Does converting MPEG to MPEG-2 really take this long?

[Findedeux]

I am using nero with the mpeg-2 plug in and it has taken 30 minutes or more just to get to the 12% mark. I am hoping to make SVCDs but I can make a VCD in 2 minutes. Is it really worth all the trouble and is this normal? Thanks for any comments.

[Bravoxena]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MPEG! Yes, it really does take this long. And depending on the speed of your computer; it could take hours, or even days! In your case I'd say at least a good 3 hours for an entire movie.

The reason you can burn a VCD in 2 minutes is probaby because the file IS in it's VCD format.

Enjoy the world of VCDs!

[Conquest10]

yes it does take that long. but i advise you to lose nero for encoding.

[Findedeux]

I burned a SVCD and it looked no better than the VCD. Is there a way to examine the MPEG and see if it will gain improvement with encoding it to MPEG2? (Specifically I burned Buffy MPEG off of Kazaa)

[Conquest10]

if your going to try encoding a vcd mpeg file into an svcd mpeg do not expect it to "turn" into a better version. especially if you are doing it with nero.

[Findedeux]

Could you recommend a better program to use? And since I am downloading my files off the net, where in the world am I going to find files that are naturally in a MPEG-2 format? What sources do most people use when they are making SVCDs? Thanks for any comments.

[Conquest10]

tmpgenc and cce are some examples. i think most people rip dvds or capture their own material.

[Mordant]

If you downloaded a file in mpeg format it is already either mpeg 1 or mpeg 2. You gain nothing by re-encoding an mpeg 1 VCD to mpeg 2 SVCD. If you have downloaded a divx file and are converting you will likely do much better by converting to SVCD mpeg 2.

The easiest way to do this is to download the program DVD2SVCD, which happily also has an AVI (divx) to SVCD function (it can make VCDs as well). You will also need a copy of TMPGenc. Be warned that re-encoding can take quite awhile. CQ or constant bitrate are faster options you can try out.

So, mpeg 1 VCD is 352x240 resolution with a bitrate of 1150. An SVCD is 480x480 in resolution and use a bitrate up to about 2500. Taking that VCD file and converting it to SVCD does nothing because you can't add resolution or bitrate to the source.