Audio standard for DVD authoring?

Hello,
I'm currently very close to the finish line of a project I'm working on, its a 6 minutes commercials that will go on a DVD and distributed along with their brochure.
Now, my client specifically wants 5.1 channel surround sound and placing all voices in the center channel, this is actually my first time authroing 5.1 channel surround and I really don't have much idea on what the normal workflow should be.
In FCP I assigned channel 1&2 (left and right) to be the soundtrack for the commercial, while channel 3 (center) is all the voices, channel 5&6 (rear left&right) is just copy of channel 1&2 but play at lower volume.
When I tried to play the DVD, however, it seems like all the bass is missing, I originally thought the DVD player should take the low frequency out of all other channel and mix them into LFE, but apparently its not doing that.
So I exported all the audios from FCP into just a stereo pair, and in SoundTrack Pro, combined the stereo into a mono. then import that mono audio back into FCP project at channel 4 (LFE) and then applied a graphicalEQ to it, turn any frequency above 500Hz all the way down.
I've managed to get what I wanted, but its just a hassle having to work it like this. I'm wondering is what I'm doing anywhere near "correct"?
If someone don't mind sharing your experience about creating contents in 5.1 surround sound, I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks!

In addition to Ian's suggestion, go and have a look at the DVInfo forums (www.dvinfo.net/conf).
You'll have to register to post, but there's a good Final Cut section there.

Similar Messages

My Personal Workflow for DVD Authoring in Encore

This is being posted, due to requests for workflow recs. from a few other threads. It is separate from those threads, but I will try to link to his post in those.
The DVD Specs. are quite strict on what is allowed, and in what exact form, in a DVD to be compliant with the standards set forth. However, there are some differences, other than image sizes, between NTSC and PAL. Depending on where you are, and where your DVD will be played, these can, and will, be different. Rather than type out a list of the specifications, Ill point you to: http://www.dvd-replica.com/DVD/dvdprimer-1.php for some reading and references.
That said, Adobe Encore can handle, on Import, more formats and sizes, than are allowed, by the DVD specs. In most cases, it will fit the Assets to DVD, but not in all cases. Also, some Assets are more likely to work, without problems, than are others. Rather than list all of the file formats, etc., that Encore can work with, Im only going to list a potential workflow, that has been known to work, with the least effort, for me. My suggestion is that if you have Assets that are different, you look into getting them into perfect compliance, BEFORE you bring them into Encore. This allows Encore to do, what it does best, create DVD Spec. DVDs for play on a television set through a set-top player, or on a computer through a DVD software player. This article will not address a lot of other possible inclusions, such as ROM content, interactive DVD, multiple Audio Tracks, Closed Captioning, or Subtitles. It also assumes that one is burning to a DVD and not to Blu-ray Disc, or another medium.
Most of the thoughts here come from a few sources, the prime one being Jeff Bellunes book, The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0, by Focal Press, ISBN 0-240-52004-1. Other sources are Adobe Press Classroom in a Book for Encore, and various articles and discussions from the Adobe User-to-User Forums, for Encore and Premiere Pro.*
There are many possible ways to acquire Assets (the actual Audio and Video files that you will use), and I will not cover all of these, nor will I go into great detail on preparing your Assets for Encore, other than to say that its best to Export from your Non-Linear Editor (NLE), or convert with third-party programs, your Assets so that they are most likely to work in Encore. Your choice of NLE, or conversion program is totally up to you. There are freeware, shareware and commercial ware programs for all of this. Reading the various Adobe forums and other video production forums, plus a healthy dose of Google, should yield a whole toolbox of utilities. No one utility, from $50,000 authoring programs to freeware file converters can do it all. Like a good mechanic, you need the best tools for the exact job. Also, there are other DVD authoring programs, and some are less strict, than is Encore, about what they will and will not accept. Your final DVD may play perfectly, or it may not. Encore tries to assure that you will get perfect playback on as many different machines, as is possible.
Ill step you through my personal workflow, but you have to understand that this is not the ONLY way to do it. You also must realize that your exact needs might dictate that you do it otherwise. All Im giving you, is what has worked for me in hundreds of successful DVD Projects. It is based on trial-and-error, a lot of help from the regulars in the Adobe forums, Jeff Bellunes book and other resources. How you adapt this to your personal workflow, or your particular Project is up to you.
[Go to Page 2 for the rest]

