@ spurious! Thanks for the link and feed back. The link you discovered seems to be very useful.

I have found more flexibility with the linux software than with the M$ software. The user support is wonderful.

Some more relevant links:

Slashdot article on DVD Authoring with some good comments and links.

From that Slashdot article, a link to mpgtx, a console mpeg toolbox.

asalford,

DVD burners are now rather inexpensive. I say that mainly because I find the DVD format to be more useful and provide a better experience. I too have put home video to disk. Under Windows I tried most of what I could find for vcd and svcd but was mostly disappointed with quality and navigation limitations. My solution has been a Matrox RTX100 editing card and the Premier that came with it along with ReelDVD for authoring. I find all of that useful and get what I had been looking for, very useful and navigable disks that are not settop box picky. I found different settop boxes to vary greatly in their playing of vcds.

To answer your question number 1, I would suggest that you could take one or more of your disks to the local electronics store and try different settop boxes. I have spent a bit of time in Best Buy, Circuit City and Wal Mart. There are different results caused not only by the format, VCD, SVCD, DVD and whether they are R or RW but also by the make of media. Some of the cheaper media will sometimes work from one lot but not another. From what you said about your disks working when produced from Windows programs I would suspect that the encoding programs or their settings are to blame if your media is good.

For 2 and 3 I have found http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ to be quite useful. I used it most when it was still vcdrhelp. Since then I have been using the forums specific to my video editing hardware and software.

I have only just begun to consider the Linux alternatives minimally trying Cinelerra.

To all:

Thanks for all the notes.

I have produce resonable results SVCD utilizing the following programs:

1) dvgrab to capture.

2) cinelerra

3) tcmplex

3) transcode with the xscvd.prof feature with the following settings:

#(S)VCD profile for improved quality
fixed_vbv_delay = 1
vbv_buffer_size = 230
cbr = 1
cbr_bitrate = 2100000.0 <<=== increasing or decreasing this yields larger better quality or lower quality with greater length.
quant_value = 2
qscale_type = 0
vbr_mux = 0
video_buf_size = 230
use_comp_bitrate = 1

I suppose that I should write a howto on the subject by now. LOL I have reproduce the quality that meets and exceeds that which I endeavored to create.

Video editing is an arduous task under linux, but it is completely configurable and you can create customized output. As with all things linux, it is not for the light of heart, but the effort expended is rewarded with functionality.

I do agree with you that with the prices of DVD burners and DVD media falling it is becoming an irrelevant issue to continue to work with SVCD

To all,

DVD authoring is much easier and yields the best quality. MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH easier. Did i mention much easier?

SVCD maybe home movies that have short durations.