question for APEX AD-600A owners........

[alucard2050]

when i encode my vids useing TMPGE i use Mpeg1 480x480, 1650cbr, with 128 for audio. vcd's play fine in my player but if i bump up the bitrate to 1700 or higher the picture is totally all blocks. i mean compleatly distorted...i'm just asking if this is normal..........i have tried SVCD'S and succeded useing a standard SVCD template but the picture was less quality than my VCD'S. will my Apex play SVCD'S with a higher bitrate if i use a standard template and increase the bitrate. i would try testing it first but i went through so many CDR'S to get the quality that i have now so i decided to ask this time...the template is the one that comes with TMPGE...

[doug1937@hotmail.com]

Part of your problem is that you seem to be trying to make SVCDs using MPEG-1 compression. Fact is, SVCD uses MPEG-2 compression. VCDs using MPEG-1 compression, and the bitrate is a fixed 1150. Try changing to MPEG-2 compression.

Also, what do you mean 128 for audio? Just use the defaults (CD-quality).

Also, it would help if you would detail your capture and burning procedures.

Me, I use my ATI AIW to capture 480x480, MPEG-2, 2390 bitrate. Then I remux it using TMPEG (takes all of 1 minute) and then burn with the latest version of Nero. Works like a champ on my AD-600A.

[Compound]

bit rate shouldnt be a problem with your player. try using a bitrate calculator to get the max bitrate per cd you can -get one in the tool section

[alucard2050]

maybe i should use the term XVCD'S. like i said, Mpeg1, 480x480, 1650CBR, 128audio bitrate...i capture useing the Huffyuv codec, convert with TMPGE, and Burn with Nero. with all this, my VCD'S or XVCD'S whatever you would want to call it play perfectly, but, if i increase the bitrate any higher the picture blocks dramatically..i was just wondering if i am at my maximum for my player to read mpeg1 compression or should my player be able to handle more with mpeg1...i'm not concerned with how much i can fit on a CDR just looking for the quality increase. if i am at my max that my player can read of an Mpeg1 file then i'll try out Mpeg2. But, i have tried Mpeg2 SVCD'S a couple of times with the TMPGE template and the quality was worse than what i can already do with Mpeg1 at lower bitrate settings....but i have no idea what bitrates and settings my player can handle with Mpeg2. i have looked at the compatability list for my player but the info didn't help me out.......just trying to avoid another coaster stack.........

[Compound]

if it can handle svcd it can handle 2520

[alucard2050]

i know it can handle 2520 but it looked like crap. i had better results with Mpeg1 compression. can my player handle more than that???? i here all these people talking about how much better Mpeg2 is better than Mpeg1 but i have yet to see it. i just don't want to end up with a hundred coasters to find out what my max bitrate is if i make a SVCD.......

[pepehdez]

I think you are doing something wrong with tmpgenc, cause I create xVCDs with up to 2250kbps and they work fine in my 600a as a matter a fact they look awesome.

IMO you should get one of sefy's xvcd templates and use them as they are in tmpgenc.

[alucard2050]

ive tried Sefy's XVCD templates and still no better...my XVCD'S look fantastic but now my attention is turned towards SVCD'S or XSVCD'S because it seems like just about everyone else thinks the Mpeg2 is better than Mpeg1.

[thxkid]

Ok I have a APEX 600a, APEX 660, APEX 500w, Toshiba 2050 and a Daewoo 5700.

I make XVCD's at 2520 bitrate all the time and SVCDS from 1700 to 3000 bitarte and they play back perfect on all these models.
1st of all I now have 2 templates for TMPGE that I use for XVCD's and SVCD's, it took me about 2 weeks a year ago to get these settings down so my XVCD's would look great I hate VCD's at 1150 bitarte, way to much pixelation. I have to tell you the 600a would handle XSVCD's at upto 3500 bitrate, at 4000 it started freezing the picture. I really did not see that much of a difference from 2520 to 3000 though. Now I use a Happuage PVR to capture my MPEG2 for SVCD's. For MPEG1 VCD's I capture it as uncompressed AVI then convert to 2520 using TMPGE Beta A.