XSVCD or Alternatives?

[chung_chang]

Hi,

I am a newbie and this is my first post.

1. I am trying to archive my miniDVs onto CD-Rs.
2. I would also like to be able to play back these CD-Rs on my stand-alone DVD player.

Here is what I have done so far:

1. Capture miniDV to PC with MediaStudio Pro 6.0
2. Convert AVI(DV-1) to MPEG-2 with TMPGEnc 2.01
SVCD template
Unlock template
720x480
5500 kbps
Highest quality
3. Burn MPEG-2 to CD-R using NERO 5.5.5.1 with SVCD non-compliant standards
4. Play back on my Daewoo 5000N DVD player

Questions:

1. How can I get better quality (less blockiness) at lower bitrate so I can fit more than 15 min per CD-R?
2. What's the best way to incorporate video timestamp? Maybe in sub-title? How can it be done?
3. Will such high bit-rate XSVCD play on other DVD players so I can share my video?

Thanks,

Chung

[vitualis]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-11-05 00:45:49, chung_chang wrote:
1. How can I get better quality (less blockiness) at lower bitrate so I can fit more than 15 min per CD-R?</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Try to be a little bit less ambitious and use a standard SVCD framesize (480x480 for NTSC). Unless you have a super duper quality TV, there isn't a huge perceptual difference these two framesizes. However, as there is less to encode per frame, a lower bitrate can be used and there is less likelihood of creating artifacts.

Also, are you using multipass VBR encoding? This can definitely help to improve the video quality for a given bitrate. Most people would say that with a good encoder, you can get near perfect reproduction at an average bitrate of about 2000 kbit/s and up (VBR).

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>2. What's the best way to incorporate video timestamp? Maybe in sub-title? How can it be done?</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't know... You could try remuxing your MPEG-2 with bbMPEG though.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>3. Will such high bit-rate XSVCD play on other DVD players so I can share my video?</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

It is very likely that many DVD players will not be able to play your disc. Not only is the bitrate high, you are also using a non-standard SVCD framesize.

Regards.

[chung_chang]

Thanks Michael. I am using CBR. Multipass VBR will produce better picture quality than CBR at the same bitrate? Please explain. I thought CBR would be at least the same quality as mp-VBR if CBR is set to same bitrate as mp-VBR maximum bitrate. Also, which encoder is recommended for best picture quality at the same bitrate?

Chung

[vitualis]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-11-06 10:03:42, chung_chang wrote:
Thanks Michael. I am using CBR. Multipass VBR will produce better picture quality than CBR at the same bitrate? Please explain. I thought CBR would be at least the same quality as mp-VBR if CBR is set to same bitrate as mp-VBR maximum bitrate.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

True. However, when we talk of the "bitrate" in VBR, we mean the "average bitrate".

For example, CBR of 2000 will not look as good as VBR with a min. of 300, average of 2000 and mx. of 2500.

That is, for the same file size (same average bitrate), multipass VBR will look better than CBR.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE> Also, which encoder is recommended for best picture quality at the same bitrate?</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't have enough experience with the MPEG-2 encoders to give you a definitive answer, but I do have enough to know that there probably isn't one. If you search the forums, you will find a lot of mixed opinions.

In general though, CCE, TMPGEnc and LSX 3.5 have all had good review for MPEG-2 encoding at SVCD bitrates.

Regards.

_________________
Michael Tam

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: vitualis on 2001-11-06 11:57:51 ]</font>