DV to VCD Question

[Tek1]

I need some input from the experts here. I am using Pinnacle Studio Deluxe to capture DV from a Sony 8mm (analog) using Pinnacles breakout box. Then I use Nero to burn to vcd. Of coarse before burning, Nero performs the encoding automatically. When I play back the vcd on
my stand alone player the picture has moderate pixelation and characters seem to have an outline around them. I am also viewing this on a '61 bigscreen. Now I understand there will be some quality loss but
this seems a bit too much. I am using a fast cpu with a 7200 drive and
plenty of memory and resources. Is there a better way to encode to
improve picture quality or should I be doing something different ? Or Im I just trying to make something happen that's not gonna ?
Any help and or input would be greatly appreciated...

[vhelp]

Tek1,

I took one of my own VCDs i make, just for the heck of it since I was going to a friends house knowing they have a 32" tv, I took the clip and played it in their RCA dvd player, and we all
couldn't get over how GREAT the quality was. I was even asked
"what dvd is this". I told them it was "Get Karter", but that
it wasn't a dvd, but a VCD. Anyways, it blue my mind cause I
never actually seen anything better then my 13" tv till yestday!

So, VCD's CAN look like VHS or BETTER, hmmmm!
Wonder what it would look like on a 61", he, he...

Well, i'm having issues with trying to make headway w/ my DV
transfers via firewire, using STudio 7 and my Canon DV ZR10.

I wouldn't use the encoder w/ nero. better off using tmpg and
then burn to cd (vcd) I'm not exctly sure how you go about
capturing and encoding clearly enough but give tmpg a try instead.

[SingSing]

Well, i'm having issues with trying to make headway w/ my DV
transfers via firewire, using STudio 7 and my Canon DV ZR10.

I wouldn't use the encoder w/ nero. better off using tmpg and
then burn to cd (vcd) I'm not exctly sure how you go about
capturing and encoding clearly enough but give tmpg a try instead.

How's the video quality of your encoded mpeg from your ZR10 look ?
My DV to SVCD conversion look pretty bad!

[garbman1]

I have done alot of captures from both analog and firewire to vcd and svcd. I find that the best quality is from tmpg, but it takes a long long long time. If you have the time and know what you are doing it is worth the wait. For me though I have an ATI AIW and it does real time capture to mpg, that is all I use now (for the conversion to mpg). I use Studio 7 for capturing the DV video and editing. I then send the completed video back to DV tape. Then I capture it to mpg with my ATI card. Then I burn it to vcd or svcd with nero. It is a very quick process with dependable quality every time. It is not DVD quality, more like VHS quality. I have not been very happy with the quality from the encoder in studio or the encoder built into nero.

[Anonymous65]

From what I have heard, the Nero VCD plug-in does a poor job at making VCD's. Try using Tmpgenc for best quality VCD compression.

[ReneR]

Pinnacle Studio's mpeg encoder is no good. I almost got discouraged with this video stuff first time I tried it because of the very pixellated video. What I do now with Pinnacle Studio is to output the edited video file as DV to my hard disk (I have a large disk) and then use Tmpgenc to convert to VCD. The results are very good and has no added cost because tmpgenc is free.

[nike]

[Pinnacle Studio's mpeg encoder is no good. I almost got discouraged with this video stuff first time I tried it because of the very pixellated video. What I do now with Pinnacle Studio is to output the edited video file as DV to my hard disk (I have a large disk) and then use Tmpgenc to convert to VCD. The results are very good and has no added cost because tmpgenc is free.]

I use Vegas Video 3 and save to DV then convert using TMPGEnc 2.53 PLUS, but at VCD/SVCD standard settings the result is not good, motion blockiness etc. Even using High Quality and soften block noise does not help. What settings are you using?? My stuff is high motion. I can use my JVC cam to record in progressive, but it looks a little un-natural when the camera is moving. Progressive looks better at lower bitrates.

I have found that SVCD resolution (PAL 480x576) at 2pass VBR 4500max/3000 av High Quality, Noise reduction, sharpen edges(default) and soften block noise 50 looks good, not great, but clear and good in high motion/camera panning scenes.

At VCD its awful, lots of blocks etc. I would like to know if it can be better at VCD/SVCD standard settings, but I think someone posted that DV is too good a resolution etc to work well with VCD/SVCD. Any comments??

[SingSing]

I transfered DV with firewire to PC and edit the AVI with ULEAD studio 5.
The ouput is couple of GB per 10 minutes. I use Nero to burn the result in 480x480 SVCD.

I setup TMPGENC with input source to 4:3 and that look like adding line to convert 720 to 704. The colot is dull, therefore I also use color correction on Gamma, Red, and contrast.

During fast movement there is a lot of striking horizontal lines, I turn on de-interlace and that tense to fixed it, but I still them on the object edges on TV.

The video is clearer now, but color and texture still look "plastic"ish.

Are DV's 720x480 and SVCD 480x480 both interlaced ?

[Tek1]

Thanks for the reply guys.... Any suggestions of what settings to use with tmpenc for the best results ?

[nsdn]

Hiyah,
You might want to give DVD2SVCD a shot.

Recently added the ability to use a DV AVI (as long as u have the codec installed) as an input to DVD2SVCD which automates the whole process. The result is way better than I could get using TMPGE or anything else.

(it comes up default as DVD2SVCD but click the "misc" tab and u can select AVI2SVCD)

I think this would probably serve as a superior process for most AVI's

U can even resize it to VCD resolution by clicking the "edit avisynth script" although you need to use MPEG2 hence it would be a xsvcd (using CCE for the encode)....although it now has the option of using TMPGE as an encoder tho I have not tryed that.

[vhelp]

Singsing,

>> vhelp,
>> How's the video quality of your encoded mpeg from your ZR10 look ?
>> My DV to SVCD conversion look pretty bad!

* Have you made any headway on this? ...how are you making out??

>> Are DV's 720x480 and SVCD 480x480 both interlaced ?

* yes, they are "interlaced". anything over 240 is considered "interlaced"

>> I transfered DV with firewire to PC and edit the AVI with ULEAD studio 5.
>> The ouput is couple of GB per 10 minutes. I use Nero to burn the result in 480x480 SVCD.
>> I setup TMPGENC with input source to 4:3 and that look like adding line to convert 720 to
>> 704. The colot is dull, therefore I also use color correction on Gamma, Red, and contrast.
>> During fast movement there is a lot of striking horizontal lines, I turn on de-interlace
>> and that tense to fixed it, but I still them on the object edges on TV.
>> The video is clearer now, but color and texture still look "plastic"ish.

* what are you capping from, VHS/Sat/DVD/other? ? ?, and what movies? ? ?

I may post a sample at my other <<thread>>
-vhelp