DVD Studio Pro QUALITY!

I have seen lots of stuff on-line about this but here goes. Shot on HDV 10801, edited in 10801, graded, graphics either Photoshop or Motion and finally burnt to disc via DVDSP as standard definition. The quality of teh images is poor. So I have exported in Compressor and opened the MPEG 2 in QT, marked it as 'high quality' and sent it to DVDSP -looks ragged and poor. Any ideas ? or do I need a good hardware compressor.

Send the timeline out to Compressor and adjust the Compressor settings (Frame Controls) for resizing to better as a start. What was the encoding rate that you used in Compressor? Did you use a preset? Which parts look ragged and poor? Is it just the images, meaning Photoshop portions?)
There are other encoders out there, but with tweaks Compressor can get good results. You may also want to download bitVice http://www.innobits.com/ Demo to see if that helps.

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Idvd (professional quality) vs DVD Studio pro quality difference

The Short question:
I understand DVDSP gives you much more control on menus on your dvd, but if I'm not concerned about additional controls, and only about preserving video quality, is it worth using DVDSP and possibly compressor or am I getting the same quality on less then one hour dvd's using 'professional quality' encoding with iDVD?
The long question:
I know this has probably been talked about many time, so I apologize.
I'm creating home movies with FCP from SD DV footage. Being Standard definition, I would like to preserve as much quality as I can when putting my movies onto DVD. Most of my movies, as well as DVD's are less then one hour.
I just went through the excellent Lynda.com tutorials on DVD studio pro by Larry Gordon. I understand DVDSP gives you much more control on menus on your dvd, but if I'm not concerned about additional controls, and only about preserving video quality, is it worth using DVDSP and possibly compressor or am I getting the same quality on less then one hour dvd's using 'professional quality' encoding with iDVD?
Thanks for your understanding.

Thanks guys for your reply. After finishing the tutorials on both DVDsp and Compressor. I think I'm sold. The flexibility is worth the extra effort. Actually after learning the interfaces, they aren't as daunting as I first thought. Compressor is dead easy and DVDsp is fun due to the control you have over your dvd. ALSO, using DVDsp over idvd has fixed a VERY annoying aspect ratio issue I have ever since using idvd. Where my DV 16:9 footage is being cropped to 4:3 on certain dvd players. I've battled that issue with no resolution for way too long. No problem when the DVD is made from DVDsp. I will miss the beautiful canned templates supplied in idvd, but I'm sure there are templates for DVDSP I'll be able to find. I'm sure templates are limited due to they expect you to create your own. I can deal with that.
Thanks again.
DVDsp is the way to go!

Video quality bad when compresed from final cut pro to dvd studio pro. HELP

Hello,
I have a dvd project im working on and first i tried the video that i captured from final cut to just use in dvd studio pro but that didnt work. then i used the compressor and used the 60min high quality video and that looks even worse. what do u suggest i do?

You must get to know what these settings do to be able to use Compressor. Try using a 10 second test of your video file and encoded at different settings to get a feel for how compression works.
Min 4 and peak at 7, a difference of 3 between min and peak is a good start at CBR, but you must test.
Just like using a video camera, if you use the same exposure setting all the time, most of your pictures will be unuseable, either too dark or too light.

Quality issues in iDVD - is DVD Studio Pro the answer?

Hi all,
I am having a problem producing a high quality DVD with iDVD. I know this is the DVD studio forum but I am wondering if I need to switch form iDVD to get the results I want. So, this is what I am doing in iDVD.
I am using 13 QT (.mov) movie files that were made using the "Best" quality setting. Their size is 720 X 480. I am using the "Professional Quality" encoding in the Preference dialog and the Project settings dialog. The theme I am using is Revolution. (This is all in iDVD)
I have burned a few DVDs (Memorex DVD+RW, 4X) and at first used the "Best Performance" encoding. It took about 20 min to burn the DVD. The results were too pixelated. Then I read about the other settings, and used the "Professional Quality". This higher setting took over 40 min to burn the DVD. Unfortunately,the results were not that much better.
Can someone help me to figure out what is wrong? I am looking to produce the crisp quality I see when I view the QT movie files (before I incorporated them into my iDVD project).
What I am thinking is that iDVD is not capable of producing the high crisp quality I am looking for and that DVD Studio Pro might be my answer. Or, could it be my QT movie files (thou they look great when I just play them on my computer in the QT player.
Thanks
PS: I posted a similar topic in the iDVD forum but no answers as of yet and I am on a strict deadline (aren't we all...lol)

