The best MPEG 2 encoding software?

[whatever911]

Hi! What are some of the top MPEG-2 encoding software out there? I wanna encode some 720p (MKV) videos to DVD format (MPEG-2) so I can author them via Sony DVD Architect. I'd like to get the best quality possible, so time consumption drawback isn't an issue. Thanks!!!

[davexnet]

Usually, MainConcept Reference and HCenc get recommended around here. (HCenc is free)
See this thread for some of the discussion:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/336399-What-is-the-BEST-Mpeg-2-Encoder-Today

[dessieclive]

MainConcept Reference

[aedipuss]

depends on the source and bitrate of the encode. but all current encoders should be fine for 720 to 480 if you keep the bitrate decent. go with avstodvd using henc or the mainconcept based mpeg-2 encoder in vegas. i assume you have vegas if you have architect.

[ashe09]

Hi! What are some of the top MPEG-2 encoding software out there? I wanna encode some 720p (MKV) videos to DVD format (MPEG-2) so I can author them via Sony DVD Architect. I'd like to get the best quality possible, so time consumption drawback isn't an issue. Thanks!!!

1) Aimersoft Video Converter = mkv to convert in high quality mpeg than demulx in dvd lab and then use dvdauthergui(freeware),
2) avstodvd(freeware) is also give high quality dvd but time consuming,
3)format factory convert mkv to mpeg (than use again dvd lab and dvdauthergui) with high quality,
4)wondershare dvd converter make high quality dvd (but there is no chapters in movie just one big file)
5)winavi is also good option ,very fast but quality is issue i thing,

all that convert make mkv to mpeg,but all are not freeware so................. good lucky

[SiMontage]

Rhozet Carbon Coder gets MUCH BETTER results than mainconcept reference and/or any encoder that uses the mainconcept mpeg2 encoder as its encoding engine (eg. TMPEG, but also Adobe ME).

This is especially noticible at lower bitrates, whenever you need to put a lot of material on a single DVD. If you bitrate is 6 Mbps or up, don't worry to much.....

Please note that - for your purposes - you need to do a color conversion within Carbon Coder (the 709 to 601 color space filter) when converting from 720p (=HD) to SD. I know that some/most mpeg2 also uses 709 color space, but experience has taught that if you don't do this for SD encodes in Carbon Coder your colors get screwed.

[ashe09]

Rhozet Carbon Coder gets MUCH BETTER results than mainconcept reference and/or any encoder that uses the mainconcept mpeg2 encoder as its encoding engine (eg. TMPEG, but also Adobe ME).

This is especially noticible at lower bitrates, whenever you need to put a lot of material on a single DVD. If you bitrate is 6 Mbps or up, don't worry to much.....

Please note that - for your purposes - you need to do a color conversion within Carbon Coder (the 709 to 601 color space filter) when converting from 720p (=HD) to SD. I know that some/most mpeg2 also uses 709 color space, but experience has taught that if you don't do this for SD encodes in Carbon Coder your colors get screwed.

toooooooooo expensive ?

[deadrats]

Hi! What are some of the top MPEG-2 encoding software out there? I wanna encode some 720p (MKV) videos to DVD format (MPEG-2) so I can author them via Sony DVD Architect. I'd like to get the best quality possible, so time consumption drawback isn't an issue. Thanks!!!

anyone that's been around for any length of time has to remember all the numerous mpeg-2 encoder comparisons done in this and the doom9 forum; cinema craft encoder was almost universally considered the best (in fact it's used by the pros), with procoder on either "mastering" or "high" settings close behind. main concept's encoder was usually third, followed by tmpg's encoder (which, contrary to popular belief, does not use main concept's mpeg-2 encoder, they developed their own).

hank's encoder (hc encoder) has improved to the point where it's generally considered as being on par with cinema craft encoder and it's free.

[lordsmurf]

1) Aimersoft Video Converter
3)format factory
4)wondershare dvd converter
5)winavi

Crap, junk, garbage and rubbish.
That's all low-quality spamware. Not free, not good, not worth using.

uses the mainconcept mpeg2 encoder as its encoding engine (eg. TMPEG.

