SVCD: 2-pass or '4-pass'?

[lalala789]

Hi all,

I'd like to have your opinion on the following:

I encoded a DVD to SVCD VBR 2520 kbps, using tmpg (2-ass encoding). The result is SVCD1.mpg. Size of the mpg: about 2.5 Gb.

Problem was that I didn't have subtitles, so I added permanent subtitles: I created a second SVCD VBR (let's call it svcd2.mpg) by frameserving the first mpg (SVCD1.mpg) from DVD2AVI to TMPG (2-pass encoding) and adding subs with an avisynth-script.
The resulting second mpg (SVCD2.mpg, including permanent subs) is also about 2.6 Gb (also about 2500 kbps).

So now I have 2 mpegs, but both are too big even to fit on 3 CD-R's (after cutting in 3 parts)!

My question is: I have to recode one of the two mpeg's now to re-code it with a smaller video-bitrate (e.g. 2000 kbps instead of 2500 kbps). That way the video will fit on 3 CD-R's after cutting in 3 parts.
Question is which of the two should I recode?? I'm wondering which of the two mpegs I have now has the best quality (theoretically), as svcd1.mpg has been encoded right from the VOB-files using 2-pass encoding, and svcd2.mpg has been encoded from the first mpeg (svcd1.mpg) using 2-pass encoding. So the second mpeg is the result of 2 times encoding with 2-pass.

Who can help me out here please?

thanks,
lalala789

[OutsidaII]

If the bitrate of the encode was the same for the second mpg it really doesn't matter and if anything the extra two passes more than likely didn't have a huge effect, since with the subs the video size didn't go down or anything.

[Boulder]

The first MPG file has the highest quality.

If you frameserve a file that you've already encoded from another format, you'll lose quality. You'll be throwing off information every time you do a re-encode. If you have the original VOBs, use them for encoding.

A basic fact: Crap in, crap out. The quality of your result cannot be higher than the quality of the source!

[htc10825]

It is possible to rip the DVD to one disc:
1. SVCD: for wide screen NTSC movie upto 124min(SVCD) or 150min(CVD) with good quality to 1 CD-R 80min (CCE 1-Pass VBR)
2. VCD: for movie upto 185min(PAL AR1.85) or 240min(NTSC AR 2.2) with excellent quality to 1 CD-R 80min (CCE 1-Pass VBR)
3. DVD: use Pinnacle InstantCopy 7.0(49,- EUR)+ Toshiba DVD-Burner (220,- EUR) + VivaStar DVD-R(0,89 EUR/peace)

The solution with VCD/SVCD you need much time to learn and to try. Especially the rebuild of the menu structure needs huge time expense. But the DVD solution is very fast and almost foolproof.

[Boulder]

If you do VCDs, use TMPGEnc's CQ mode. TMPGEnc is superior in MPEG-1.