I just purchased a Creative MovieBlaster Movie Maker.

It allows me to capture in MPEG1(352x240) or MPEG2(352x480). I believe that the later is "Half D1 MPEG2". When I open the MPEG2-D1 file in Ulead VideoStudio 4.0 (bundled with the MovieMaker)it does not preview properly and there are lines across the screen. However, the image is clear after I change the settings of VideoStudio to 352x480, but the preview is taller than it is wide.

My question is how standard is the Half D1 MPEG standard? More specifically, if I save all of my movies in this format, will I have trouble editing, playing or converting them later on?

Finally, does anyone know of a good editing program that I can use with this format? Ulead support said they can't change the size of their pixels and therefore would have to edit the elongated video clips.

Thank you, John

-- John (eyewiz@hotmail.com), March 19, 2001

Answers

NTSC D1 is 720x480; this res is also used for DVD MPEG-2 streams, for example. 704x480 is CIF (common image format), and it so follows 352x240 is QCIF (quarter) and indeed 352x480 is half. Displaying the half-res with certain NLEs on a PC monitor forced to a more suitable quarter-res for previewing sometimes produces these artifacts you see, but you should not worry because if the end product is TV display, it should be okay. I have to contend with this when I create SVCDs: for PAL (480x576) the image is taller than it's wide when previewing on the PC unless the player app has provisions for forced display resolutions. Personally though, at a time when most manufacturers are pushing for FireWire and the DV codec and all its trappings, why Creative should choose to exploit USB and only analog capture with MovieMaker escapes me. I mean, for $99 that that product costs, there are other better, established solutions like those from ADSTech. And for a little more than double that, there ARE products from Fast, AIST, and Dazzle THAT provide FireWire AND analogue capture. If you purchased any of these you probably wouldn't be asking about the editing program because MediaStudio or Premiere will have been bundled.

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), March 21, 2001.

Mehmet,

Thanks alot for your time and assistance. I agree with your last few statements. The problem is that I have a laptop and the USB is my fastest port. For me to buy the other products I think I would have to buy an entirely new computer. Currently I don't need any higher quality than the Creative can capture. However, as my needs grow, I will certainly look into the other products.

Thanks again, John

-- John (eyewiz@hotmail.com), March 22, 2001.

CIF is 352 x 288, and QCIF is 176 x 144. MPEG1 is usually captured as SIF (with an "S") of 320x240.

I don't know where the other sizes you are talking about come from, but they are definitely not CIF or QCIF.

-- Max Magliaro (mmagliaro@bnisolutions.com), July 30, 2003.