Since when does Pegasys use MainConcept's encoding engine?

Rhozet Carbon Coder.

This is honestly more like SaaS, and not really what I'd consider a desktop encoder software.
That's jumping into scalable enterprise needs.

[PAL sucks]

http://trixter.oldskool.org/2011/09/17/mpeg2-encoding-the-ocd-way/

I like the lone comment pleading with the author to name MC as the best.

[El Heggunte]

Well, if someone is looking for an "MPEG-only" encoder, then MCR would not be my recommendation. Because it can output MPEG, and ASP, and H264, and WMV3, and VC-1, and as a consequence, it's indeed somewhat "bloated" but hey —

[lordsmurf]

http://trixter.oldskool.org/2011/09/17/mpeg2-encoding-the-ocd-way/

TMPGEnc works well enough...
... but to say it's worse than MainConcept means (1) you're using MC wrong, or (2) you're blind.

Plus random topic blogs aren't exactly the bastion of authority on these topics.

[dessieclive]

Pegasys does use MainConcept's encoding engine just open TMPGEnc Authoring Works 4 prog folder
but mcreference is still the best encoder

[_Al_]

Original question was to transfer 720p into mpeg2 by DVD video specification, DVD compliant, what it means is resize video into 720x480 or 576 , so resize is pretty much important here.
I would not hesitate to use Lanczos Resize and then HCencoder. Why not. This is pretty important here. How is Mainconcept Reference handling resize and as a matter of fact others "super" encoders (Procoder, TMPGEnc ...) ? Or to feed them with already resized video in Avisynth ?

[dragonkeeper]

anyone that's been around for any length of time has to remember all the numerous mpeg-2 encoder comparisons done in this and the doom9 forum; cinema craft encoder was almost universally considered the best (in fact it's used by the pros), with procoder on either "mastering" or "high" settings close behind. main concept's encoder was usually third, followed by tmpg's encoder (which, contrary to popular belief, does not use main concept's mpeg-2 encoder, they developed their own).

hank's encoder (hc encoder) has improved to the point where it's generally considered as being on par with cinema craft encoder and it's free.

I would have to agree with deadrats on this one, I was once a CCE fanboy, but have now switch over to HCenc the quality really is on par and its fast.

[deadrats]

Pegasys does use MainConcept's encoding engine just open TMPGEnc Authoring Works 4 prog folder

bzzt, wrong answer. tmpg authoring works 4 uses the main concept avc encoder, not the mpeg-2 encoder. pegasys uses the Tsunami MPEGEncoder engine, which is an in house mpeg 1/2 encoder that they developed and have been using since the days old tmpgenc days:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMPGEnc

interestingly enough, tmpg authoring works 4, in the preferences tab under mpeg settings states that the app uses the intercom mpeg-video transcoder engine:

http://www.intercom.co.jp/english/transcoder/

but tmpg most definitely does not use main concept's mpeg-2 encoding engine, never has and never will.

[aedipuss]

interestingly enough, tmpg authoring works 4, in the preferences tab under mpeg settings states that the app uses the intercom mpeg-video transcoder engine:

http://www.intercom.co.jp/english/transcoder/

weird their main site doesn't list it as a product.

http://www.intercom.co.jp/english/

i'd guess they bought the rights to sell tmpgenc encoder, it hasn't had a real update since 2004 anyway.

[lordsmurf]

How is Mainconcept Reference handling resize

You won't like what you see if you try to resize or filter in any way in MC.
That's not what it's good at -- it's an encoder. A good user will feed it ready-to-encode video.

[branch]

It's the 4% speedup I can't stand.

A stream of pictures is a stream of pictures, don't blame PAL, blame bad ways of converting.

[jman98]

It's the 4% speedup I can't stand.

A stream of pictures is a stream of pictures, don't blame PAL, blame bad ways of converting.

This thread was almost a year old. Your comments are useless. If the thread is more than 6 months old, just leave it alone unless you have a critical answer to an unanswered question. You didn't. And after 10 years of being a member you should know better.

[branch]

unless you have a critical answer

I did.