Which bitrate when converting Divx/Xvid to DVD Mpeg2

[emichon]

When converting a Divx/Xvid video to DVD Mpeg2, should I choose the bitrate at which it was encoded with Divx/Xvid or choose a higher bitrate for DVD. Would it make a difference in quality.

For example if I convert a 819 Kbps Divx to DVD, should I just convert it with a 819 Kbps bitrate?

[daamon]

Hi emichon,

Welcome to the forums.

This question has been asked many times - have a hunt around the forums, or in the guides relating to encoding Divx/Xvid to DVD MPEG2.

You'll find that Divx/Xvid uses a much higher compression (i.e. a lower bitrate) when compared to MPEG2. Therefore, there's not a straight match between the two.

As for which actual bitrates you need - I suggest do some reading up on how bitrates work etc. and that'll give you an insight into why Divx/Xvid is different to MPEG2, and what gets decent results at what resolutions for MPEG2 (depending on the quality of the source, of course).

[ZippyP.]

The bitrate required depends on the resolution and how fussy you are. State the resolution and we can suggest a bitrate for your mpeg.

[jagabo]

Forget bitrates and use a constant quality encode. That way you'll always have exactly the right bitrate for any particular video at the quality you want it.

[guns1inger]

constant quality gives you little to no control over file sizes, which is pointless if going to DVD. Why use CQ if you then have to shrink it ot fit later ? Use a bitrate calculator and do it properly.

[whitejremiah]

kinda as a general rule of thumb though, you need roughly 3-4 times the bitrate for mpeg 2 as what the source is.....of course its not a perfect guideline, but just to give you a rough idea.....

[daamon]

kinda as a general rule of thumb though, you need roughly 3-4 times the bitrate for mpeg 2 as what the source is.....of course its not a perfect guideline, but just to give you a rough idea.....

At what resolution? Full D1, half D1, VCD?

[emichon]

I'm looking to convert Divx v3 video's (819 Kbps, 23.976 fps, 512*384) to Mpeg 2 with a resolution of 720*480.

[guns1inger]

total running time ?

[mats.hogberg]

Then I'd suggest at least 3200 kbps (according to the 4*AVI bitrate rule of thumb, to which I subscribe). If you're not using DL media, I presume (suggest) you settle for one movie/disc, so, depending on movie length, you may be able to go higher, which is not a bad thing. There's no point in using a lower bitrate if you don't have to.

/Mats

[ZippyP.]

I'm looking to convert Divx v3 video's (819 Kbps, 23.976 fps, 512*384) to Mpeg 2 with a resolution of 720*480.

I'd suggest 352X480 as your target resolution for DVD as it's closer to your source. It would look good at a bitrate of 2200 or more, meaning you could get up to 4 hrs on a disk.

[emichon]

And is there another program besides TMPGenc Xpress that would be easy to use and faster, but at the same time output a pretty good quality Mpeg 2?

[guns1inger]

No. There are faster encoders, there are simpler encoders, and there are quality encoders. I don't know of any that have all three qualities for a novice user.

However, if you want quality (or at least, to preserve the most that you can from your source), you need to learn what some of these eosoteric numbers mean.