TMPG output fuzzier than AVI file

[happyguy49]

im a newbie at making VCDs, this is my first attempt. i followed the procedure outlined in the DivX to VCD MPEG All-In-One Guide, except i couldnt get VCDEasy to burn right so i used NERO instead. but unrelated to that, my (unsolved) problem is this:
-the MPG file that is outputted from the TMPGEnc is noticeably fuzzier than the AVI file that i am converting from. i only did a burn because i wanted to see if it would look ok on the finished item, it still looks fuzzy; therefore i am almost certain that the problem is in the conversion from AVI to MPG. my burn works ok, it plays fine on both DVDrom and VCD-capable DVD player, but it doesnt look as good as i am hoping to get it to look... (im hoping to get it to look as good as the original AVI, is that unrealistic?? if so please let me know..)
-i tried doing a conversion with the box for Sharpen Edge in the TMPGEnc settings area checked, this had no noticeable improvement. i notice that if i double-click the sharpen edge line, a new window with a Horizontal and Vertical field opens, but i dont know what i should mess with to affect an improvement.
-to better describe the fuzziness, it looks like what you would see if you Full-Screened a movie file whose default display size is a little smaller than the size of your screen; the edges of objects are blurry and less distinct. my hunch is that my problem is caused by this effect, because the OUTPUT MPG FILE's window size when i play it in Windows Media Player is about 40% smaller than the INPUT AVI FILE's window size is when played in WMP. if this is indeed the problem (i suspect it is) then can someone tell me how to prevent the TMPGEnc program from shrinking the window size and causing resolution loss in the conversion process?
any help would be appreciated :)
todd

[Anonymous65]

No, a VCD compresseed file will NOT look as good as the original AVI file. VCD uses a bit rate of only 1.15Mb/sec, a very low bit rate for video. To get the best looking VCD, start out with the best copy you can get. A minimum should be 352x480 for NTSC VCD creation. 704x480 would be even better. The original file should be using low compression without any compression artifacts. Remember, garbage in = garbage out.

[happyguy49]

ok, for some reason the fuzziness that i reported earlier isnt that noticeable when viewing it on a TV as opposed to a computer monitor?? wierd.. is it because of the monitors higher resolution perhaps? im reasonably happy with my first VCD :) its converted from a 699 megabyte AVI file and looks almost as good as the original file.
funny stuff..
-it plays on my mom's RCA dvd player but not my sisters SONY one?? odd, considering that the SONY one does say that it can play VCDs. it also plays fine on my DVDrom using WinDVD, an excellent dvd viewing program in my opinion.
-is there a way i could find out why the VCD wont play on the SONY dvd player? are there any known fixes or workarounds to similar problems??
-how could i insert chapter breaks??