Divx or MPEG2?

[Icepick]

I'm using a Plextor ConvertX PX M402U to transfer home movies from VHS-C tapes to the computer. My goal is to record these movies onto DVDs so that they can be played back in a standard DVD player. The Plextor ConvertX will encode the movies in hardware in either MPEG2, MPEG4 or DIVX. I am confused about which one to use.

I'm not concerned about hard drive space. I simply want to use whichever encoding format that will give the best quality.

Thanks!

 

[zephyrprime]

Well most dvd players can't play mpeg4 or divx so your only choice is mpeg2.

 

[jdkick]

If you truly mean "standard" when referring to a standard DVD player then you'll want to encode them with MPEG-2. If you go with DivX then your movies will only play in players that support DivX playback.

 

[Mark R]

MPEG2 is the only format that can be used directly on a DVD. MPEG4/DIVX is a more advanced codec designed for higher compression. Quality is essentially the same.

Most DVD burning programs will take any type of video and convert it to MPEG2 for you automatically - it just takes a few hours to do the conversion.

I don't think there will be a significant difference between any of them - just make sure you set compression quality to the maximum there is.

Of course, if your encoder produces DVD compatible MPEG2 (not all do) and your burning program can burn MPEG2 directly - that would be the best way. However, many DVD burning programs will always recompress MPEG2 files, whether they are compatible or not. (e.g. Nero does this).

 

[yukichigai]

This is a complex process, not because it's difficult, but because there are so many options out there in terms of hardware and software it's difficult to know what works best for your setup. I'm assuming your program will do encoding for you, and this is what you're asking about. I would honestly recommend using an outside program to do the actual DVD video encoding. In that case I would suggest having your program output the video as an XviD/DivX AVI with the video set to 1-pass, maximum quality. For there you'd turn the AVI into DVD video with another program.

Okay, some brief info on DVDs:

DVDs can support a number of resolutions and audio formats, and two different kind of video codecs, specifically:

* Video *
MPEG-2: 720x480, 704x480, 352x480, 352x240 @ 29.97fps or 23.976fps
MPEG-1: 352x240 @ 29.97fps

* Audio *
MPEG-1 Layer II Audio (MP2): 32 - 384 kbps Mono or Stereo @ 48000Hz or 96000Hz
Dolby Digital (AC3): 32 - 448 kbps Mono to 5.1 @ 48000Hz or 96000Hz
Dobly DTS: erm, let's face it, you can't encode this unless you buy software in the five-digit range
PCM (WAV): Mono or Stereo @ 48000Hz or 96000Hz


All of the above formats are mix-and-match: any combination is valid. Video can be constant bitrate or variable bitrate, though most players can't handle video under 300kbps.

To make a valid DVD you'll need some program to create the appropriate VOB/IFO files (author the DVD) from your captured video. Nero is probably the most likely option, but not the best in terms of fitting as much video on the dvd as possible if you have it do the encoding. However, you can make DVD-compatible MPEG files with an external program, then add them to a DVD-Video compilation in Nero and have it author the DVD for you, no further encoding necessary. This is what I recommend. To that end, here are two routes you can go:

1) TMPGEnc: This is probably the easiest option for encoding files, but it's not free... for MPEG-2 video. The trial verision can do MPEG-2 encoding for 30 days, after which time it will only do MPEG-1 encoding. For stuff you're transferring from VHS-C MPEG-1 more than enough, since standard TV resolution is only 352x240. (Coincidentally, the same resolution you're limited to for MPEG-1 video on a DVD.) I have created a handy guide for how to configure and encode TMPGEnc. The only issue I can think of is if the resolution of the captured video is taller than 240 pixels and the video has odd "jaggies" -- jagged lines when things move. If that's the case then you're dealing with interlaced video, which requires a little tweaking. PM me and I'll walk you through it.

2) DIKO: DIKO is a freeware MPEG-2 encoder which not only can encode MPEG-2 video, it can also author and even burn the DVD for you in one go. If you don't have Nero this is probably the easiest option for you, but DIKO is sometimes difficult to configure. It does, however, produce top-notch DVD content, as good or better than most software you pay for to do the same thing. If you decide to use DIKO I highly highly recommend you do the "HC Encoder replacement" described here; it may be somewhat complex, but the quality you get out of it is unbelievable and truly worth the time and effort. Once you've gotten DIKO installed you should also make sure your video is encoded to a lower resolution, 352x480 or ideally 352x240. This can be set in the configuration menu. If your captured video has the "jaggies" I mentioned above, again, PM me and I'll walk you through the extra steps you'll need to take, as they're a little complex.

Sorry if I've overwhelmed you with information, but I'm of the opinion that it's better to have all the information rather than a simple "do this/don't do this". PM me if you need any help.