Configuring MPEG Properties
MPEG is the file format used to create DVD, VCD and SVCD. This high quality compressed format can be used across all platforms. DVDs, VCDs and SVCDs contain MPEG files that conform to their respective standards.
The table below lists down the format in which Video Edit Magic creates MPEG files, depending on the type of video disc to be authored.
| Video Disc |
MPEG Format (Standard) |
| Disc Format |
Picture Standard |
Disc Type |
MPEG Type |
Dimension (pixels) |
Frame Rate (FPS) |
Video Bit-rate (Kbps) |
Audio Bit-rate (Kbps) |
Variable/Constant Bit-rate (VBR/CBR) |
| VCD |
NTSC |
CD |
MPEG 1 |
352 x 240 |
29.97 |
1152 |
224 |
CBR and VBR |
| VCD |
PAL |
CD |
MPEG 1 |
352 x 240 |
25 |
1152 |
224 |
CBR and VBR |
| SVCD |
NTSC |
CD |
MPEG 2 |
480 x 480 |
29.97 |
2500 |
224 |
CBR only |
| SVCD |
PAL |
CD |
MPEG 2 |
480 x 576 |
25 |
2500 |
224 |
CBR only |
| DVD |
NTSC |
DVD |
MPEG 2 |
720 x 480 |
29.97 |
6000 |
224 |
CBR only |
| DVD |
PAL |
DVD |
MPEG 2 |
720 x 576 |
25 |
6000 |
224 |
CBR only |
NTSC is the picture standard used in USA while PAL is used in almost all European countries. The MPEG 1 format also supports Variable Bit-rate video that can be used to achieve high compression ratios depending on the specific video present in the Timeline.
Making MPEG Movies for VCD, SVCD and DVD
Creating DVD, VCD, or SVCD involves:
- Making MPEG movie conforming to the standard that the disc uses.
- Burning the created movies to an appropriate disc (CD or DVD).
Video Edit Magic is able to make MPEG movies for various Video Discs as discussed in the table above. However, a separate CD or DVD burning software is required to burn these MPEG movies to a CD or DVD.
To make movie for VCD, SVCD or DVD, select the required format from MPEG Output Format box and click OK. The values required to create the correct MPEG format are automatically filled up.
The options available are:
- MPEG 1 VCD (NTSC)
- MPEG 1 VCD (PAL)
- MPEG 2 SVCD (NTSC)
- MPEG 2 SVCD (PAL)
- MPEG 2 DVD (NTSC)
- MPEG 2 DVD (PAL)
- MPEG 1 (Custom)
Aspect Ratio
In DVD - NTSC, movies are created in 720x480 video dimension, whereas in DVD - PAL, movies are created with 720x576 video dimension. Besides the video dimensions every DVD video stream even has a DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) flag. The flag tells the media player for what kind of target display the stream has been encoded. Depending on the display you want to view your movie you can change the DAR. By default the movie will be created in a 16:9 display aspect ratio. You can choose to view your movies in the following:
- 4:3 - For Standard Television
- 16:9 - For Widescreen
- 2.21:1 - For Cinemascope Movie
Note: The DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) is not necessarily the ratio of the actual video dimensions that you encoded the video stream at. So, even though Windows Media Player will continue to show the accurate video dimensions in the properties, it will play the video using the DAR you have chosen. For example, if you have created a movie in DVD-NTSC and DAR as 16:9 the video will appear in widescreen when playing in Media Player but will still have a dimension of 720x480.
Making Custom MPEG Movies
Although, MPEG is primarily used to create movies for VCD, SVCD and DVD, Video Edit Magic can also make movies in custom MPEG 1 format. To make custom MPEG movies, select MPEG 1 (Custom) from the MPEG Output Format. Specify custom values for:
- Video Dimensions: Select the width and height in pixels from the ones available.
- Frame Rate: Select the frame rate in frames/second (FPS) from the ones available.
- Audio Bitrate: Specify the bit-rate from the ones available.
- Audio Frequency: Select the Audio Frequency from amongst the two options given. By default, it is 44.100 kHz. You may also opt for 48.000 kHz.
The Estimated File Size of the resulting media file is also displayed.
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