dvd2svcd input resolution options and deinterlacing

[yjeep93]

Source: 16:9 Interlaced Smallville Season 1 DVD

I am using DVD2SVCD to convert to 720x480 mpeg.

Under the aspect ratio tab, should I select:

16:9(borders added, encode as 4:3)
or
Anamorphic(no borders, encode as 16:9)

Either setting works as long as I use DVD software to play it. Which setting will give me better quality? Also, the borders added, encode as 4:3 option alows me to play them in my actualy dvd player hooked up to my tv...which is good.

I'm using IVTC because it's interlaced. Is that correct? I'm assuming so because none of the other options seemed to work correctly. It just doesn't seem like the quality is there though.

any comments would be great, thanks

[manono]

Hi-

Anamorphic(no borders, encode as 16:9) will definitely give you better quality, but will also need more bitrate to give you that better quality. But you seem to imply that it won't play on your standalone DVD player. Why not? If the original 16:9 DVD plays fine, then the reencoded 16:9 DVD should also play fine.

If it's been telecined in the first place, then performing IVTC and having DVD2SVCD run the pulldown is definitely the way to go. That way you store the progressive 23.976fps frames on the DVD. I haven't seen the Smallville DVDs, but I believe that most R1 TV programs these days are created on film.

I'm using IVTC because it's interlaced. Is that correct?

The way you phrased that indicates you don't really understand what's going on. Maybe this (http://www.doom9.org/ivtc-tut.htm) will help.

[yjeep93]

It won't play on my stand alone DVD player because I'm not creating DVD's....I guess you could say I'm creating 720x480 svcd's to be played on CDR's (I know that svcd's are 480x480). I have an apex dvd player that will only play a CDR if it doesn't have to resize.

Thanks for the link!

[manono]

Hi-

I almost mentioned that in the first reply, but it wasn't clear to me that you were creating SVCDs. Most DVD players won't resize an SVCD to 16:9 (although mine does). They'll only do 4:3. So, you're incorrect in saying that it doesn't resize at all. And for that reason, you don't want to keep 720x480 for what was originally a 16:9 DVD. Just go ahead and create it as 16:9(borders added, encode as 4:3). The resolution will be 480x480, which when resized by your player becomes 640x480 with the black bars added to the widescreen video. So you'll have (for a 2.35:1 movie) 640x272 of the active video, with 104 pixels of black on both the top and bottom.

[yjeep93]

Ok, that's what I thought. Now, last question (I think). I have the option to resize to 720x480.

So on the Misc tab, I have SVCD selected (I am interested in creating mpeg files), but on the frameserver tab I have 720x480 selected. With this configuration, is it encoding at 480x480 and then stretching to 720x480? or is it encoding strait to 720x480.

I don't care that 720x480 doesn't give me a true SVCD, I just want the highest resolution MPEG (I'm sick of divx).

Thanks for all the help so far, it is really appreciated.

Jonathan Wightman

[manono]

Hi-

If you choose SVCD in the Misc Tab, then you know that the max bitrate is ordinarily limited for SVCD, and at the resolution you wish to encode, that max is not near enough. I think you can override that limit in the Bitrate Tab, and uncheck the box at the bottom. I haven't done it myself, as my player won't play out of spec. SVCDs, but I have read of guys encoding for Apex players using max bitrates of around 5000 or so.

If in the Frameserver Tab you've selected DVD(720x480/576), then that's what you'll get.

But, yes, what you propose to do should work. You might test it out first by ripping and encoding a chapter of a full movie, and burning it to CD-RW and trying it in your player.

You might also look up your player here (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDname=apex&Submit=Search&Search=Search&country=&orderby=Name) to see if you can get some more information about it and its capabilities.