Digital Video quality vs. VHS-C Quality

[Marlowe]

I searched the forum, but could not find the answer...

Using the guides on this site, I have captured analog video from my VHS-C camcorder and converted it to VCD. The quality is terrible with blockiness everywhere making it almost unwatcheable. Even compared to the original AVI capture, the original VHS is so much better. I have also converted DVD's to VCD's and find them acceptable if not better than VHS.

My question is this: will going to a DV camcorder (filming with the right conditions, etc.) give me VCD quality similar to ripping a DVD? If so, I need to upgrade. Also, can professional services using time base correctors, etc. create decent quality VCD's from my old VHS-C tapes. If so, I could upgrade to DV and still have a permanent copy of old movies. Thanks for your thoughts.

[TOMMO]

I have just purchsed a Sony Digital8 camcorder. I was happy with my HI8 but -----

My Son who is in the RN went to the USA and in his wisdom purchased a Region 1 verson of Saving Private Ryan. So I ripped it. Made a VCD and was gobsmacked by the quality. It was excellent.

Question - why the love do my VCDs not turn out that good. They were good but not THAT GOOD.

Currys - Sony Digital 8 bargain - end of line TVR120. Has got SVIDEO out - Firewire - LANC - Analoque out - mic - etc etc. Can play HI8 or Digital 8. Captured using the Basic PYRO card.

Great - lossless video - expecting marvelous VCD - Result, better but still not THAT GOOD.

I must say I was dissapointed - a bit. Then with the help of others and running the risk of really starting up a can of worms about SVCD, I finally sussed it and boy is that good.

Have you ever wathced people making a film and how many technicians are involved in making that shot look good and sound good? We would all look right prats filming the kids on the beach making sandcastles with 25 other people there carry technical equipment. It think that is what it boils down to. Unless you pay really big money and are prepared to take extreme measures, our home movies will never look as good as DVD.

Well having said that - My home movies encoded into DVD format MPEG2 look great - but I do not have a DVD burner so I cannot see the end result which matters - on the TV.

Thats going to be the next laugh - finding out that your Standalone DVD is not capable of reading DVD-R disks or whatever they might be termed.

Does this help or has it made worse - not suremyself when reading it back?

[thxkid]

I have tried VCD, trash the 1150 bitrate setting, pump it up to 2520 and use TMPGE Beta Version B to encode from AVI to 2520 VCD, or even better SVCD if your DVD player will play SVCD's. Make sure your AVI is UNcompressed.
A 4 min AVI should be around 1.2 to 1.6 gigs, you start compressing with AVI, then everything from there will suffer also.
I have XVCD's that are as bit as good as the original and SCVD's that just like the originals.

[Marlowe]

Thanks to you both. I agree that the shooting needs to be good for the capture to be good. I will also step outside of VCD compliance and make the suggested changes.

So, I will try to improve my film making techniques and use (S)xVCD before dropping the hundreds of dollars on a DV camcorder.