MPEG2 Highest Quality is?

[nathanco]

I am trying to burn my own home videos to DVDs and I'd like to have the highest quality video possible. Now, when preparing the MPEG2 file, what is the maximum bit rate allowable? I've tried encoding at 10 Mbps and it looks good and leaves much room in the DVD for about 1.5 hours, which is more than enough for me.

I've read in DVDit! that it supports 2-8Mbps for MPEG2. Is this a limitation of DVDit! or is it a limitation of MPEG2?

I have both DVDit! and PowerDirector Pro. Will either one take an MPEG2 file that is 10mbps?

[bugster]

AFAIK, the DVD standard allows for a TOTAL data rate of 9.8Mbps. This is the Total for both audio and video. Certainly, DVDit complains if you give it a video file with a data rate greater than 8Mbps but will it should allow you to continue and author/burn anyway, it just isnt guaranteed to be DVD compliant. Don't know about PowerDirector tho, can't say I have heard of it.

Obviously, as a general guide, the higher the average bitrate, the higher the quality. You dont say what format your source material is (analog, DV etc) and if analog how do you capture it. This affects the quality you can expect from a DVD conversion in that you wont improve over the source or capture quality no matter how high the bitrate.

[Kdiddy]

Well that also depends on what bitrate you are capturing these home videos to your computer, if you capture at 6 mbps, then 10 mbps enocding to DVD is a waste of time & space. You can never improve the quality, only maintain as much of the orginal as possible.