DV - MSP6.0 - MPEG-1 - VCD

[dchip]

Been doing some reading in a lot of other forums recently to gather info for a hw/sw purchase. Somewhere (possibly on the MSP WWUG) I recall reading that several people were not too happy with the MPEG-1 clips that MSP6 was giving them, and, thus, their VCD's were not satisfactory. Does MSP6 or its default plug-ins have a problem making decent MPEG-1? I work with MPEG-1. For now, it's about all I want, but if I invest in DV and MSP6, then I need nice MPEG-1 to be the return. Any thoughts much appreciated.

[This_Idiot]

I can't talk about MSP6 because I haven't got it loaded up yet, but the MPEG output from MSP5 was renowned for taking a long time to render and being pretty mediocre in quality at the end of the day.

That's why most folks use standalone MPEG convertors (or occassionally plug-ins). I certainly won't preach on this subject since everyone has their own favourite. I use a free utility called AVI2MPEG which does what I need with minimum of fuss

[dchip]

Thanks for your candor, Chris. More food for thought as I weigh the pros and cons. Now I have to lean towards Premiere because my best MPEG encoder (Panasonic) is a plug-in for it. Steeper learning curve with Premiere, overall, but I can hang.

The only reason I stick with MPEG is its portability. When I share my creations with my extended family I want to know that when I pop that VCD in their old Cyrix or P266 boxes they will be able to see motion pictures, instead of some message that begins with "unable" or "unrecognized."

[DrMordrid]

If you have a decent speed connection I could send you a sample of MSPro's MPEG output. Just tell me what you want to see. It can encode MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 at up to 14648 kbps. I have a cable modem so bandwidth isn't a problem at my end.

Dr. Mordrid

[Jerry Jones]

The Ligos GoMotion encoder built-in to MediaStudio Pro 6 lacks field-based encoding capability. The *variable bit rate* (VBR) functionality is also missing.

To make a long story short... the GoMotion encoder built-in to MediaStudio appears to be designed primarily for creating MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 that will only be viewed on somebody else's computer monitor and not played back from a standalone DVD player to somebody's television set.

Panasonic's MPEG-1 encoder does the best job with MPEG-1 - AND YOU DON'T NEED PREMIERE to use it. You can download a standalone version that works great.

Panasonic's encoder does not do MPEG-2.
http://www.networkserve.co.jp/mpeg/index_e.html

bbMPEG is free and can be had from this site:
http://members.home.net/beyeler/bbmpeg.html

Then, there's an MPEG encoder SHOOT OUT at this Web site:
http://www.tecoltd.com/enctest/enctest.htm

[dchip]

Doc, Jerry, Thanks for the input. It's becoming obvious that I will end up with both programs (Premiere & MSP6). Canopus has made the Adobe-Raptor bundle more attractive by adding Raptor Edit, Soft Xplode and I think the cable even comes with it. I can buy a competitive upgrade to MSP later after I get my feet wet with DV.

I ruled out the ADS-Raptor deal, even though it is the best bundle. I found several people who said their main editor, which I think was Premiere, wouldn't even recognize the card. I'm looking for maximum compatibility now and in the future. Canopus is that.

As for Panasonic encoder, I already have the standalone one but would likely have to buy the Premiere plug-in if it becomes a must-have.

This has been a tough search. I have heard from many who swear by MSP and many who would have no other than Adobe. Ultimately, I will just have to "see" for myself.