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To start, plan your Project from beginning to the finished product in this case, a DVD that can play on a TV, or on a computer, that is compliant with the DVD specs. I usually have edited all of my Video and Audio Assets, using Adobe Premiere Pro (PP), and Adobe Audition (AA). Any still Assets have usually come from Adobe Photoshop (PS), whether they are Menus, or Graphics of some sort. This allows me great flexibility in the creation and Export of my Assets. In a parallel universe, one might have a client, who hands them Assets, that have to be manipulated. One then has to find the right tools to get the Assets into a format that will work.
I plan each Project, and usually draw out a flowchart (not unlike the Flowchart Panel in Encore) in Adobe Illustrator (AI). This gives me the layout and navigation of the DVD, and lists all of my Assets, showing all of the links from Menus to Assets, often by way of Playlists, or Chapter Playlists. From this flowchart, I then create a list of all of my Assets, noting what form they are in, and also which ones will, or might, need some additional work.
Next, I gather these Assets from their location on my systems hard drive (HDD). There, I have built a folder hierarchy that differentiates the Assets type, Still, Menu, Music, Audio (associated with the Video) and Video. All are below my main Projects folder. As I have created these Assets, I have control over their form and format. All of my Video is an elemental stream (Video only no Audio, not muxed) in the DV-AVI format. All of my Audio is an elemental stream (Audio only no Video, not muxed) in the AC3 (Dolby Digital) format and is usually DD 5.1 Surround Sound. All of my Music (for Menus, etc.) is in AC3 format. All of my Menus are PSDs, and are either built FROM the template Menus in Encore, adapted for my needs, or are constructed in PS using the exact same conventions as the template Menus in Encore.
I have created a template Project in Encore, that has my normal structure in place. It is empty, except for a Bin structure, which lists my Assets: Video, Timelines, Audio, Music, Menus, etc.. This template has been saved from Encore (remember, its otherwise empty), and I Open it in Encore, and immediately Save_As, to my Project folder, with that Projects name. I use Save_As for two reasons, it leaves my template Project untouched and then locates my Project in the proper folder and is still in Encore on my screen. If I were to use Save_As_a_Copy, Id then have to Exit and Open that copy. My way automatically gets me to where I need to be, with my new Project (named appropriately) open in Encore. Im ready to get started.
With my Assets list in hand, I Import these into the pre-made Bins. First, I Import my Videos, as Timelines into my Timelines Bin. This brings in my DV-AVI Video files and creates a Timeline for each. When done, I split out the Video, into the Video Bin leaving the Timelines alone in the Timelines Bin. If I have any Video for my Motion Menus, I Import, as Asset, into the Video Bin, along with the Videos that were used to automatically create my Timelines. Next, I Import, as Asset, my Audio AC3 files into the Audio Bin. Same for Menus, as Menus, into my Menus Bin. Music AC3's are Imported as an Asset into the Music Bin. Should there be any Stills, that are not Menus (highly unlikely), they are Imported into a Stills Bin. Now its time for some drag-n-drop. Each Timeline has its Video on it, and I go to the Audio Bin, and drag the appropriate Audio file to its respective Timeline. Because I edited and Exported these files as elemental streams (non-multiplexed, or muxed), I know that they are EXACTLY the same Duration. Now, I set the appropriate Poster Frame for each