What is "Visual Masking"?
I see on Rich's web page that he unchecks it in MMC 7.6 when making SVCD compliant captures. I have been unchecking it too, but don't understand why?

Thanks,
gammer

From ATI's help file:

- Visual Masking -

Technique that modifies the bit allocation on a per-macroblock basis to improve video quality. It takes into account that coding noise is more visible in smooth areas (sky, for example) than in active areas (trees, for example).

Thanks! I always wondered what that was. I did a few simple tests with it checked and it seemed to result in slightly worse video, so I always turned it off. It sounds great, but I wonder if in reality it really works as well as it's supposed to. You always do a sample capture with and without it and see what you think.