16:9 DVD output

I capture SD16:9 anaphorically into FCP5, edit and export via Compressor in 16:9 (PAL) anamorphic without problem.
I then create a DVD using DVDSP4 using 16:9 setting in the inspector. It all appears just fine and the resulting DVD plays the usual widescreen 16:9 on all my computer DVD players. However, the DVD when played on either my Sony or Phillips free-standing players connected to my Panasonic 16:9 TV, gives an image which is further letterboxed when the TV is set to 16:9, giving a vertically squashed image with top and bottom black bars. The 4:3 setting on the TV gives an approximately correct 16:9 using this same DVD. (Commerically sourced 16:9 movies play as full screen on the 16:9 TV setting.)
If I create a DVD using the 4:3 setting in DVDSP4 using the same anamorphic input as before, the image on the computer is horizontally squashed to 4:3 aspect, but plays as a normal full-screen 16:9 image on my TV without black bars.
How can I overcome this so that I can produce DVDs that play the usual widescreen independent of whether it is computer based or free standing?
PowerMacG5 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Check your tracks&menues have the "Display Mode" setting in "16:9 letterbox" mode (never use Pan&Scan). I hade good results in such way.
Besides that, the standalone DVD players have settings that can make you don't see the video in the right proportion, but in your case, as you see the commercial movies fine, that's not your problem.
Try with the Display Mode settings.

Similar Messages

Work flow? How to link multi-cam sequences for DVD output?

Pr cs4 (very new)
Still taking baby steps each day... please take my hand and help me!
Final output will be 2 DVD's (each DL) each about 2 hrs. Content are chamber music student groups in two recitals.
I have assets from two camera angles. I have successfully practiced on one of the groups performance (10 min.) following the steps illustrated in a multi-cam tutorial. http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0234
This leaves me with a great multi-cam sequence for that group located in the Project Panel, exactly what I want.
Now, I want to know what is the best method (workflow?) to ultimately produce a DVD containing about 10 of these type performances (one after the other) with chapter markings for each group, titles etc.?
I have yet to use Encore and I'm guessing that is where I'll send the finished edit for DVD production, though I don't know at what step I jump there?
Do I try to create one very long multi cam sequence of all the content, then send to Encore? Or can I create seperate multi-cam sequences (each performance) then link them together, adding transitions and make the DVD? This would be my preference to keep things more manageable, especially with audio synching.
With my practice multi-cam sequence on the timeline, I tried to drag the same sequence from the Project Panel to the end of the timeline to simulate how this would work, but it does not add to the timeline as a clip would.
This is probably childs play for you pro's, but we were all baby's at one time...I just happen to still be one!
Thanks for your patience and advice,
Kenny

Yes I did...now toss me a cookie please.
I am trying to quickly get up to speed in Pr CS4 to get this project completed. In the process, I'm trying to learn and understand the interface and correct terminology so as to make my questions intelligible to a community that posses vastly greater understanding than myself.
Is there anyone who can help with my main question at hand? Namely, how to go about creating a full length sequence (in the timeline) made via the nesting of synchronized multi-camera clips within a new "multi-cam sequence"?
As I said, I have completed a small test sequence in this fashion, nesting clips in a new sequence then using multi-cam monitor to record cuts. Now I need to add about 10 more of these together in a completed sequence to then send to DVD production.
Is this intelligible?
Thanks, Kenny
__0
_ \<,_
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 09:11:06 -0700
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Work flow? How to link multi-cam sequences for DVD output?
please take my hand and help me!
Well, at least you had the gumption to admit that up front.
>

Help Exporting for DVD Output

What is the best way to export my 1920x1080 16:9 timeline for DVD output.
I have tried numerous attempts but the quality on DVD leaves something to be desired.
It looks great when i export it using QT but I also need to have it on a DVD.
Clearly, I am doing something wrong. What settings should i be using?
Sequence Settings
Frame Size: 1920x1080
Field dominance - none
Frames: 30fps
Compressor: ProRes422