You didn't mention that you were doing screen captures. That makes a difference. Camtasia is compressing your screen captures. All DVDs use MPEG-2 compression. So you are in fact double compressing your videos (which always results is lower quality).
To get better results see if you can get Camtasia to record uncompressed, or using the Animation codec at Best. This will result in a absolutely huge file, which is what you want. You bring that into iDVD for good results. Or bring it into Compressor and then DVD SP for better results. Or a third party MPEG-2 encoder like BitVice and then DVD SP for best results. Of course using anything other than iDVD will require a couple of weeks training.

DVD Studio pro vs iDVD: DVD Quality?

Do the DVDs made by DVD studio Pro look better than those from iDVD?
I have very good looking HD videos, made in iMovie: which look quite good as QT movies, but quality deteriorates a fair amount when iDVD makes it into a DVD. looking for better DVD product. Will I notice a difference with DVD Studio pro. kinda expensive if doesn't improve quality of final product.
roger

If you use the default compressor built into DVDSP it will probably be very similar to iDVD.
If you buy Final Cut Studio to get DVDSP you will also get an application called Compressor that allows for very high quality HD to DVD compression if you customize the presets.

I'm a bit confused. Since my original camera format was 720/60p, and I converted the footage to Pro Res422 in order to edit in Final Cut Pro 7, should I convert back to a higher quality format before sending the file to DVD Studio Pro?

I'm a bit confused. Since my original camera format was 720/60p, and I converted the footage to Pro Res422 in order to edit in Final Cut Pro 7, should I convert back to a higher quality format before sending the file to DVD Studio Pro? If so, which Compressor codec is best to use in order to preserve the original 720/60p? How do I maintain the highest quality?

No...ProRes is a high quality format. Finishing format. Many TV networks take that as a final deliverable.
BUT...DVDs aren't high definition...they are SD. You cannot make a 720p60 DVD with DVD Studio Pro. Any DVD you make will be SD...720x480. The only HD DVD format out there is BluRay, and for that you need a BluRay burner.
As for making a high quality DVD...using the BEST QUALITY settings in Compressor will work:
#42 - Quick and dirty way to author a DVD
Shane's Stock Answer #42 - David Roth Weiss' Secret Quick and Dirty Way to Author a DVD:
The absolute simplest way to make a DVD using FCP and DVDSP is as follows:
1. Export a QT movie, either a reference file or self contained using current settings.
2. Open DVDSP, select the "graphical" tab and you will see two little monitors, one blue, one green.
3. Select the left blue one and hit delete.
4. Now, select the green one, right click on it and select the top option "first play".
5. Now drag your QT from the browser and drop it on top of the green monitor.
6. Now, for a DVD from an HD source, look to the right side and select the "general tab" in the track editor, and see the Display Mode, and select "16:9 pan-scan."
7. Hit the little black and yellow burn icon at the top of the page and put a a DVD in when prompted. DVDSP will encode and burn your new DVD.
THATS ALL!!!
NOW...if you want a GOOD LOOKING DVD, instead of taking your REF movie into DVD SP, instead take it into Compressor and choose the BEST QUALITY ENCODE (2 pass VBR) that matches your show timing. Then take THAT result into DVD SP and follow the rest of the steps. Except you can choose "16:9 LETTERBOX" instead of PAN & SCAN if you want to see the entire image.

