Best way to encode a 700MB avi/DivX file to DVD?

[gidxg03]

I regulary download movies off the web (usually 700MB Avi/DivX ect files). As I have a DVD writer I usually encode with TMPGEnc having unlocked the program with newgen's guide "how to fit movie on 1 CD". So basically what I do is set TMPGEnc to encode the film to approx 4GB in size. I use CBR as oppose to 2 pass VBR settings due to the time 2 pass VBR takes.

I'm wondering:

A/ is there a better way to encode the movies and could I acheive better quality without the encoding process taking 36 hours. Would It be better to encode the 700MB avi/DivX ect to a 700MB Mpeg2 using 2 pass VBR?
B/ Am I wasting my time encoding a 700MB file (avi/DivX ect) to 4GB's? At what biterate do you cease to notice a difference in quality?

Thanks in advance.[/url]

[Tosti]

You can't get better quality then your source already is. What you can do is to convert your avi to (S)VCD with TMPGenc, and use SVCD2DVD to trick your authoring software and copy it as a SVCD-DVD. You could probably put 3 movies onto one dvd and retain your original quality.

[gidxg03]

Tosti thanks for the reply. I am aware that the final Mpeg2 depends on the quality of the origional. I wondering though could my encoding settings in TMPGenc be better (am I wasting my time at present). Should I use 2 pass VBR and encode to a smaller file (say 700MB AVI to 700MB MPEG2 so that it doesnt take 36 hours) instead of encoding my Avi to a 4.2GB Mpeg2 file using CBR?

My settings are more or less the same as this guide except that I'm using CBR.

[bugster]

A 700Mb mpeg-2 will probably not look as good as the original 700Mb avi. My suggestion is to use 1/2 D1 resolution (352 * 480) (more compatible with DVD that SVCD), use 2-pass VBR or Cq mode and you should easily get 4 hours on a DVDr with quality as good as you are getting now.

[gidxg03]

bugster,

Thanks for the reply.

My suggestion is to use 1/2 D1 resolution (352 * 480) (more compatible with DVD that SVCD), use 2-pass VBR or Cq mode and you should easily get 4 hours on a DVDr with quality as good as you are getting now

Can you please explain what you mean by "1/2 D1 resolution". I understand what you mean by 352*480 and the VBR/Cq modes.

Thanks again.

[Gazorgan]

Instead of asking 'How', you need to ask 'Why'. 1 CDR AVI file will never convert to an acceptable DVD. Generally speaking you only have VCD resolution in something that small, so naturally it looks like crap at DVD resolutions. If it has higher resolutions, it's so over compressed you can't ever get rid of the artifacts, which means you will be burning bitrates when it's converted to mpeg2.

Don't bother. And don't tell me you have magically found a Public Domain video that's 700 MB's.

Some things will never look good when converted to DVD. It won't ever look remotely close to the original DVD (which you should work from in the first place). Even 1/2 D1 resolution is often higher res than the AVI. Look seriously at some other resolutions/options.

[gidxg03]

Instead of asking 'How', you need to ask 'Why'. 1 CDR AVI file will never convert to an acceptable DVD. Generally speaking you only have VCD resolution in something that small, so naturally it looks like crap at DVD resolutions. If it has higher resolutions, it's so over compressed you can't ever get rid of the artifacts, which means you will be burning bitrates when it's converted to mpeg2.

Don't bother. And don't tell me you have magically found a Public Domain video that's 700 MB's.

Some things will never look good when converted to DVD. It won't ever look remotely close to the original DVD (which you should work from in the first place). Even 1/2 D1 resolution is often higher res than the AVI. Look seriously at some other resolutions/options.

So are you saying I would be better encoding the file to burn to VCD (mpeg1)? Perhaps I would be better encoding 352*240 (VCD) or even Mpeg2 480*480 (SVCD) using 2 pass VBR. Would this give me the same (or maybe better) quality than my current enconding to DVD setup?