Problem to write VCD to PAL-format

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Hi!

I've captured video-clips from PAL-source. I've encoded source AVI's with Xing 2.20 to PAL-VCD, and then tried to burn it to VCD format with NTI CD-Maker Pro 3.1.7.40U. My writer is HP 8000i.

When I put source .mpg to CD-Maker layout, it tells that source is PAL, 320x288 and everything seems to be ok. Writing goes smoothly.

But when it is time to put disc into DVD-player and check it out, everything collapses: somehow program seems to write data into NTSC-format(?!?). Picture quality is decreased badly (due to resizing?) and clip looses it's smoothness in motion. My DVD-player indicates that disc is in NTSC-format.

I cannot find any PAL/NTSC setting in CD-Maker, and there is no mentioning that it makes only NTSC-discs. And anyway, how could it *convert* to different format during normal-length writing session?

If anyone knows anything about this, let me know what I've done wrong.

Best regards,

*H*

mpeg in writing?

-- Henri Uutela (heuutela@paju.oulu.fi), May 10, 1999

Answers

I've never used NTI CD-Maker, but if it says your clip is PAL, 320X288 then that's wrong because VCD compliant PAL files have a dimension of 352X288. If you can, try capturing straight at 352X288 resolution first, and 25fps, and check and re-check the settings of the VCD PAL format profile of your encoder. A lot also depends on how stable your original source video is. By this I mean not because it plays fine on the VCR (if it's VHS tape) means it will look the same on the final VCD. If the sync is weak, and picture noisy, you need to clean it up first to make any .mpg file at all; otherwise the playback quality is as you've said: random tearing of picture, blockiness, jerkiness. I do this by using Darim M-filter card. Good luck.

-- Emmanuel Martinez (epmartinez@hotmail.com), August 18, 1999.

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