Hi, My lecturer gave a quiz @ http://137.132.231.53/BK3609c99a/quiz/miniQuiz1Answers.htm, with an answer say that the best video quality playback on a PC is either mpeg or quicktime but not VCD. My answer, however is VCD because my arguements are; first, VCD are mpeg format?, second, as long as I can configure a good video card with sufficient ram, with a VCD of good recorded quality, why can't it be the best quality acheivable on a PC?

-- Ho Yat Wai (hoyatwai@singnet.com.sg), September 01, 1999

Answers

You are right. The lecturer is wrong. Well actually you are both right in some sense. Video CD is the best format as is MPEG but if we are talking MPEG1 vs MPEG2 then on a PC and at home MPEG2 video is the best as is DVD. However your lecturer is incorrect in thinking Quicktime is the best as Quicktime can suffer from hardware incompatiblity more so than VCD or MPEG. Quicktime can suffer from encoding problems as well. Download a Quicktime clip of a music vidoe and blow it up. You can find pixelation and jerkiness. On MPEG video you willnot find these problems unless the hardware has been pushed to the limit. I leave it up to you to do the research and provide prof as this is a quiz and I do know the answer to this and have proven it in front of a class and business people alike BUT you need to do more of the work.

-- The Lone Ranger (rutger_s@hotmail.com), September 01, 1999.

Thanks a million! Ranger! At least I am more confident with myself now, ignoring the fact if I could convey the message to my lecturer. Asian values taught me the difference in seniority and thus, I have to find a better way to present it to my lecturer in a non-offensive way. I will have to search for some article with comment on this topic then.

Thanks again!

-- Ho Yat Wai (hoyatwai@singnet.com.sg), September 02, 1999.