AVI to Divx: using Avisynth during the convervsion question

[perdomot]

I've been converting my old vhs tapes in order to archive them on DVD and am thinking of changing the process so I would like the opinions of some of the experts here. My old technique was to capture using VDub, then use Avisynth via Tmpeg to deinterlace, resize and smooth any artifacts before encoding to either mpeg1 or 2 using a bitrate of 2200. I am now considering compressing using Divx at a bitrate of 2000 because it might provide a better picture. Should I still use Avisynth to process the image before burning to DVD with NeroVision? I'm not clear on what the transcoding process does to the mpeg 1/2 files so I don't know if I still need to deinterlace, resize and smooth. Hope I explained this clearly and that someone can offer me some help. Thanks.

[celtic_druid]

Encoding with DivX, to then just re-encode will reduce quality, not increase it.

[guns1inger]

A bitrate of 2000 is very low for mpeg2. Is this half-D1 or full-D1 resolution ? Certainly dropping Divx into the mix is only going to lower the quality of the final outcome.

If quality is yoour concern, I would look at increasing your bitrate in tmpgenc. Unless you are trying to put 6 hours on a disk, you should have a bitrate of at least double and probably triple to get acceptable quality.

[perdomot]

Actually, 6 hours per DVD is close to what I will need. I just burned a DVD using Nero and the video at 2000 bitrate with Divx and it looked worse than mpeg2 also encoded onto the dvd. How can I create a dvd with menus, etc and burn it onto dvd for playback on my standalone player WITHOUT transcoding as Nero does?

[celtic_druid]

DVD Video requires MPEG2, DivX is MPEG-4. You can't make a DVD Video disc from a DivX source without re-encoding.

If you have a DivX capable player then you can just burn the DivX files as files, however it will be a while before you can have menus.

[mats.hogberg]

Source to DivX @ 2000 kbps: very good quality.
Source to Mpeg2/DVD @ 2200 kbps: OK quality.
Source to DivX @ 2000 kbps to Mpeg2/DVD @ 2200 kbps: low quality

The key is to make as few format changes as possible.

/Mats