encoding video / creating DVD w/DVD ULEAD WorkShop

[pglenn]

I have a question regarding resolution sizes, their usage in DVD WorkShop, and video file re-encoding.

I have a number of AVI files that I am working on converting to DVD. Alot of these are already in a resolution such as 352x240, or something similar. However mostly these are in a resolution that is not a direct "multiple" of 720x480 or 704x480 (ie 572x240 in a couple cases).

Normally I have been taking my AVI files and re-encoding them using TMPenc, both because of the options TMPenc provides and because I have been converting the resolution to 720x480 so that they will not be re-sized in WorkShop to fill the screen (earler I discovered if I did not then I would have a movie with people that were 10 feet tall and 6 inches thick). I normally in TMPenc using center (custom size) and adjust the resolution so that the horizontal is 720 and the vertical will have block borders above/below.

I am using WorkShop 1.0, and when creating the files/DVD the following resolutions are available to me:
- 352x240
- 352x480
- 704x480
- 720x480

My question is, what do these resolution mean in terms of WorkShop re-encoding the file and the display on my TV? If i were to choose 352x240 would the video only fill "half" my TV screen or would it still display full screen? and would the picture quality be better or worse or no difference with any of the settings (such as selecting 352x240 vs 704x240)?also would selecting a smaller resolution allow me to fit more minutes of video to the DVD with the same bitrate?

Also, I have read that the updated versions of WorkShop (1.3+) allow for the direct encoding of video to retain widescreen settings, and that you can setup WorkShop and the selected MPG file so that WorkShop will NOT re-encode the video, but I have never been able to find the options for this or to get it to work under the 1.0 version, even when carefully encoding to MPG2 using correct DVD-compliant settings within TMPenc.

besides wanting to understand this setting, and the time it takes to convert a video twice (TMPenc then WorkShop) I have been concerned that I see a little more digital "blocking" on movies I have converted to DVD than the same original video played direct on my TV using ZoomPlayer or such even when I have tried my best to maintain the same bitrate between the original and the DVD file, and making a DVD compliant MPG2, the only difference being the resolution conversion.

Patrick

[bugster]

I can't answer all your questions (as I don't use DVD WS) but I can tell you this:

would selecting a smaller resolution allow me to fit more minutes of video to the DVD with the same bitrate?

NO. The size of an mpeg file is dependant ONLY on bitrate and playing time. Resolution doesn't come into it.

Where resolution does figure is when encoding at low bitrates to get longer playing time, using 352*480 or even 352*240 at low bitrates (3Mps or less) will probably look beter than 720*480 at those bitrate. The reason being, as you have less pixels, you can have 'more bits per pixel' at lower resolutions than at the higher ones, thus reducing mpeg artifacts.

Oh, and whatever res you encode at, it will fill the screen.

[Specialist]

Patrick,

Ulead DVD Workshop can be updated via a free download to become version 1.3.

The update can be downloaded on the page at the following link...

http://www.ulead.com/tech/dws/dws_ftp.htm

Ulead DVD Workshop will not re-encode a DVD compliant source file if you tell the software not to re-encode such material.

Suppose I begin with a source file that has the following precise video/audio properties:

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
MPEG files
24 Bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Field Order A
(DVD-NTSC), 4:3
Video data rate: 8000 kbps
LPCM Audio, 48 KHz, Stereo

When I arrive at the final burn stage in Ulead DVD Workshop, I click the MAKE DISC button and then I click the CUSTOMIZE option.

I adjust my project settings to match the properties of my source video.

Then a MAKE DISC pop-up menu appears.

I then check the box that says DO NOT CONVERT COMPLIANT FILE.

When I do this, no re-encoding occurs.

The compliant source file is simply recorded to disc without re-encoding and quality is preserved.

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net