Better picture quality?

[gazkilla]

Hi there,i'm just wondering if i can get a better picture quality by using a different application or file converter.

At the moment i'm using WinDVD creator to edit my miniDV home movies but the picture quality is not the best, by that i mean theres no lines or anything its just that its along way off the sort of picture you get on DVD.Its sorta grainy looking.

I know i'm not going to get DVD quality pictures but is there something better than windvd creator ? My TV is a LG HDTV with 16:9 format and i've noticed in windvd none of the outputs support it.Also if i use the NTSC framerate would that be better?

This is the last time i'll be editing using miniDV tapes as i've just bought a HDD Camcorder will this give me better pictures?

Cheers for any help Gaz

[edDV]

What does the picture look like when you connect the camcorder direct to the TV over S-Video? That sets the expectation of what your DVD will look like. It won't look better.

A MiniDV camcorder (the video format) will easily out perform DVD but the picture qulity is set by the quality of the camera section.
See https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=296608&highlight=

What model MiniDV camcorder are you using? Are you shooting in 16:9 format?

What is this HDD camcorder?

[gazkilla]

Hi edDV ,the picture is more or less the same over s-video.The camcorder i was using was the canon MV530i,its a few years old i now,thats why i bought the HDD one which is the JVC GZ-MG20ek.
TBH i never checked if i was shooting in 16:9 format .I'll make sure isort that out with the new one

Cheers Gaz

[InXess]

Looks like your encoding is part of the issue aside from your camcorder output quality.

edDV, how do you encode your miniDV to MPEG2/DVD? Seems you have something to offer in that department... What's your routine?

I use Procoder2, handles miniDV very well, better then other encoders, less grain, very smooth. TMPGEnc seems to do it well too. MC 1.42 leaves a lot of grain behind (kind of fine mesh...) especially visible in low light scenes.

[edDV]

Well, the Canon is a basic single CCD MiniDV. A nice TV is going to show the limitations of the camera section.

The JVC GZ-MG20ek is also average in the camera dept. It records to DVD Ready MPeg2. Ultra Mode 8.5 Mb/s CBR should be used. Author the MPeg2 directly to avoid reprocessing. WinDVD Creator doesn't provide much control.

If you need to edit use something like Womble MPEG2VCR or VideoReDo to avoid MPeg2 reprocessing. For DVD authoring there are many choices such as ULead Movie Studio or DVD Factory.

16:9 isn't going to look that great with that camera but it will work. The camera and authoring program need to be in 16:9 mode. Your cameras both lower vertical resolution in 16:9 mode like the Sony example on the left below.

[gazkilla]

If you need to edit use something like Womble MPEG2VCR or VideoReDo to avoid MPeg2 reprocessing. For DVD authoring there are many choices such as ULead Movie Studio or DVD Factory.

Is Mpeg2 a worse formatt than the original Mpeg then?

[edDV]

If you need to edit use something like Womble MPEG2VCR or VideoReDo to avoid MPeg2 reprocessing. For DVD authoring there are many choices such as ULead Movie Studio or DVD Factory.

Is Mpeg2 a worse formatt than the original Mpeg then?

Your camera is recording to MPeg2, but everytime you reprocess, you loose quality. Those programs only reprocess the changes, not the entire program.

But understand that MPeg2 recording at 8.5Mb/s is a ~3x stepdown from MiniDV at 25Mb/s. This isn't a big issue unless you edit and reprocess.