Conversion problem

[j1d10t]

Hi. I guess this would be a conversion problem, because I can't think of any thing else it would be. Let me explain. I'm trying to make a CVD (352x480), so I've been capturing video in SVCD (480x480) resolution, then downsizing. I've been using DV compression to capture to avi, and the captured video looks great on my computer. I then go in to TMPEnc (version 2.58.44.152) and set the resolution to 352x480, and convert it to mpg2. The converted video looks great on my PC, but when I burn it to CD (as a non standard SVCD) and play it on my TV, it looks really bad, and is really blocky. I've tried several bit rates, and it still looks blocky. I'm trying to put a one hour TV show on CVD, and after I take out the commercials, it's about 42 minutes of video, so I've been using a max bit rate of 2500, with an audio bit rate of 192. I've tried using a constant bit rate, variable bit rate, and CQ with 2500 bit rate as the max. I've tried taking the constant bit rate down as well, and it still looks really blocky on my TV, but great on my computer. Does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong? I have a Sony widescreen HDTV, if that makes any difference, but I don't think so because I've played VCD's from friends that look 10 times better on my TV than my CVDs do. And the show coming from cable TV looks 10 times better than the CVDs I've tried making Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[mats.hogberg]

How do you author your CVD?

/Mats

[j1d10t]

I've used Nero 5.5.9, and Ulead DVD Movie Factory, both burning as a non-standard SVCD since I've encoded the CVD in mpg2.

[mats.hogberg]

Try VCDEasy, at least for authoring and creating the CD image(s) cue/bin. Then burn the cue/bin with Nero, if your system isn't supported by VCDEasy.

/Mats

[Bluez]

couldn't understand quite all of it, let's see if i get this right...

you capture from some source to avi using a dv codec
the results look fine on your machine

then you feed that avi to tmpgenc to create the mpg file
if you view the mpg file on your computer, does that look blocky or smooth?

[j1d10t]

I capture using a TV-in card from Pinnacle. I capture to .avi with a DV codec, and it looks great on my computer. I run it though TMPGEnc to convert it to mpg2, and the mpg2 file looks great on my computer, even on full screen - no blocks, nothing, looks fantastic. But then when I burn it to CD (as CVD), it looks really, really blocky on my TV. The playback of the video is OK, no skipping, or jumping, but the picture (even in a scene where there is no action, or camera movements) it looks really blocky, like some VCDs I've seen with a really low bit rate.

[SatStorm]

An average bitrate of 2300 kb/s, on a typical 4:3 picture, doesn't explain that much blockiness. Yes, some blockiness in really extreme moves is a kind of logical, but so much blockiness, no!
Unless the source is really noisy.... Most of the time, that is what's going on.
You see, in theory, an average of 2300kb/s can support perfect a full 4:3 picture. In praxis, you need more bitrate. Much more bitrate: About 3500kb/s for some extreme situations!
But if you filter correct your source, you can make theory angree the practice.
Filtering ain't only for correcting visually the source. It is also for correcting it, for things our eyes can't see, but any encoder do see!
There are 2 neccessary filters for any source: Dynamic Noise Reduction and Static Noise Reduction. Those 2 are stabolize the picture and also cleans with various technics the random noise (the no 1 bitrate enemy!).
If your source is from a VHS tape (or a television transmission based on a VHS tape), you also need a Video Noise Reduction filter. This visually do nothing, but sure does for the encoder!
With NTSC, you need now to work a bit the colours. You need to make simply colour correction, including adjustments for brithness/situration/Hue.
With PAL, you don't need to do this, but you need other filters for other kind of problems (rmpal is a good filter for any PAL user! Can't remember in english the explanation right now why it is...).
The huge difference here (something only recently learned myself), is that because of the different nature of NTSC and PAL, with NTSC you have to grabb the higher you can, then add those filters I mention filters and then resize to the resolution of your target format. With PAL, it is better for various reasons (explained by me on many other posts even in this same forum) to grabb directly to the framesize (resolution) of your target format.
And because of various limitations of today's mainstream technology (including software and Hardware limitations), any TARGET format beyond ~388 X ~520 is a fake, an overkill if you prefer! Because now there is no any 388 X 520 CD/DVD based format, you choose to encode to the most close one: Others prefer SVCD, others CVD and others 1/2 D1 DVD.
1/2 D1 DVD with an average bitrate about 3000kb/s is the best of all.

[mats.hogberg]

If the mpeg looks fine before passing it on to the authoring app, but not when playing the final disc, I can't see any other reason than that it's being reencoded somewhere in the process between these two states. Iv'e seen many posts where it's obvious that Nero is in fact reencoding, whithout the person noticing this.

/Mats

[SatStorm]

Yes, that means that a re-encoding take place and **** up your mpeg...

When you load mpeg on nero, it wouldn't take but seconds. If it is more, then a re-encoding take place... So, you uncheck Standard compilance SVCD and Nero never attempt to change your mpeg...

[flaninacupboard]

j1d1ot, take your disc that looks blocky, and play the disc (not the file on the hard drive) and see if it's different to the one on the hard drive. if it is, then a re-encode has occured in authoring, if it's identical to the mpeg on the HDD then you have a bad dvd player, or one that doesn't support cvd properly. i had a cheap dvd player that would play VCD fine, but with XVCD had the same problem as you, blocks -everywhere-!

[j1d10t]

That may be it - it may be my DVD player. I've looked at the DVD player reports on this site, and they say it will play CVD. But it seems that one person will say that it will play one format, and another will say that it won't. So that may be it. I've tried to play the CVD on my computer, and it still looks really good. When ever I would burn the CVD I would make sure it was being burnt as a non-standard SVCD, so Nero and Ulead wouldn't re-encode the video. And I always run the noise reduction filter in TMPGEnc. I may have to go with VCD or SVCD. I had just been hoping for CVD, so I could use a high bit rate, and not get blocky at high action scenes. I was hoping that it was just that I was encoding the file incorrectly... Thanks for all of your help