Chapter/Timeline. To step back a bit here, I need to point out that I always edit my movies in PP, my NLE of choice, and keep each Chapter on its own Sequence. I Export each Sequence as a separate file (one Audio and one Video). I almost never use Chapter Markers, as each Chapter will be a separate set of Audio and Video files, and will have it own Timeline in Encore. The only times that I use Chapter Markers, is when I need some additional navigation within a Timeline, but that is not often. This is just how I edit. I will not cover other methods, but there are books and articles that discuss other ways. None is right vs wrong. They are just different, and this one is mine.
From my Flowchart Panel, I know if I will have a Video (with Audio) lead-in as my First Play. I also know exactly what my Menu structure will be. Most of my Projects have a Main Menu with sub-Menus for Scene selection, or other features navigation. I also know how many Playlists I will need, and create these. There is usually a Play All Playlist, as my Chapters are all on a separate Timeline. I seldom use a Chapter Playlist (similar name, but different than a Playlist). These are all stored in my Playlist Bin. Now, I can now start Linking my Assets.
In PS, I will have named my Buttons to correspond to the names of my Chapters (remember mine will be each on a separate Timeline, which have also been named appropriately). I leave the Button numbering, which is different than a Buttons name, in the same hierarchal order, #1 is the lowest on the Button Layer Set palette, with higher numbers in ascending order. Because my Buttons are already named, Ill take each Menu into the Menu Monitor and do a Ctrl-a (Select all) and makes sure that Sync Button Name is unchecked in the Menu Properties Panel. I do this for all of my Menu Buttons - heck, I have already spent the time in PS to create the proper Text Layer, and have changed the Buttons names to what I want them to be, why mess that up now.
With the Buttons, in all of my Menus and sub-Menus named appropriately, I can look in the Flowchart Panel and know exactly where I need to Link. One could almost do this blindfolded. Its here that I make sure that the End Actions get me exactly where I wish to go. Also, by using Playlists for things like Play All, I can set the End Action there.
Last, I address my Menus, regarding Motion. About half of my Menus have some form of animated Background. These are always non-muxed DV-AVIs (stored in the Video Bin). Almost all of my Menus will have Audio, in the form of an AC3 (stored in the Audio Bin).
Everything has been Linked, all End Actions have been set, nothing is left in the Orphanage, and it is time to Check Project. Oh, if I do have animations on my Menus, Ill Render Motion Menus and Preview them. I always leave all functions checked in Check Project and run it. I note any warnings, or errors, and go about fixing these. Ninety percent of the time, I only get the occasional warning, and it will be about End Actions. As these are only warnings, I note them to make sure that, in Preview, things function as I wish. There are almost never any errors, but if there are, I begin fixing them. Note: the Check Project function really only checks the navigation, as per the DVD specs. It does not check that your Assets are compliant. Since mine are, before they are Imported, this is never a problem.
Now, I Preview, and Preview, and Preview. Normally, I am able to leave Button Routing to Automatically Route Buttons, so I seldom have to worry about that. Also, since I either built my Menus FROM the Encore Menu Templates, or created them PER the Encore Menu Templates, I seldom have any Button overlaps.
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Minimum Standards for DVD

