What format for TV/Gemstar recording to SVCD?

[PretzelB2]

I am so glad my 3 day wait period is over - and that this forum has a "newbie" section. My goals so far are very simple so I am looking for the SIMPLIEST solution (because this stuff is way over my head).

I want to record CATV (using the MMC/Gemstar Guide+ program included with my AIW 7500) and then take this recording and make a SVCD. What I can't figure out is the best/easiest format to use for the recording. Let me give some background on my current attempts and frustrations.

My closest success was recording to MP2 using Guide+ and then using DVD2AVI and TMPGEnc and Nero to make a SVCD. The picture wasn't perfect but it was good enough. The bad part was I somehow lost all sound.

My biggest frustration is that MP2 seems to be the best quality but I have HUGE problems getting programs to recognize it. There are tons of posts here on issues with MP2. Everyone suggests one or another util or codec to download but the success rate is low and frustration rate is high (remember, I'm a dumb newbie).

I at first tried using the proprietary format created by ATI called simply ".vcr". This was the easiest since the software is geared towards this format. But, being able to convert from this ".vcr" format to something recognized by all other software is difficult. The ATI software is supposed to be able to convert from ".vcr" to mpg but I wasn't sure the quality was good enough for SVCD.

I was going to record to AVI because it seems the conversion from AVI seems more universal and thus easier. The problem was the file sizes seem overly huge. I have about 40 gb to spare but I think I could only get a few hours out of the choices I had in the ATI / Guide+ software. I'm trying to record a few shows for the week and I don't want to have to convert every other day to make space.

So, if my goal is SVCD (picture quality seems acceptable) and my skill and knowledge level is very low, what format (mpg, mp2, avi, vcr) should I use to reach my goal of SVCD with the most ease?

Thanks in advance for your patience. I hope to get better with each post.

[PretzelB2]

Additional info.

Well, I was finally able to convert from an mp2 file to SVCD. I had to use DVD2AVI and TMPGEnc (and probably a few codecs) to get the final mpg that worked as an SVCD.

My issues with this approach are:

1) Not easy.
2) Maybe I'm wasting space - do I need this much quality with SVCD?
3) Requires purchasing TMPGEnc Plus for mpeg-2 decoding.
4) Can't play the finaly mpg file with Window Media Player (missing codec).

So again, if my goal is SVCD from a TV recording, what format should I use for ease of use?

[PretzelB2]

No advice? Am I missing a guide or something? I thought I read most of the FAQ's that related to this.

[PretzelB2]

I found this guide (https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/94382.php) and I think this answers my question but I'm not sure.

In the guide it says that the offical resolution for SVCD is "480 X 576 (480 NTSC). Used by SVCD".

So I guess my goal should be to have my TV capture software (ATI MMC / Guide+) record to a format that has at least this resolution AND is in a format recognized by Nero for burning to SVCD. I don't have the settings in MMC in front of me so I don't know what ATI calls it.

I think I could create a custom format with these settings that goes directly to MPG. If this is possible, then I avoid the need for DVD2AVI and TMPGEnc. Is that right?