TMPGenc 2.5 or 3.0 xpress?

[BOB]

Okay, i've used TMPGenc 2.5 for quite a while. Today I decided to give TMPGenc 3.0 a quick (very quick look, it was at work) look and to me it seems as if they have gutted it completely and "noobed" it.

I'm planning on buying one of them, i've been using 2.5 for ages for mpeg-1 encoding (and occasional mpeg-2). Now, i'm off to Australia in December/January and I plan to convert any footage I record to mpeg-2 to record to dvd.

Is there anyone here that has used both for encoding mpeg-2?

What tangible benefits does 3.0 offer over 2.5?

Is 3.0 an actual encoding improvement over 2.5? Picture quality or encoding speed etc.

Thanks

BOB

[unmei]

I read my way though their 2.5 vs 3.0 comparision some time back, and it looks the 3.0 has speedups and supports more input and editing facilities. However i lso noticed they drastically limited the encoder to at most DVD profile resolutions (which probably also gave speedups).

So my impression is, if you plan to encode DVD or lower specs like (S)VCD you are probably more satisfied with 3.0, but if you intend to encode higher definition Mpeg-2 (like HDTV), it will not be possible with 3.0, only with 2.5.

[BOB]

Well, I just bought TMPGenc 2.5.

I noticed on the Pegasys site that TMPGenc 3.0 likes phoning home to make sure you have a legit copy. ("periodical license validation")

Frankly, I find software which uses activation, "license validation" etc offensive.

So, I went with what I know and have used in the past.

[echooff]

Smart move Bob. I own both and I am finding 3.0 occasionally adds a noise pattern to video. The first couple of times I thought is was something I was doing. A few test proved it is in the encoder.