with much going on in the background. This device will give Tmpgenc a real challenge, and in most cases it will win.

Remember its on the fly and you won't believe your eyes when you see the results. Terapin also offers a demo disk for your evaluation, check it out and let me know what you think.

Good Luck,
EJ

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ejai on 2001-07-24 12:55:16 ]</font>

[sccasper]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
What I like to do is record to a 80min CDRW and convert it back to mpg using Myflix.
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thanks for the info. When I was on Terapin`s website it say`s the Terapin doesn`t support 80 min disks(Yet!).So your`s does? That`s one of the deciding factors I was taking into consideration.I sent of for one of the demo discs. Thanks again.

[ktnwin]

So the Terapin captures video and produces good quality VCD.

Yes, it does pose a huge challenge to TMPGEnc or I would say to the PC system in general.

I do have respect for the Terapin (based on ejai's opinion) but I believe with the PC:

1) we will have better performance at reasonable price in the near future, so encoding would occur at 1X or even less (I can assemble a system nowaday that can encode movie at 1X speed,although a little expensive at this time)

2) DVD rip always produce top achievable results using PC. With the Terapin, it's a dual re-conversion process. From digital to analog then analog back to more compressed digital format.

3) Terapin cannot do SVCD (some VDRs can), XVCD, XSVCD and DVD. The PC can do all that plus a lot of other tasks

[ejai]

ktnwin -

I agree with your statements to a point, recording video on the fly with the quality that the Terapin can will be the deciding factor for many people. Most of us don't have the time and patience attempting to create a movie on the computer that will take hours to encode.

Terapin offers a faster and direct way to creating VCD quality videos with less work. The quality rivals that of any software encoder thus far (and I've tried almost all).

This device isn't the answer for all, but might be for many. The only thing I found worthy of consideration besides the Terapin is the ATI Radeon card. Yet with this card you would have to up the bitrate to even get close to the quality of the Terapin, and if you go beyond the 2.25 bitrate you will achieve better video than the Terapin can produce. This is fine if you don't mind the XVCD format.

I think it comes down to time and dollars. I personally like the idea of recording on the fly. I've lost many hours encoding with my computer at night, either the computer would hang or the quality wasn't what I expected. So I would have to do it again that next night.

Too much work, with very little results.

One more thing, in the near future people will be recording on the fly using the DVD format.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ejai on 2001-07-26 12:08:36 ]</font>

[PioneerGirl]

Check out the unofficial Terapin forum at http://accessboards.com/messageboard/vcdcreator.html

[mazinz]

i was able to see a vcd made with the Terrapin and although yes it did not look bad, it did not look that much better then capturing with a dazzle using the vcd template(which does not give good results at all). I saw the vcds limitations with terrapin and anything i have made on a PC still looked a lot better. But in defense for the amount of time it takes to encode, compared to just hitting the record button it might be worth the $300.

[sccasper]

Thanks again for the useful info everybody. I`m going to continue using my PC for now. But I will purchase a VDR toward the end of the year in hopes that prices may come down abit, and get a little better view of durabilty on these machines .

[b444miller]

I just got my terapin off ebay for $425 and have been using it quite extensively. I have a dishnetwork dishplayer and simply record from that unit's PVR function. I had been using a WinTV card to capture to AVI then to MPG, but was getting tired of the PC freezing up, the time spent encoding and capturing. I still use the WinTV card for old VHS tapes as the quality is better than the terapin. But the terapin is great for me to build my video collection on easy to store and multiple use CDR's. Until DVD recorders are available it will be the terapin for me.

[ejai]

I want to make it clear that the Terapin is much, much better than the Dazzle DVC. There is no comparison, I own both. The Terapin's quality is outstanding when compared to a Dazzle. They are not in the same league.