Happy New Year,
I'm a newbie to DVD authoring, and I realize that some disks
with high bit rates don't play well on older DVD players.
That applies even to commercially released disks.
So what would be a good guideline for acceptable playback?
Would using Compressor's 120 minute settings (5Mbps avg,
7.5 Mbps peak) result in a disk that would play on most
modern players?
Another thoughts on this subject would be most appreciated.
Les

For 120 minutes assuming AC3 audio, a peak and target of about 5 or less would be better on a DVD5.

Any free way to encode 5.1 audio track for DVD?

Besides the limited 3-use SurCode for Dolby Digital that comes with Premiere, is there any free way to encode or convert a 5.1 PCM WAV file to a surround format for DVD?
Thanks!

I can't find the post, but I saved it...Here it is:
Like most of you, I was annoyed to find out I couldn't create AC3 surround sound files with my CS4 software, and also that we got downgraded from Audition to Soundbooth. We all paid a lot for it! I know many people have ranted about that already, so enough said.
Here is a workflow that gets around that problem without ponying up for the SurCode Plug-in, and/or buying Audition!
To convert your mixed 5.1 audio, or stereo audio, to the DVD standard AC3 file that Encore wants, download the latest version of Audacity here:http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. If you don't know already, it's free!
Now, before I start getting flamed, about Audacity, it works great! The UI is not the most modern, but the quality is top-notch. I've used it for years and most complaints about it are unjustified.
You'll need to download the latest version: "Beta: 1.3x - for advanced users." There will soon, I hope, be an Audacity 2.0 stable release. Until then, use the Beta release for this workflow.
Note: I'll focus on Premiere Pro CS4, because that is where I originally troubleshooted this, but something similar will work for the other Adobe products that use sound.
Workflow:
Create your mixed 5.1 surround sound audio in Premiere, and output the audio only by going to File > Export > Media, and selecting "Windows Waveform" as the output. You should only have "Export Audio" checked. Verify the format in the Summary section. You should see something like: 48000 Hz, 5.1 Surround, 16 bit. Now under Audio codec, make sure "Uncompressed" is selected. Click Okay, and Adobe Media Encoder should launch. Click "Start Queue" and your audio file will be created. You'll get an interleaved 6 channel wave file. Not all applications will open it, but Audacity will.
Note: When you mix your surround sound in the Audio Mixer, you'll place your little "Puck" where you want the sound to come from. Picture yourself in the middle of the "dish," if it's a puck, isn't it in a rink, as in hockey rink...ah, but I digress. Anyway, you'll notice that volume meters in the 5.1 (6 channel) Master section are laid out in the following order: L,R,LS,RS,C,LFE. Also, if you open a 5.1 audio file in the Source panel, you'll see the same order from top to bottom: L,R,LS,RS,C,LFE.   Soundbooth also does it that way. Ahh....Adobe...nice try.
The actual channel order should be L,R,C,LFE,LS,RS. That's the order that you'll probably have to assign in the "Audio Output Mapping" section in the properties menu to get your channels to play correctly with your surround sound hardware. L,R,C,LFE,LS,RS is also the order that interleaved files use. So after you create your 5.1 file, and open it in another audio program that displays them in the "proper" order, like Audacity, you'll see your tracks laid out from top to bottom in that order. I'm not sure why Adobe does it that way, but oh well.
Surround sound primer:
The LFE channel is not, despite popular misconception, a subwoofer channel. Bass from all the channels in a surround sound Amplifier is summed and sent out to the Subwoofer. The LFE channel is supposed to be used only for very low frequencies, to create extra ...oomph. I think that is the technical term. It is not supposed to be used for bass frequencies from the other tracks. It is for explosions, dinosaur footsteps, ...etc.
Audacity will open DVD ".vob" files, and even let you select which stream (usually Language) to open. As an example, open up a movie with some action in it like Ironman (The movie starts at "VTS_03_1.vob") and look at the LFE channel. It's the 4th track from the top in Audacity. You'll see it's silent except at parts where there is thumping AC/DC music at the Intro, or explosions. It's not used as a subwoofer channel!
With that in mind, you may have noticed, unless I'm missing something, that there is no way in the Premiere Mixer to assign an audio track only to the LFE channel. Sure, you can dial up the "Bass Clef" knob to 0.00 db, and send a mono channel's audio to the LFE channel, but there is no place to put the "Puck" that only outputs to LFE. There is one for the center channel, but without someplace to put it, your 40 Hz dinosaur footprint "Thump" is going to also be assigned to some of the other channels. Which channels depends on your "Puck" placement. This is not correct. Again, unless I'm missing something, Adobe needs to correct this oversight. We'll get back to this problem with a solution later, but first let's continue with the AC3 issue.
At this point you should have your wave file. If you want to apply any global changes to all 6 channels, you can open it in Adobe Soundbooth and trim the beginning or end, and apply effects to the entire file. You cannot, however, make changes to individual channels. Audacity will! We'll get to that later.
Encode with Audacity:
