DVDR not ready for prime time?

[heavyharmonies]

Just received my DVD recorder (Panasonic LF-D311) and have done a few coasters, err, umm, "tests".

While I really dig the DVDR/RAM format for data archival (a godsend in that respect), the DVD authoring process (compared to VCD authoring) just doesn't seem quite "there" yet. For one thing, the type of media used appears to make much more of a difference then when using CDR media for VCD. Due to the slow speed of the burn, it's a fairly time-consuming process. Also, I'm seeing more A/V sync issues with DVDR than with VCD (could be cheap-a$$ed media).

Am I nuts for thinking that (for the time being, at least) VCD/SVCD/xVCD is a better video distribution method than DVDR, at least until the DVDR format has moved past its infancy, and the tools, burners, and media are more robust?

What ultimately surprised me was really not being "wowed" with the video quality of the DVDR compared to XVCD.

Follow my process here, and see if/where my methods are falling down:

Source: VHS routed through Canopus ADVC-100 to AVI, Full D1 capture.

Sample 1: XVCD

TMPGENC: 352x240 Mpeg1, CQ100, Max Bitrate 8000 kbps, 224kbps audio.
Burned to CDR using (non-standard) VCD template in Nero.

Sample 2: DVD

TMPGENC: Standard NTSC DVD template (720x480 Mpeg2, etc.)
Authored and burned to DVDR using NeoDVD.

Results: The XVCD looks infinitely better. Despite the higher resolution of the DVD, I see much more MPEG artifacting than with the XVCD. Frighteningly more as a matter of fact.

Perhaps the DVD spec would be more worthwhile if I were doing DVD captures and rips? By dealing with VHS source, is more resolution a bad thing rather than a good thing?

What am I missing? I'm tempted to relegate DVD-R to data backup for the time being, wait a year, and then see what's out there, in the meantime using XVCD...

[SLK001]

Am I nuts for thinking that...

I don't know if you are nuts, but you certainly haven't been doing your homework. First, A/V sync issues have nothing to do with the media, although it could be the reaction of your DVD player to the media.

What ultimately surprised me was really not being "wowed" with the video quality of the DVDR compared to XVCD.

Well, if you're not "wowed" by the video quality, there is definitely something wrong with your process.

I see much more MPEG artifacting than with the XVCD. Frighteningly more as a matter of fact.

The "pixelation" that you see is a result of poor quality media (and the reaction of your DVD player to this junk). Retry the test, but this time, use quality media.

Even though the DVD-R media is still in diapers, it is growing up - and fast. Your video source was VHS, which basically has a resolution of 352x240, should have looked like a "near lossless" conversion with the DVD transfer (I've been doing this for a couple of months).

My suggestion to you, is to go outside, pick up the baby that you threw out with the bath water, powder its butt with talc and give it another try. If you do it right this time, I'm sure that you will obtain the "wowdom" that you deserve!

[ejai]

I've created at least 10 DVD-R movies from tape and they look great. I'm using the ADS Instant DVD and the quality looks awesome. Yes I do have some sync issues, but they are slowly being worked out by patches and software revisions.

All the VCDs and SVCDs I've created can't compare to the quality I've achieve using the DVD-R format. I'm also using cheap disks and they work fine on all the DVD players (as well as my son's playstation2) with no problems.

I have some good quality VCD and SVCDs, but nothing can compare to a DVD done correctly.

8) ej