352x480 MPEG-2 encodes ... how?

[lordsmurf]

Again, not my system, but my Mac friend.

Using DVDSP 1.x (whatever came right before 1.5) and Final Cut (2.0?)... using the QuickTime 5 MPEG-2 encoder exported from Final Cut...

But he can only get 720x480 resolutions.

Would an upgrade to QuickTime 6 MPEG2 encoder help?

Does anybody here have success with 352x480 on a Mac?

Captures done with Matrox RTmac (DV AVI captures).

Poor results using Cleaner 5, prefer to avoid the Cleaner route.

Any suggestions?

[pixeljammedia]

Mpeg2Works does the half D1 resolution DVDs. Tell him to encode with that, and use Sizzle to Author the Video_TS.

[pants]

mediapipe, ffmpegx, and bitvice should all do the trick. the first 2 are free, the last isn't. innobits.se for bitvice info.

[havema-1]

I have used MediaPipe because it can preserve the correct aspect ratio in PAL/NTSC DV-to-352x576/480 encoding. There are instructions and preconfigured MediaPipe templates at:

http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/MediaPipe_and_SVCD.txt
http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/MediaPipe_templates.sit

MPEG2 Works and ffmpegX also have 352x576/480 a.k.a. Half-D1 or CVD options but currently they don't preserve the aspect ratio. MPEG2 Works author is working on the issue, though.

[lordsmurf]

Where can he find MPEG-2 Works ?
I see Media Pipe at <http://mediapipe.sourceforge.net/MediaPipe/>

I'm a PC user myself, on all ATI cards, so a bit of a fish out of water... just trying to help a good friend...

So is the QuickTime MPEG-2 plugin a "no-go" on 352x480 ability? He's specifically looking for something that acts as a plugin to Final Cut (preferably). He's also dead-set on continuing to use DVDSP, and I don't blame him on not wanting to switch authoring applications, as I believe was being suggested above (converting to Sizzle).

[havema-1]

MPEG2 Works is at http://www.mpeg2works.2ya.com/ but check also ffmpegX and MediaPipe. For more info see also:

http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/SVCD_on_a_Macintosh.txt

BTW, there is a new MPEG2 encoder in FCP. It may be more flexible than the old so check it out if you are using FCP.