Install the software and go to Edit > Preferences > Libraries, and click on "Download" for the "FFmpeg Library." This is the library that Audacity will use to create the .AC3 file. Once installed, the library version should show up next to "FFmpeg Library Version" While the "Audacity Preferences" window is still open, select "Import/Export" and select "Use Custom Mix", this is used to export a 5.1 channel file. Now you're ready to open your .wave file from Premiere. Drag and drop it in the Audacity workspace and you should see 6 mono tracks laid out from top to bottom in the following order: L,R,C,LFE,LS,RS. Audacity will let you edit the individual tracks, unlike Soundbooth, thanks Adobe. But for now, we'll keep it simple. Set your "Project Rate" in audacity in the lower-left corner to what you want the AC3 file to be. For DVD, chose 48000 (Hz). If you leave it at 44100 (Hz) Encore won't import it.
Your almost done. Now let's export the file. Go to Files > Export... > and select "AC3 Files (FFmpeg)" in the "Save as type:" drop-down. Click the "Options..." button and set the "Bit Rate:" for your file. For 5.1 AC3 audio, probably 448. Now enter a file name and click "Save." This will open the "Advanced Mixing Options" window. This allows you to re-map the tracks to a different channel order. It should be correct, and it should show "Output Channels:" set to 6. Press "OK" and you're done.
Presto, you have a 5.1 channel AC3 file. Use that in Encore, or whatever DVD creation program you use, and when you play your DVD you'll have full 5.1 audio coming out your surround sound Amplifier. That is if you have one.
Test your file:
If you want to test your file, you can do a couple of things. Since Soundbooth and Adobe Bridge won't even open AC3 files, and Encore will open but only play the Left and Right channels in the preview, you'll have to either import the file into Premiere, or use another media player.
If you got Premiere to play your surround properly, then you can drag and drop the file into the "Project" panel and preview it from there. You will hear all 6 channels in the correct speakers, but I did notice that the quality is not very good. Maybe Premiere doesn't decode AC3 all that well. I heard some crackle that isn't in the file. How do I know it isn't just a bad encoding job by Audacity? Because I played the file with the VLC media player, and Cyberlink PowerDVD on the same computer, and also on a DVD in my home theater system with no artifacts. Maybe Premiere doesn't decode AC3 files well.
The VLC player, will play almost any file in the known universe, and at least on my computer, it automatically played the AC3 surround file, created by Audacity, with all the channels mapped correctly. That's right, full surround out my speakers with only default settings. It's a great player. Get it for free here: http://www.videolan.org/
Test with Encore:
So far so good. Now open Encore, drop the AC3 file in an empty project, throw it on a Timeline and build the project without Video, It will autoplay without a menu this way. If you set the End-Action to the same AC3 file it will repeat continuously. Either burn this to DVD-RW and test it in your DVD player, or better yet, Build the project to a DVD Image instead, and mount it in a virtual DVD   Drive with a program like "Virtual CloneDrive."
If you don't know what that is, or how to do it, it is very simple. Go to:http://www.slysoft.com/en/ and download "Virtual Clonedrive." It is free. It tricks your operating system into thinking you have another physical DVD drive. In fact, it can create up to 8 virtual drives. Now you don't have to waste time burning, and erasing DVD's every time you make a change to a project. You can build your project as a DVD Image from Encore, save the .iso file to your Desktop and "mount" it (load it) in Virtual Clonedrive. You're computer will now think you loaded a DVD into a physical drive, and launch whatever DVD player you have installed. Mine launches "Cyberlink PowerDVD" which plays the AC3 audio-only DVD in full surround sound on my computer.
Building and testing projects this way will save you endless hours. If you need to make a quick change, just "Unmount" the .iso in Virtual Clonedrive, rebuild your project to the same filename, and "Mount" it again. Instant testing!
Now, as promised, back to that LFE Channel problem with Premiere that I mentioned:
Audacity will let you modify the individual channels in your interleaved 6-Channel file. So don't put anything in that channel in your Premiere mixer. Leave the "Bass Clef" knobs at full CCW position ( -00 db ). The bass from the other channels will go to your subwoofer automatically in your Amplifier.
Now if you have some low frequency effects files, open them in Audacity. You can open multiple instances of Audacity at the same time by going to "File > New." Then, copy and paste them into the LFE Track at the correct point.
Audacity newbie Hint: Audacity doesn't yet have a "Mix-Paste" function, so to avoid altering the track length as you paste in your clips, do the following: Select the LFE track by clicking on it's info area. The info area should say something like "Mono, 48000Hz" Then press "Delete," That will remove everything from the track. Now copy and paste your clips into the track by clicking once with the "Selection Tool" where you want the clip to start, and selecting "Edit > Paste." If you need to fine tune the position of the pasted clip, use the "Time Shift Tool" to move it left or right. If you work from left to right, then you won't push clips over when you paste new ones in.
There is another way to do this by opening up new tracks, using the "Mix and Render" function, and re-ordering the tracks to maintain the L,R,C,LFE,LS,RS channel order. But that's for advanced users.

