Ideal Bitrate to encode with?

[Jeff_NJ]

I have noticed that alot of my video suffers from semi poor quality. This is as I'm learning, probably because I am trying to squeeze 2 hours of video onto a dvd. What is the ideal bit rate to encode at? What length of video should I shoot to fit on a dvd? 1 hour?

Thanks.

Jeff

[KBeee]

2 hours should give good quality on DVD.
Use a bitrate calculator to work out the bitrate to use. AC3 audio, or maybe MP2 audio will leave as much room for video as possible, and use VBR for the video encode.
For 2 hours, with AC3@256kbps audio, the video bitrate would be around 4800kbps.

[redwudz]

Generally, it's difficult to suggest the 'perfect' bitrate. DV from a camcorder can have a lot of 'shake' in the video, which makes it difficult to compress. Another factor is the amount of motion in the video. Someone sitting at a desk reading the news is easy to compress compared to a tennis match with lots of fast motion. Lighting also effects the encodes. Dark scenes will show more noise at higher compression levels. Using a tripod and sufficient lighting does wonders.

What I usually do is to make up a representative clip of about 5 - 10 minutes in length and try different bitrates and encoder settings. If you use VBR, try two pass as you will get a more accurate filesize compared to what your bitrate calculator predicts. Definitely keep the audio file smaller, as that gives more room on the disc for video bitrate.

It may take some experimenting to arrive at the right combination to get the results you want. That's one reason many of us don't suggest a exact bitrate to use.

[mats.hogberg]

What is the ideal bit rate to encode at?

Encode what? It all depends on your source material. A shaky, noisy hand cam video needs all the bitrate the DVD specs allows, and then probably some (around 1 hr/DVD-5).
Professional recordings would go by with half that, and less.

/Mats

[akrako1]

i have heard mention of various MPEG-2 sweet spots.. does anybody know what they are? and/or for Divx or x264?

[MOVIEGEEK]

i have heard mention of various MPEG-2 sweet spots.. does anybody know what they are? and/or for Divx or x264?

Never heard of a sweet spot.It's all about sacrificing quality for time.

[guns1inger]

For DVD the 'sweet spot', if there is one, would be around the 65 minute mark. Up to this point you can use the highest available bitrate. After this point, you start reducing bitrate to fit the space.

However as has been pointed out several times, the source makes a huge difference to what quality can be achieved at what bitrate. So do the tools. Not all encoders are created equal. Some filtering, if done carefully, can allow you to use a lower bitrate without sacrificing quality by removing bitrate hungry noise.

Every source is different. Every source needs to be treated on a case by case basis. There is no absolute "this is the right and only way".

[CubDukat]

I have noticed that alot of my video suffers from semi poor quality. This is as I'm learning, probably because I am trying to squeeze 2 hours of video onto a dvd. What is the ideal bit rate to encode at? What length of video should I shoot to fit on a dvd? 1 hour?

Thanks.

Jeff

Lotta variables here...

First off, what source are you using? VHS? MiniDV? An HDTV stream?

Second, what encoder are you using, and how do you have it set up?

In my own personal experience, I've been able to get up to three 45-minute HDTV programs on a single-layer DVD with very good quality. The bitrate is usually around 4500 for that. usually, however, I'll try to go to a dual-layer disc for more than two episodes to maintain quality.

I'm switching back and forth between CCE SP and Procoder, but CCE SP's my principal tool. I am not particularly impressed with TMPGEnc XPress, although I will occasionally use it when neither of the other two will encode a file.

If you could provide some more detailed info of your process, you could definitely get better help.

[bendixG15]

I have noticed that alot of my video suffers from semi poor quality. This is as I'm learning, probably because I am trying to squeeze 2 hours of video onto a dvd. What is the ideal bit rate to encode at? What length of video should I shoot to fit on a dvd? 1 hour?

Thanks.

Jeff

When you get a dead week-end, read all about it here....
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=316314&highlight=maximum+bitrate

[Jeff_NJ]

My source is coming from a Sony HC-1. I was shooting a HS play. Camera was on a tripod. Some panning and zooming, but overall, a steady shot. I shot in DV for this, as opposed to HD. It was a 2 hour show. I just wasnt sure if I should split it in half and put each on a separate dvd, or try to get it all onto one.

The reason I asked this question is because, the camera provides really good quality video, and it looks great when I bring it into Vegas, but once I get it onto dvd, it doesnt look so great. So I figured that had to do with bit rate, which I admittedly, do not know much about yet, but am learning with your help.

BTW, just found a link to the bit calculator. Sounds like I need to give this a shot

Jeff

[mats.hogberg]

Sounds like you should go by with a single layer DVD-R, but of course, it'll look quite some better on a dual layer disk.

/Mats