encoding for large TVs

[pelle412]

I apologize in advance if this has been covered before. I have scoured the forums and the internet for months to find more information on the topic.

I don't yet own a large TV such as a 50+ inch plasma or LCD but I will eventually invest in one.

The information I am looking for is how are you encoding your DVD backups and how are the results when viewed on such a large TV?

Resolution? Matrices?

Can I get away with resizing or is leaving it unresized but cropped the only way to get a good result? Size of the encoded video is of importance but not at the expense of a significant drop in viewing experience.

I have heard rumours that H.263 may produce a nicer picture on a large plasma or LCD or is that just BS?

Opinions are greatly appreciated. I can't do testing on my own yet since I don't yet have such a TV. My poor 36" CRT is very forgiving. Are LCDs and Plasmas forgiving on encode quality as well?

[burfadel]

When comparing codecs settings used in each codec must be taken into consideration. On a bitrate to bitrate comparison using equivalent 'good' settings, h.264 is the better format (quicktime implementation is not true h.264, as it doesn't incorporate some key h.264 features). You shouldn't compare a 700mb xvid file with a 200mb h.264 file like most people seem to do when comparing the codecs.

Upsizing artificially creates a nicer looking picture, but isn't bandwidth friendly, and you have to take in to account thr resizer (resampler) used in terms of quality etc. So you will be playing from your computer to your tv?

[pelle412]

No I'll use a standalone. I currently have a Philips DVP-5140.

I should also add that I'm not looking for codec settings. Primarily resolutions and the effect of quantization matrices on large TV screens.

I'll also be using XviD exclusively, as that is what my standalone supports.

[Ranguvar]

I find video tends to lookbetter on a large TV opposed to a small one, because you look at a large TV from farther away. It's harder to see artifacts.

I encode using the MPEG matrix @ ~1300kb/s, and the highest resolution possible while being close to the original aspect ratio and under 720 width 480 height... I only use H.263 when the source is very low quality.

[pelle412]

What kind of TV and DVD player do you have?

[Blue_MiSfit]

quicktime implementation is not true h.264, as it doesn't incorporate some key h.264 features


Not true. QuickTime's H.264 is in fact H.264 compliant. It sucks, but it's still H.264. It can be decoded by any H.264 compliant decoder, provided you stick to certain profiles.

~MiSfit

[Ranguvar]

What kind of TV and DVD player do you have?
Doesn't really matte much at all IMO... I have a 54"-or-something LG plasma 1080i HDTV. I have used many DVD players, including XBMC, Xbox 360, PS3, and a Bose LifeStyle.