Original material Vs Conversion to mpeg playback on DVD

[Jimmbo]

I have bought a DVD burner because I want better quality playback of my home movies.

I have tried every possible combination of encoding using Tmpge. Different GOP structures, 8000mbs, 10bits conversion etc, and I still can't get the picture quality to be as good as the original. (I have read all the guides on how to encode best quality etc.)

I am assuming that after the conversion from .AVI to .MPG using Tmpge, and then burning to a DVD, that the picture quality playing back the DVD should be the same as the picture quality of the original .AVI file ?

ie, my DVD picture quality should look the same as the original picture quality that I captured.

Is this correct ? can it be achieved using Tmpge ? I have not yet tried CCE, or Ligos.

This was the whole point of buying a DVD burner to save all my home movies.

Jimmbo.

[DJRumpy]

Your source will always better than your destination MPEG. MPEG is not lossless. When you compress it you are losing image quality. Depending on the settings you are using, you may be losing alot.

It will help if you can tell us what resolution your source material is in, what format it is in (avi, mpg, mpeg-2, etc).

Also, what are invovled in converting it to DVD (frameserving, virutal dub, nero, etc).

[Jimmbo]

DJRumpy, Thanks for the reply.

Original material is from Panasonic MX8 mini DV.
Captured via firewire.
Edited in Prem 6.01 DV PAL standard template
Converted to DVD compliant mpg file with Tmpge.
Adjusted up all the settings, short GOP's. Lots of I and P frames.
.MPG's then complied and authored using Sonic MyDVD.

The end result is just no where near as good as the original.

Not big blocks, but lots of mosquito noise.

Jimmbo.

[DJRumpy]

Are you converting it to VCD, CVD, SVCD, or DVD?

[Jimmbo]

Converting it to DVD.

[offline]

Your source will always better than your destination MPEG.

The majority might agree with you but I have had output on some
occasions that I believe are superior to the VHS source. How? More luck than
science and the use of various filters. I capture YU2 at 768x576 to lossless
DV codec. I then frame serve via avisynth to tmpgenc using
the following simple script:

# Convolution3d: interlaced video from VHS, S-VHS
LoadPlugin("C:\VIDEOTOOLS\Filters_AVISYNTH\Convolu tion3D.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\PROGRA~1\DVD2SVCD\MPEG2DEC\MPEG2DEC .DLL")
LoadPlugin("C:\VIDEOTOOLS\Filters_AVISYNTH\Avisynt h\TomsMoComp.dll")
AVISource("C:\Panic Room\capture.avi")
ConvertToYUY2()
BicubicResize(480,576,0.00,0.60)
TomsMoComp(0,15,1)
Convolution3d(8,16,0)
Levels(8,.97,251,0,252)

and adjust contrast up approx +17 and brighness approx -12
Sometimes I use myPAL and some other filters, but this is when
the orig. tape is lower in quality.

Almost one out of every four copies seem near perfect, with one in every
dozen or so being 100% perfect. The eye, however, is in the beholder and
so is perception of quality.