Which is better, SVCD or XVCD?

[mojo]

I was trying to fit over an hour onto an SVCD and to save space I used a res of 352x480, but the file size wasn't much smaller than 480x480.

So, I tried encoding an MPEG 1 XVCD at the same resolution, and found that the file size was MUCH smaller - even at the same bitrate.

So my question is, what am I losing by going with the hi-res XVCD? Is there something about the SVCD format that I should be considering?

[throwingks]

If you want to use in a dvd player, not your computer, cannot usually use XVCD. SVCD is the way to go for high quality, compatible movies.

[adam]

With a progressive source SVCD and XVCD at the same settings should look roughly equal. So if you are using resolutions of 352x480, and your dvd player supports SVCD then there is no reason to use XVCD. You are losing compatibility and gaining nothing. 352x480 @ SVCD settings is a CVD and should play on any SVCD compatible dvd player.

Filesize is soley determined by bitrate, resolution has nothing to do with it. If you are getting different filesizes at the same bitrate then you must be doing something incorrect. Are you perhaps encoding in CQ mode in TMPGenc? This mode analyzes the complexity of your source and allocates bitrate accordingly. So at the same settings you will get different bitrates, and as a result filesizes, if you change anything about your source; the resolution for example.

With an interlaced source SVCD can achieve remarkably higher quality than VCD or XVCD because mpeg1 does not support interlacing.

[throwingks]

Wow!!!, that boy good!

[tuco1979]

If you want to use in a dvd player, not your computer, cannot usually use XVCD. SVCD is the way to go for high quality, compatible movies.

It really depends. I have one of those cheap-play-anything dvd players which I can play any flavor of mpeg1 and 2 but my father's sony can only play vcds and xvcds. SVCDs depending on country, are supported on a wide range of dvd players (US, not too many players actually say they support SVCDs.)