TMPGenc Xpress eXtended DVD (xDVD) format

[syeager]

Has anyone experimented with TMPGenc's xDVD format? I was going to try it but wondered if anyone else had. Just how good a quality can you generate on a 2 hour movie on a DVD5 disk?

[shadow_cruiser]

I'm also wondering about this too. I hear you can fit 6 hours of video on one DVD5 while keeping the same quality as the source. If this is the case, I really would like to try this.

I once fit 6 hours of video on a DVD5 with tmpgenc plus and the video was a lot more pixelated than the source. This is with the best settings.

So to those that have tried this format, please give us some insight!!

[maca]

I have tried it and thought it looked horrible. (and I'm pretty experienced at conversion and don't think I did anything wrong) Very pixelated on my computer, and even worse on tv. In my opinion, you're better off making vcd files (making sure the audio is 48K so they're dvd compliant) if you want to get a lot of movies on a dvd.

Personally, I'm looking into stand-alone players that handle Divx so I don't have to worry about any of it anymore.

[akrako1]

Like was kinda metioned above, xDVD (or for that matter xVCD or xSVCD) are designed to TRY some tricks to have video at very low bitrates look good. If you're trying to put a 2hr movie on a DVD-5 disc, then you don't need that at all! Use a standard DVD template, and use an appropriate bitrate. Use a bitrate calc to figure out the best you can get. If you're worried about quality, crank up the motion search precision, vbr, and encode at 10bits component precision, instead of 9 - and you should have one good looking DVD.

[Abond]

For xVCD maybe yes, though I read somewhere that VCD must be CBR up to 1150 kbps. There isn't limit for min bitrate in SVCD. So to say that they are trying tricks for very low bitrate is in fact not correct. Usually x(S)VCD is connected to the resolution. I personally have made many xVCD with VBR mpeg1 544x576, 480x576 or 352x576 resolution which are playing with no problems on my DVD Player. I have made even an xSVCD with VBR mpeg1 544x576 with selectable subtitles and this mutant creation plays without a glitch.
Well, I personally believe that some xDVD can be done with decent quality, with non compliant resolution. BTW some softwares as SVCD2DVD are doing exactly this - xDVD. Though I definitely would not trust to TMPGEnc Xpress for creation of such disks

[maca]

I forgot to mention in my post above that the absolute BEST thing I've used, if all you want to do is fit 6hrs. of movies on a dvd, is Intervideo's WinDvd Creator. This came bundled on my Toshiba laptop, and like most bundled software, I figured it was just low-end consumer crap and didn't try it for quite some time. When I finally gave it a shot, I was blown away. You pile on as many video files as you want (any format seems to work except RealMedia), set the quality you want (SP, LP, EP), and it very quickly processes them into a dvd-compliant mpg. No bells and whistles; it can't make anamorphic files (but you can get around that with ReStream), can't handle subtitles, etc. But if all you want is a 4x3 mpg with great quality, this little guy can't be beat.

In its longest EP mode, you're outputting a 352x240 mpg, same resolution as vcd but with proper audio for dvd. And it looks MUCH better than the average vcd, more like svcd. I don't know how much the program costs, since it came bundled, but it's worth a look if you can find a demo or something. I use it for collecting things like TV episodes, porn, etc, where you want good use of space and don't need the ultimate pristine quality. But in reference to the original question, it's MUCH better than TMPEnc's "xdvd" format.

I've read complaints about this program's authoring abilities, but I've never used them. I just use it to output an mpg, then I actually author the dvd with something else, usually TMPGEnc DvdAuthor.

[Abond]

6 hours of movies on one DVD5 - that doesn't mean it is non standart or xDVD. Win DVD Creator in fact cannot be used to produce xDVD.

[maca]

????

Not sure what your point is; I never said it created xdvd, I simply said it could put 6 hours of video on a dvd, which can be played on any dvd player and looks very good for its size. Sounds like that's what the original poster was looking for, so I just mentioned this program as a possibility.

[Abond]

Sorry, I missed your point.

[maca]

No big; I just didn't understand

[guns1inger]

VCD must be no more than 1150kbps for VCD2.0 compliance, however mpeg-1 encoding for DVD compliance allows for bitrates up to 1850kbps. You also have alternatives such half-d1 resolution.

I can comfortably get a 2 hour movie on a single layered disk without trickery or resorting to out-of-spec encoding. I have even managed to get 3 hours on a disk while matching the quality of the source. I cannot see any gain to putting more on though, as after that point the compromise is too great.

Dabbling in any x-encoding also risks putting your collection out to pasture once your current player dies, as there is no guarantee that any given player will play out of spec material. I have had a few SVCD res DVD conversions sent my way over the years, and they have played correctly on less than half the players I have tried them on. Some refuse to play them. Some play them after a fashion, but either with distorted audio or video (or both). If you want to be watching your disks for years to come, stay wthin compliant specs. Hell, disks are cheap.

[SatStorm]

For low action movies, with little movement, this xDVD template from TMPGenc may look "good".

My experience:
4 Hours per DVD can look excellent using 1/2 D1
6 - 7 Hours per DVD can look excellent using 1/4 D1 (CIFF). But this is something only the PAL users trully can use ('cause with PAL it is possible to use 352 x 288 interlace (yeap, interlace!) and if your DVD Standalone player include a good mpeg 2 decoder, this looks like a pro VHS tape).

[jberry]

for 2 hrs use dvd rebuilder....much better (if have cce though)