Announcement

**Greebe** · 15 February 2001, 23:06

.

**Sciascia** · 18 February 2001, 17:24

OK , let's start by getting some of the format specs out of the way. Here is some quick info, pointing out the differences and uses. If any of it is wrong, please someone correct me.

Video formats:

MPEG1- is a progressive compression (meaning no interlacing, each line is drawn from top to bottom) that takes the difference information from a previous frame to construct the next. It creates an "I" frame (information) that is a full frame of video. Then the next frame is created from the differences of that one and stores only the difference, creating a "P" or "B" frame. This is a very "lossy" compression, meaning that a lot of picture information is discarded. Fair quality, very common standard. You usually need a special editing application to edit mpeg1 and quality of edits is not very good.

MPEG2- can be either progressive or interlaced (there are 2 fields per frame using an interleaving format, like TV), takes difference information like MPEG1 to construct each frame, has higher quality, more versatility, a little more complex in authoring titles (sometimes). Also very lossy. This is the best bet for making a high quality clip for others to see. Requires special editing software as well. Until recently, editing was not possible in most cases due to the nature of MPEG. Since the frame is constructed from Previous frames, this is a little slower and the quality is not great.

MJPEG- is a compression that creates a "picture" of each frame of video individually. This makes it easier to edit with and is usually a larger file size. This is the default format that your card captures to and you edit with (usually). Not universal, requires special HW or a codec to playback.

Title formats:

VCD- a CD that uses mpeg1 at around 1150 bits per second and 352*240 for resolution(NTSC). No menus (as far as I know), 1 audio track. Can be played on almost all standalone players. Quick and easy to create, very universal format and title authoring apps are plentiful and inexpensive. Recommended for ease of use, but not image quality.

SVCD- a CD that uses mpeg2 with a max bitrate of 2600 bps and 480*480 resolution (NTSC). Can have menus and multiple audio tracks with the right authoring tools. More complex, but as close to DVD quality as possble right now (for mere mortals). Can be played on a number of stand alone players.
Reccommended if you want to spend a lot of times burning coasters and pulling out your hair. Once you get it down, you won't look back. Higher learning curve, higher priced authoring tools (for advanced features). I-Author is a stndard, Nero also has it and has a wide following.
More professional product. You are lucky, there is a lot of information on the net about this as apposed to a year ago.

DVD- A DVD that uses interlaced mpeg2 at a max of 9000 bits persecond 740*480 resolution (NTSC). Multiple audio tracks (including AC3), menus and all kinds of neat stuff. Requires a DVD burner and high end tile authoring SW. Not reccommended at present time.

You cannot create a VCD or SVCD with MJPEG clips without recompressing it to one of the MPEG formats. This is common practice, so don't worry. You can do this with an encoder. There are several choices out there such as Tsunami TMPGEnc 12a (highly reccomended and free), BBMpeg (also free) and CinemaCraft (not free).

There are numerous sites dedicated to creation of mpeg video. The quick and dirty is you will open the encoder and load your MJPEG file. Select the settings to correspond with your desired format (resolution, bitrate, etc.) Then sit back and hit the encode button. Depending on the size of the file it can take hours. When you are done, then you load it into your authoring SW. If you are determined to use VCD, then EZ CD Creator should walk you through the steps. Some of the best sites I have found related to VCD and SVCD creation are:

SVCD:
http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/70438 (lot of good and bad experiences)

http://doom9.org/ (a lot of "ripping, but good tips and links to apps. The guides are also outstanding)

http://www.robshot.com (check out the foolproff guide)

MPEG2 encoding
http://forums.delphi.com/tmpgenc/logout (all about Tsunami encoder)

http://www.tecoltd.com/enctest/enctest.htm (comparison of encoders and links)

And of course the number one site...This one!

**Phil Pugh** · 19 February 2001, 04:32

Just one small correction...

You can author menus in VCD if you use EasyCD (Pro/Plus?) it's the 'expensive' one in any event!

**Sciascia** · 19 February 2001, 15:01

Wasn't sure, thought that I heard it somewhere before, but I didn't want to mislead. I've never really delved into the VCD arena. I got into this just as SVCD's were becoming a new topic of interest in the states, about a year ago. I guess they were around a bit lomger in China, where the standard was developed. After the initial hooplah about SVCD and seeing it compared to VCD, I never found the desire to mess with it. I imagine that it does have its place, just not in my house.

**kleinbull** · 18 March 2001, 02:08

Thanks Sciascia

I'm finally getting around to thanking you. This was a great quick reference for me, and I've used most of the links several times.
If your still listening, do you cature at 704x480, then crop and convert to 480x480 or do you force to 480x480 recording then convert?

I am currently wowing friends with my limited knowledge.

Thanks Again

Klein

[This message has been edited by kleinbull (edited 18 March 2001).]

Announcement

SVCD/VCD from RR-G MJPEG

SVCD/VCD from RR-G MJPEG

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment