fasttimes
17th December 2002, 19:25
The following is good general guide for bitrate selection for good quality, and how to avoid leaving empty space on a DVD-R. The focus is on material sourced from VHS tape or broadcast television.:
Broadcast Material 720x480 = 1:30-2:15 hours (6.963Mb/s-4.642Mb/s)
VHS Material 720x480 = 2:00-3:00 hours (5.222Mb/s-3.481Mb/s)
Broadcast Material 352x480 = 3:00-4:30 hours (3.481Mb/s-2.321Mb/s)
VHS Material 352x480 = 4:00-6:00 hours (2.611Mb/s-1.741Mb/s)
Notes regarding above estimates:
- assumes DVD-R holds exactly 4,700,000,000 Bytes (a safe number)
- takes into account 5% for DVD file system and muxing overhead
- audio bitrate must be subtracted from the above numbers.
- keeps the video in CCE "green quality zone" (meaning <10 Q. Factor)
- assumes you are using a top-line encoder like CCE
- assumes proper noise filtering of the source material (with VDub)
- assumes a multi-pass encoding (3-5 passes being optimum)
- assumes proper Quantizer Characteristics setting
- assumes appropriate Quantization Matrices setting
- assumes appropriate Block Scanning Order setting
- assumes full-frame source material. Letter boxed material can use
even lower bitrates than equivalent quality full-frame material.
- assumes natural image source material. Animation will probably need
higher bitrate for same quality.
- Lower-end bitrate estimates assumes lower resolution and/or source
material that has been through the inverse-telecine (IVTC) process.
- Higher-end bitrate estimates assume higher resolution and/or
interlaced and/or noisier source material.
DVD legal AC-3 bitrates to subtract from the above estimates:
56kb/s?= 7,000 Bytes/sec 420,000 Bytes/min (not sure if it's legal BR)
64kb/s= 8,000 Bytes/sec 480,000 Bytes/min (lowest 1/0 BR?)
80kb/s= 10,000 Bytes/sec 600,000 Bytes/min
96kb/s= 12,000 Bytes/sec 720,000 Bytes/min (lowest 2/0 BR)
112kb/s= 14,000 Bytes/sec 840,000 Bytes/min
128kb/s= 16,000 Bytes/sec 960,000 Bytes/min (lowest 2/1, 3/0 BR)
160kb/s= 20,000 Bytes/sec 1,200,000 Bytes/min
192kb/s= 24,000 Bytes/sec 1,440,000 Bytes/min
212kb/s= 26,500 Bytes/sec 1,590,000 Bytes/min (lowest 2/2, 3/1 BR)
224kb/s= 28,000 Bytes/sec 1,680,000 Bytes/min (lowest 3/2 BR)
256kb/s= 32,000 Bytes/sec 1,920,000 Bytes/min
320kb/s= 40,000 Bytes/sec 2,400,000 Bytes/min
384kb/s= 48,000 Bytes/sec 2,880,000 Bytes/min
448kb/s= 56,000 Bytes/sec 3,360,000 Bytes/min (Max legal DVD BR)
To fill a DVD-R to the brim without ever going over:
- Use DVDDecrypter to find out your blank DVD-R capacity in Bytes, or
just assume 4,7000,000,000 to play it safe.
- Then the simple calculations:
[Capacity In Bytes] - safe 5% overhead = [Safe Usable Bytes Capacity]
[Safe Capacity] / Time in seconds = Max Avg File Size Bytes/s
Max Avg File Size - Audio Bytes/s = [Max Avg Video File Size Bytes/s]
[Max Avg video File Size Bytes/s] * 8 = [Average Video Bitrate/s]
- Use the Average video Bitrate figure in CCE to generate the VAF file
using CBR mode.
- After CBR pass, adjust Bitrate Allocation and Bias to meet file size
goal and then run remaining passes to complete MPEG-2 stream encoding
using multi-pass VBR, using the existing VAF file.
- check and make sure final MPEG-2 stream did not exceed size goal.
General capture/processing tips for maximum quality:
- If recording from a TV source, directly capture video to hard drive.
- Use a lossless codec like HuffYUV, for all AVI files.
- capture at full 720x480 or 704x480, regardless of source quality
- if the source has been through 3:2 pull-down, First do an IVTC
- filter your source through VirtualDub's great noise filters, adjust
levels, color correct.
- if re-sizing (use Precise bicubic A=-0.75,) should be done very last
- On VHS source, re-sizing to 352x480 will capture 80%+ of the source
resolution, and is a much better choice than going below the suggested
bitrates for 720x480 material. Halves the bitrate demand.
- On broadcast source, re-sizing to 352x480 will capture 66%+ of the
source resolution, and is a much better choice than going below the
suggested bitrates for 720x480 material. Halves the bitrate demand.
- If material is letter boxed, use Border Control to black out the LB
bars to pure black, and make sure bars end at edge of 8x8 DCT block
boundaries.
- If source material is black & white, include VDub's Grayscale filter
My favorite VDub filters to get you experimenting:
2-D Cleaner Optimized
Dynamic Noise Remover (MMX)
Frame Tweaker
Horizontal Smoother
Vertical Smoother
Smart Smoother
Smart Smoother HiQuality
ACDSee
Temporal Cleaner
White Balance
Border Control
Brightness-contrast-gamma
Hue/saturation/intensity
Dynamic Field Order Correction
Telecide
Decimate
Exorcist
General Convolution 3D
Grid Filter
Levels (internal)
Resize (internal)
Null transform (internal)
Red/green/blue adjustment
Logoaway
ShiftWrap
Grayscale (internal)
Hope this crap helps someone!
