Poor VCD Quality... Any Ideas?

[sage6666]

Hey all I've been creating some vcd's and svcd's, and all seem to be pretty poor quality - pixelated, can't be viewed full screen... I wish I knew more so I could ask a more clear qu, but any info/ suggestions you may be able to offer is most appreciated. Thanks!

[Conquest10]

what's your source? does it look good?

[sage6666]

Yeah, the source is decent, but I'm wondering if converting it will help? It's an mpg... Do I need to go mpg 2, then burn? Thanks!

[Solarjetman]

You would only go to mpeg2 if your making a SVCD, VCD needs mpeg1 to be compliant. Also, what is the resolution of the source. You said its not being played full screen. If its lower than the standard of whatever disk you are using, maybe your encoder is placing a black border to fill in the excess. You should tell it to stretch it (preferably with keeping the aspect ratio).

I have also found that one of my set-top DVD players does not play VCDs as well as the other one. Could that be your problem?

Also, are you re-encoding the mpeg? Every time you re-encode you will lose quality.

And although many people say that VCD is as good as VHS, I personally don't see it. I think it is poorer.

[sage6666]

Thanks for the advice! : )

"You should tell it to stretch it (preferably with keeping the aspect ratio)."

Ummm... how do I do that? It's probably simple, but could you point me in the right direction? Thanks!!!

[Solarjetman]

You never mentioned what encoder you are using. But in TMPGEnc, click "settings", go to the "Advanced" tab, and the field is called "Video arrange method". You should choose "Fullscreen (keep aspect ratio)"

And here is a great site (sorry, I don't remember how I learned about it so I cannot give proper credit, I think it was somewhere here at DVDrHelp.com though). It describes all the TMPGEnc settings in detail. Its a great reference.

http://www.digvid.info/tmpgenc/settings.php