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Digital Media Converter v2.78 |
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Understanding VCD, DVD and SVCD Formats |
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MPEG
stands for ‘Moving Pictures Experts Groups’. It is a group working under the directives of
the International Standards Organization (ISO)
and the International
Electro-Technical Commission (IEC). MPEG is a
committee of experts from the audio, video and
computer industries developing an evolving series
of standards for compression of moving images.
The committee has created several standard
methods for encoding video and audio. DVDs
and VCDs use the MPEG 2 and MPEG 1 standards,
respectively. |
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MPEG-1 defines a
framework for compressing video and audio, significantly
reducing the amount of storage needed while keeping
acceptable quality. The MPEG-1 video compression
method takes advantage of the fact that often, many
frames in a row are very similar (showing the same
background and objects, for instance, with only an
actor's face and hands moving). For each frame, it
is only necessary to record how it
differs from the previous frame, saving
storage space. In addition, the audio encoding
uses something called psychoacoustics—compression
removes the high and low frequencies a normal human
ear cannot hear. |
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MPEG-2 is not a successor
to MPEG-1. Both of these formats have
their applications. MPEG-1 is used in VCDs and on the web for short
video and animation files. One of the MPEG-1 audio
compression standards, MPEG 1 Layer III, is the most
common compression method for audio files used on
portable devices, under the name "MP3." MPEG-2 is
used for higher resolution
video, digital television and on
DVD's. |
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What
is a VCD? |
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VCD stands for Video Compact Disc.
Video and audio are encoded using MPEG-1. A
CD-ROM can hold about 800 megabytes of data. Most
stand-alone DVD players can play VCDs. |
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VCD is still the most
universally compatible format for wide video distribution. Anybody with a DVD player, VCD player or a computer
with CD-ROM drive can play VCDs. The video
quality is better than most other formats and is
adequate for typical home viewing. The physical
medium used, CD-R or CD-RW, is very inexpensive and
widely available. |
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What is a DVD? |
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DVD stands for Digital
Versatile Disc. A DVD stores its audio and
video in MPEG-2 format. A DVD player or a computer
equipped with a DVD drive is required to play DVDs.
Almost all DVD players also play VCDs. |
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A DVD holds
significantly more data than a CD (including a VCD). A 2 hour
movie requires two VCDs. The same movie requires only
one DVD. Also, movies on DVD have a 200% sharper picture and
far better sound quality than VCDs. |
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DVD has gained tremendous popularity with its high-quality video and
high storage capability. |
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What is a SVCD? |
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SVCD stands for Super
Video CD. SVCD is the successor to Video CD.
An SVCD contains
an MPEG-2 video stream and MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio. Like VCDs, SVCDs are recorded on standard recordable CD
media. Most DVD players play SVCDs. |
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SVCD video quality can
be better than VCD. If recorded using the highest
quality, it is virtually DVD
quality. Since SVCD is still restricted to 800Mb of data, the
number of SVCDs required to store a movie is more than
double the number of VCDs. |
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Video
Broadcasting Standards |
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MPEG video is the
compression format for digital TV. There are video
broadcasting standards, also called picture standards,
which differ from country to country. |
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The PAL Picture
Standard |
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PAL (Phase Alternating
Line) is the TV standard introduced in the early 1960’s
in Europe. PAL is used in most of the western European
countries (except France, where SECAM is used), Australia,
some countries of Africa, some countries of South America
and some Asian countries. |
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The NTSC Picture
Standard |
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NTSC (National
Television Standards Committee) is a color TV standard developed in
the U.S. in 1953. The United States, Canada, Japan,
most of the Western Hemisphere and various Asian countries
follow NTSC standards. The rest of the world uses either
some variety of PAL or SECAM standards. |
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MPEG Variations
At a Glance |
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| Disc |
Picture Standard |
Disc Type |
MPEG Type |
Dimensions |
Frame Rate (FPS) |
Video Bit-rate (Kbps) |
Audio Bit-rate (Kbps) |
| VCD |
NTSC |
CD
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MPEG -1 |
320 x 240 |
29.97 |
1152
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224 |
| VCD |
PAL |
CD |
MPEG -1 |
352 x 288 |
25 |
1152 |
224 |
| SVCD |
NTSC |
CD |
MPEG -2 |
480 x 480 |
29.97 |
2500 |
224 |
| SVCD |
PAL |
CD |
MPEG -2 |
480 x 576 |
25 |
2500 |
224 |
| DVD |
NTSC |
DVD |
MPEG -2 |
720 x 480 |
29.97 |
6000 |
224 |
| DVD |
PAL |
DVD |
MPEG -2 |
720 x 576 |
25 |
6000 |
224 |
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Using Digital
Media Converter to make MPEG movies for VCD, SVCD and
DVD Creating VCD, SVCD or DVD involves: |
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Make the MPEG movie conform to the standard that
the disc accepts, taking into consideration the
picture standard. |
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Burning (encoding) the audio and video data
to the appropriate disc format - either CD or
DVD. |
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| Step 1:
Make MPEG Movies |
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Authoring a DVD requires converting all video
and audio sources into MPEG-2 format.
Similarly, creating a VCD requires converting
video and audio into MPEG-1 format. |
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To convert videos from any format (AVI, WMV
etc.) to MPEG, use Digital
Media Converter. Converting many files
to create a VCD or DVD, one at a time, is a slow process. Digital Media Converter’s mass
conversion capability lets you create a list of many
files or folders, then convert them in a single
operation. |
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To create files in the correct format for
mastering a VCD, SVCD or DVD, click on
the Settings option on the toolbar. Select the required format along with NTSC or
PAL from the Convert to Format
box and click OK. To start the
conversion, click the Convert toolbar
button. |
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| Step 2:
CD Burning (Creating the Disc) |
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The next step is to burn these files
onto the appropriate medium (CD or DVD). For this, you’ll need
authoring software like Nero
Burning ROM. A CD or DVD writer is required
to burn CDs or DVDs. |
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