mbps ? newbie here

[hoola_loop]

ok here goes.
im using ati multi media center to captuer with. and i like it. the thing is it has a default capture setting for vcd

TYPE mpeg 1
VIDEO 352 x 240 ntsc
1.05 m bit / per second
AUDIO 44,100 khz 16 bit stereo

i find when i capture with that i get bad quality when playback on dvd player. but the end captuer size is small . ok

i have been using the setting

TYPE mpeg 1
VIDEO 352 x 240 ntsc
3.90 m bit / per second
AUDIO 44,100 khz 16 bit stereo

as you know the file is quite larger by far. 2 hour move is like 3 gigs.. is that normal?

when i use tmpegnc to encode with the average video bitrate set to about 2100.. it takes a few cdr's 80min 700mb. but the quality is great when played back on dvd player.

ok so here is the deal. after capturing at 3.9 mbit per second. when i am encoding if i set the video bitrate down to lets say 1.5 will the quality drop that much? i mean very noticable much.

could i get a 2 hour movie on 2 cdr's 80min 700mb and still have good quality instead of the 3 and four cdrs i am using for now?

i woudl like to hear some of your guys capturing settings. how big are your original captured movies? lets say and average hour and a half movie? well i think that about it for now.. hope i gave enough info ..

peace out ! 8)

[pijetro]

What's your source? Firstly, your capture should play nicely (o.k. not DVD, but around VHS)
Secondly, it looks like you picked ATI's standard VCD setting for capture. I don't know where you got the 3.9mbps from, but that's more like XVCD (non compliant VCD).
Some DVD players will only play strictly 1.15 mbps.
You answered your own question. An 80 min clip at 1.15 mbps will fit on an 80min. CD. Therefore your 2 hour movie should easily fit on 2cd's.
You should be getting the same quality playback on your DVD player, as you VCD capture setting.
Sorry if I didn't pinpoint what you're asking, the questions are double-sided.
Thanx!!!!

[hoola_loop]

ok thanks. are the files suppossed to be so big after captureing? i captured lord of the rings about 3 hours and ended up with a 6 gig file? is that right? in mpeg 1

[pijetro]

It seems a bit high, but don't be surprised. Read some of the other posts, and you'll find that a 3 gig file can get swallowed up in 20 minutes (higher resolution, and low compression). That's the nature of the video beast. So if 3gig seems a lot, upgrade your H.D.
Just so you know, on VCD, 10meg=1min of play.
So a three hour movie should be 1800 meg (1.8 gig).
You should double check your settings.
Buy the way, did you encode your final video through Tmpenc? Your audio might be uncompressed, thus the larger filesize.

[hoola_loop]

yes i am capturing at a higher bit rate. the defaut for the program i use mmc is like 1.05 m bit / per sec = 10mb a minute or around that but it seems that the quality is poor in certain parts of the movie. but i have my setting set to like mpeg1 3.9 to get good quality and then encode using tmpegnc to crunch that big 3 gig file down to fit on a couple cdr's. and the quality seems to be better than capturing at 1.05.

ok so capturing at higher bit rate is obviously better quality and bigger.

lets give this a go. lets say i capture at 3.9 m bits/sec and then encode with tmpeg using average video bitrate of 1800.
should that be a better quality than a capture using 1.9 m bits/sec then encoding with tmpeg using average video bitrate of 1800.

though in the end i am using the same average bitrate to encode wth wont hte first capture be of better qality even though using the same encoding bitrate for an end result?

i hope i didnt mess that up to bad. hehe .. tia

[pijetro]

Yes, I guess if that's the road you're gonna take, then theoretically, yes, you should get a better film. You seem to be playing around with the settings yourself. Give it a try.
There's just too many variables with the limited info. to make quick judgements.
Another note. Many people assume that bad playback means bad quality. Take note on what software you're playing back with.
If it's DVD playback, watch out, because 1800bps encoding won't produce a standard VCD, and many players won't except anything other than compliant vcd 2.0.
Good luck.

[hoola_loop]

thanks for the input. yeah my dvd player plays them back at up to 2400bps anything more and it gets very jumpy or not play at all. i have noticed that when i encode at above 1800 i will get 1 sec pauses every now and then at 1500 to 1800 i get excellent playback and quality. cool deal . thanks again!! kudos!