Format for DVD

jkb242 wrote on 10/6/2005, 7:07 PM
I have just assumed that since DVD's must be encoded in MPEG 2 format, that only enconding in that format will result in a playable DVD. Recently, I have heard that if a movie is encoded with MPEG 4 it would also play in most DVD players.

What I would like to know is will DVDA attempt to make a project if it is MPEG 4 based?

I hear the newer DVD players will suport MPEG 4 encoding. Can someone provide some guideance?

Thanks!

Comments

ScottW wrote on 10/7/2005, 7:08 AM
Not most DVD players - *some* DVD players are now supporting MPEG-4 or one of the many variants; some players are also now supporting WM9, which gives you another way to deliver HD content.

If you feed MPEG-4 info to DVDA , assuming DVDA has access to the needed codec, it will happily recompress the MPEG-4 into MPEG-2.

The standard for DVD Video is MPEG-2, not MPEG-4. Since DVDA tries to produce a DVD that conforms to the standard, it's going to give you MPEG-2.

If you want to play with MPEG-4, you'll most likely need to create a data DVD, not a DVD Video - each player will probably handle things differently and you won't be able to have things like a menu (at least not in the sense that you currently have with DVD Video).

Once HD-DVD or BluRay hit the streets, and burners and burnable media come down to the price range that mere mortals can afford it, you'll see MPEG-4 (or some variant) in a better packaging.

--Scott
jkb242 wrote on 10/7/2005, 7:26 PM
Scott,

Good comments and thanks for the reply. Not much point in MPEG 4 as far as DVD publishicng goes. I guess.