Keeping picture quality as close to the Divx source

[hulkholmes]

I know this topic has been beaten to death. I have been reading the forums and havent found an answer to my liking. I have these DIVX files and I want to encode them. However, I want to keep the picture quality as close to the Divx source. Should I convert the Divx files to SVCD or VCD? Also, I tried converting a file to both formats(vcd & SVCD) and the picture looked the same. In other words, I saw no difference in the picture quality between the SVCD and the VCD. For example, when in SVCD format, the picture didn't look as good as the Divx file. Furthermore, when I converted the the DIVX file to VCD, it looked the same as the SVCD. When Im creating these SVCDs, Im using two 99min cdrs. So if the picture quality of a SVCD looks the same as a Vcd, then Im wasting cds. I could just use one cd and convert it to VCD. Can someone give me a good answer so I don't waste anymore 99mincdrs.

[Skynet107]

What you are trying to do is impossible. The re-encoded file can never look as good as the original file. The best you can hope for is maybe 98% of the original quality, but this is also not possible using VCD or SVCD. The bitrate of both those formats is just way too low to give a perfect image. To get the best re-code you need to encode to mpeg2 DVD format and burn it to a DVD. This is the only way to get the quality to be very close to the original.

[hulkholmes]

You mean in order to keep the quality as close to the divx file is to encode it to DVD.

[trenchy]

I convert my divx with KVCD templates and using non VCD size
like for NTSC std is 352x240 I use 704x480. Gives high quality video
but however you will alwas have some quality loss.

[Vejita-sama]

You have to understand that despite the fact that the Divx file might look pretty good on your PC it's actually crap. Look at the resolution (low) and bitrate (low). If you take a 4~7GB DVD movie and compress it to a 150~500MB Divx something has give. Once that quaility is lost it can not be re-created.

So Divx files make a poor source for VCD/SVCD/DVD encodes. Often a 320x240 Divx will look like like crap as a 352x240 VCD. It's sort of like taking that same DivX and playing it full screen at 1024x768 on your PC. The bitrate is way to low to support that resolution.

[hulkholmes]

so just convert the DIVX files to VCD instead of SVCD so I don't waste no more 99 min cdrs

[mh2360]

You have to understand that despite the fact that the Divx file might look pretty good on your PC it's actually crap. Look at the resolution (low) and bitrate (low). If you take a 4~7GB DVD movie and compress it to a 150~500MB Divx something has give. Once that quaility is lost it can not be re-created.

So Divx files make a poor source for VCD/SVCD/DVD encodes. Often a 320x240 Divx will look like like crap as a 352x240 VCD. It's sort of like taking that same DivX and playing it full screen at 1024x768 on your PC. The bitrate is way to low to support that resolution.

I agree totally, I've tried every Avisynth filter to try to get that "DVD" look when I convert AVI to DVD-R. I just doesnt work!. No matter how many passes I tell CCE to do, Divx - DVD-R conversions do not look any better than SVCD in my opinion.

[end80]

I agree with trenchy... To me divx files encoded with the KVCD templates look to have better quailty than a standard VCD or SVCD.

[hulkholmes]

what templates do you use?

[end80]

The short answer is that I usually use the KVCD CQ-352x240-_NTSCFilm_-PLUS.mcf template...

I have a Akai DVPS760 DVD player and have found that when using KVCD templates I must encode at a 352 x 240 resolution or my playback will be a little jerky.
So I use the KVCD CQ-352x240-_NTSCFilm_-PLUS.mcf template, BUT.. I raise the maxium bitrate of the template to 2500 and the quality to around 82 for a average 90 minute movie.

The results is that I find the picture to be clearer and sharper than either a standard VCD or SVCD and I can fit an entire movie on one CD-R.

I have encoded 2 hours or more on one cd before with the same template by lowering the quality to about 73, and found it satisfactory but a little soft -
So if it is a movie I really like that is 2 hours or more long I will usually increase the quality to around 95 and burn to 2 cds instead of one.

[hulkholmes]

To end80, I'll give the kvcd template a try

[end80]

Hulk... what?
I use the KVCD template all the time.. !

[Skynet107]

ou have to understand that despite the fact that the Divx file might look pretty good on your PC it's actually crap.

I disagree totally, DivX is not crap it looks very good, especially considering the bit rate. I stream movies from a home theatre PC to my projection T.V. and the picture comes out very nice. No it is not DVD quality but much better than any VCD/SVCD will ever be. Re-encoding DivX or Xvid to DVD using CCE has given me great results. The picture comes out amazingly close to DVD quality in most cases, at worst it looks as least as good as any SVCD.