CompuServe Messages

J.H: Try MPEG. That will require additional hardware, but that's the trade off. TV-quality and CD-ROM are almost a contradiction with software. Why? Data rates. CD-ROMs can only move so much data at a time. Quality video images require more than that. There are three things that determine quality video: picture size, frame rate, and color depth/image quality. If you limit the data, as CD-ROM does, you have to compromise in at least one of those areas. You can go 1/4 screen, that reduces data rates by 4x. Reduce the frame rate, 15 fps rather than 30 fps (or in your case 25 fps PAL down to 12-15 fps.) Or compress. If you compress you lose your TV quality. MPEG uses hardware to assist so it has a better chance of good quality. Be careful, though, you can do MPEG compression yourself, but you'll likely get much better quality if you send footage to a service bureau that can take the time and has the resources to do it well. Jeff Sauer