Some questions about capturing with DVD

[Nikos]

1) What are the lines of resolution for DVD, DV video formats?

2) Why is that when I use my Philips DVD 985 Recorder to record on a 4.7GB DVD-R or DVD+RW that it only comes out almost identical to the original when on HQ mode? When I try to record sporting events on SP mode I can immedately notice some pixelization and blocky, shadowy look to the moving players in the sporting event? Do I need a 9.4GB disc to record 2 hours of quality video from Cable in order for it to look almost indistinguishable from the souce (even though HQ is still compressed I would say its about 90-95% close to the orignal cable source.

3) This relates to #2, but when I want to archive my digital 8 tapes (sporting events) I also notice that HQ is the best way to go. Is HQ essentially a LOSELESS conversion when going from my Digital8 Camera to my DVD recorder via firewire?

4) How is it that DVDs in stores can store 2-3 hours of video that does not look pixelized or blocky, or extra shadowy like my sporting events do on SP MODE? Is MPEG2 compression good enough for me to archive my sport videos and have them look almost identical to the original?

5) Lastly if I capture a 16:9 DVD program on my DIgital 8 Camera will it PLAYBACK later in a widescreen format on a WS TV and a 4:3 ratio TV?

Any help would be great!

-Nikos

[FOO]

720 x 480 for both

The Mpeg encoder is probably not too good. It has to run faster than real time.

You can make excellent DVDs way over 2 hours if you encode them
on your PC with a good software encoder

HQ is something invented by your recorder. It has nothing to do with the
real world.

[Nikos]

Ok so I have Adobe Premire. I haven't had time to use it yet.

However I know recording SP MODE onto my DVD+RW or DVD-R DO NOT Look good for sporting events.

Can I use Premire to fit TWO HOURS of video that is comparable to my SP Digital 8 recordigs (which are 1 hour on eahc d8 tape) AND MAKE THEM LOOK GOOD?

[andkiich]

As long as you get the source clean, and there is no pixelation in that, you should be able to get up to 3-4 hours on a DVDR without any noticeable macro blocking or artifacting. The source and the encoder are key here.

[housepig]

4) How is it that DVDs in stores can store 2-3 hours of video that does not look pixelized or blocky, or extra shadowy like my sporting events do on SP MODE? Is MPEG2 compression good enough for me to archive my sport videos and have them look almost identical to the original?

because they have access to the cleanest source possible (the original film), professional-quality telecine or laser-scanning equipment, and pro-quality mpeg encoders.

They are also not trying to encode and record on the fly - you are.

to top it off, they have sophisticated noise reduction and digital cleaning tools to clean up the image. The cleaner the image, the easier it is for the encoder to make it look good with a lower bitrate and a lower file size. Going into a dvd hardware recorder, you have none of this.

Even with my $50 capture card, if I want to take the time to clean up my video frame by frame, or using filters to take out video noise, I can do it, and feed the encoder something easy to digest. You get to deal with a dirty signal on the fly.

[Nikos]

So with Adobe Premire I can too make it possible to have 2-3 hours of quality video on DVD without blocking or pixelization etc....?

Or should I just keep recording SP until 9.4GB or greater sized DVDs come out?

[housepig]

if you import the video from the discs made by your standalone recorder, the answer is no. you might be able to camoflage some of the flaws, but you can't improve the encode.

if you get a capture device and capture raw or lightly-compressed avi files, you may be able to get better results.

Premiere is not going to do anything magical, it's not going to make a poor encode good. The only way to make a bad encode better is to reencode.

[Nikos]

Im saying if I already have nice recordings on SP Digital 8 mode that I am satisfied with and I want to edit THOSE recordings in such a way I can fit 2 hours of quality DVD video -- is that possible?

(I am not talking about the source of the recording being on DVD at all -- but on Digital8 tapes on SP MODE)

[housepig]

it's going to depend on the size of the files your settop makes.

if your standalone in SP mode makes 1 hour of material take up 4.7Gb, then no, you're not going to fit more on a disc.

you are at the mercy of the encoding on your standalone. If I don't like my encoding, I can always use another encoder, capture uncompressed, whatever, because I'm doing all my encodes in software.

you are going to be stuck with whatever quality/time balance your machine offers you. essentially it's like saying "I have this mpeg, how can I make it better?"

as for what I'm saying, it doesn't matter about source either - what matters is the encoding hardware in your machine.

[FOO]

You got the Amazing Automatic DVD Recording machine to save you
trouble. Did it ?

[Nikos]

Actually a family member of mine purchased it for general recording.

I can use it whenever I feel like it for the most part.

But I tend to use my Digital8 Camera to record programs. Unfortunely I have to be there to record 2 hour programs or programs in general.

But I can't wait until 9.4GB DVD's become cheap and readily available so I can hit 2 hours of excellent quality video on 1 DVD.

[geek rock]

But I can't wait until 9.4GB DVD's become cheap and readily available so I can hit 2 hours of excellent quality video on 1 DVD.

don't hold your breath.. it'll take awhile for machines to come out that can produce dual-layer discs and glue them together..

[FOO]

You don't have to wait. You can get 2 hours of excellent quality
movie on a DVD 5

[FulciLives]

You said you have a Digital8 camcorder correct? If so some such units have a pass-thru feature where you can input an analog signal (such as the output of a VCR or your cable box) and the camera with digitalize it on the fly and send it to your computer if you have a FireWire port.

If you don't have pass-thru then you can still record to a tape inside the camcorder then play the tape back with the cam hooked up to the computer via FireWire and capture that.

Either way will (or at least should) result in the same quality although if you don't have the pass-thru feature it takes double the time since you have to first record to a tape then play the tape back.

Once you have this AVI on your computer you can use VirtualDub to apply some denoising filters and frameserve to a software MPEG-2 encoder (or you can use an AviSynth AVS script).

If you clean up the image nicely and encode to half D1 MPEG-2 then yeah you can get more than 2 hours at good quality but the problem here is that this is a sporting event with lot's of fast motion so you might still get some macroblocks at more than 2 hours BUT I bet at 2 hours it will look as good if not better than the stand alone does in the 1 hour recording mode.

The other problem is the time involved since compute based software MPEG-2 encoding can take FOREVER

A sporting event isn't worth it in my eyes for all this trouble unless it is something really special like naked female big jugg wrestling with Anna Nicole Smith or something like that

- John "FulciLives" Coleman