Hello again, I got my G400 with TV all set up here finally and have a few more questions about the settings for capturing as well as converting the captured video to mpeg1 or whatever would make the nicest Video CDs. Ok first of all, what should all of my settings be for capturing? Can someone run through their list of what they use as far as compression ratio, bit rates, just about any and all details will be helpful. I will be capturing from VHS and I have done this for about a week now and sometimes I get the good old "copy protection error" off and on and these videos are simply home videos recorded with a camcorder. Next, I was wondering if someone could elaborate on the best settings for encoding my avi files to mpeg1 or whatever is best for Video CDs. I have the LSX-MPEG encoder as well as the Panasonic one. What are the settings in detail tha everyone uses for encoding with these or any other encoders? Would it be better if I were to buy an encoder card to do the encoding for me? If so what are good and reasonably inexpensive encoder cards? 150$ range or thereabouts. Please feel free to give even the smallest details about any of the above, as I am simply trying to learn all aspects of all this. Oh yeah, I really didnt care for Avid Cinema. Maybe I didn't work it correctly, but I have found so far that using the PC-VCR remote for recording is much better and easier. Thanks so much in advance, Buddy Stark

-- Buddy Stark (b-sstark@terraworld.net), February 25, 2000

Answers

Buddy, I am using the panasonic encoder now because i am working with mpeg stream. The settings that work best for me are: motion estimation : half pixel gives slightly blurred image( this help eliminate square block noise if you have a lot of motion in the scene. These are random flashes but it's annoying to see it anyway ), Full pixel gives you the sharper image but you'll have to deal with the random flashes. I am currently exploiting the GOP encoding sequence in conjunction with bitrates for XVCD. Standard settings are supposed to be 15,3 (IBP), but i have used 12,3(IBP) off an on to see if quality can be improved with lower bitrates. If you are planning to encode straight to VCD then stick with the standard. Noise filter : This setting is designed to filter out pepper & salt type of noise or severe color bleeding in your video stream. weak if you have a good quality input source, and strong if your source is bad, or else set it to medium. Note: this will further blur your final image. Video filter : This setting is designed to filter out block noise. Your video image is make up of alot of square blocks, and depend on the brightness, contrast, and sharpness conditions of your source the final encoding to a lower bitrates will create hallows and blocky noise around your object during high motion scenes. I always have this setting set at medium or strong. Again this will further blur your final image! Color (gamma correction) filter: PC or TV? depends on your final source. Personally I preferred TV. PC plays will result in a darker image and color fade, but TV output is excellent.

I had tried out LSX on the Demo version on an AVI file, and i noticed that with the same settings between LSX and Panasonic, LSX wins by a marginal point. However, LSX do not take mpeg stream as an input.

lnguyen

-- -- (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), February 25, 2000.

what version of panasonic accepts mpegs as input? i have 3 versions, upto 2.3, and none of them will accept mpeg! is there a newer version? if so, where can i get it?

-- ndumu (ndumu@hotmail.com), February 25, 2000.

ndumu,

I have version 2.3, and it will accept mpeg1 stream for input. When select file input, it will default to AVI; However, if you pull down the file format drop box below and select all files *.*, your mpeg1 file will appear. Select your file and happy encoding :) Try this with LSX and it will nag at you for using unsupported file format.

lnguyen

-- (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), February 26, 2000.

thanks amillion!

-- ndumu (ndumu@hotmail.com), February 26, 2000.