Compromise: Quality Vs. Resolution

By Frank Völkel, published on February 23, 2001
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords:

7. Compromise: Quality Vs. Resolution

Resolution Bitrate Video MPEG-4 Data Rate Audio Overall Quality Length of Film CD-R 74 Length of Film CD-R 80 Length of Film CD-R 99
Video Fast-Motion-Codec Fraunhofer Codec Data Rate Burn to CD-R Burn to CD-R Burn to CD-R
176 x 112 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 37 kB/s very good 300 min 323 min 370 min
240 x 192 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 45 kB/s very good 247 min 266 min 303 min
352 x 224 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 70 kB/s very good 159 min 171 min 195 min
480 x 288 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 94 kB/s very good 118 min 127 min 145 min
576 x 336 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 109 kB/s very good 102 min 110 min 125 min
640 x 480 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 129 kB/s very good 86 min 93 min 106 min
720 x 416 Pixels adaptive, max. 6000 kBit/s 128 kBit/s, 44 KHz, Stereo 145 kB/s very good 77 min 83 min 94 min

This table shows the increase in the data rate depending on the chosen codec and the respective resolution. Furthermore, instructions are given for writing a DVD video onto a CD-ROM depending on the respective CD-R.

Especially in the case of DVD videos that have a playing time of more than 90 minutes, it is often the case that the storage capacity of a CD-ROM with just under 700 MB (CD-R80) is not sufficient. In order to avoid having to split the DVD video onto two CD-ROMs the average data rate should be reduced when carrying out the MPEG-4 encoding. In principle, there are two different ways of doing this. On the one hand, the resolution can be slightly reduced or, on the other hand, you have to marginally sacrifice picture quality, so that the data rate is lowered with a consistent resolution.

The following screenshots taken from our test sequences show the extent to which the different resolutions affect the average data rates.


All three video sequences were prepared with the slow motion codec and different bit rates. While the lowest resolution only requires 250 kBit/s, the resolution with 352 x 224 pixels needs as much as 700 kBit/s.

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