Questions on true SVCD specs...

[bryanL]

I'm new to burning SVCDS and have 2 questions.

I use Pinnacle Studio 7, and it lets me create mpeg2s at 640x480 and 720x480, Nero burns them fine to SVCD if you bypass 'compliance'.

So what exactly is this compliance? SVCD specs (and Nero) say 480x480 is the max, so why can Pinnacle greatly exceed that? Is 480x480 the 'licensed' limit, or just the limit of some software.

Also, what medium is supposed to use 480x480? It scrunches tv shaped sources into a square cube.......looks terrible.

[liquid217]

Also, what medium is supposed to use 480x480? It scrunches tv shaped sources into a square cube.......looks terrible.

why a square tv of course!. haha, just messing with you. well if you think of each pixel as a rectangle, instead of a square, the picture is stretched back to its regualar shape. So if you have a 4:3 source and you encode it onto a compliant svcd (480x480) then it will stretch that back out when you play on the tv. As far as you first question goes, you've just gotten lucky that your dvd player can play xsvcds. Compliant svcds are (480x480 29.97fps for ntsc -480x576 25fps for pal)

[bugster]

For more info on SVCD specs look here:

http://www.vcdhelp.com/svcd.htm

[JudgeTracy]

I'm new to burning SVCDS and have 2 questions.

I use Pinnacle Studio 7, and it lets me create mpeg2s at 640x480 and 720x480, Nero burns them fine to SVCD if you bypass 'compliance'.

So what exactly is this compliance? SVCD specs (and Nero) say 480x480 is the max, so why can Pinnacle greatly exceed that? Is 480x480 the 'licensed' limit, or just the limit of some software.

Also, what medium is supposed to use 480x480? It scrunches tv shaped sources into a square cube.......looks terrible.

SVCD is at a square ratio -> 480x480. Unless you tell the software to encode it to a 4:3 or 16:9 ratio, it'll always come out square. In TMPGEnc bbMPEG there are settings for setting the display ratio. Are you using either of these? I'm not familiar with Pinnacle Studio 7. [I use Premiere, frame serving into TMPGEnc].

JudgeTracy
2164 Productions

[bryanL]

I'm copying 4:3 analog down to svcd, but 480x480 scrunches it when played back on my PC. I haven't tried one on my TV since my old dvd doesn't recognize cdrs. But wouldn't it play at 480x480 on the tv too?

I suspect Pinnacle breaks the standard somehow, as I can play encoded 640x480 full screen on my pc and it looks great.........

Bryan

[Baldrick]

Do you play the SVCD with WinDVD or PowerDVD?? Becase they should stretch the video to correct ratio(4:3).