What quality is lost when burning at less than 100% quality?

[AlanHK]

a webshot here of my Studio program to see if I have the settings correct to output to MPEG so I can then use an outside program for rendering

I don't use Pinnacle, but a few things:

Audio: sampling MUST be 48000, not 44100.
You have "MPA" compression, which is probably okay, but if AC3 is available that's more standard.

Video: You have CBR. Try VBR. If the encoder is any good at all, this should be much better in a smaller space. Ideally, set the size here and you won't have to re-encode with the loss of quality.

If this looks like crap, go to "make AVI file", make it as big as you have space for on your hard disk, and encode that to MPEG2 using HCEnc to your target size and author using that.

[grannyGeek]

A quick sort-of side-note -
You might want to do some short comparison test renders With and Without the setting "Filter Video"; quite a few Studio users remark that it only softens the picture.


What is your source video?
Interlaced Camcorder footage?
Captures of vhs tapes to convert to DVD?
Is the source you are now editing in Avi or Mpeg?

( I deserted Pinnacle for VirtualDub, AviSynth, HCenc / QuEnc encoders, and DvdAuthorGui to author < add menus and chapter points, create the vts & vob files> I am much happier with the results, but it does take more time and effort.)


edDV:

Bar time 2AM "good enough" won't hold at 11AM

is that the "Politically Correct" version of the old Country&Western Song "The Girls All Look Prettier at Closing Time" ?

[InXess]

I'd set he output format to DV not MPEG2. Once you get your video edited, done and saved take the resulting DV file and THEN encode it to MPEG2 outside (!) Studio. DV is usually quite flat in terms of brightness, contrast and saturation. Procoder Express or full version will allow picture adjustments while providing good speed and output quality (you can preview the output just like an edited digital photo) as well as better sharpness then stock Pinnacle Studio MPEG2 encoder. Video will be punchier, more life-like. Don't know if Canopus Procoder Express has trial version (check tools>encoders section). TMPGEnc is a good choice as well. First get it edited and saved then worry about encoding.