First thing you've got to understand is that a DVD is standard definition. It will never be HD quality. That you will lose by encoding to mpeg2.
I'd do the compression in compressor-- try the standard compressions for your length, if those are NG, try duplicating a preset and upping the bitrate. Also, 2 pass vbr with increase the quality, at the expense of compressing time.
This is almost as dark an art as web encoding. Not difficult to do, just time consuming and tedious until you find the correct recipe.
EDIT: I should add that only you and your client can decide what is "good enough."
Message was edited by: Jim Cookman

Problem with photos on dvd output

Not sure where the kink is in my process, exactly, but maybe someone will have run into this before...
i'm working with hi-res photos in my FCP sequences mixed with HDV video. I've been using the motion tab to resize and everything looks fine in final cut. When i use compressor to output the m2v file using the standard dvd presets, some of the stills have problems on the resulting file. not all of them look bad and it doesn't seem to be discriminating based on resolution of the original image file. I'm sure there's a good explanation, but the photos that get messed up seem to be random. some look great.
In the .m2v file played directly off of QT, they sort of just look darker, like perhaps they are interlaced strangely or something and the even or odd rows are black. but when i use that file to burn a dvd in dvd studio pro, the resulting image looks crazy messed up. Anyone know how to wrangle this one? Thanks

In case someone else runs into this problem, i did some extensive chatting with a final cut guru guy and all we could figure out is that i'm experiencing some sort of bug. that it shouldn't have been doing what it was doing. It started happening after my boss upgraded all of the studio software and quicktime to the latest versions. upon closer inspection, what was happening is that some of my photos were missing fields when exported as a qt, some weird byproduct of interlacing. we tried the settings all sorts of different ways and the problem did, indeed, go away when i changed the sequence to progressive, but i didn't want to sacrifice resolution of the rest of the footage just because of the problem with the few photos that were janky, so i found two workarounds that fixed the problem...
1) using the de-interlace effect on just the photos that were giving me problems. it lowered the resolution, but not enough to make a difference and it looked good.
2) using the motion blur effect. This filled in the missing fields and i did it at such an unnoticeable setting that it might have even looked better than the pictures i de-interlaced.
If this jogs someone's brain as to what the actual problem was in the first place and you think it's not just a bug in the system, then i'd be interested to hear how to avoid the problem in the future.

How to Use DVD Output as a Device?

I wish to stream playback from a regular DVD to the FME. Needless to say, a DVD player is not recognized as a device by Flash Media Live Encoder.
How do you recommend taking NTSC output of a DVD playback in a PC and making it available to the FME?
Do you recommend using a capture card as an intermediary step? If so, have any of you experience with this?
I want to run the encoder on the same PC as the DVD player and use the DVD video as the source for the encoder. Many thanks.

This is close but not quite it. There is one difference that is important to kepp in mind:
The DVD player I am asking about is *in* the same PC as a the encoder and uses its regular DVD drive. Hence there is no S-Video or composite outputs.
The question is how to recognize the PC-based DVD player output as a 'device' accepted by the FME. I'd like to do this natively at a software level and rather not use a separate DVD player for the the job.

How do I get good DVD output from FX7 footage?

I just videotaped a dance concert and when I transferred the video to my computer and output it to a DL DVD, the quality is nowhere near as good as a straight HDMI connection to a TV. It doesn't even look that good on the computer in Premiere elements before I output to DVD. I'm using Adobe Premiere Elements 7. I don't know if it's the project settings for the transfer, I chose HDV 1080i 30. Is Premiere Elements maybe not going to give me what I want? My Camera is a Sony HDR-FX7
thanks,
Eric

I assume you are working with high definition video in a high definition project preset and burning as a standard DVD. How much video do you have on the DVD... for maximum quality (8Mbps with PE7) you are limited to a little over an hour for a SL DVD and 2 hours for a DL DVD. Any more footage and the bitrate will be reduced lowering the quality. If the quality is still poor you could try downconverting in the cam and capturing as DV-AVI and working in a standard definition project in PE7. Certainly in early versions of Premiere Elements this gave better quality
Other thing to consider is that your standard definition footage played on a DVD (which is a compressed format as well) is never going to look as good as the high definition video played over HDMI from the camcorder.

