What Resolution?

[barneystorm]

I'm in the UK, and I've always used 352 x 288 as my capture resolution. I seem to get a pretty decent VCD at the end of it all, but the penny has just dropped that the resolution I'm using is not 4 x 3, it should be 384 x 288. I can't honestly say I've noticed the picture of the screen looks 'wrong' but I'm wondering whether I'm doing something 'wrong'!!

[Ashtrader2000]

Well you're doing it right! Since you live in the UK, you're making PAL VCDs. These use resolution of 352x288. Your TV will strech it to the right aspect ratio.

So nothing's wrong!

Same with SVCDs; They use resolution 480x576 (for PAL). That isn't 4x3 either, but plays correctly on your TV

Ashtrader

[Anonymous65]

For making VCD's, capture at 352x576. Then let Tmpeg or your other mpeg encoder do the resizing and deinterlacing. This will increase your vertical resolution of your VCD's.

[Ashtrader2000]

For making VCD's, capture at 352x576. Then let Tmpeg or your other mpeg encoder do the resizing and deinterlacing. This will increase your vertical resolution of your VCD's.

You actually don't have to use that big a resolution. Most capturecards can be set to only capture from one field, when source is interlaced, and one field will allways measure up to the vertical resolution of a VCD!

What Skittelsen does (I imagine) is capturing both fields of an interlaced source, only to throw away one of the fields in the de-interlacing process in TMPGenc. Don't do that! It will NOT increase the vertical resolution of your VCD.

Ashtrader

[SatStorm]

Well, with the new tmpgenc 2.53 version, I think is better to leave the encoder choose the field. Sometimes the new frame is also a compination of both fields.
This is important when you use the sharpen filter..

Try before you choose what is better for you!

[Bstansbury]

I believe that "AshTrader" has it all wrong. I don't know what books or web sites he is reading,... but it looks like bad poop to me.

Skittlesen has it right. If you're capturing TV or 8mm or whatever, it is interlaced and set for TV. It therefore has two fields and to get the best quality you need to capture both fields, that is why it is 352x576. Most new capture cards can capture both fields. The process of De-interlace does not throw away one field, it will "Merge" both fields,... and how it does this is very dependant on which capture or demux software your use,... and which de-interlace option selected. Go read the entire De-interlace option in VirtualDub Help,... or visit some web sites that provide real information. If you want to learn more,.. go to the following link.

http://geocities.com/lukesvideo/

This should take you a while to read,... and I guarantee you will get correct information.

[Ashtrader2000]

Eh, no! Ashtrader's got it right. Maybe a misunderstanding has occured, I don't know. Let me explain my comment:

A PAL VCD has the resolution of 352x288. ALWAYS!!! If you increase, it will no longer be a VCD, so Skittelsen shouldn't say it will increase the resolution of the VCD, when that's not what he means. I know what he means; he means (like Bstansbury) that capturing both fields and then merging them, then rezising them, will allow more of the original details in the final VCD! AND THAT'S TRUE!

BUT...

Using this way of merging - resizing will cause ghost effect, very much so in Tsunami. Not so much in VD, but here the merging changes the color and contrast. Ofcourse this can be evened out by a filter, but not accurately enough for me. It's really all a matter of taste. I prefer to just use one field when making VCDs.

What caused me to post a reply to Skittelsen, was that he made it sound as if you get twice the resolution by capturing bot fields, and that's not true. You don't get twice the details even. Not when resizing to VCD size afterwards. It's more like 15-25% more details (pending on software to de-interlace), and 0% more resolution (always). In my humble opinion, the 15-25% is not worth it, 'cause I think the ghost effect is more visible than the difference in vertical detail!

Ashtrader

P.S.
Bstansbury:
Please keep "demux software" apart from this. Demuxing and de-interlacing has nothing to do with eachother.
And though I appreciate your link to the "real" information; My info IS real, and I AM familiar with that site!

[Bstansbury]

Well Mr. "AshTrader",,, I'm glad to see that your second post "Cleared Up your first post". If you had explained your "Opinion" this way on the first post, no one would have any argument with you. Bud,.. when you're trying to help a Newbe with some basics and you jump past the facts to land only on you "opinion",... you do a dis-service to everyone who would read the post.

In your opinion, 15-25% quality is not important... I'm sure you've read many of the posts on this forum, and would agreee that 15-25% is exactly what a lot of people are looking for in improved quality. Why didn't you say that time is more important that quality to you and that is why you choose to only capture at 352x288, which you will agree, is the worst quality level you can capture at.

On the issue of Demux software,.. it had everything to do with what I was refering to... Software like TMPGen, which a lot of people use for Demux, has a very detailed filter section on "How to De-Interlace" and offers many selectable controls to "Tune" the final capture or Demux.

Please don't let my comments upset you,... and continue to capture your favorite video using 352x288,... it's just exactly what you want.

[Ashtrader2000]

Well this particular thread was about aspect ratio, so I didn't want to get into that much else! Poor newbie, getting much more than he wanted

I just thought it would be wrong to let facts stand, that were simply not true! (And I didn't for a second think I would have to explain why they were not true! My mistake! Sorry!) 'Cause this is what you still have wrong: My initial reply to Skittelsen had NONE of my opinion. It simply corrected that resolution of a VCD can be increased! It cannot! My only crime is to not write, that Skittelsen probably ment detail.

As for that 15-25% being important; I don't care for it on a VCD (which is what's being discussed here), because it will NEVER be good quality, ever. And even a great VCD would not be that good with 25% better quality. I feel ghost effect is something terrible to even a bad VCD!

And my capturing! I never capture less than full screen - max bitrate. And never make less than outstanding SVCDs!
But that's another thing, you've brought into this thread, not needing to be here!

Now I think this tangent we're on should stop. As I stated, this thread is about AR. So this being my last post in this thread, have a nice sunday everybody (if it's sunday, where you're located).



Ashtrader