MyDVD and CD-R...

[JerryH]

I only have a CDR at the moment, but I'd like to know if it's possible to make DVD content (menus, VOBs, whatever else) and put it on a CD-R, using MyDVD?

If this is possible, how long of a movie can one put on a CD-R labeled at 650Megs?

[Dr Mordrid]

Yes, you can make a DVD on CD using MyDVD (or DVDiT or Uleads DVD Movie Factory for that matter). These disks are referred to accoring to how they can be played;

cDVD: this is a DVD on CD that has a software player on the CD.

miniDVD: DVD on CD without a player on the CD. You can fit more on these, but the computer has to have an installed DVD player.

NEITHER can be played on 99.9% of the standalone DVD decks on the market. There are a couple, but they are not common.

As for length of content, it depends on the bitrate of the MPEG's used as source material. Using the 5500 kbps common to full DVD authoring you would be limited to about 18 minutes. Using SVCD's 2550 kbps bitrate would yield 36-38 minutes.

Dr. Mordrid

[JerryH]

If I understand things correctly, SVCD and DVD both use MPEG2 compression, correct? Just different bit rates and/or file structure?

I'm think Nero might be a better way to go so as to make SVCD's for my family in Asia. Is the quality of SVCD comparable to an S-VHS deck output?

[Dr Mordrid]

SVCD uses 2/3 D1 (480x4870 NTSC, 480x576 PAL), MPEG-2 at a maximum bitrate of 2600 kbits/s.

DVD uses full D1 (720x480 NTSC, 720x576 PAL), MPEG-2 at up to 9000 kbit/s (5500-7000 kbit/s is more typical).

The quality of SVCD depends very much on the quality of the source and the content. I've seen SVCD that is gorgeous and SVCD that looked worse than VCD. A lot of motion can trip up either format.

On average I'd say SVCD is half-way between VHS and SVHS.

You can up the quality by making xSVCD, although these are not a standard format. xSVCD uses a higher bitrate than SVCD. Some DVD players can handle this, some can't.

If they're using a DVD deck then you can try checking here to see how it rates for use with xSVCD;

http://www.vcdhelper.com

That page is also a treasure trove of VCD/SVCD information.

When making xSVCD's I most often stick to something around 3000-3200 kbit/s, but this cuts into the recording time on a given CD in proportion to the increase in the change in bitrate vs. a standard 2600 kbit/s disk.

Dr. Mordrid

[JerryH]

A few more questions, if you don't mind.

I went through the VCDHelper.com site, and you're right there is a bevy of information. But why does SVCD specify 480 x 480 resolution, when TV is 4:3 and movies are 16:9? Is the 1:1 ratios designed with letterbox presentation in mind?

Do I absolutely HAVE to use 480x480, or can I specify different resolutions, like 480x 360 and still have a standard SVCD disc?

Otherwise, based on the samples at that sight, the video looks "squished". Then again, I haven't had a chance to view them on TV...myself I have an APEX 8000 DVD player, which can handle VCD's. Now, would most VCD players stretch the horizontal resolution to make things "look right?"

Thanks again Doc.