im new, a few questions about pic quality & media.

[bizzy420]

ok, i just got a dvd writer, and i was wondering how close is a SVCD compared to a 1:1 dvd copy. im using svcd's that i make myself, not svcd's downloaded.

1. if i was to burn a svcd's to dvdr, the resolution would be 352x480. the svcd standard is 480x480 (i think). so wouldnt the 352x480 look worse than the 480x480?

2. what would look better? a 352x480 svcd, or a 1:1 dvd copy? can u really tell the difference in picture quality?

3. if the picture looks messed up while playing , is the brand of media? or is it the dvd player?


im asking because certain movies i'd like to put on 1 disc, for example conan1&2. in order for me to do this, i's need to make the svcds in dvdr standards...different resolution and audio.

[Tommyknocker]

Not exactly. With a little research in the sections, you can find out how to make a DVD-SVCD, if your DVD can play these.

[bizzy420]

yea actuallyl i did read about dvd-svcds, but my player doesnt support it.

[xtreemkareem]

352X480 MPEG-2 Authored as a DVD is simply a 1/2 D1 DVD and is a completly valid DVD Mpeg-2 file, as long as your audio is 48 khz and as long as you close the GOP. If you don't have a DVD burner, you can burn the 352X480 MPEG-2 file as a CVD, which is about the same thing as a SVCD, only that 352X480 (also known as D2) resolution is a legitamate DVD resolution while SVCD is not (480X480 = 2/3 D1). If you player plays SVCD, 99% of the time it plays back CVD. Personally go CVD, b/c even though it has a slightly lower horizontal resolution, it has the same maximum bitrate as SVCD, which means at SVCD bitrates, you get more data per pixel/frame therefore better quality. Many people complain about SVCD macroblocking like crzay in hi-action scens. The small loss in horizontal resolution allows it to look better quality (less blocking) at the same SVCD bitrates. As for the quality loss? Minimal. Unlesss you have a HDTV, 9 times out of 10, the only difference you will notice is that CVD looks smoother than SVCD. It's vertical lines that make the quality, and CVD has just as many vertical lines as DVD/SVCD. Also, it's real easy to encode CVD as interlaced picture (same for SVCD anyone???) which preserves the quality on interlaced playback units (i.e. your TV). In conclusion? Go 352X480!

[bizzy420]

hey thx xtreem. do u by any chance own a dvd writer? would u know if a svcd looks the same as a 1:1 dvd copy? SVCD files are like around 1.5 gb and a dvd movie is usually more than that. i heard that the bigger the file, the better the picture quality.

[FulciLives]

hey thx xtreem. do u by any chance own a dvd writer? would u know if a svcd looks the same as a 1:1 dvd copy? SVCD files are like around 1.5 gb and a dvd movie is usually more than that. i heard that the bigger the file, the better the picture quality.

Sorry but a SVCD can ... I stress can ... look very acceptable (or not) but in no way is it as good or even close to a 1:1 DVD copy.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[bottle-necked]

I think I would use Smurf's 'Lazy Movie' template for your Conan 1 & 2 on a single DVD-R disk project. I think it's 352x240 MPEG-1 @1.8Mbp/s CBR, 224k audio. I think it gives about 4+ hours on a DVD-R disk and my tests with the template have all proven it to be very impressive. Quality far better than I would of expected. You can find it at his site.

Good luck.