*** Dropping an HDV sequence into a DV sequence for DVD output

I would like to output my HDV project to DVD but don't have an HDV camera or deck. I've dropped a few clips into an SD (anamorphic) sequence and rendered it out, but when the playback is viewed on a tv, it is jittery and not smooth as it needs to be.
I've had success sending my HDV project directly from FCP to compressor, but in this case, I can't do this because my next problem is having a glitch where it causes FCP to crash during the outputting to Compressor process.
This is the next workaround I've though of.........but it is having difficulty working.......is there another option or a setting I can change on this one?

All of the HDV footage I've worked with has been Lower Field First. If you want to de-interlace, use Apple's de-interlacer that can "interpolate" instead of duplicate or blend. This maintains the images edges. this can be found in Compressor, Shake, and even Motion. Also, Sending a sequence out to Compressor straight from Final Cut may seem like a good idea, but remember that HDV uses MPEG 2 Interframe encoding, and a lot of your cuts take place between complete frames. I've heard of a lot of problems, and experienced them myself by going this rout. I'd recommend exporting your entire sequence to a self-contained movie, which will render it completely, then taking that in to Compressor to convert to DVD or any other format. I like using the Apple Intermediate Codec or DVC PRO HD because it converts it to an Intraframe encoded format, aka, every frame stands on its own. It takes up more drive space, but its far less CPU intensive. While you're in compressor, you'll have to go into the "Frame Control" tab and set up your de-interlacing, which I believe lets you choose something like "motion estimation" or "best" which will interpolate the fields and produce sharper results. In Motion, it's just a filter. In Shake, its a node, or you can use the FileIn node to convert the format which can do the same.

Broadcast safe levels and DVD output

Some of my video levels are above 100 IRE. I am only outputting to DVD or Blu-ray, never broadcast.
Should I compress the dynamic range down to broadcast safe, or leave the slightly higher dynamic range?
I think that this is probably a question of how FCP, Compressor, and the DVD or Blu-ray plays handle 110 IRE. All the video I am referring to is HDV and the over 100 IRE is in the original captured video. I understand that I need to set the RGB to YCbCr conversion in the sequence settings to match my output strategy.
All my sequence renders are to ProRes.
Obviously, if I use 110 IRE as my max output level, I don't what it clipped somewhere down the path.
Thanks
Rick

IRE is an analogue video measurement. It is only applicable if you are transferring to analogue:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/video_levelsnattress.html
8-bit digital video uses a level of 16 for 0% and 235 for 100%.
So you are talking about levels that are above 100%, a.k.a. superwhites.
Since ProRes is 10-bit, the digital code numbers are different,
but superwhites are still luma values that are above 100%.
Although DV-type codecs can handle superwhites, DVD encoding does not,
so it would be safest to eliminate them by using the Broadcast Safe filter
set to 100%, even though you're not broadcasting.
Clamping your superwhites may cause you to lose highlight detail.
For that reason, you should color-correct to bring the highlights
down to below 100% (while looking at the Waveform Monitor)
and then use the Broadcast Safe filter as insurance.
That way, you can determine how you'd like the highlights to look,
instead of just letting them get all set to 100%.
If you're doing a lot of color-correction, the extra resolution
will be useful. Just be sure to get things below 100% for output to DVD.

Multiple (different) DVD outputs from a single Encore project

I have 5 DVD's to output. Each of them is based off the same menu template. (see attachment) What will be changing from one DVD to the next are the number of buttons and the "workshop" title. Is it possible or advisable to copy the menu that I have done already, modify it and output it as a new dvd all in the same encore project file? (Without altering the one I have completed already) I hope that made sense. Or do I need to have a new Encore project for each DVD?
TIA
Dean

I agree with the others, and it's basically the way that I have done multi-disc Projects.
I first set up a Project, and Import all Assets, that are common across all Projects, arranging them in appropriate Folders/Bins. Then, I Save that Project, to be used as a "template," for each disc in the set. I also make a Copy of that Project (complete), just in case I forget the next step. I Open my "template" Project, and do a Save_As, with the disc number in the new name. I Import all unique Assets, modify my Menus, and do any required linking. If OK, I then output. For the next disc, I Open that "template" Project, and repeat the process, incrementing the Project's file name to reflect the next disc, say_02, in lieu of the first one's _01. Repeat.
I've used this workflow for Projects that were up to 18 discs, with no problems.
Just plan your "template" Project out, so that you will only have to Import material, that is unique to that disc.
Good luck,
Hunt

Mpeg2-dvd outputs blank or black file

hi,
When I render to mpeg2-dvd all I get is a blank file. It is 50Mb, but nothing shows up but black. what am I doing wrong?

