Ralfs
Video Formats
Formats
DVDs are always encoded at 720x576 (5:4) although the picture will be scaled at playback.
Common video formats are 4:3 = 1.33 for TV, 16:9 = 1.78 for normal cinema movies and 2.35:1 for Cinemascope.
Here is a list of common scenarios:
- 4:3 movies that fill the whole picture (no letterboxing): scale 5:4 to 4:3
- 16:9 movies that fill the whole picture (again no letterboxing):
scale 5:4 to 16:9
- 16:9 movies that are letterboxed: scale 5:4 to 4:3 and cut away
some of the black bars
- 2.35 movies that are letterboxed: scale 5:4 to 16:9 and cut away
some of the black bars
SVCD
- SVCD normal resolution stills must be 480x576 (PAL) or 480x480 (NTSC)
- SVCD high resolution stills must be 704x576 (PAL) or 704x480 (NTSC)
Creating DVD menus
- For PAL: make a new image of size 720×576, with a resolution of
75dpi in the x-axis and 80dpi in the y-axis.
- For NTSC: mage of size 720x480, with a resolution of
81dpi in the x-axis & 72dpi in the y-axis.
MPEG1
MPEG1 use mpeg layer 2 Audio and mpeg1 video.
A subset of MPEG1 movies are VCD's.
You can use VBR for the Video (although VCDs are almost always use CBR video)
but the Audio has to be CBR (Constant BitRate).
MPEG1 is recommended for picture sizes up to 352x288 for PAL and 352x240 for NTSC
MPEG1 can't handle interlaced sources.
If you video is interlaced you need MPEG2 to get it proper encoded.
MPEG2
MPEG2 can also handle interlaced sources like recording from TV at full resolution.
MPEG2 allows the usage of mpeg layer 3 (mp3) sound.
MP3 audio is not valid for DVDs. It is best to use MP2 (Layer 2) audio.
The audio can also be a VBR Stream.
MPEG2 is usually a VBR Stream.
ffmpeg
Video Options:
-s size
`sqcif' 128x96
`qcif' 176x144
`cif' 352x288
`4cif' 704x576