picture quality question

[BPH2002]

When I view a file using VLC it looks exceptional quality. After using divxtodvd and burned onto a dvd it lacks the original quality. Any thoughts?

[guns1inger]

What resolution was the original ?

Generally, the original avi is smaller than DVD resolution, so it has to be resized up. If not done with care, this will result in a softer image. It will also enhance flaws that are present in the original, but which you might not be noticing. DivxtoDVD then re-encodes the avi to mpeg2, usually at a fairly low bitrate. This may further enhance any existing flaws, as well as possibly introducing new ones. The video may also have the IRE levels adjusted, lightening the video and showing up flaws in the darker areas that you might not have seen.

Can you fix this ? Not with DivxtoDVD or any one-click program. Using avisynth, a good resize algorythm such as Lanczos or Lanczos4, the blockbuster and ashrp filters you can reduce the existing flaws without introducing new ones. Encoding with a good encoder at the correct bitrate will preserve the work you did with the filters. Finally, accepting that the original is flawed, regardless of what you might think after watching it in VLC. This will get you an output that is 100% better than DivxtoDVD. Will it be perfect or DVD quality - probably not. Your source isn't good enough to allow for that.

[HillJack]

Or, it could be an interlacing issue - the original DivX is deinterlaced, whereas the DVD version is interlaced - DVD's always look like crap on a computer (compared to a DivX/XviD) because of interlacing, imo.

[mats.hogberg]

You have reencoded. Just that takes some quality toll, compared to the source.

/Mats

[BPH2002]

thanks people

[guns1inger]

HillJack - most movies are progressive on DVD, as are most modern TV shows. If you use a decent software player on your PC, even interlaced source will look OK because it will be properly deinterlaced on the fly. WMP does not do this, and hance has lower playback quality.