Since there are alot of sites out there with partial information. I have had the most trouble making SVCD's totaling 45 minutes because I cannot find documentation of how large they are allowed to be. Everything that I know about VCD says that I should be able to get 720-740MB worth of mpeg's on a disk. I know due to several failed attempts that this is not the case with SVCD's. Some refrence materal places this limit at 580 MB or 645 MB. I have had some luck getting 682 MB on an image. I'm trying to archive TV shows to SVCD, and it's best to use as many bits as possible. Note that nero 5 will allow you to make non-compliant SVCD's that are only non-compliant because of their size.

It's just reustrating sometimes.

Thanks in advance

-- eric (eric@snowmoon.com), May 08, 2000

Answers

Eric that time (bytes) allowed on your super vcds depends on how high a bitrate you are capturing or using to make your super vcds with. If this helps i make "xvcds" (aka highrates, practically the same thing as a super vcd). my highrates are done with a bitrate of 2500, at that rate using a 74min cdr, i can fit about 32mins (maybe a few seconds more give or take). i have also in the past made super vcds using my highrate method and this does not change anything. Hope this helps some

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), May 08, 2000.

Eric, I think you are confused as to the file size versus the playtime. As far as i know the amount of diskspace remains unchange for every CD. It's the playtime that's changed when you increase the video bitrate. For example, 1 minute of VCD bitrate is approximately 10Mb; Therefore, 74 minutes x 10 Mb = 740 Mb total diskspace which will fit into one CD. Now 1 minute of SVCD bitrate (2600kb/s max...pretty much of the video bit will be at this rate for SVCD) is approximately 21Mb. If you take 740Mb and divide into 21Mb will equals to 35 minutes or so. It's the trade off in playtime for quality (video bitrate). What I usually do when i am testing for quality using video bitrate, I would set my capture for 1 minute and see what the file size turned out to be. Then i would calculate the amount of playtime available on a CD by divide the constant disk space into the 1 minute file. So if you want to be able to fit 45 minutes video playtime into a CD, then 2000kb/s max would do it for you. 2000kb/s max video bitrate gives you approximately 16Mb per minute of video. I do my XVCD at this bitrate :)

-- (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), May 09, 2000.

Exactly how much playing time your SVCD will be allowed will be complicated even more when you consider MPEG-2 as used there is variable bit-rate.

-- EMartinez (epmartinez@yahoo.com), May 09, 2000.

Ok,

Thanks for the response, but let me say again. I know that it's a trade off, but it appears that the spec for SVCD only allows for 580- 645 MB of mpeg data per disk. I was wondering if anyone has had any luck using the full 720MB. The spec reserves 50+MB for player applications and segment data.

I had luck burning and using a disk last night that was 689MB, but one that would have been 703 was rejected by i-author.

I am looking to just fit 45 minutes video + 2 pictures on 1 disk.

-- eric (eric@snowmoon.com), May 09, 2000.

I know you can fit 791MB on a 80min = 700mb, CDR disk I tought my friend how to back up his dvd moives to cdr disk as mpeg2 svcd's I have one of his movies witch is 791mb mpeg2. the bitrate and size of movie is not relevant, you could ajust the bitrate and fit more of the movie on the cdr disk but the fact is the disk will only hold give or take some mgb around 790+or- mgb's I belive if you go over 800mgbs the movie will not fit. we use Tmpgenc Dvd2avi Nero for burning.

-- james (james-hoa@netzero.net), March 15, 2002.