HTML5 audio widget for iBooks Author

Hello!
I'm creating a HTML widget for iBooks Author and I want to add a audio tag of HTML5 in my HTML file. When I do this, I test in Safari Browser and the audio sounds good, so I add my widget with the HTML file, sounds, Default.png and Info.plist and I do a Preview for see in iPad. When I open the widget in iPad the sound doesn't work and it show me a message like this:
"cannot play audio file"
The audio have a .m4a extension. I don't know what can I do...
Someone can help me, please?
Thanks!

Hi Crisiii,
I have the same problem. However, in my case it does work if I test the widget in an new empty book. When I add the widget to the real book it does not work. mabe you should do the test to troble-shoot and have a better idea of what is wrong in your case.
I will try to find a fix to the problem and let you know if I do. Please do the same if you find what the problem is.
Thank you.

Luma/chroma standards for DVD video

FCPro has the option of doing a range check for both the luma and chroma of your video to ensure that it's broadcast legal. I'm mastering a video for DVD, not for broadcast...are the standards any different for DVD-only video?
Thanks.
G5 Dual 2.5 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6)

No they are the same, or at least, they don't have their own standards. You'll find that adhering to the broadcast standards will usually give you the best looking picture anyway. They weren't setup for a proper transmission, they were set up for a proper display on TV sets, so that really doesn't change when you are making a DVD to played back on a TV set, right?
Jerry

Audio standards for importing music.

Is it just me or is there complete apathy for the way that audio sounds now? It drives me up the wall the way that some listeners can bounce .mp4 files 10 times and not hear the loss in audio quality. I understand that the "standard" for my generation has turned in to the iPod earbud, but isn't there a better way to import? Maybe the solution lies in the mixing of music. No one listens to the songs they purchase on iTunes on high-end stereos anymore. Should we be mixing for earbuds?
Powerbook G4 15'' Mac OS X (10.4.8)

There's no "standard" for mixing and mastering audio so...
There are standards for file types but the "quality" of the converted music is left up to whoever makes the codec.
How would this standard for importing music work exactly?
I understand that the "standard" for my generation has turned in to the iPod earbud, but isn't there a better way to import?
Sure there is. Crank up the bit rate or go with lossless.
RIP a CD a few different ways and compare the RIP'd songs.
If size does not matter, use Lossless, AIFF or WAV.
About the only reason for MP3, AAC and other lossy codecs is to make the file size smaller.

Problems with audio in quicktime file for dvd authoring

i have converted sequence into quicktime file for burning into dvd. i have am experiencing some problems with voice over which disappers and comes back later in the quicktime file when i play it. this quicktime file is made as self contained movie. I have traced this back to the original sequence in the timeline to a white line or series of line in at the top of the time line. one is for video and the other is for audio. when the first line appears the voice over gets interrupted and audio stops in the quicktime file but its ok in the timeline. when the white line shows again the voice over can be heard again in the quicktime file and audio stops again at the start of another white line. there is no loss of audio in the sequence in the timeline. so please can someone help me understand what the problem is.

thanks tom. i am refering to render bar in the timeline, upper for video and lower for audio. May be i shoud describe them as white line gaps between dark grey or steel grey bar color.
what do you mean by down mixing? please advise

PAL - NTSC Prores for DVD authoring

Hi
Ive 100 mins of concert footage shot on Canon t2i. 25fps PROGRESSIVE.
I need to author and duplicate a DVD using DVD studio pro, this will be pressed and released commercially.
Im trying to get the best quality and work method.
After loads of reading, so far, this is my work route.
1. Convert Prores files from PAL - NTSC using Comp 4.
Im keeping the same size, 1920 x 1080, just changing the frame rate to 29.97.
In frame controls I have ..
Resize - BETTER Deinterlace BETTER ( though can this be set to FAST as the footage is PROGRESSIVE)
Rate conversion BETTER
2.Take these NTSC Pro res 1920 x 1080 and convert in COMP 4 to m2v. Using 2 pass VBR. (???????)
It looks OK...just paranoid... just want to know if im missing a trick....????

