Poor Output from Ulead and Intervideo

[gmboot]

I'm hoping someone can help fill in a few gaps here. I have just started converting some video tapes to DVD with a new Adaptec Video-Oh AVC-2010 card. The card seems to work reasonably well. The initial ouput is a Mpeg2 file (Video and Audio combined). The output seems reasonable clear and sharp. I am capturing from a SVHS port from a good VCR.. damn good VCR. I capture at the best audio and video setting.

The problem comes when I author the DVD. I have used Ulead DVD Workshop and Intervideo WinDVD. The problem I have is the output is god awful. I mean the compression artifacts are HUGE. I mean gigantic blocks everywhere. However, the original mpeg file is pretty clean. I have made the DVDs at the programs highest settings with the highest bit rates AND quality. There not much to set in either program when it comes to encoding.

What is so frustrating is that the output from other digital sources come out pretty good with either program.

Any suggestion on how I can get the output to look as good as the video tape they came from. Is it something I am doing or is it basically the custom codec of each program and I am out of luck.

If it is the program, what do you guys recommend. Thank in advance for any advice or help.

[atifsh]

Re: Poor Output from Ulead and Intervideo

Originally posted by gmboot
I have made the DVDs at the programs highest settings with the highest bit rates AND quality. There not much to set in either program when it comes to encoding.

what program uv used? what is the bit rate of ur mpeg2 file and what resolution?

for dvd 720*576 pal at 8000 is the max 720*480 for ntsc .

[atifsh]

sorry missed the dvd workshop part, try video studio 7 for editing and use smart render, ull preserve the quality.
but again if uv encoded ur file above 8000 u may need to re encode it again, but with video studio 7 never have any quality issues, so hope same will happen to u.

[gmboot]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I just tried TMPGnec and DVD Author and it rocked. So far it has given me the results I am looking for. I am going to test it some more, but the TMPGenc encoder gives a much better quality render than either of my other two products. And it is fast.. REALLY FAST.

The only thing missing is a few of the nice Menu features ULead offers, but I can either live without that or find a work around. Thanks again for the reply.. if anyone else has some suggestion I still would love to hear them.

[atifsh]

Originally posted by gmboot
The only thing missing is a few of the nice Menu features ULead offers,.. if anyone else has some suggestion I still would love to hear them.

though tmpgencs' dvd author has option to use menus /motion menus, but if u still want the thems frm ulead just encode ur file to mpeg2 and burn using ulead it will not re-encode them as they r already in complient dvd format.

[gmboot]

hmmmm I might try that... Glad I found this board. I was able to finish a project I had been struggling with for 3 days in 45 minutes with TMPEGen and DVD AUthor... will try combinations of other programs as well.

thanks again Atifsh

[rsquirell]

For VHS tapes I'm a firm believer in just taking the raw MPEG2 capture into TMPGenc DVD Author , cutting out the commercials, build the DVD files and going to DVD Shrink for 20% compression. Then, since my capture is with LPCM audio, demuxing in TMPGenc, converting to mp2 and remuxing...and save the TV program (now 1/2 it's original size...without ANY reencoding to destroy that beautiful capture) until I get enough programs with a similar theme...and using DVD Author, build a menu and burn a scad of them to disc.