You will work with the MPEG Video Encoder Setup dialog window to select a number of parameters for encoding.

In the following, we brieftly explain each of the parameters you may select. Some of the parameters require more advanced knowledge about the MPEG video compression standards.

"Load Parameters from input clip" lets you to set the initial values of all parameters based on one of the video clips in the current editing list.

"Format" allow you to choose the output video format, either MPEG-1 or MPEG-2.

"Size (pixels)" is used for specifying the output image resolution. This is useful when you want to convert MPEG-2 video into MPEG-1 video with 2x2 decimation.

"Frame Rate" lets you to convert video format from NTSC (29.97) to PAL (25.00) or film (24.00). Since most NTSC video is created from film, the Editor will automatically detect and drop those repeated video frames when you convert NTSC to file format.

"GOP Size" may be useful to create specially formatted MPEG video for testing. One suggestion for selecting GOP sizes if to use a value of N that is multiple of M.

"Bit Rate Control" has two selections: constant bit rate and variable bit rate encoding. Most MPEG video contents use constant bit rate encoding, but variable bit rate optimises the compression efficiency --- it could reduces a constant bit rate coded video by half in size at the same (maximum) bit rate with identical picture quality.

"Motion Estimation Search" is most useful to trade compression efficiency (with a smaller search distance) with computation speed. However, there is virtually no difference in selecting the two different algorithms, which is provided mainly for testing purposes.

"Filter" section provides a list of filters used by the encoder. "Temporal noise reduction" filter will in general increase compression efficiency by 2% to 10%, and without introducing any noticeable artifact. "Adaptive de-interlacing" filter is useful only when converting MPEG-2 (interlaced frame) content into MPEG-1 (progressive frame) content. "Scene-change detection" is helpful in increasing video quality, especially in low bit rate encoding. As mentioned above, "Inverse telecine" is used in format conversion from NTSC to PAL or film format.

<  12. How to save a video clip