Broadcast Material 720x480 = 1:30-2:15 hours (6.963Mb/s-4.642Mb/s)
VHS Material 720x480 = 2:00-3:00 hours (5.222Mb/s-3.481Mb/s)
Broadcast Material 352x480 = 3:00-4:30 hours (3.481Mb/s-2.321Mb/s)
VHS Material 352x480 = 4:00-6:00 hours (2.611Mb/s-1.741Mb/s)
Notes regarding above estimates:
- assumes DVD-R holds exactly 4,700,000,000 Bytes (a safe number)
- takes into account 5% for DVD file system and muxing overhead
- audio bitrate must be subtracted from the above numbers.
- keeps the video in CCE "green quality zone" (meaning <10 Q. Factor)
- assumes you are using a top-line encoder like CCE
- assumes proper noise filtering of the source material (with VDub)
- assumes a multi-pass encoding (3-5 passes being optimum)
- assumes proper Quantizer Characteristics setting
- assumes appropriate Quantization Matrices setting
- assumes appropriate Block Scanning Order setting
- assumes full-frame source material. Letter boxed material can use
even lower bitrates than equivalent quality full-frame material.
- assumes natural image source material. Animation will probably need
higher bitrate for same quality.
- Lower-end bitrate estimates assumes lower resolution and/or source
material that has been through the inverse-telecine (IVTC) process.
- Higher-end bitrate estimates assume higher resolution and/or
interlaced and/or noisier source material.
DVD legal AC-3 bitrates to subtract from the above estimates:
56kb/s?= 7,000 Bytes/sec 420,000 Bytes/min (not sure if it's legal BR)
64kb/s= 8,000 Bytes/sec 480,000 Bytes/min (lowest 1/0 BR?)
80kb/s= 10,000 Bytes/sec 600,000 Bytes/min
96kb/s= 12,000 Bytes/sec 720,000 Bytes/min (lowest 2/0 BR)
112kb/s= 14,000 Bytes/sec 840,000 Bytes/min
128kb/s= 16,000 Bytes/sec 960,000 Bytes/min (lowest 2/1, 3/0 BR)
160kb/s= 20,000 Bytes/sec 1,200,000 Bytes/min
192kb/s= 24,000 Bytes/sec 1,440,000 Bytes/min
212kb/s= 26,500 Bytes/sec 1,590,000 Bytes/min (lowest 2/2, 3/1 BR)
224kb/s= 28,000 Bytes/sec 1,680,000 Bytes/min (lowest 3/2 BR)
256kb/s= 32,000 Bytes/sec 1,920,000 Bytes/min
320kb/s= 40,000 Bytes/sec 2,400,000 Bytes/min
384kb/s= 48,000 Bytes/sec 2,880,000 Bytes/min
448kb/s= 56,000 Bytes/sec 3,360,000 Bytes/min (Max legal DVD BR)
To fill a DVD-R to the brim without ever going over:
- Use DVDDecrypter to find out your blank DVD-R capacity in Bytes, or
just assume 4,7000,000,000 to play it safe.
- Then the simple calculations:
[Capacity In Bytes] - safe 5% overhead = [Safe Usable Bytes Capacity]
[Safe Capacity] / Time in seconds = Max Avg File Size Bytes/s
Max Avg File Size - Audio Bytes/s = [Max Avg Video File Size Bytes/s]
[Max Avg video File Size Bytes/s] * 8 = [Average Video Bitrate/s]
- Use the Average video Bitrate figure in CCE to generate the VAF file
using CBR mode.
- After CBR pass, adjust Bitrate Allocation and Bias to meet file size
goal and then run remaining passes to complete MPEG-2 stream encoding
using multi-pass VBR, using the existing VAF file.
- check and make sure final MPEG-2 stream did not exceed size goal.
General capture/processing tips for maximum quality:
- If recording from a TV source, directly capture video to hard drive.
- Use a lossless codec like HuffYUV, for all AVI files.
- capture at full 720x480 or 704x480, regardless of source quality
- if the source has been through 3:2 pull-down, First do an IVTC
- filter your source through VirtualDub's great noise filters, adjust
levels, color correct.
- if re-sizing (use Precise bicubic A=-0.75,) should be done very last
- On VHS source, re-sizing to 352x480 will capture 80%+ of the source
resolution, and is a much better choice than going below the suggested
bitrates for 720x480 material. Halves the bitrate demand.
- On broadcast source, re-sizing to 352x480 will capture 66%+ of the
source resolution, and is a much better choice than going below the
suggested bitrates for 720x480 material. Halves the bitrate demand.
- If material is letter boxed, use Border Control to black out the LB
bars to pure black, and make sure bars end at edge of 8x8 DCT block
boundaries.
- If source material is black & white, include VDub's Grayscale filter
My favorite VDub filters to get you experimenting:
2-D Cleaner Optimized
Dynamic Noise Remover (MMX)
Frame Tweaker
Horizontal Smoother
Vertical Smoother
Smart Smoother
Smart Smoother HiQuality
ACDSee
Temporal Cleaner
White Balance
Border Control
Brightness-contrast-gamma
Hue/saturation/intensity
Dynamic Field Order Correction
Telecide
Decimate
Exorcist
General Convolution 3D
Grid Filter
Levels (internal)
Resize (internal)
Null transform (internal)
Red/green/blue adjustment
Logoaway
ShiftWrap
Grayscale (internal)
Hope this crap helps someone!