MPEG-2 Encoders - Which one to use
 

Objective is to get the best encode from HD AVCHD (1080i) source to DVD (fewest visible artifacts).

Which currently available tool do folks feel gives the best results for typical outdoor/daytime sports video:
at ~7700 kbps?
at ~4500 kbps?

Sorenson Squeeze 10
TMPGEnc Video Mastering Works
MainConcept as embedded in NLES such as Premiere
Compressor
[ProCoder, but it is a legacy product not being developed as far as I can tell.]
Other?

Of equal importance are the methods used to downscale HD to SD. Not as easy as you think. Avisynth essential.

7700. Action video requires higher bitrates.

Not familar with #1 or the current state of #4. The version of MainConcept furnished with most NLE's isn't the real thing. TMPGenc Mastering Works nominally has better encoders. Did you forget about HCenc?

Thanks for the reply.

I did not forget HCenc, rather left it to the "other" category to be named by responders, if they like it. I listed the ones I read about most often. I ask because there is a moderate cost (but not cheap) upgrade available for Squeeze 10 for a limited time. Squeeze being a $600-$900 product (a version came bundled with Avid MC), compared to TEMPGEnc VMW at more like $100.

The 7700/4500 kbps was not an "or" question but was seeking to find out if the ranking changes with bit rate; e.g., encoder A might be better than B at 7700, but B better than A at the lower rate.

The down scale favorite appears to be Lanczos3 for most material. But that may be the source of some of the ringing.

One of my concerns is that many common encountered encoders tend to show marked ringing artifacts around edges.

I don't see that any Lanczos resizer is "favored" by anyone, unless you mean it's more often quoted as being used. All Lanczos resdizers are notorious for DCT ringing and other problems. The recommendations from experienced users seems to be the "Spline" resizers, particularly Splin36Resize in Avisynth along with some low-pass help such as very slight (repeat, very slight) gaussian blur before downscaling to prevent line twitter.

Not familiar with Squeeze. Someone else can advise there. I don't see it mentioned much. As for HCenc, it's more configurable than TMVW5 and is often recommended.

4700 for action MPEG? No. I don't think so. You might get "better" results with one encoder or another, but that's still not saying much.

However, HCEnc accepts only springs in YV12.

with last big mpeg2 Encoder test we have ascertained that with bit rates more than 6000 kbps it no big difference the Encoder man puts out which takes.
No matter whether Procoder 3 / CCE [Cinema Craft Encoder] / HCEnc or TMPGEnc.

If one must encode, however, Interlaced and, then because of place need on DVD, the lower bit rate far less than 4000 kbps attach gibts only the Procoder in the mast's ring mode.

Here as a rule I use the Procoder or TMPGEnc.
Now a lot of the Procoder [according to developer Benn Waggoner] has been also inserted in new versions by Edius.
2-passport +Masteringmodus, however, not yet.

Encoder comparison result of user Max
Contribution 10
http://movie2digital.net/index.php?t...est#post518688

DVD is YV12. What colorspace did you want?

If you have your own tests, go with the encoder and bitrate of your choice.

Related: http://trixter.oldskool.org/2011/09/...g-the-ocd-way/