Super Video CD
SVCD entry
SVCD stands for "Super VideoCD". A SVCD is very similiar to a VCD, it has the capacity to hold about 35-60 minutes on 74/80 min CDs of very good quality full-motion video along with up to 2 stereo audio tracks and also 4 selectable subtitles. A SVCD can be played on many standalone DVD Players and of course on all computers with a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive with the help of a software based decoder / player. It is also possible to use menus and chapters, similiar to DVDs, on a SVCD and also simple photo album/slide shows with background audio. The quality of a SVCD is much better than a VCD, especially much more sharpen picture than a VCD because of the higher resolution. But the quality depends how many minutes you choose to store on a CD, less minutes/CD generally means higher quality. Super Video CD, an enhanced Video CD format, which uses variable bit rate MPEG-2 encoding at a higher data rate then Video CD version 2. It also includes an additional stereo audio channel or multi-channel audio and subpictures. SVCD offers video quality and features closer to DVD-Video, although a full-length movie will require three discs.
In simple terms, a Video Compact Disc (VCD) is a cheap alternative to creating DVDs - a recognised format for digital video, many standalone DVD players and all computers with relevant software can play such discs. Given the comparatively small capacity of standard CD media (740MB), the quality clearly can't match that set by DVD films. However, given the right encoding tools and source footage, you can expect to surpass VHS quality with the added advantage of no loss in quality from excessive playback. If you're following my guides, it would seem reasonable to assume that you're interested in digital video. From this point of view, it would not be a giant leap to assume that you'd automatically choose this VCD format over the now outdated VHS format. But there is of course the alternative of creating a DVD from your source material. After all, you're going to want to maximise quality. The main advantage of creating Video CDs is their relative cost: most PCs come with a CD-R as standard, and CD-R media is can be picked up much less than the cost of VHS tapes. Given that the majority of players support the VCD format, creating a Video CD is currently the most viable option for distributing an amateur film. The format uses the mpeg1 codec for encoding. Unfortunately, it's not simply a matter of encoding to mpeg and then burning this to disc. The VCD standard is exactly that: a standard. Your mpeg video must meet certain specifications in order to be recognised by DVD players. PAL video: 1150 kbit/sec MPEG-1 352 x 288 pixels 25 frames/second Audio: 224 kbit/sec MPEG-1 Layer2 NTSC Video: 1150 kbit/sec MPEG-1 352 x 240 pixels 29,97 frames/second Audio: 224 kbit/sec MPEG-1 Layer2 Most encoders (I always recommend tmpgenc) have templates which will automatically encode your video according to the above specifications. But this isn't the last standard which must be observed. The way in which you burn the VCD will also determine whether is is playable in a standalone DVD player. Again, your burning software will provide templates which will automatically create the standard VCD structure - all you have to do is provide the mpeg encoded video. The VCD standard also lends itself well to converted analogue footage. My experience of analogue to digital conversion is that the frame size is often restricted to around 340 x 240. So creating a VCD seems a logical step.
Burning
Guide to Burning a Movie to CD As illustrated in the encoding section, there exists a variety of ways in which your movie may be presented on CD - this section acts as a guide to creating movies playable in almost any stand-alone DVD players. (For information on creating a DivX movie CD, see the DivX autorun feature.) There is of course the option of exporting your finished movie to VHS, but I would view this as a last resort to provide copies for those without access to a either a DVD player or computer. Given the popularity of DVD players, you may wish to create a VCD of your movie: the majority of players support the VCD format and most new computers come with a CD-writer as standard. Creating your own VCD couldn't be simpler. For a guide to creating a VCD under Nero, click here. Depending on the output from the previous stage, you'll have the option of either a SVCD or VCD. (For an guide and overview to creating homemade DVDs, follow the Introduction to Creating a DVD.) Depending in the input quality, (S)VCDs I have created are of comparable or better quality to VHS with the added advantage of loss-less conversion and their extended life over VHS. The Programs One of the easiest programs for creating (S)VCDs from your MPEG file is Nero Burning Rom. The step-by-step wizard will take you through the entire process. Nero 5.0 included all the necessary tools for both VCD and SVCD creation, but the subsequent update (5.5) requires an additional add-on for SVCD burning. click here for the complete guide. If you don't have a copy of Nero, two excellent freeware (S)VCD creation programs are available: VCDimager and VCDeasy. These have the added benefits of enabling chapter authoring on your VCD movie. Adding Chapters and Menus If you've created a lengthy movie, you may wish to add chapters to help navigation or add DVD style menus to a SVCD. Various programs are available to create this useful method of movie navigation . Some of these are freeware and include the 3 above mentioned programs.
Encoding
Post production of your masterpiece is now complete; the next step in spreading your film to the masses is to export your epic to a suitable file format. VCDs, SVCDs and DVDs are all encoded using the ubiquitous MPEG1/2 codecs. To maximise your viewing potential, this method of encoding would probably be the safe option. DiVX encoded files offer a real alternative to the established DVD format, gaining strong user support and even industry-wide popularity. Many other formats are worth considering such as QuickTime, but these are designed for streaming video and will be dealt with in another section. See guides for more details. To summarise, an mpeg encoded video has the potential to be played on almost any computer or DVD player; a divx encoded video would appeal to those intending for their video to be viewed only on PCs and looking for flexibility in the output quality and file size. Given the high compression rates and high quality that Divx can produce, I tend to encode my video as DivX and covert to MPEG if needed. If, however, you have a DVD burner, you'll probably want to encode straight to MPEG2 DVD. Encoding in MPEG As mentioned above, we have the choice of making a DVD, VCD, or SVCD from our Project. Both DVD and SVCD use the MPEG2 codec, whilst VCD uses the older MPEG1 codec with comparable quality to VHS at the upper end of the scale.. At time of writing, DVD burners are falling in price and beginning to become accessible to the masses, but chances are you're going to be limited to making either a VCD, SVCD or miniDVD using a standard CD burner. Most DVD players will play the former, a few will play the latter and fewer will still support playing miniDVDs. Check out the excellent www.vcdhelp.com to check what format your player supports. The table below summarises all the different attributes of each method: VCD SVCD miniDVD DVD Encoder Framesize Minutes per CD Quality MPEG1 352x288 60 VHS MPEG2 480x576 40 Near DVD MPEG2 720x576 20 DVD MPEG2 720x576 n/a Excellent My advice would be to use Tmpgenc to create a (S)VCD compatible MPEG file. My guide illustrates outputting from Adobe using the video server plugin. For more guides on converting to MPEG, follow this link to the encoding menu. Encoding in DivX This method is gaining popularity. Divx originated from a hacked version of MPEG4 [divX ;-)], and is now on version 5.0. You can download the codecs on my downloads page where I also have a sample video. High quality at a low compression rate are making this codec the codec of choice for computer based video. I'd recommend Divx if you are planning to offer your video for download over the net. You can even make a self-installing CD with a DivX encoded video (micro-DVD) that will then play on any PC. For my guide to encoding in DivX with VirtualDub, click here. For more guides, visit the encoding menu. |
