***Using TMGP TO ENCODE MPEG2 SAVED MOVIE FILE***

[kathleenbilly]

I have no problem using tmgp to encode my movie which is a avi file then using nero to burn as a svcd good quality. However l have saved my movie as a mpeg file which is a better quality but it won't encode using tmgp why.?

[kayfam]

kathleenbilly,
Please don't offense to this since perhaps English in not your native language, but could you please clarify you're question. It's just a little too generalized for anyone to help you with your issue. Try starting by outlining the steps you used to encode you're file and what you’re trying to accomplish. I'm a little confused on one point in particular, you state you encoded an avi file with TMPGEnc, burned it with Nero and now you want to re-encode the mpeg?? If you converted to an mpeg-2 file and want to re-encode your going to have to install some kind of mpeg-2 codec such as is included in Power DVD or WinDVD. Otherwise you’re better off frame serving it with another program such as DVD2AVI. To be honest if you still have the original avi you’re better off using it as your source material. Encoding and then re-encoding a file is not lossless and with each subsequent attempt you'll end up losing some quality.

[kathleenbilly]

Firstly many thanks for your reply, let me try to explain more clearly,
l am only at the stage of burning to svcd (No dvd's yet). I am able to create a movie via my dv camcorder using Pinnacle studio version 7 after finishing my movie l have the option of saving the movie as a avi file or a mpeg. To begin with l have always saved the movie as a avi. l then use tmpg to encode the movie which l then burn using nero as a svcd. No problem there and to be fair the result is very good. However going back to saving the movie from studio 7 stage l now saved it as an mpeg file which is better quality than an avi? this is what l have always been lead to understand, so l still need to encode the file as nero (will not accept it in its mpeg format it does say it can re-incode the file but nero's quality is crap hense why l am using tmpg), yet tmpg will not import the meg to encode why is this? the mpeg is in a saved mpg2 format and plays fine on the computer, if tmpg can encode the mpeg version of my film to eventually burn to scvd would be superior to avi? any help greatly appreciated.

[Tommyknocker]

When you encoded to TMPGEnc did you use the template under the Load option?

[MrPhelps]

Do you have the mpg2 plugin for Nero????????????

[BJ_M]

kathleenbilly
does the mpeg2 movie load at all in tmpgenc ? or does it not load?

if it doesnt load at all you need a mpeg2 codec because nativly tmpgenc will not load a mpeg2 file .. what codec you need is dependent on which version of tmpgenc you are using ..

also tmpgenc mpeg2 features "run out" after the trial period is over and then you would have to buy it to make it work (or whatever) .


as you have stated -- 1. dont use nero to encode anything ... 2. dont even intall the mp2 add in for nero as its not required..

[kathleenbilly]

o.k template for mpeg in tmpg? l have looked in template option's which seems to just to shows svcd formats etc, would you say is it because l don't have the correct setting or template to import the mpeg? if so how do i get it? and to answer the second question (the plug in for nero) it will burn the mpeg already but it's very poor quality.....''

[kathleenbilly]

bm_j l am running the free demo tmpg which l would imagine is the basic version, and yes it will not import the mpeg file as it saids it's not supported etc, would you then say that, eventually encoding an mpeg file as oppose to a avi would give me better svcd results after burning?

[BJ_M]

well -- first - > a svcd IS mpeg2 format and nothing else, cant be a avi ...

to be able to load mpeg2 file INTO tmpgenc you have to have either the demo before expiry (i think 14 day limit - not sure) or purchase the demo AND in addtion -> a supported mpeg2 codec (install powerdvd for example) ..


what is confusing is that you say you " .... l have saved my movie as a mpeg file .." saved it from what ? and to what exactly ?

[kathleenbilly]

bm_j l have the trial version for two weeks etc.......'' from pinnacle studio video edit it give's two option of saving my completed movie as a avi file or a mpeg file, l do not have any problems when l save from pinnacle as a avi file which l follow through tmpg which encodes it to a mpeg2? and then l burn no probs as a svcd. the main point of my approach is if pinnacle gives the option of being able to save as a mpeg2 format l have always beleived that an mpeg file is of better quality playback than an avi? if so than my thinking is a saved completed movie should if saved in the first place as a mpeg file would end in a better result of svcd after the process of using tmpg? correct me if l'm wrong but l am basically using a fact that an mpeg film is better quality than avi.? or is there not really a difference...'' now l'm really confused!!!!

