Req: experienced advice re: adv settings for CVD

[FredThompson]

Ugh, not enough room in the title line.

I'm using CCE to make CVDs of analog source. It may have come from DV passthru on a camcorder or an MPEG-2 encoder. In any event, it is frameserved through VirtualDub at full 720x480 NTSC so filters can be applied, including deinterlacing. All CVDs are 47-55 minutes (TV source with ads edited out.) and 800M CDRs with 48 kHz audio so they'll be easy to move to DVDR.

I'm looking for experienced help in 3 areas:

1) CCE custom settings

Are there any suggested settings (with explanations) for configuration of CCE 2.50.01.00? Specifically, I've seen mention of custom quantizers as well as the various advanced settings for CCE. If there is a noticeable performance difference, I'd sure like to use it.

2) CCE vs. ProCoder

CCE is fast. I've seen mention that ProCoder gives less noise and equal or better quality at low bitrates. Would someone share experience with analog source converted to CVD?

3) Letterboxing and MPEG block size

As the original source is analog there is cropping and letterboxing to be done. Most of the time this means some border on the top and bottom but it could be on the sides. It all depends on the original source. I'm cropping to remove jagges edges then resizing and letterboxing. Is there a "prefered" practice regarding number of letterbox lines as it affects MPEG block size?

[Amit]

Here's your reply -

1) Rip a small chapter from any DVD. This will quickly create all the files. Make sure you check the box that says, DO NOT DELETE ANY FILE. Once all the process is over, start the CCE manually and open the ECL file. Then look for all the options DVD2SVCD has set for you. You can also open the ECL file in NOTEPAD but it will be difficult for you to understand that way.

2) Haven't tried it yet. I am getting my Firewire card today so I will be experimenting in couple of days. I have read the PRO Coder is good if the source is interlaced, which is what you get from most camcoders or TV shows and even on some DVDs. CCE is much much better for PROGRESSIVE source.

3) There's no prefered practice on number of lines. It depends on the actual picture (movie) size. Whatever it is you have to make it fir in one of the standard i.e. VCD, SVCD or DVD. I am assuming you know their sizes.

-Amit

[FredThompson]

I don't think you carefully read my questions nor understood what was asked.

Captured analog has very different characteristics than extracted MPEG2 from a DVD. Obviously, captures will reflet the equipment used to make them. But analog is still going to have some inherent "limitations" and characteristics compared to scanned film.

wrt letterboxing, the question is not the number of lines to always be used, it has to do with resolution change and how MPEG blocks work. I'm convinced when converting D1 to CVD the nuber of lines should be even for the sides. That just makes sense. What I don't know is the effet of 1/4, 1/2, or 2/3 of an MPEG block always being black. That's what I'm asking about.

Come to think of it, maybe pure black isn't the right way to letterbox captured analog since the range isn't full.

[Amit]

Fred,

You are right. I didn't understand the Q3 in the first go but after reading your reply, I think this is what you are looking for:

Most of the MPEG encoders works on a block size of 16 X 16. Some also work on 4 X 4 besides 16 X 16. But if you look for more information on the NET, you will find that the encoding algorithms gives better performance when the block size is 16 X 16.

Based on the above information, you have to add the black line after cropping your jiggy edges.

Just for information, how do you view these MPEG's ? If you see them on TV, Tv's have a overscan and they always hide these jiggy edges upto certain extent. You can still see them, you play your MPEG on PC using Software MPEG players like PowerDVD or WinDVD etc.

-Amit

[FredThompson]

I typically watch them on a PC, either on a monitor or using a TV out. Thing is, I'd rather do it once and be done with it so I'm looking for a happy medium.

No that you mention it, I do seem to remember 16x16 which composed of 4x4 sub-blocks, so to speak.

At this point, I'm pretty sure the way to do this is decomb, deinterlace, clean, encode, in that order. At that point, most of the tape-specific characteristics will have been removed to some extent so it should be just fine with standard settings.

Thanks for your replies.