MediaStudio Pro 7.2 Service Pack

[Dr Mordrid]

One big advantage to VBR is that it's just flat more efficient than CBR. With CBR you're encoding many/most scenes at a much higher bitrate than is necessary, thus wasting a lot of disc space.

Properly done VBR eliminates this problem, but the encoder has to do its analysis properly to get things "right". The problem is some encoders do VBR, and especially 2-pass, better than others.

TMPGEnc does a decent job with straight VBR but has had a problem or two with 2-pass (which is why you see 2 versions of it in their menu). It's also rather slow compared to newer software like MC.

MC started out with a VBR quality problem in their core, but this went bye-bye quite a while ago and they keep getting better and better with every release. My only problem with their standalone now is that their video capture engine/TV tuner doesn't (yet) support Video for Windows devices and that it can't use externally encoded AC3 audio.

There are a few problems with home-burned discs and older (and some new) decks:

1. many older and even some new decks cannot read the full DVD spec bitrate, VBR or CBR, even on commercial discs.

I test decks for this using the Roy Orbison "Black & White Night" concert video. You'd be suprised how many decks choke on it.

2. many decks, even name brand ones, read DVD-R/+R using VBR but not at the full DVD spec rates. CBR makes it easier for the decoder to keep up, but sometimes it too is limited but not as much as VBR.

3. There is also an issue with the discs reflectivity (separate from the decoder issue) in that some older decks have trouble because recordable media, CD or DVD, are a bit less reflective than "real" discs.

4. while MPEG audio is supported it's not the spec in NTSC land and as such it can give older decks decoding trouble, especially when combined with the other issues noted above. As such when authoring for these decks you should stick to Dolby Digital audio (AC3).

Some have better luck with these issues when using CD/DVD-RW/+RW because they are often just a hair more reflective than their non-rewritable cousins, but this doesn't usually help the decoder issues.

IMO the best way around these problems is to up the Q, chop the video VBR bitrate to < 7000 kbps with and use AC3 whenever possible.

Dr. Mordrid

[Brian Ellis]

I agree with DocM. I've recently acquired a low-cost player that plays everything, but everything, that I can throw at it, NTSC or PAL input/output in any combination, even DVD-RW (which many players will not even start to look at). I've tested it at 8500 CBR and VBR. In other words, it is the nearest I've found at being the universal player. One thing I've noticed is that the discs run MUCH cooler than in my older Grundig player and that can't be bad (7 mW laser). The total power consumption from the wall plug is only 12 W, compared with 45 W for the old one. Also it is tiny (only 43 mm high). It is the Philips DVP520 and costs ~Euro 80. I don't know whether it is sold in N. America (maybe different no/make) because the version I have is only for 230 V 50 Hz and it comes for Region 2 (hackable for any or all regions). I recommend it if you can get it.

It does not accept MPEG-4: there is a version that does, with DivX, the DVP632 but it is bigger and 50% more expensive.

Edit: Link to Philips page

2nd Edit:
Link to N. American version DVP642/17 (may not be exactly the same)

[Hulk]

Roy Orbison was a fantastic singer/songwriter.

- Mark

[KuroNeko]

Don't get the Philips 6xx DVD player - get the 7xx model with MPEG4 support instead - much better compatibility with DIVX, XVID etc.

The older 6xx model has an old Vibratto chipset, that has troubles esp. with older DIVX versions and XVID. The newer model has a Mediatek chip and will play just about anything except the extra features of XVID. Also the new player should be able to handle subtiltles for DIVX

Neko