DC precision for MPEG in MSPro 6.5

[Dr Mordrid]

In MSPro 6.5 one MPEG setting is not provided: DC precision.

In encoders like TMPGEnc DC precision can be set to 8, 9 or 10 bits in main profiles and 8, 9, 10 or 11 bits in high profiles.

In MSPro 6.5 DC precision is fixed at 8 bits for MPEG-1 compatability. This is standard for MPEG-1, but is low for MPEG-2. Also a poor programming choice was not to up DC precision when MPEG-2 is selected.

The following is a c:\windows\ulead32.ini entry that can be used to control DC precision;

[VIODRIVER]

DCPrecision=0

Settings:

0 = 8 bit
1 = 9 bit
2 = 10 bit

Will this work with the DVD Plugin from other software? I have no idea, but it could be checked using BitRateView on an encoded file.

Dr. Mordrid

[wkulecz]

What does going from 8 to 10 bits in DC precision do for rendering time and quality?

Basically I've encoded 6 hrs worth of Battlebots DV files as NTSC-DVD in MSP6.5 in anticipation of of my DVD burner arriving on Monday. I'm quite happy with the way they playback full-screen
in WinDVD, but playback on a TV in a stand-alone DVD player is the goal. Should I re-encode after changing DV precision setting?

--wally.

[Dr Mordrid]

The rendering time increases just a bit with a higher DC, but not much in real terms.

If your clips look good then don't worry about it. I usually run DC = 9 & a motion compensation of 16 for MPEG-2 and only turn them up if the render shows a problem.

Dr. Mordrid