Hardware Encoder

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I'm looking to purchase a hardware MPEG-1 encoder. What is the best one out there? I'm gonna use it to convert VHS to MPEG-1

Also saw on the Realmagic web site that they just came out with a combo MPEG-1 & MPEG2 hardware encoder ($800 US). It's called the Realmagic DVR. Anyone used this one yet?

-- Tony Yip (tonyyip@ottawa.com), March 21, 2000

Answers

I just bought a Broadway 4.0 in Jaanuary and at that time I had narrowed it down to two. The Broadway and the Vitec RT-6.

-- Al McCraw (amccraw@ix.netcom.com), March 22, 2000.

What made you choose the Broadway Pro and what were the prices on both of them?

-- Tony Yip (tonyyip@ottawa.com), March 22, 2000.

I couldn't really find any information or reviews on the Vitec, which I was really leaning toward buying. I ended up going with broadway because I was able to find a lot of info and great reviews. The Broadway 4.0 sold for $720 in January and I think the Vitec went for around $600. Broadway has enhanced their product since then and now you can supposedly edit the mpg files now which isn't possible on my version or anyone else's product that I know of. I still find that using the Broadway to encode I have to encode at the higher bit rates and If I really want to eliminate all the artifacts and blockiness. If you do that you can't use Adaptec's software(yet) to burn your video cd's. you will have to go with something like NTI or Nero. I am going to buy NTI today since it's on sale for $39. I tried their demo and it works great for high bit rate vcd's

-- Al McCraw (amccraw@ix.netcom.com), March 22, 2000.

Have you used Videopack for burning mpg's at higher bit rates.

Is the regular bit rate 2500? What rate are you using?

Also, have you used the Broadway Pro to compress a DVD disc yet?

-- Tony Yip (tonyyip@ottawa.com), March 22, 2000.


I have used VideoPack for 2500 and found it OK and NTI give instructions on how to use a VideoPack project for burning in NTI so there are two options there.

-- Ross McL (rmclennan@esc.net.au), March 22, 2000.


Ross,

Where VideoPack puts the high-bitrate files, mpegav or segment folder?

-- Daniel Lee (siangneng@hotmail.com), March 23, 2000.


When using the Broadway Pro card, when you capture video directly to MPEG-1 format, how is the quality of the mpg file? Or is it better to capture to AVI then convert to mpeg-1 using the Panasonic encoder?

I would assume that after paying $700 for the Broadway pro, mpeg-1 capture would be of a good quality

-- Tony Yip (tonyyip@ottawa.com), March 23, 2000.


I have never tried capturing directly to mpg. It is my understanding that is not the way to go with Broadway or any card that can capture directly to mpg. The Broadway will encode an avi to mpeg1 at very near real time though, providing you use a pentium III, otherwise expect a 2:1 ratio

-- Al McCraw (amccraw@ix.netcom.com), March 23, 2000.

Daniel

MPEGAV - I cannot play them in my DVD but my RealMagic decoder card does after burning to a VCD in MP4

-- Ross McL (rmclennan@esc.net.au), March 23, 2000.


Better add that the reason for the dvd player not playing them is that it will not handle HR VCD's, not because they are in the wrong folder.

As far as the segment folder is concerned the stills/photographs .dat files are stored and also any presentation of stills that you have authored. Playing the segment file in that case gives you the still presentation in what ever you selected as the timing and with what ever music you added or in the case of a single still just that. From memory all are named Item####.dat

-- Ross McL (rmclennan@esc.net.au), March 23, 2000.



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