Please be more specific. what settings do you use excactly? Where do you verify the output?
Mylenium

Aspect Ratio problem with DVD output

I have a FCP sequence that I have output as a self contained QT movie. The film was shot 16:9 HD, 1080i/60
I have processed this with Compressor, using the SD DVD setting for 90 mins (the film is 8 mins) because the client wants an SD DVD, not an HD DVD, even though the film was shot in HD.
I then take the Compressor output and import that into DVD Studio Pro. I set the display mode for the track as 16:9 and in simulator select display mode.
The problem is when I output the DVD, I have two non 16:9 televisions to test it on.
On one, which can switch between wide / original / 4:3 the only setting that looks normal (i.e. not squeezed or stretched or cropped) is the 4:3 setting. Yet this is a 16:9 film.
On the other 4:3 television, with no ability to switch between wide / original / 4:3, the image fills the screen but is stretched vertically (I would have expected letterboxing and wide screen image, as when I play a commercial DVD film on this television).
How can I output a SD DVD in 16:9 from this project?
Thanks in advance!

Thank you this was very helpful. I had NOT in fact set the preferences ofr 16:9 encoding. I have now burned another DVD having made this change.
The result is better in that there are now two settings, original and 4:3 that work on one of the televisions I am testing on. Previously, the only one that worked correctly was 4:3.
I am still puzzled why I don't see the output as widescreen with black bars only at top and bottom. (I see it with black border all around. Though the image is not distorted.
Can this have anything to do with the fact that I am going from an HD format in Final Cut sequence to an SD DVD?
Thanks again!

Changing DVD output resolution in encore CS4

Hi.
I've recently started using encore to produce DVD's but I have noticed that whenever I create a new project the DVD resolution is locked at 720 x 576.
This hasn't been a problem because the past few DVD's iv made were just low quality anyway, but now I'm wanting to make a full HD DVD because I have a video saved at 1920x1080
how can I change this resolution to match the video files??
Thanks
PomTom

Proper dvd's with movies on them have a high quality output setting that looks crisp on large tv's
Its not a blue ray disk, Its a normal dvd
When i make dvds though encore since the dimentions is stuck at 720x576 the image is pixalted
Proper DVDs are only 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480
This is DVD spec. See Encore help for DVD formats it supports.
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/encore/cs/using/WS5C9E1CF8-B5BC-436f-89D3-61DDC02A2C47a.html
As John points out, commercial studios use high end software (I think he meant starting at $5,000), multi-passes, and special experts in compression.
But what you describe (pixelated), sounds like poor quality, not just not good on large screens. So you are having problems either in the downrez or the datarate.
What is the datarate you are using? How long is the video?

FCP Settings for progressive DVD Output

Hello FCP folk,
I'm working on a project that uses still photos as the only visual content, most of these are historic black and white. Wondering if I can take advantage of this and work towards a progressive scan DVD as the final out put.
Project is being edited in Final Cut 5, OS 10.4.3, playback through an ED and HD ready LCD monitor.
I'm wondering what the proper workflow should be to work towards this end. FCP settings? Output from the editing timeline options? DVDSP options ?
Any suggestions appreciated,
Thanks,
Drew

Thanks for that Ann.
I've done small samples at 720 x 25 720 x 50 1080 x 25 1080 x 50 before using Dynamic Link (which I must admit I've found very convenient and effective previously) to set up in Encore and burn without extras such as menus.
Playing back on a 37" TV we can't see a discernible difference apart from a little shimmer on horizontal lines.
I think I'll press ahead with 720 x 25 with this project which is what I've used before and am confident with but would welcome more advice on this topic.
I wonder if these settings would be even more critical should I need to output to Blue Ray
Norman