Quality of DVD Studio Pro using Compressor vs iDVD

Sorry to repeat the question below, which I have also posted under DVD SP...I thought that perhaps someone watching Compressor would also have input.
I have been trying to obtain a DVD output with DVD Studio Pro where moderate speed pans don't jerk. Oddly, I get better results using iDVD. The image in iDVD isn't as sharp, but the quality of movement (pans, tilts) is smoother. My program length is only 20 minutes and I have used compressor to encode outside of DVD SP. The compressor setting was for DVD, 60 mins, best quality. Why is it that a consumer software such as iDVD yields better results in this aspect? What am I doing wrong in DVD SP that results in less than professional results. All input appreciated. Thanks in advance

Pamela
hy is it that a consumer software such as iDVD yields better results in this aspect? What am I doing wrong in DVD SP that results in less than professional results.
You are messing around with Compressor settings . . . I guess!
Hope that helps !
Alberto

Quality of DVD Studio Pro vs iDVD

I have been trying to obtain a DVD output with DVD Studio Pro where moderate speed pans don't jerk. Oddly, I get better results using iDVD. The image in iDVD isn't as sharp, but the quality of movement (pans, tilts) is smoother. My program length is only 20 minutes and I have used compressor to encode outside of DVD SP. The compressor setting was for DVD, 60 mins, best quality. Why is it that a consumer software such as iDVD yields better results in this aspect? What am I doing wrong in DVD SP that results in less than professional results. All input appreciated. Thanks in advance

Hal MacLean wrote:
Wow - wikipedia link is a superb article, but a tad geeky...
That is why I refused to understand it, I am not a geek and no one will convince me otherwise... even if every new application and computer released by Apple is like catnip for me

BEST HD QUALITY SETTINGS IN COMPRESSOR TO EXPORT TO DVD STUDIO PRO

I shot in HD, and edited with FCP. I am now trying to use compressor to make a DVD, but first I am trying to figure out what settings I should use in compressor to get the best quality for my DVD?? I wil be completing the DVD process in DVD studio pro.... Thank you!

Unless you have HD-DVD media and an HD-DVD burner, you are doing an SD DVD. As in, what most DVDs are these days (Blu-Ray and HD-DVD still being quite cost prohibitive on the user end). If you have standard 4.7GB DVD-R or DVD+R this is SD DVD.
As far as settings, depending on how many audio tracks you have and what format they are, I would take one of the two-pass MPEG-2 settings (e.g. MPEG-2 Best Quality 90 Minutes) in compressor, go to the Encoder pane -> Quality tab and raise the Average/Max bitrates. Set Motion Estimation to Best.
Keep in mind you want all your bandwidth usage (audio, video, subtitles, etc) to go no higher than ~9.5Mbps lest you run the risk of players choking.
If your HD source is real clean, even at the default 6.2 Mbps you should get great quality, but some extra bits in there will give more room to avoid artifacts...
Hope that helps.

Pixelated, low quality text in DVD Studio Pro

Is it normal for the text in DVD studio pro to be pixelated and low-quality once you burn a project and enter full screen mode (is this because it is not vector-based)? Is there a *better definition/resolution setting* without going into HD which is not compatible with all machines? how can you get better quality line definition?
and most importantly..can you apply this setting to the project once it has been created?
thank you for your help

buttons are have jagged edges and are little play triangles, just the standard shape for play...
..I spoke to someone today who said ts pretty impossible to get defined edges unless you have a super-expensive post production suite...right?..and something to do with anti-aliasing
any way round this 'jagged edge' issue or is it actually the program has this 'poor resolution'in accordance with you mac capabilities?
p.s. sorry about my language...as you guessed Im pretty computer-lingo-illiterate...so please answer plainly if you can...thank you ever so much...I think we might be getting somewhere...or at least to a point

DVD STUDIO PRO 4 TEMPLATES QUALITY

Is there anyone out there that uses DVD Studio Pro 4 without problems. When using the templates both the text and stills are grainy or pixelated. As a test I created a movie and stills in FCP imported them into DVDSP, the movie quality superb, the text and stills for the menus - rubbish. I then used the same content in iDVD - perfect menus. It is really annoying when you invest in Pro software and the results aren't as good as you get with a freebie!
Is there something obvious I am doing wrong?

fairpaul wrote:
Is there anyone out there that uses DVD Studio Pro 4 without problems. When using the templates both the text and stills are grainy or pixelated. As a test I created a movie and stills in FCP imported them into DVDSP, the movie quality superb, the text and stills for the menus - rubbish. I then used the same content in iDVD - perfect menus. It is really annoying when you invest in Pro software and the results aren't as good as you get with a freebie!
Is there something obvious I am doing wrong?
Can't tell from your post if you're looking at your DVDSP project on your Mac or you have finished the project, burned the DVD, and are watching it on a tv set top box.
To answer your first question, yes, I have no such issues with DVDSP4, I use some of the templates but not many, I usually change the typefaces, though. I have never used iDVD so I can't tell you if the results are superior in that product.
bogiesan

Compression quality: iDVD vs DVD Studio Pro vs others?

