Creating a VCD from a DV camcorder

[arrosen]

I am trying to create a simple VCD using my digital camera as the capture device. I have tried using Ulead Video Studio 7, Microsoft Movie Maker and Adobe Premiere 6. I am able to successfully capture the video and write it out to my CD in VCD format, but it looks horrible when I play it on my DVD player. I don't mean horrible as in how a VHS tape looks as compared to a DVD, I mean that the pictures are pixelated, there are shadows, the colors are wrong, etc.

I have also tried to capture the video both at VCD quality (320X200) as well as a higher quality (720X468?) and then convert it down...nothing seems to work. When I capture it at a higher resolution, it looks great on my computer, but it still looks lousy on TV.

It may be the software, or maybe I am doing something wrong. If anyone has successfully tried to do what I am attempting, can you lend some advice? What were the steps you went through, the resolutions you used and the software you used.

Thanks

[Tommyknocker]

I convert my video to 352 x 240 with TMPGEnc's VCD template, or with Video Studio 6, using the project settings for VCD. I then burn with VCDEasy for the TMPGEnc file, or use the Video Studio engine for Video Studio files. Sometimes I edit the video in Video Studio, then frameserve to TMPGEnc using the Ulead Video Server plugin. I think your problem may lie in the resolution you are trying to burn to VCD.

[G-man]

What are you using to convert your captured AVI file to MPEG-1? If you haven't tried TMPGEnc yet, I suggest you do so using the standard VCD template that comes with it.

I have done this many times starting with a Canon ZR-40 Mini-DV camera and the end results are very good. I author/burn using Ulead DVD MF2.

[arrosen]

I've tried converting both with Video Studio 7 and MS Movie Maker. I am using Roxio 6.0 DVD Creator to burn, and that seems to do some sort of converting as well...I'll try TMPGEnc and see if that works.

When I transfer my video from my camcorder to my PC, should I capture it at the highest resolution possible, VCD resolution or something else?

[Tommyknocker]

If you are capturing at DV quality, keep doing it. It really does not get much better at the consumer level. Just remember to encode the capture video at VCD resolution before burning to VCD.

[Begbie]

I am new to this as well - i found that sonicfoundry vegas video works a treat at VCD.

1. Set project spoecifications (NTSC PAL etc)
2. Capture driect from your DV cam
3. Edit DV, add effects etc
4. export to vcd - allin one render and burn to cd process

NOTE: if making with PAL i have learned from others that default output render settings are wrong as they use lower field first, when it should be upper field first for PAL.

Tis a fustrating process this - i could make VCD from the off, but SVCD is more of a problem, but am learning...