No improvements in converting VCD PAL to SVCD PAL using TMPG

[technogeek]

I copied a VCD Mpeg 1 PAL .dat file to my Hard drive. Later I split the movie DAT file using VCD cutter 4.0

I encoded the 2nd part of the movie using TMPEGencoder 2.02 into a SVCD Mpeg 2 Pal format so that better quality of movie will be obtained.

However the source file and the new encoded file do not show any difference in quality. why is it so inspite of endoding in higher quality format.

i use Windows 98 SE, 64 MB RAM, Intel Pentuim II-300 Mhz with 440Ex mainboard, 40 Gb hdd, Hp cd writer 8230e USB.

[magelucid]

I'm sure you've heard of VIVO, your situation is commonly referred to as GIGO. Garbage In-Garbage Out. Once source video, dvd for example, is converted to VCD, then that is the highest quality that video is always going to be... the format is irrelevant... converting it to SVCD or even back to DVD is useless and will make it look worse. Once you've extracted the video information out of file you can't make it magically reappear.

[technogeek]

I know of GIGO , but can u explain me what is VIVO ?

THe original format of the Movie that i am talking about is VCD PAL Mpeg1. (its copied from an original VCD)

However after converting it to SVCD (i view it on my PC) it did not show improvements.
Is it that the source quality (the source video) matters a lot say (90 % while encoding video).

How can i optimize the settings in TMPG encoder to give the best Video quality. (try to explian use of various filters).

Also what does the last sentence mean ? "Once you've extracted the video information out of file you can't make it magically reappear." ?

someone please help i am trying for this since 15 days. :cry:

[ajrose]

You don't seem to have grasped magelucid's point. How on earth do you think it's going to get any better just because you're converting it to an SVCD?

Here's an analogy: Say you have a scratchy old 78 RPM record, and you play it into your super modern PC and burn it onto a CD. It's now a CD and you put it onto your shiny new stereo, but hey, it sounds just like a scratchy old 78 RPM disc and not like it was recorded in a fantastic digital studio yesterday. Surprised? I wouldn't be...

You're starting with low resolution data and the kind of compression that throws away a whole lot of other data (VCD). You can't magically get it all back. It's gone, whether you want to turn it into an SVCD, a DVD or whatever. The computer can't guess what was supposed to be there and insert it for you - it just doesn't work like that!

There's only one thing you can do to it - but mess around with it and you'll probably make it look worse! Sorry

[vhelp]

ITS NOT A HIGHER QUALITY ENCODE!!!!
People make this same misstake (prob. cause some1 started the
wrong anyligy way back when) Anyways, you cannot make higher
quality out of VCD into something which required higher setting
value, and produce so called, "higher quality". Just not so.
You want to take a 352x240/288 (VCD) and turn (stretch) it into
an SVCD at 480x480/576 AND expect higher quality! ...LOL
...Wake up and smell the coffee!

Anyways, If from a DVD source directly, then, at best, you'd get
the same cleaness of the video, but not the quality ENhancement!!
U R streaching a low res. video to a higher res. video. In short,
you are distorting the video. Course, you're not gonna get
higher quality. No matter what anybody tells ya. At best, you'll
only be kidding youself.

UR obvisouly a begginer at this video endever of yours, and you
really need to read some of hte guides here. not read them once
and think you know it all. Read the guides, try MANY actual
encodes and then play various scenerios of what-if's, etc. till
you get better results that look good to YOU.

From what I understand, if you're making VCD/SVCD, these R 4
viewing on TV, NOT playing on your PC. You'll get two different
quality opinions by playing on TV vs. PC. VCD/SVCD is ment
ONLY for TV viewing, not PC. PC viewing will only distort the
picture (stretch to your 1024x768 or higher res. ) is the reason
for the qualtiy loss. (though, in some of my encodes, they don't
look too back on PC. But then again, I don't play on my PC, only
play on pc to see that encode went well)


15 days at best, is a good start for bruses/blisters in the video
world. You'll have ta do better, ta get better. Like come back
w/ missing lims, etc.

It takes time to become familiour with the VCD/SVCD buis. Not
over night. Keep on reading/trying, and b4U noit, you'll be
a champ here.


-vhelp

[technogeek]

i agree with what ever everyone has said.

Its now a little over a month since i first started to encode VCDs. Now I think the time has come that someone shoud explain me filters in TMPG enc. Thats one complex area i dont understand.

How can i increase bitrate in tmpg enc to encode movies ?

[hpv]

Just for the record, under theoretical situations (which may or may not actually occur, though I've never seen it) one might be able to come out with a higher quality video than the source material, or at least one that looks better. Though this would require the absolutely most basic of animated content (no rain or other "particle" effects), no cgi, and either exceptionally little or no fast motion at all.

I'm sure people will flame me for saying so, but theoretically under the above stated conditions (which again I don't believe actually occur in any tv shows or movies) and using a really good smoothing filter (such as smart smoother for vdub) it could happen...