best quality, res and bitrate, movie on dvd

[syeager]

I am working with numerous encoders and resolutions and am blown away by the quality you can produce with time. Some of the video I have captured from analog TV is riddled with imperfections that a couple of good filters can magically resolve. Now I need to reencode.

I assumed that to get a full 2 hour movie on one single layer DVD, I should use 352x480 because anything higher requires too high a bit rate to fit.

I also assumed, as DVD is 720x480x8mb, that 352x480x4mb could and should produce DVD quality, just will a small loss in detail (however, with s-video cables, 352x480 is about the practicle limit so the loss is minimal). However, I have encoded with TMPGEnc, Ulead VideoStudio 6 and 7, and ATI Library, all set with some of the highest quality settings (TMPGenc took 14-17 hours to encode a 2.1 hour movie on a 2GHz system), and their was obvious flaws in the video - most notibly macroblocking and some resolution issues. Now it was good, just not DVD great.

So, just what settings or app can we use to create 'flawless' or 'nearly flawless' video and fit on a single DVD?

[bugster]

Different encoders produce different results even given the same source and as near identical settings as possible. Each has its strengths an weaknesses. Howver, if you are seeing Macroblock with 4Mbps and 1/2D1 resolution, either you have the eyes of a hawk or a re doiung something wrong.

For TmpGenc, use 1/2 D1 res but Try CQ mode with quality setting at 90 and motion search precision at high (don't bother with highest, you won't notice the difference except in the time it takes). Tmpgenc does tend to exhibit some macroblocking if you have large dark areas, so if that is the case, another encoder might be better.

Whichever encoder you use, DO use VBR. You don't say but if you are using CBR, then 4Mbs may well not be enough where you have lots of motion or flashing lights.

[Matt D]

You captured this stuff at 720x480? Personally I never do this. If my final video is going to be 352x480 then that's what I capture it at. I've tried various programs etc, and found that a 720x480 video from tape or from analog cable looks like crap after converting. Macroblocks galore, blurring, just not nice to look at.
Capturing at 352x480 eliminates those problems and now the comments I get on discs are along the lines of "great picture" or "I was really impressed with how clear the picture is".

[syeager]

I had been capturing mpeg2 at 352x480, but ATI TV Pro has a problem and creates these hard vertical lines on the edges of images, mostly faces .. very bad. Plus, to capture avi, must be proportional. I capture at 704x480, so it is a straight 2-1 convertion to 352x480. Otherwise, I agree with you. Capturing at the target resolution is usually best.

[BJ_M]

however, with s-video cables, 352x480 is about the practicle limit so the loss is minima

just because it is s-video has no bearing on the resolution .... full D 1 is used on s-video in studios everywhere .....

it supports higher than this resolution also ..