Can anyone tell quality difference @ these bit rates?

I am trying to decide if it's really worth the hassle of moving up from replicating DVD5 to DVD9. If I try to fit everything on to a DVD5 then I will have to encode the show @ avg 5.5, max 7.5, 2 pass. If I go with DVD9 then I will certainly use the highest compression @ avg 7.7, max 9, 2 pass. But in viewing the two I'm not sure if I can see any difference in quality. I think some text that dissolved out seemed to flicker a little more, but other than that I can't tell the difference. Can any of you pros tell the difference in color resolution and in general detail? Can consumers?

Encoding MPEG-2 data is a task that you should be looking at using the lowest bit-rate that is acceptable for the application.

It's kinda like putting premium gasoline in a car that runs well on regular. Not much use.

The trick is that the lower the bit rate the smaller the file size of the compression. Also, consider that the term encode means that the content must be decoded on playback. That function is dependent on the power of the playback device. Set Top DVD players usually are not as capable as a computer.

Encoding video used to be a Black Art with those who really understood the whole process. Practically, it is not that hard when you learn the tricks. Encoding used to be done in hardware, but tools like Compressor make it possible in software. There are lots of encoding tools available. Many choose the best, in their opinion and stick with it.

Sure people can tell the difference but it depends on the footage. Some footage needs more bandwidth than others and how are you checking the encodes? Full speed? Frame by frame? On a 30" screen? Broadcast monitor? Are you using a tool like Digigami MPressionist Pro to help etc.