A couple of thoughts:
If you're sending out this to a replication house, I'd check with them before you do anything in Compressor or DVDSP to make sure you know all their specifications.
Also consider sending your movie to a post house that has the hardware to do standards conversions. You can do it in Compressor (or another compression apps) but hardware doe a conversion better job than software, Asj the replication people for their recommendation.
What you outlined for steps in Compressor seem pretty reasonable. A few recommendations:
For best quality, set the Resize filter to Best. And Compressor will see that your video is progressive so that setting can just be the default.
Yes. Use two pass VBR – unless the replication house says otherwise. (Check with the replication people about optimal bit rate settings.)
For Audio set Dialogue Normalization to -31.
magenta1 wrote:
It looks OK...just paranoid... just want to know if im missing a trick....????
Not paranoid…just smart.
Best of luck.
Russ

Image quality standards for DVD

Hi, just made my first simple iDVD. I included an iPhoto slide show. The results where not good at all. I used psd images, tiff images and jpg, all of them in high resolution and size. The smaller file size was 8mg. I will like to receive a word of advice on how to get a perfect image quality on my slides dvds. In mine, all images looked a bit unfocused or blured. Moving efect changed too much the quality of the images. The result was not good, certainly unusable for commercial purposes.
Also, I used an iDVD premade menu. The shadows of the texts created a pixelation of the background animation. Can this be fixed. Can we get perfection with iDVD? IF not, wich will be the software to use.
Thanks a lot

I called Apple's tech support and was basically told that this is the way it's suppose to look (which is terrible compared to DVDSP3) and that if I don't like it, I should experiment with filters. The guy pretty much made me feel like I'm stupid and just imagining this. If I'd been there in person, I'm sure he would've used finger puppets to try to explain what NTSC is, as that is the only thing he would talk about. I used the de-interlace filter and ended up with the same poor results. I've been using DVDSP3 for two years and have never had any problems. The Tech Support guy really didn't care. I'm wondering if maybe something went wrong in the install process. Since I have deadlines on several DVDs, I had to remove DVDSP4 and re-install 3. Now everything looks fine again. Thank you for your help though. I'm glad I tried the de-interlace filter; at least it helps to narrow down what the problem might be. I'll post more if we ever find out what was wrong.
Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Export settings for DVD authoring playing in Canada from Europe.

I have edited a wedding which is 720p in 50fps.
What should be done in order to author a DVD in Adobe Encore and sending it to Canada in order to play correctly in a DVD player there?
Should i edit in 720p, 50fps and export to 720p 30fps?
Please, i need some quick and correct answer!
thank you all, in advance

I have edited a wedding which is 720p in 50fps.
What should be done in order to author a DVD in Adobe Encore and sending it to Canada in order to play correctly in a DVD player there?
Should i edit in 720p, 50fps and export to 720p 30fps?
Please, i need some quick and correct answer!
thank you all, in advance

Recommendations for DVD authoring beyond iDVD

I understand that DVD Studio Pro will not be made available to users of FCP X. I'm wondering, beyond iDVD what are some prefered alternatvies to creating DVD masters for reproduction.

This has been rock-solid for me:
Onecall.com: Sony DVPNS90V $165,
I buy quite a bit from Onecall.com. They even call and send cards, thanking me for the orders.

Using Adobe CC... How do I get Encore for DVD authoring?

Needing some help getting Premiere CS6/Encore through the CC subscription.
There used to be an option to download CS6 on Adobes website but with the new layout, it seems to be missing.
Can anyone help?