[Tommyknocker]

If you want an SVCD, the file must be an MPEG-2 plain and simple. Forget about AVI format if the original is MPEG and the final product is to be MPEG-2 for your SVCD. Hope this helps.

[kathleenbilly]

ok, tommyknocker looks like l'm close to my solution right here we go....l can save as a mpeg2 svcd format straight from my video edit program (pinnacle studio 7) the setting is fairly low and this will burn with nero without any encode to mpg2 as it's already in that format from pinnacle. BUT the quality is very poor......so in pinnacle l can still choose mpeg2 format but custom options which allows me to increase the transfer rate per sec to very high kpps and this gives a better playback of the mpeg, but this won't burn with nero, is this because the high quailty is too much for a svcd using nero. Is it possible to keep the high quality mpeg2 from pinnacle studio edit using the custom options and somehow encode it again using tmpg which in-turn will then let me burn with nero?

[BJ_M]

bm_j l have the trial version for two weeks etc.......'' from pinnacle studio video edit it give's two option of saving my completed movie as a avi file or a mpeg file, l do not have any problems when l save from pinnacle as a avi file which l follow through tmpg which encodes it to a mpeg2? and then l burn no probs as a svcd. the main point of my approach is if pinnacle gives the option of being able to save as a mpeg2 format l have always beleived that an mpeg file is of better quality playback than an avi? if so than my thinking is a saved completed movie should if saved in the first place as a mpeg file would end in a better result of svcd after the process of using tmpg? correct me if l'm wrong but l am basically using a fact that an mpeg film is better quality than avi.? or is there not really a difference...'' now l'm really confused!!!!

i understand completly what you did ...

ok -- well an mpeg2 file COULD be better than a avi and a avi COULD be better than a mpeg2 -- sound confusing ?
the problem is that
1. there a dozens of different types of avi files and ways to render them, there is both lossy compression avi's (divx is one example) and lossless compression (like huffyuv) and also uncompessed avi .. you can even render a avi with a mjpeg codec which is very much like mpeg ..

2. there are 100's of way to encode a mpeg2 file .. but no mater what, a mpeg file is a lossy format , meaning that each time you re-encode it it loses something in quality that is not possable to get back.
DV is also a lossy format ..

but you could have saved your mpeg2 file in a very high bit rate with as much i frames as it would have allowed and in essance you would have a bunch of almost jpeg files strung together in file -- this is a method used by some high end video eqquipment and editing systems and produces good results.. IF the way is was encoded is as above..

but generally you will save your video in pinnacle studio as a AVI as you will have a better quality source in to whcih then you can encode ..

the choice in pinnacle studio as to which type of avi i dont know what it offers ... as i never used that program .. if you are not sure pick uncompressed (and you have the room) ..

[BJ_M]

so therefore for the best quality -- just save as a avi and enocde in tmpgenc using the svcd template

[Lamont Cranston]

kathleenbilly Let me take a shot here First you captured in avi and encoded your SVCD with Nero and were not happy with the results. YOu then encoded your avi with TMPGEnc and only burned your SVCD with Nero and were happy with the results. You though by capturing directly in Mpeg w wiht studio 7 you would get better reults but Nero rejected your mpeg file. Now you wnat reencode this mpeg file with TMPGEnc so Nero will accept it. Am I right so far?

First, if you really want to capture in mpeg 2 you must setup studio 7 to produce a mpeg 2 file that is SVCD compatable if it can. I am not familiar with studio 7 so I can't tell you exactly what to do. But all the software I am familiar with has a series of templates to pick from which I assume studio 7 has. Renencoding your mpeg with TMPGEnc, or any mpeg encoder, will reduce the quality and is not the way to go. IMHO realtime mpeg capture, with software or hardware in a reasonal price range, can never produce an image of the quality of capturing in avi and mpeg encoding with TMPGEnc or other good mpeg encoder.

TO get aorund your current bind and you don't want to look around for a mpeg codec so you can use TMPGEnc you could download a trial version of VideoStudio 6 from ulead.com. You can use it to reneder your mpeg2...and you may get the codec you need.

[kathleenbilly]

Well Lamont, your spot on with what l'm trying to do, and taking on board basically what bj_m is saying, it's now clear to me that saving the movie from pinnacle as an avi file is basically as good as it get's really at this stage. Yes the pinnacle template for mpeg scvd is there and l have used this. However, the quality after burning was very poor. Ok so using tmpg to covert to mpeg2 format from my avi file's is the way to go and like l've said does give me a very good result. thanks for all your advise guys info and help really appreciated. Kathleen x