Making a KVCD

[F u r u y á]

Hi, I want to make a KVCD, so all I need is put the KVCD templates on TMPGEnc and encode using that templates? Here's the link for those templetates I'm talking about:
http://kvcd.net/dvd-models.html

I heard about this KVCD and its specifications surprised me a lot, like fitting a 120min very good quality KVCD in a 700MB CD.



Thanks in adavance

[canadateck]

Yes thats how you do it, Not many Older Players will play Kvcd though So I hear,I have a Player that wont..

[Abond]

No, in order to fit 120 min it is not enough. You should make avisynth script regarding "Optimal scripts" subforum and use CQ mode in TMPGEnc with prediction from CQmatic.

[lordsmurf]

I heard about this KVCD and its specifications surprised me a lot, like fitting a 120min very good quality KVCD in a 700MB CD.

A bit of an exaggeration. Most people find it's quality severely lacking, all in the name of saving a 10-20 cent disc. How sadly cheap.

For more info on this "format" (read: not a format) goto the kvcd site.

[F u r u y á]

Hum. So I won't make it fit one single CD, I value good qualitys movies. At least, making a KVCD to fit two CDs, the quality is better then a VCD right?

[lordsmurf]

No. "KVCD" is just a fancy/stupid name for a couple of certain settings that anybody with common sense can make themself in the encoder.

What you want, if using CD, to maintain best theoretical quality, is a CVD or SVCD. You'll need about 3-5 of them for a single movie. That's an MPEG-2 file, similar to medium DVD specs (in terms of res/bitrate).

If you want to cut quality down, you can look into 2-3 discs for an XVCD, which is an MPEG-1 at low res, but uses VBR and some other minor tweaks (GOP, matrix, etc).

You can surely use KVCD as a starting point, but there's even more (better) tweaks that can be done beyond that.

And unlike KVCD marketing-style BS ... the honest truth is every source is going to react differently to an encoder. So prepare yourself for lots of testing every time you go into high compression schemes. "One size" does NOT fit all.

It's not as easy as a DVD-Video template, where you can give adequate bitrate and have plenty of disc (2-4 hours of content, easily).

I know this isn't the simple "insert disc, press button" answer that most people want, but it's the more educational one. The guides on this site, as well as countless past post are here to help you on your quest. Go to those for specifics, as I just laid out the foundation.

[reboot]

After much tinkering with KVCD and KDVD, I can honestly say (IMHO) that the result is about VHS EP quality using halfD1. Slightly better with the Full D1.
Don't expect more.

[F u r u y á]

Well... I found these configurations like GOP and Matrix it's too much for me, I can't configure these settings.

If I keep making my "standart" XVCDs I will gain some quality right? Since KVCD was made to gain optimum file size.


An other question:
What's the better Rate Control Mode in TMPGEnc? I know the VBR is better than CBR, but TMPGEnc has 4 types of non-CBR settings, which to choose?

[F u r u y á]

After much tinkering with KVCD and KDVD, I can honestly say (IMHO) that the result is about VHS EP quality using halfD1. Slightly better with the Full D1.
Don't expect more.

What is those halfD1 and FullD1 settings?

[FulciLives]

If you don't have a DVD burner and therefore NEED to burn movies onto a CD then IMHO the best way to go is CVD.

If you have TMPGEnc Plus then this is fairly easy to do.

Just pick the DVD template with MP2 audio and pretty much leave the defaults more-or-less alone except make sure you use 224kbps for the MP2 audio and set it at 48k (although a very few DVD players may need 44.1k to work). Use a CBR bitrate of 2400kbps for the video.

That should give you about 41 minutes per CD with quality that will blow you away.

You could also try the 2-pass VBR mode to fit more time on a CD. Try a MIN of 300kbps, an AVG of 2000kbps and a MAX of 2400kbps

That should also give you very good quality and allow you to fit about 48 minutes per CD.

BTW a DVD burner can be had for well under $100 now even with shipping and even the best quality (i.e., most expensive) DVD-R discs are down to around 45 cents (sometimes cheaper when on sale).

Time to upgrade my friend

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

*** EDIT ***
Sorry I forgot to add you need to change the resolution as well in TMGPEnc Plus. Make sure it is set to 352x480 if doing NTSC or 352x576 if doing PAL. That resolution is the resolution that a CVD uses. This resolutiion is also known as Half D1.

[wimpio]

i used,a long time ago in a far galaxi with no dvd burners , safys SeVCD template with good results about 90 minutes on 800MB [most movies are less than 90 minutes]

[reboot]

After much tinkering with KVCD and KDVD, I can honestly say (IMHO) that the result is about VHS EP quality using halfD1. Slightly better with the Full D1.
Don't expect more.

What is those halfD1 and FullD1 settings?

Download the templates and see.

[Supreme2k]

A bit of an exaggeration. Most people find it's quality severely lacking, all in the name of saving a 10-20 cent disc. How sadly cheap.

Or the illogical use of CD when (for the extra 10-20 cents) you can use DVD. Even a burner is only $50 or so nowadays.

[vitualis]

Agreed.

I'm a long time critic of kwag but mostly for the BS he keeps perpetuating. Many of kwags methods are quite innovative and in all fairness to him, his methods do make pretty good XVCDs and XSVCDs.

However, the grandiose talk of 120 minutes of DVD quality on a single disc is absolute BS.

In this day and age, I would say that VCDs and SVCDs have truly been surpassed by DVD authoring and perhaps you should concentrate on that.

Regards.

[presto]

At some point you are going to buy a DVD burner. They are allready cheap and getting cheaper. When you do get a DVD burner your going look at all those CD's you made and say "what was I thinking?" (at least that is what happened to me). Bite the bullet and get a DVD burner now.

[reboot]

Then grab the Half D1 KDVD template, and get 16 hours per DVDR! Save at LEAST $2 on blanks!

[animatron]

@F u r u y á,

I think this is not the correct site to ask questions about KVCD, as you will always get rough replies.
It's in the blood of some vcdhelp members, specially lordsmurf
Go to kvcd.net and see for yourself, then make your own test.
Check this links before you believe what you read here, and make your own judgement
http://www.kvcd.net/portal/articles.php?lng=en&pg=60
http://www.kvcd.net/portal/articles.php?lng=en&pg=61

[F u r u y á]

animatron, I found the quality of these videos pretty much acceptable, considering it will be shown on TV. I think you changed my mind, for Xvid and DivX videos KVCD will fit like a glove!