Need Mpeg2 6000kbit quality using Mpeg4 for Slideshow Videos

[Sprocket]

I've used DivX before to backup DVDs, and it looked pretty good at 1500kbit/sec, but now I need to use a quality codec for use in the building stages of slideshows which I'm making in Vegas 4 and Pinnacle Studio 8. I've got to use something that both looks good with constant motion (pans/zooms) and still slides throughout the video. Between the stills there are moving transitions, so those also have to have perfection. Without modifying any settings except for bitrate, I've tried DivX and Xvid at similar bitrates as I've used for DVD backup, but the resulting video is blocky, which is especially noticable during fades-to-black. It's very noticeable on the stills as one is transitioning to the next. Say for isntance the transition consisted of scissors cutting through the photo--there is a lot of noise around the edges of the scissors. You know, it looks like when you zoom on in a compressed jpeg image--the way things look around objects edges. When I use Mpeg2 (which is a huge) at bitrates somewhere between 5000-6000, the resulting video is very crisp and consistant. For the advantages of smaller file size and exceptional quality, I wish to use some Mpeg4 codec like DivX, Xvid, 3ivx, Quicktime. Also, I need to know what bitrates and specific settings I need to change to have DVD quality at a much, mcuh smaller files size. Also a keypoint is this: After I get several video clips compiled and ready for the final production, I WILL be exporting to DVD compliant mpeg2 for the placement on a DVD. So I need to know how to make this look good through the multiple conversions and such. Thanks!

http://www.cyberplacetn.com/slideshows.htm I've got a video here encoded at 2100kbps DivX 5. Tell me how I can improve it. You'll see the blocking noise especially when it fades to black and back. Would it help significantly if I got the pro version? Thanks again!

[setarip]

"Also a keypoint is this: After I get several video clips compiled and ready for the final production, I WILL be exporting to DVD compliant mpeg2 for the placement on a DVD."


Perhaps I'm missing something but, if your final product IS going to be MPEG2 for DVD format, what necessitates starting with MPEG4?

[Sprocket]

smaller file size

[setarip]

"smaller file size"

This makes little, if any, sense. When the files are converted to DVD-compliant MPEG2 format, they'll be SUBSTANTIALLY increased in size again...

[Sprocket]

yeah, of course, but until it gets to that point I want to save space. and then afterwards I'll delete the mpeg2 files. ok, see look--this is what I'm having to do so far: I'm rendering everything out to uncompressed avi's and then when I get ready to finalize it they become mpeg2's for the DVD, but before they get that far they take up a huge amount of space. ok, look, the reason I'm wanting to do this is because I figure mpeg4 should be higher quality and less lossy than mpeg2--so in other I words I shouldn't be losing as much converting from mpeg4 to mpeg2 than mpeg2 to mpeg2. ok, and that statement probably makes no sense. let me explain...

first I make the slideshow in Vegas 4.0
second I export to uncompressed AVI
third I use TMPGEnc to convert to Mpeg2
then I use DVDit PE 2.5 which transcodes yet again into the acutal DVD Mpeg2 stuff (the vob's or whatever). but herein lies the problem. it doesn't just merely change them to vobs, it retranscodes them at whatever bitrate and blah blah and so I lose quality!!!!!! I figure that if I use Mpeg4 and have DVDit PE encode the Mpeg4 itself straight to the vob junk it will have better quality.

you know, maybe someone can even help me figure out how to make DVDit not do the whole lossy retranscode junk, that would be just as or more helpful than all this other stuff. thanks

[setarip]

"I figure mpeg4 should be higher quality and less lossy than mpeg2"

I believe you're under a misconception - higher COMPRESSION, yes, higher QUALITY, no, less LOSSY, no...

And last but FAR from least, converting from DVD (MPEG2) to DivX and then back again to DVD-compliant MPEG2 will DEFINITELY result in LOSS OF QUALITY.

I'd suggest you try to find a different way to work within your "space" constraints...

[Sprocket]

no no no

I'm not converting from Mpeg2 to Mpeg4 back to Mpeg2. I want to convert from uncompressed AVI to Mpeg4 and delete the uncompressed AVI to save space... then later to use the Mpeg4 directly in DVDit (to have it transcode like it always does to my mpeg2's anyway) to make the DVD Root Folders which I can use in Nero to burn to the DVD.

in ohter words

I figure if DVDit transcodes the uncompressed AVI directly to the DVD Root folders, I'll get the highest quality. But that TAKES TOO LONG!!!!!!! The percentage bar just moves so slowly.

So then, why not just use TMPGEnc to encode to DVD compliant Mpeg2? Well, that IS what I have been doing, but DVDit re-encodes it anyway resulting in a very noticable loss of quality!!!! Oh, well, but how do I know it isn't just merely converting them the the DVD Root Vobs and such??? BECAUSE... By looking through the temp/aux/project slash whatever folders it uses to store things temporarily as it does its job before it gets to the DVD Root folders, I FOUND the re-encoded separate Mp2/M2V/whatever junk!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOOOOOO...

I figured that if I converted from uncompressed AVI to Mpeg4 rather than uncompressed AVI toMpeg2 (and let me remind you, I'm talking about DVD compliant Mpeg2), and then if dropped that into DVDit, the resulting DVDit encoded Mp2's/M2v's/whatever-separate-audio-from-video-mpeg2-stuff that it eventually turnds also into the DVD Root stuff would be HIGHER QUALITY. in other words, LESS LOSS OF IT.

Then as a SIDE advantage, I figured that the Mpeg4's would be SMALLER, and hence it became one of my main advantage viewpoints, because I would like to save space if I can!

so, does any of that make sence? MAYBE I just need a better DVD-Authoring program that makes to DVD Root stuff directly from TMPGEnce DVD Compliant .mpg's!!! I know IfoEdit is SUPPOSED to do this, but I've tried it, aaaaaaand, I CAN'T GET IT TO WORK! When I tried it, the resulting video (even playing back from the hard drive in PowerDVD) was all messed up!!! It seemed as though either the framerate was too high, or the video was simply PLAYING TOO FAST, and the AUDIO couldn't keep up!!!! And so the video had to stop, it had to pause, until the audio caught up, and it was all a viscious cycle! So what am I to do????!!!!!!

[setarip]

(I won't even ask how you're "starting" with uncompressed .AVIs, or how huge those files must be!)

1) Use TMPGEnc to convert to conforming DVD-MPEG2 format

2) Use TMPGEnc DVD Author (a DIFFERENT program) to create required DVD structure and files

[Sprocket]

dude, sweet! Why didn't I know about DVD Author? that's the answer! yeah, the uncompressed AVI's are HUGE! 1 min of video is over 3 gigs. thanks!!!

[setarip]

Hallelujah! ;>}