DVD Frame size ?

I'm cutting some home footage to VCD format with a frame size of 352x288
which has been working OK using Adobe Premier and LSX mpeg plugin and
Pinnacle DV500Plus card. I now want to cut a DVD to play on standard "under
the TV" DVD players .. what is the recommended frame size .. my thoughts a
720x576 for PAL but I'm not 100% sure.

Thnx.

Swales

I've always used 720x576 for PAL (4x3) and have never had a problem.

FYI there is a very useful newsgroup relating to Desktop Video at
rec.video.desktop

Dave

"Swales" <> wrote in message
news:c1t1j0$27t$...
> I'm cutting some home footage to VCD format with a frame size of 352x288
> which has been working OK using Adobe Premier and LSX mpeg plugin and
> Pinnacle DV500Plus card. I now want to cut a DVD to play on standard
"under
> the TV" DVD players .. what is the recommended frame size .. my thoughts a
> 720x576 for PAL but I'm not 100% sure.
>
> Thnx.
>
>

Bugsy

"Swales" <> wrote in message
news:c1t1j0$27t$...
> I'm cutting some home footage to VCD format with a frame size of 352x288
> which has been working OK using Adobe Premier and LSX mpeg plugin and
> Pinnacle DV500Plus card. I now want to cut a DVD to play on standard
"under
> the TV" DVD players .. what is the recommended frame size .. my thoughts a
> 720x576 for PAL but I'm not 100% sure.
>
> Thnx.

There are 3 resolutions supported under the DVD spec for PAL discs.
720x576, 704x576, and 352x288.

There are also some unnofficial ones that may or may not work. 480x576 (the
SVCD resolution) is one of them. There is also 544x576, which I believe
corresponds to Satellite broadcasting, so it isn't used much at all.

Anyways, if you use 352x288, you can easily fit 5 hours on a disc, with
possibly more than 7 hours (yes, on DVD-5).

You can use MPEG-1 or MPEG-2. MPEG-2 has to be interlaced, though. The
total bitrate for teh video & the audio stream during playback must not
exceed 1.98Mbps (1980kbps). So, if you are using 224kbs audio MP2, then you
can set the video bitrate to about 1750kbps. It should produce something
that looks better than your VCDs.

If your capture card supports 704x576, or 720x576, or 768x576, then I advise
you to capture in that resolution, providing frames are not being dropped.
You can then encode to MPEG-2, 704x576 or 720x576, with a 4:3 aspect, 25fps,
interlaced, using Variable Bit Rate. I would set the maximum bitrate to
about 9500kbps, since the spec allows for 9.8Mbps (9800kbps), so that leaves
you with space for up to 300kbps audio (256kbps anyways).

Anonymous Joe