I am merrily editing along in FCE, and looking to eventually compress and burn onto DVD. Since I can use all the quality I can get, and don't have spare money (so what else is new?), I am wondering about the differences in compressing software. Is there a visible difference in the final product using DVD Studio Pro vs iDVD? Is there something else out there that is better than iDVD but doesn't cost as much as DVDSP? Any opinions or experience welcomed!
Thank you!

If your project is under an hour, iDVD will give you very satisfactory results (use the Best Performance settings).
You can create an up to 2 hour movie with iDVD but personally (with Best Quality), I think the quality begins to slide off a bit over an hour
DVD Studio Pro, with Compressor, gives you many more compression options. Compressor has lots more compression pre-sets and you can go in and tweak bit rates, single or double passes, etc. You can do that inside DVD Studio Pro as well. Overall, Studio Pro just gives you a lot more options and control.
Roxio Toast is a relatively cheap (around 80 bucks Cdn) piece of software that will compress your FC movies. You are way limited in terms of things like menus and chapters but compression wise it does a fairly nice job ... again, you don't have the versatility of iDVD. With Popcorn, it will allow you to cram a big movie onto a single layer DVD but the quality begins to hurt
Personally, no matter what you use, two hours is the reasonable quality limit for a single layer DVD

Compare output quality with DVD Studio Pro 3 and iDVD 08?

Can anyone one tell me if there is a difference in output quality between the new iDVD 08 and DVD Studio Pro 3. I have not bought DVD Studio Pro 4 as it is not available as a separate purchase. I am wondering if I should bother with iDVD 08 if the output is the same or less than Studio 3.
Thanks, Ed

I'll add this. I came to the forum this evening on this very subject. I have been using IDVD for years producing promotional DVD's that have been lauded by all my customers. I recently popped for FCP and DVD-SP to improve the quality of my productions. Yet, here I am, trying to figure out why DVD-SP is delivering terrible artifacts on high speed movement in the video. This is regardless of the settings for the encoder. They're better at the higher settings, but they're still there. Now I think (hope to find a different answer here on the forum) I have to encode with Compressor, re-import the track and re-link all 80 of the chapter links. The same video showed absolutely none of these artifacts when encoded in iDVD. The finished product looked identical to hooking up my miniDV camera to the television. The flexibility of menu construction in DVD-SP is amazing, but Apple needs to scrap the fancy built-in encoder and just use whatever is working in iDVD.

Motion file poor quality in DVD Studio Pro

I'm using a Motion file for my DVD menu. I have double checked to ensure that all of the dimensions are correct, however the quality of the motion file is incredibly poor in DVD studio pro. Is there something that I am missing?

Don't trust the viewer in DVDSP. It's by no means accurate. Plus, since you're adding a Motion project to the DVDSP project, the Motion file needs to be converted to MPEG2 so that it'll play on a DVD. You could be either seeing a preview of a file that's not been converted yet, or else the encoding settings in DVDSP could be set too low.
My recommendation would be to burn a quick DVD and view in on a TV for quality.
Andy

Poor quality text in DVD Studio Pro

Hi there,
I'm using DVD Studio Pro. I create menus in Photoshop and export flattened .psd files.
I work in PAL. This problem is worse in 16x9 (anamorphic).
I create the menus at the true original res of 1024x576. When the menus are imported into DVD Studio Pro the text becomes jagged and pixelated. I understand that non-square pixels are causing this, but I don't know of a solution.
What is the best way to bring menus and text into DVD Studio Pro?
I have searched a lot and noone has a great solution.
Thanks heaps,
Mike

You may find that Photoshop does a better job of resampling down to your SD PAL resolution. When DVDSP resamples down from your 1024x576 file, you are at the mercy of the hardware or software rendering in DVDSP, depending on your DVDSP prefs. Ideally, I'd work in Photoshop at 720x576, and use the pixel aspect ratio correction to correct the preview aspect ratio in Photoshop.

DVD Studio Pro QUALITY!

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