DVDx - 23.976 (NTSC) or 29.97 (NTSC)

[jonas more]

How do you decide which Output Frame Rate is best to use - 23.976 (NTSC) or 29.97 (NTSC)

[Laddydaddy]

If you are converting to vcd use 29.97 NTSC. If you are converting to svcd use 23.97 NTSC and check the 3:2 pulldown box.

[jonas more]

If you are converting to vcd use 29.97 NTSC. If you are converting to svcd use 23.97 NTSC and check the 3:2 pulldown box.

Thanks...

[adam]

That's not correct. Whether you are making a VCD or a SVCD it is ideal to encode in 23.976fps, the question is whether or not the source is adequate for this. Fortunately, the vast majority of the time it is.

I have not used DVDx for quite a long time so I really don't know how it functions. I would think it would have an option to test your source for you, but if not than simply open up your movie in dvd2avi. Move the input slider somewhere into the movie, just make sure and skip the opening credits. Now hit the start selection button. (It looks like a [ ) Now hit F6 to preview the movie. On the right side of the screen it will almost always say FILM. This means the movie is encoded at 23.976fps and telecined to 29.97fps during playback, and this is exactly what you want to duplicate in your VCD, SVCD, or DVD. Go ahead and move the start selection point further into your movie and preview again just to make sure that the entire movie is FILM, but like I said, the vast majority of NTSC DVDs are. When you have a DVD like this, if making a VCD than simply encode at 23.976fps and when making a SVCD encode at 23.976fps but also include the 3:2 pulldown.

If dvd2avi reports the movie as NTSC or a percentage FILM less than 95% than you would probably need to encode at 29.97fps in DVDx. There are actually better ways to handle video like this, but I'm not sure DVDx has those functions.

[jonas more]

Thanks, Adam

I used dvd2avi as you suggested and found that all but one of the movies I have checked so far are FILM and therefore must be encoded at 23.976 fps. One says NTSC and must be encoded at 29.97 fps.

I have ALWAYS used the 29.97 (NTSC) Output Frame Rate setting when encoding with DVDx and my VCDs play back fine but I am now going to try it at 23.976 and see if I can tell a difference.

Thanks again...

[MOVIEGEEK]

I also use 29.97hz in DVDx when making XVCD's with good results.One problem I encountered with 23.97hz was my DVD players won't do 3:2 pulldown on CD's(only DVD's).

[adam]

All VCD compatible DVD players are required to autotelecine any ntscfilm encoded VCD. Its a specific function needed for VCD compliance. I suppose its possible there are some dvd players which do this poorly or not at all, but I have never heard of one. MOVIEGEEK I think your problem may just be that you are making xvcds. When your disk complies with no set standard, than any number of problems may arise.

Encoding VCDs at 29.97fps will certainly work, and the movement will be identical if you encode at 23.976fps. Both get played at 29.97fps either way. However, when you encode at 29.97fps you have 20% more frames to encode, and even factoring in the highly redundant nature of these frames (they are copies of existing fields), you are still getting at least a 15% drop in quality. Another thing to consider is that when film is telecined to 29.97fps it is interlaced. VCDs do not support interlacing, so if you encode at 29.97fps you have no choice but to deinterlace, whether you realize you are doing this or not. So unless you use a blend deinterlace filter, which is probably worse anyway, your encoder is just throwing out all of the odd or even fields. You are literally throwing away half of your movie's information. This results in a much blurrier picture. If you encode in ntscfilm you don't have to worry about any of this. Your movie is stored at 24fps and properly telecined at playback to interlaced 29.97fps, just as the original DVD is.