720x480 worth it?

[j1d10t]

Is it worth capturing a TV show in 720x480, instead of something like 480x480 or 640x480? I'm going to be putting this on a DVD+R in 704x480. So my questions is: do you really get better quality if you capture a TV show in 720x480, instead of capturing in 640x 480, or 480x480, then resizing? I've been capturing this TV show in 640x480, then downsizing to 352x480 (sometimes 480x480) and putting it on XSVCD, but this is the last episode of the season, and I'm then going to put it and the first episode of next season together on one DVD+R in 704x480. I'd appreciate any feed back/opinions

Thanks

[MrKGB]

Try CVD (352x480). It is DVD compiant but twice smaller than full DVD.
Full DVD for TV capture is overkill.

[FulciLives]

Hello

Well it sounds like you have your mind made up that you plan on putting this on a DVD recordable disc using full D1 resolution. That being so you should definately do the capture at 720x480 assuming your computer can handle doing a capture of that size. You say that you have been doing 640x480 which is really fine for the most part and will barely make a difference even if you do intend to make the DVD at full D1 resolution (720x480) yet ... if your computer can do 720x480 then please do so.

A lot of people claim that TV captures look fine at 352x480 on a DVD recordable but even then most will tell you to capture at either 640x480 or 720x480 even if you will be using a lower resolution on your final product (be it DVD at 352x480 or SVCD or VCD etc.)

It would seem to make sense to capture at the resolution you will be using but like I said many said you will get better quality capturing at full screen (640x480 or full D1 which is 720x480) and then resizing down. Resizing up is never very good however I have converted a few DivX files (with a 640x480 resolution) to DVD at 720x480 and could not "see" a decrease or degradation in the quality. But if you want to make a DVD at 720x480 and your computer can handle capturing at that resolution then you really should do it.

- John "FucliLives" Coleman

[j1d10t]

That is kind of what I was thinking. I have some CVD's that I captured at 640x480, then downsized to 352x480, and they look great, but since these 2 hour shows will be the only thing I am putting on this DVD+R, I don't really need the additional free space created by CVD - after I remove commercials the total video will be about 85 minutes. I was just wondering if people recommended capturing at 720x480, or if it's really a waste of space. I've read that capture cards aren't really able to capture anything above 352x480. I have more than enough space for the 720x480 capture, but I wasn't sure if it was worth the space on my HD. I've also been able to capture at 480x480 and resize to (I know this is a non-standard size) 544x480 and see no quality loss. That's why I was asking if people would recommend capturing, then downsizing (to 704x480) or upsizing from 640x480 to 704x480. Thanks for the input, and I welcome more

[kees1952]

My advice is to capture in the resolution you are going to use in your final product. Avoid resizing (up and down) if possible because it will always unsharpen your picture as I have noticed.

Regards, Kees Janssen.

[mrtristan]

You're probably going to get a lot of varying opinions on this. Despite the technical laws that apply to capturing in terms of mathematics, people tend to experience different real world results, due to the different steps that each person uses.

Personally, I capture from tv at a resolution of 640X480. I encode to a resolution of 480X480 and use mpeg2. I tried capturing at 480X480 to save on the encoding time, but the picture quality is better to me, when I capture at a higher resolution. Between 720X480 and 640X480, I actually prefer 640X480. I can't tell any difference in the end product and save on disc space and encoding time.

Again, this is only my opinion based on the procedures that I follow. I prefer smooth images to crisp images, which has a bearing on what I think is "good."

My advice is to throw the technical stuff out the window and just go with what you think looks best. There really is no right or wrong, unless you're working for a broadcast station. If it works for you, go for it.

[SatStorm]

Practical speaking:
The nature of NTSC needs to capture the highest you can, add many filters to clean the picture (and fix the colours...) and then encode to your final framesize.

You can't do this with PAL. Capture higher and you add noise you can't remove without quality loss!. With PAL you capture at the resolution of your target size (example: 352 X 576, pal CVD/ 1/2 D1 DVD), you add the less possible filters and then you encode.

[gNOMEintheRedHat]

Just a suggestion,

I capture @ 352x480 and keep the MPEG bitrate @ 5000-6000
This way I get no macro blocks and great detail.

For most broadcast TV (cable too) 740x480 is no better than 352x480

have fun

[oly19]

thanks 4 the great help guys

[j1d10t]

Thanks for the help everyone I ended up capturing at 720x480, .avi, now I'm encoding to MPEG2 for DVD at 704x480. I appreciate the feedback