DV to DVD with HC/Quenc

[PatchWorKs]

Hi there guyz.
I *really* need your help: i must encode a 45-min DV file into an ULTRAstandard (for maximum compatibility with _all_ standalone players) hi-quality DVD.

I planned to encode 720x576/PAL in CBR mode, but:
1. what bitrate i have to choose ?
2. can you tell me how HC/Quenc can encode in CBR ?
3. do you have any suggestions about parameters (DC precision, etc) ?
4. what kind of disks i have to use + or - ?
5. does burning speed affect compatibility ?

Thanks in advice !

[Mug Funky]

first, use avisynth (obviously... HC and QuEnc only take avs files).

also, you'll have to flip the field order of the DV (ultra spec compliant should probably be top field first, but it doesn't really matter. if you can't be bothered field-flipping the video, then just encode as bottom-field first and it'll all be good).

now, settings:

max bitrate (or CBR rate) should probably not get much higher than 8500, especially on burnt media. CBR isn't completely constant in most cases - it varies very quickly and averages the CBR rate.

DC precision can be no higher than 10. 10 is a good number for high bitrates, but if you're going lower than 3500 then 8 bit might save you a little.

custom matrices are okay so long as none of the numbers are below 8.

GOP size should be no more than 15 for PAL, and no more than 18 for NTSC.

closed GOP and scene change detection are optional. i like using closed GOP with scenechange off, but that's just preference.

you're working in PAL, so sizes should be 720x576, 704x576, or at a stretch 352x576 or 352x288 (mpeg-1 only for this last one!). i don't recommend half-d1 (352x576) because some of the older pioneer (and i think toshiba) players b0rked on it - they'd show it squished from the sides, which isn't pretty.

QuEnc or HC should both produce compliant streams if the above guides are observed.

[edit]

as far as media goes, your best bet compatibility wise is DVD+R bitset to DVD-ROM. this is as good as it gets without getting the discs professionally replicated.

newer pioneer DVD writers with hacked firmwares can bitset +R to -ROM for you.

+R is physically closer to -ROM, and with the booktype set to -ROM a DVD player will not be able to tell the difference.

[feedback]

@Mug Funky
I thought HC was strictly a VBR encoder?

@PatchWorks
A lower burning speed has helped many people with problems with playback
such as skipping or freezing.
I burn @ 4x for 8x media.

Concerning a Matrix...the QLB or QuEnc Lower Bitrate Matrix works well with of course, QuEnc.

The AVAMAT6 Matrix looks good on medium bitrates and still gives good looking output using HC.

The BDVD matrix is good but the first "Intra" value doesn't fit on the mpeg standard (16 should be 8). This can cause problems on some players.

For High bitrate the Fox Home Entertainment Matrix gives good results with HC. I haven't used it with QuEnc. but it should do fine with it as well.

I use DC 9 or 10 most of the time. HC is 9 default, QuEnc is 8 default.

Mug Funky has given you good advice on your questions.

Although, for the scripting impaired one can use 'Avi2Dvd', to make use of HC and QuEnc. without having to write a script.
There is also, of course, DVD Rebuilder.

Regards,:)

P.S. Mug Funky, I guess using the HC Variable Bitrate Bias setting to more like CBR would make it, of course, more like CBR.

[Mug Funky]

nicest way to get CBR (ish) encodes in HC is to set it to constant quant w/ max bitrate set to your CBR rate.

set the constant quant to 1 and watch it vary it to get under the max bitrate. it means black sections will not be padded out to max rate, and also will make the encode slower (all the VBV fixes it has to do), but you'll have a nice encode at the end.

it's a similar deal with quenc. give it a high bitrate matrix and set the max bitrate, then let 1-pass ratecontrol handle the rest. the difference here is that the quantscale is linear and 1-pass minimum quant is higher (1 for I and P frames, 2 for b-frames). a high bitrate matrix just gets it to use more bits in spite of that... one i use a lot is the TMPG default matrix with all values divided by 2 and rounded down. this is pretty much like halving the global quantizer. good for preventing undersized encodes, too.

[dragongodz]

Concerning a Matrix...the QLB or QuEnc Lower Bitrate Matrix works well with of course, QuEnc.

The AVAMAT6 Matrix looks good on medium bitrates and still gives good looking output using HC.
may i just throw in that the QLB matrix works fine, and is of course included, with HC aswell. ;)

[Boulder]

And what comes to burning at lower speeds than the certified, some discs really don't like it. The Taiyo Yuden +R's (certified for 8x) that I've got, have a massive amount of PI/PIF errors when burnt at 4x. When burnt at 8x or 12x, the amount of errors is very low.