Best Compostion Settings for DVD output

I am working on a project that does involve some regular DV footage but the vast majority of the footage will be animation movs exported from After Effects. These movies are simply pans and zooms on still photos done in After Effects.
What I'm wondering is what sequence settings I should use.
The final output will be to DVD and it will be viewed mainly on TVs, not computers.
One thing I hate is when I do these still pics and on a TV they look jittery or shimmery or alias-y or whatever it's called.
Is there some way to avoid this?
Is it possible to do a movie in progressive scan even though some of the footage is DV?
How about when exporting from AE? Should I use the DV setting or the progressive setting?
Any thoughts will be very helpful.
Thanks,
S

David,
Your answer "Depends on what is causing the problem. Could be one of (or a combination of) many things; resolution too high, areas of fine detail in the image, poor scan, dimpled/textured photo paper, patterns within the image, areas of high contrast within the image, etc. Each of these problems needs to be addressed individually for each photo." intrigues me.
We are scanning the photos as high res (3000x2000 in some cases) TIF files to allow for panning and zooming. They are B+W and do often have high contrast. They also often have areas of fine detail. I don't think poor scanning or dimpled paper are issues.
Could you offer any ideas on how to fix these images for TV viewing? I will say that I have read other posts on here about using deinterlace, flicker filter, etc and I am never pleased with the way the image is degraded with these filters.
The best I have found is to use a slight blur. On this forum people often say less than .5 pixels but that is never enough to eliminate the flicker, shimmer, what-have-you. I am often forced to use a gaussian blur of 1 to 1.5 pixels.
What I don't like about this is how it then looks on a computer monitor (should people pop the DVD into watch on their home computer). On a TV the images generally look fine.
Any ideas?
Do you think just sticking with regular NTSC DV sequence settings is appropriate?
What about sequence settings for video processing? Would it help at all to use "high quality YUV" rather than "8 bit YUV" since these are animation movies of still pics?
Thanks for the help,
S

Settings for SD DVD output

Hi
Is there any advantage in editing in 1080 x 50 if final product will be on SD DVD?
Thanks
Norman

Thanks for that Ann.
I've done small samples at 720 x 25 720 x 50 1080 x 25 1080 x 50 before using Dynamic Link (which I must admit I've found very convenient and effective previously) to set up in Encore and burn without extras such as menus.
Playing back on a 37" TV we can't see a discernible difference apart from a little shimmer on horizontal lines.
I think I'll press ahead with 720 x 25 with this project which is what I've used before and am confident with but would welcome more advice on this topic.
I wonder if these settings would be even more critical should I need to output to Blue Ray
Norman

Sequence settings for PAL DVD output

G'day,
I'm cutting my sister's wedding video. I have footage from 2 cameras - a Panasonic TM900 (1920x1080p50) and a Canon MVX430 (miniDV SD PAL "widescreen").
The intended media is DVD. I am using Final Cut Pro, and DVD Studio Pro.
I've read that I should use a PAL CCIR 601 5:4 720x576 frame size, with PAL CCIR 601 pixels in order to achive widescreen DVD playback.
And this seems right, as when I drag the HD and SD footage to the sequence, they both maintain their 16:9 ratios - with black borders top and bottom.
However once I start playing around with the footage... zooming in (ie increasing the scale in the Motion tab), or if I re-centre the footage, moving it around the frame, those borders move around or are completely lost.
Previously for this problem I have just used the crop function (with key frames as required) in the Motion tab, but that can get very painful.
Am I using the wrong work flow here? Should I be using an actual 16:9 frame from the start, instead of the 5:4 with borders?
Is there an easier way to maintain the borders?
Hope this makes sense...
For the record, I do have some understanding of what I'm doing, just was only taught what I needed to complete the projects I worked on at Uni, so don't have a full understanding of all of the complexities involved...
Thankyou
cosmic

>Should I be using an actual 16:9 frame from the start, instead of the 5:4 with borders?
Yes. Make your Sequence DVPAL anamorphic.
>Is there an easier way to maintain the borders?
Why do you want borders? On a 16:9 TV the screen will be filled. You will only see the borders on a 4:3 set.

16:9 DVD output

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