Vid Studio9 - make movie files, but looks worse..

[coffeecup-sf]

What file format should I import? With Video Studio 9, I import the clip which I previously condensed down from DV (AVI) to SVCD Mpeg2 by using TMPGEnc 3.0, sometimes 2.5. That seems to crunch it down about 92%.

I import it and a few others into video studio 9, do all the editing, transitions, and f/x. output it by selecting "share", then when I play that final file it looks even more unclear than the file it started as, unless it's just my imagination. Clarity seems to have dropped and more squiggly lines around objects. Is it a must to only import original AVI (DV) files into video studio 9 when making movie clips if you want max clearness?

Oh yah, I select "NTSC SVCD" as file type to output. Is it possible that by running an mpeg-2 file through video studio 9 it is actually crunching the data even more than what TMPGEnc left it at? Thanks.

[pepegot1]

If all the clips have the same video & audio parameters, then when creating a new video file using share, select the option: "same as first clip"-the encoding will be faster and should produce good video.

[coffeecup-sf]

Thanks for the feedback. Yah last night I was fiddling around with new outputs, I also selected that "same as first file," but strangely that did not seem to improve it one bit but seemed the same as "ntsc svcd." However I did select "custom," and on the last tab with the "speed vs quality" I put it at 100% quality, and then on middle tab I selected 480x480 (original size of movie clip). While that did seem to make it look noticeably better, it still appears the outputted movie clip still isn't up to as good as it was before the vid studio 9 process.

Oh yah, it does appear that vid studio 9 also 're-interlaces' it a bit at output. When I originally encoded it with TMPGEnc 3.0 it did a super job of deinterlace. However seems to be some traces of interlace after vidstudio. Will try more and more, thanks..

[Richard_G]

Do not edit mpeg! Mpeg is a final format not an editable one. Due to the way it is compressed, a full frame is only ever present every 12 frames. Some editing packages can handle it as best they can, some will only allow cuts at I frames (the full frames) others will not even touch mpegs. Do the editing on the DV .avi file and when you are satisfied with the result, then and only then, encode to mpeg.

[junkmalle]

If you're starting with an interlaced source (DV AVI?) and your final destination is an interlaced device (SVCD or DVD for SD TV) then leave your files interlaced and ignore the comb artifacts while editing.

[coffeecup-sf]

Hmmmm ok, didn't know that mpeg shouldn't be edited and redone. As for my destination, no I expect that most or all of my movies will be played straight on computer. However I still suspect that Ulead Video Studio isn't going to do a good job with de-interlacing, hope I'm wrong though! TMPGEnc 3.0 so far is the best (and only good one) I've seen.

[Richard_G]

Even if you are going to be watching it on computer, if you are saving it in SVCD format it should still be interlaced. To produce an SVCD from a DV .avi your process should be
Transfer DV .avi from whatever your source is
Edit
Save as DV .avi
Encode to SVCD compliant interlaced mpeg
Burn to CD if you want or view with PowerDVD (or another player that de-interlaces) on computer.

Mpeg compression works by sending a full frame, then sending a signal that says, 'same as the last frame except for this bit here'. It keeps doing that until it sends the next full frame (the I frame). If you bear that in mind, it becomes obvious that if you cut an mpeg and the first thing it sees is a frame that says 'same as etc' when there isn't a preceding frame you are going to get problems. Hence dodgy cuts and very jerky fades. A lot of software will only allow cuts at an I frame so frame accurate editing isn't possible.

Obviously I may have over simplified the encoding, but that is the reason why a video file should only become an mpeg when you do not intend to make any alterations to it.