Quality Of Extras

[rendez2k]

I've just used DVD Rebuilder 0.43b with Cinema Craft Encoder Basic to backup Love Actually and Kill Bill with One-Click settings. The quality of the main films are excellent but the extras are fairly low quality (not using the half D1 resolution feature either). Is this normal and can the settings be change so quality is distributed? Also, can the DVD be edited first using say CloneDVD so titles can be removed? Thanks!

[DDogg]

If you did not use the 1/2D1 options, either regular or HalfBitrate, the bitrate used for the encodes will be identical, less the effect of dynamic allocation if you have it checked. However, some extras are mastered as interlaced and so require more bitrate to seem similar looking as the main which is probably progressive.

You may like to try selecting 1/2D1 in the avs menu for a particular extra you felt looked bad. This will have the effect of doubling the BR concentration for the extra you chose and should get rid of all or most of any jaggies. The encode will view softer, but that is sure better than jaggies.

If you do this, you might post back your observations.

[rendez2k]

Should using the new half D1 resolution for extras make the extras better or worse? I guess if it makes the extras better, the main film is worse?

[wmansir]

DDogg is right. In fact I find DVD-RB usually gives more bits to extras than Big3, where the normal setting is 1800 or 2000kbps. However, CCE is horrible with interlaced material, imo. It is funny but because of the way DVD-RB operates interlaced material (in NTSC, not PAL) actually get's an extra 20% boost in bitrate from what is reported. Whether jdobbs figured this into how he distributes the bitrates or not, I don't know.

[DDogg]

Should using the new half D1 resolution for extras make the extras better or worse? I guess if it makes the extras better, the main film is worse?Don't "guess" anything, and me even attempting to answer a question like this is full of pitfalls (for me).

If you use the 1/2D1 option available in the AVS menu (advanced) then it will apply the same bitrate that would have been used on the full res frame, to the 1/2 res frame. This effectively doubles the bitrate concentration per pixel (kinda) and yes, that should make it "better" IF the bitrate concentration was already so low in normal resolution as to cause pixelation. It will appear "softer" to the eye, but not unpleasantly. You may not even notice. The main movie is NOT effected by doing this and in fact you can also do this on the main movie if you are not pleased with the results. You might specifically try this on 4:3 interlaced source like a series DVD or a made for TV movie later made available on DVD. "Good Fences" is a good example where this would be preferred on both extra and main.

The 1/2D1-Halfbitrate option is for "stealing" bitrate from extras and giving them to the main movie. The bitrate concentration per pixel would be the same as in full res, and would look about the same as full resolution, although softer. The main movie should gain in quality.

[rendez2k]

Thanks DDogg. Has anyone else tried Love Actually (R2)? Its the Thunderbirds trailer that stood out for being really bad to me. I've grabbed two screen shots:

http://www.rendez.net/files/snapshot1.bmp
http://www.rendez.net/files/snapshot2.bmp

As I've said, the main film is spot on. I left the number of passes on default so I'm wondering if increasing this would help too?