This is the link for info re using Encore CS6 with CC, updated for CC 2014 and the cloud desktop install.
http://helpx.adobe.com/encore/kb/encore-cs6-installed-cc.html
It has links for getting the library (which is not installed with Encore) and a workflow with CC versions.
In the cloud desktop, assuming you have PR CC 2014 installed, you are looking for this:

Audio formats for broadcast from DVD

Hi--
I have a 2 minute project that will be aired on TV from a DVD. I am trying to choose the best format in Compressor to export for DVD. Seeing as it's such a short piece, I have plenty of room. My project is cut on FCP 5.1.2 and is a 720x480 NTSC - CCIR/DV project with footage mostly from DVD and audio from a stereo CD and other stereo and mono sources.
On the video side, I have noticed no quality difference between exporting an uncompressed 10-bit file and an mpeg-2 6.2Mbps 2-pass 4:3 file. They look the same to me on DVD on my TV.
On the audio side, I am not sure whether to use Dolby or AIFF, then within those options whether to use AIFF 96/24 (that's PCM, right?) or 48/24 or Dolby (Auto) or 2.0. I just don't know enough about audio.
I use Toast Titanium to burn my DVDs, and it too has a variety of custom output options. It allows me to have an average and maximum bit rate up to 9.0 Mbps and allows me either PCM 96/24 or Dolby Digital up to 448 kbps.
My research has only granted me piecemeal info, as most people are concerned with file size and have to make choices with that in mind. I know people are reluctant to give strict guidelines on this site and that some of this is subjective, but can someone tell me what would technically give me the best (meaning most) video resolution and audio clarity?
Thanks,
Mike
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Is PCM the same as 96 khz/24 bit AIFF, or are there ranges of PCM?
If my original sequence audio is set at 48 khz/16 bit, is there any advantage to PCM or is it just an exercise in futility?
PCM and AIFF are basically the same thing: uncompressed audio. Look this links just as information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIFF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCM#EncodingforTransmission
You can have uncompressed audio 48kHz/16bit and 96kHz/24 bit. DVD standard accept PCM (AIFF) 48kHz/16bit. Then your original audio format from your sequence is fine to use for DVD authoring.
What is the difference difference between MPEG-2 with a high Mbps and Uncompressed 10-bit? What should I really be using for a DVD?
If your FCP project/timeline is DV NTDC, no use to export as Uncompressed 10-bit. You cannot get a better quality than your footage, and this is encoded as DV.
MPEG-2 is the oded video used in SD DVDs. No matter what video source you use to build your disc in Toast, finally you'll disc will have a MPEG2 video inside.
Then from FCP sequence use Export > Quicktime Movie > Selfcontained leaving currect settings. You'll get an independent file with same quality that your timeline that you can use for your build in Toast or encoding in Compressor.
Hope it helps!
Alberto

Best compression for iDVD authoring and DVD playback?

I have some DV footage that I had captured into MPEG-2 files on my old PC, then recently got a Mac and I want to be able to edit the footage on the Mac software I have and put it onto DVD for standard playback on a TV.
I've got the latest Quicktime Pro with the MPEG-2 playback component, and MPEG Streamline that allows me to convert the MPEG-2 files into MOV files. I want to be able to edit them in iMovie and Final Cut Express, and then I want to drop them into iDVD.
I would like to know what the best compression to use would be in converting the MPEG-2 files into MOV files or other format that's compatible with iMovie and Final Cut Express that will result in the best quality for DVD playback. I don't have Final Cut Pro so I don't have Compressor, which I understand, already has a preset compression optimized for DVD authoring and playback later on.

So you have some already mpg-2 compressed files you want to edit in FCE. Using MPEG Streamclip, I suggest you convert them to DV video (which runs about 13 GB per hour) to work on them in FCE.
As far as recompressing the edited video, I really doubt the mpg-2 encoding mode used will make much difference since you took the real quality hit when you initially mpg-2 compressed to content.
If you want to take the additional time required, you can try the new 'Professional Encoding' option in iDVD 7, but I seriously doubt it will improve anything. (You know the old 'silk purse out of a sow's ear' thing...)

Audio standard for DVD authoring?

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