Best video bit rate when converting VHS

[jparnold]

Sorry for the second reply - I forgot to ask this -

This brings me back to my original question although this now is related to how to record to DVD in my DVD recorder.
I can choose from HQ (high quality), SQ (standard quality), LQ (low) or EQ (extended). What is your opinion which mode to use which will not loose any quality from VHS quality (which already is not real good). I am thinking SQ (standard) which will put about 1.5 hours onto a DVD (from the VHS tape).

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi John

For some reason I assumed you had a combo VHS/DVD recorder, sorry for the misunderstanding.
Its good you have sorted the aspect ratio, this should save you time in VS when editing.

Recording quality, my recorder defaults to Standard Quality giving full frame size, not sure of the bit rate, but will be 8000+. I haven’t used the other quality options.
However you would be rendered to a lower rate allowing more minutes per disc. That will take some time.

What does the LQ (Low Quality) create in the way of frame size and bit rate.
Hopefully full frame size with a reduced bit rate, if this rate is (5000ish) then this would be suitable for your final output, and improve render times when using Video Studio.

Smart Render would play its part (render same as first video clip) reducing the times to create the final video.


run a test using LQ to see what properties are used..........................

[skier-hughes]

No point in using SQ at 8,000 if at the end of the day you want to use 6000 and fit more video on your finished dvd, as again you'll be re-encoding - making quality worse.
Choose what you will end up with.
Do a couple of two minute trials with different settings and record them to one dvd so you can watch them one after another to see what you prefer as your final output.

NOW capture all 18 hours of video.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi John

I have used my LG recorder on a lower setting using LP. ( I assume this is similar to your LQ setting)
Long Play produced a video using full pal frame size 720 x 576 4:3 at a bit rate of variable 4400kbps.

I am sure that your recorder would also use the lower bit.

As Graham says “choose what you end up with”

Using Video Studio your conversions will be faster if you are rendering like for like.

[jparnold]

I have at last copied some VHS tape to DVD as SQ (standard quality - the second highest I can select) which will allow up to 2 hours of video to be copied to a single layer DVD.

I used GSPOT to display the characteristics of the VOB (DVD) file and it displayed a video Bitrate around 5000 Kb/s so I think that I will use SQ.

I also decided to copy some video which I had previously copied from VHS to the hard disk onto a DVD and import into VS and surprise surprise it IS 4:3 (see previous post(s) ). So even though my plasma was displaying it at 16:9 it was really 4:3 stretched. So now I can either transfer VHS to the recorders DVD and do some rough editing before transferring to DVD for import into VS OR direct from VHS to DVD.