Better encoding and professional replication

Question

2 questions for you pros out there. I create underwater videos in FCP for import into DVDSP (either 3 or 4)Original footage is miniDV. I export using compressor (60 min high quality encode). I burn with Toast. there is significant degredation in quality from the original source tapes to the finished DVD. Would a different encoder make a difference (I've tried the BITvice demo but couldn't see appreciable improvement) or is the problem with the original source material? The quality of home made burned DVDs doesn't compare with commercial DVD movies.
2) If I want to have a large # of DVDs produced by an external replicator, what files do I need to provide them with? Or if I provided original source material as quicktime movies self contained, could they better encode them to produce a more professional looking end DVD?
Thanks for your indulgence.
Steve

Answer 1

Hi Steve
The quality of your MPEG streams as alot/everything to do with the quality of your source footage. MiniDV is a highly compressed codec & your compressing it even more into MPEG2 - Some might not be happy. I've been using BitVice with DV sources for several years and I think it does a great job for the money.
Many commercial disc produced by the major studios use pristine sources that have been transfered to an HD format, run through a noise reduction system then encoded with dedicated encoding systems costing several thousands dollars. Then again, I've seen some "commercial" discs which look awful
What were your encode settings in Compressor or Bitvice? Maybe a simple change in settings could help. Just remember though, since your source is DV, you won't get astounding results even with the best encoders.
E