Anamorphic svcds and display resolution

[waddi]

Hi,

I searched the forums and couldn't find an answer so here's my question.

Do anamorphic svcds display a higher resolution on wide screen tvs than non anamorphic svcd due to more data stored ? (like the equivalent of enhanced dvd vs non-enhanced dvd.)

Put it another way, is the picture quality better assuming all variables are the same except one is anamorphic svcd and the other is not anamorphic ?

If the quality is not better, why make anamorphic svcds ?

[markrb]

Because the SVCD standard, yes there is a group, did not make it part of the spec. The next release of DVD2SVCD may have it included as a possibility. Read the DVD2SVCD homepage for more details. The only difference is that the bars are not hard encoded in the video and instead there is a flag for the player to add them for non 16:9 TV's.

Mark

[waddi]

Markrb,

Thanks for your reply but I really want to know if the visual quality is better with (1) an anamorphic svcd shown on a 16:9 TV in widescreen mode vs. (2) non anamorphic svcd on a 16:9 tv in "cinema" mode where the picture is expanded vertically and horizontally in the same proportions.

I started making svcds using option (2) and now I use option (1) as I thought it works like enhanced dvds where the extra space saved for the black bars is used for the "movie".

[delly01]

The answer is simple and complex in the same instance:

Everytime a picture is resized, it loses quality and detail. If an anamorphic picture gets resized to a smaller letterboxed picture as part of the transcoding process, it will lose a little detail. These lost details will not return when the 16:9-tv reenlarges the picture. Therefore, you will get a more detailed picture when you code the SVCD anamorphic and play it on a capable tv because you do not resize vertically twice.

On the other hand, if you encode an SVCD with black bars, these bars are of simple structure (solid black) and have no motion. So they get compressed extremely good, leaving a lot of data for the part of the frame which has real picture. This will result in better color, better depth and less artifacts in high-motion scenes.

So the answer is janusheaded:

If you have a lot of bandwith and prefer a very high resolution for minor details, you can encode without black bars. If, on the other hand, you are short of bandwith or consider color and motion higher than detailed pixels, you should encode with black bars.

As always, you should try a movie with all possible options and judge for yourself.

Bye,

Detlev

[mrbass]

that's an excellent explantion/answer delly01. I agree.
I think if one were to encode both with the same avg. bitrate say 2000 then I wouldn't know which one would look better. That is since it has more pixels to encode like delly01 mentioned. Same goes for 16:9 many say 1600 is minimum and for 4:3 1850 is bare minimum bitrate. PAL is every a little high since it's 576x480 (thanks gerti
:D) compared to NTSC 480x480.

One reason the new option to encode anamorphic svcd is for some who wish to do so and another and most likely the real reason is for the spooky setting for dvd2dvd rips.

[waddi]

Thanks for the replies.

In terms of picture quality, I have not noticed much difference between anamorphic and non-anamorphic svcds. Still undecided if I'll go back to non-anamorphic which allows 4:3 tvs to display the picture in the correct proportions.

Out of curiosity, to those with wide screen tvs, do you prefer anamorphic svcds over the non-anamorphic ??

[Arianos]

@ waddi:
That's a definite yes. If I encode in letterbox and use the zoom function to fill the screen, the horizontal lines are visible, at least on a 32" WS TV from a reasonable watching distance.I suppose the problem is less noticeable on smaller WS TVs, hence the flak I got on earlier posts ;)
In the end, it's what you like, using your equipment.

[fletch]

If I'm encoding for myself , I always encode anamorphically. If its for the kids, I will encode for 4:3 so it can be played back on my widescreen and their 4:3 tv.
Having said that, some of the best looking encodes I have done (Spy Kids) were at 4:3 and come up beautifully using the cinema mode on my Widescreen tv..

Cheers

fletch