SVCD vs. Low-resolution DVD?

[lazyturbo]

I want to burn video on a DVD at around 2000kbps. And I'm having trouble deciding whether to use the SVCD settings, or low-resolution DVD in TMPGEnc. I know I need to change the audio to 48khz if I'm using SVCD, to be put on a DVD.

But what's the difference between MPEG1 (DVD) compression and MPEG2 (SVCD) compression? Does MPEG2 give smaller file sizes and better quality?

Thanks.

[wulf109]

SVCD's 480x480 resolution is not compatible with DVD. Assuming you use the same bitrate file size will be the same for mpg1 as for mpg2. 2000 bitrate is low,try using 352x480 in mpg2. 352x480 is DVD compatible.

[yoda313]

Also not all players play svcds. If compatibility is a concern use low resolution dvd so it will play (putting aside possible + or - R playback issues that is).

[lazyturbo]

So MPEG2 will have a higher resolution, if I compare it to an MPEG1 with the same file size?

[DRP]

For 2000kbps and of course assuming your DVD player will play DVD-SVCD (not all do or at least they don't know what to do with the video so the picture becomes distorted), I'd go with a VBR bitrate and SVCD resolution. That combo will (arguably) provide the best picture quality and sharpness.

Just one thing you sound a bit confused about: SVCD, DVD, CVD all use MPEG-2 compression. Only VCD uses MPEG-1 and MPEG-1 is typically only used for CBR 1150kbps bitrate and even on DVD is only good for up to an absolute max of 1856kbps.

SVCD resolution looks better than D2 (CVD) resolution above ~2000 while D2 is better below ~2000... but be aware you are making a not-fully-compliant DVD in doing this and not all standalone players will like it.

[DRP]

So MPEG2 will have a higher resolution, if I compare it to an MPEG1 with the same file size?

This question makes no sense. I suggest you read a bit more in the blue section up there in the top left of this page - The 'What Is' section.

[lazyturbo]

Nevermind that.

Ok, so after I converted it to CVD (352x480), the picture comes out really tall (stretched vertically). So standalone DVD players know how to fix this and change it back to 4:3 ratio?

[DRP]

Yes of course - providing you told TMPGEnc to set the 4:3 flag during the encode by telling it that in the aspect ratio section of the video tab under settings.

[lazyturbo]

k, thanks...how would I be preview what the video looks like (non-stretched) on computer...?

[lordsmurf]

Low resolution is 352x240

Medium resolution is 352x480 and is the resolution (or close to it) that people are accustomed to viewing on VHS, tv broadcasts, cable and satellite. Both DVD and CVD can used this.

Another medium resolution used by Tivo, DVD-VR, SVCD and satellite MPEG TS is 480x480.

High resolution is 720x480 and 704x480. Mostly only DV cameras and commercially released DVDs made from film or studio sources.

All of these play back 4:3 when properly encoded with the 4:3 marker.

MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 are merely file types. They can have all sorts of resolutions, bitrates and other aspects. But DVD-Video has limited restrictions, as do VCD and SVCD, about precisely what can and cannot be used, and in what ranges.

[DRP]

Low resolution is 352x240

Medium resolution is 352x480 and is the resolution (or close to it) that people are accustomed to viewing on VHS, tv broadcasts, cable and satellite. Both DVD and CVD can used this.

I read in an article on this very site somewhere that VHS resolution was standardized at 528x480/576 by JVC. That makes VHS actually slightly higher resolution than SVCD and not equivalent to CVD.

[DRP]

k, thanks...how would I be preview what the video looks like (non-stretched) on computer...?

Play it using Media Player Classic

[guns1inger]

If you have encoded 16:9 material to a lower resolution and not converted it to 4:3 (i.e. resized and added black borders) then it will play back stretched. Only full resolution (720 x 576 or 720 x 480) supports 16:9 anamorphic playback. It doesn't matter how you set the flags for lower resolutions, the player won't care.

[lordsmurf]

I read in an article on this very site somewhere that VHS resolution was standardized at 528x480/576 by JVC. That makes VHS actually slightly higher resolution than SVCD and not equivalent to CVD.

What you read was not correct.

VHS doesn't have a "resolution". But it can have a digital equivalent. You won't get precise numbers, but you'll get a range.

In order to retain both fields, and all the vertical detail, we have to have an x480 resolution. Period. In PAL, there's a few "odd" things you can do with x288, but it's really not advisable.

Now on the horizontal axis, VHS is about 250-300 pixels worth of data. S-VHS is about 400-500 pixels worth. Laserdisc is about the same, maybe a little higher, in the 500-550 range.

Most traditional sources are medium resultion, or within 100 pixels of it. So 352x480 will suffice for most things.

When to use what resolution is a multi-step approach, and depends on a number of factors (hardware, software, detailing, source, space, etc). In general, 352x480 will be adequate in most situations.

[offline]

DRP said: Only VCD uses MPEG-1

Just correcting - DVD uses MPEG-1 & 2
See DVD Specifications

[lazyturbo]

Thanks guys. I actually tried burning both SVCD at 352x480 and DVD at 720x480 with the same bitrates (2000)...and I couldn't tell the difference when I played both videos side by side.

I guess the important thing isn't the size of the pixels, but the bitrate.

[ZippyP.]

Thanks guys. I actually tried burning both SVCD at 352x480 and DVD at 720x480 with the same bitrates (2000)...and I couldn't tell the difference when I played both videos side by side.

I find that hard to believe, your source video must have been less than ideal. 2,000 kbps is far to low for decent video at full DVD resolution.

But then, it's the eye of the beholder that matters.

[lazyturbo]

So are you saying that the SVCD video should look better, or the DVD one?

[junkmalle]

DVD is 352x240, 352x480, 704x480, or 720x480. SVCD is 480x480.

You have two competing parameters. The larger the frame size the clearer the picture. But the larger the frame size the more bitrate it will take to get a clean (artifact free) picture. You can trade picture clarity (resolution) for the ability to encode at a lower bitrate.

For a given bitrate, which frame size works best will depend on the video in question. A video that's dark with little detail and little motion will compress very well. So at 2000 kbps a 720x480 encode might look best. A bright, high action video at 720x480 will look pretty bad (lots of macroblock artifacts) at 2000 kbps. Reducing the framesize to 352x480 will make it a little blurry overall but you'll see far fewer artifacts.