Export for DVD

I'm using FCP the first time to produce a DVD. I've tried all the export options (QT movie, Using Compressor, and Using QT conversion) and I'm still not sure which is the most appropriate (I'm using DVD Studio Pro to produce the DVD). The QT movie option runs very quickly; the Compressor option basically goes away and does something in the background and never asks to a destination for the output file; and Using QT conversion takes a long, long time. I can't find anything in the forum that answers this question.

What I'll typically do is create a folder on one of my media drives, export a qt movie from fcp and drop that into compressor. You can tell compressor where to put the file, but it defaults to "same as source." So if the movie is in it's own folder, that's where the encode goes. I don't like exporting to compressor directly from fcp (can you still even do that?) because then the machine is using up resources for both apps and the encode goes slower.
You can also encode in DVDSP-- the same result, just different interfaces for the same encoding tools.
Don't use qt conversion, you'll be re-encoding twice.

Similar Messages

FCP 7 exporting for DVD, Image problems

Hey,
New here so sorry if I'm a little slow with everything. We shot some concert footage using 4 cameras, 3 cameras shot in 1440X1080 HDV 1080i60 and the other camera shot in AVCHD but was imported as 1440X1080 ProRes 422. I edited the video in a sequence with settings of 1440X1080, field dominance of Upper (odd), and compressor HDV 1080i60. I was trying to find a way to export for SD DVD in the best quality I could and found Ken Stone's site,
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/hdv_timeline_to_sd_dvd.html
It's worked for me on other projects. This project is a 2 1/2 hour DVD, so I tested that method on a minute of the footage and it didn't come out well just for one camera. I followed Ken Stone's page and took the sequence and changed the settings to field dominance None, and compressor to ProRes 422. Then I exported using quicktime conversion with settings of ProRes 422 HQ. Once that file is exported I've been taking it to Compressor and using either DVD Best 90 Minutes or 120 Minutes. On the max bitrate I don't go above 7.9 and on the average I'm usually around 6.7 for Best 90 minutes and 5.2 for Best 120 minutes. Whenever I put the footage in DVD Studio Pro, the footage from the 3 cameras shot in 1080i60 look great but the footage originally shot in AVCHD has all sorts of lines and distortion on movement. I'm just trying to find out if there is a better way for me to take my footage from final cut to SD DVD and still get good looking footage out of the original AVCHD footage. I don't really understand why the footage from the AVCDD footage is coming out like that since it was imported as ProRes 422. Any ideas on how to fix this?
Thanks,
Matt

Thanks a lot, this did the trick.
Yeah I'm doing a dual layer dvd, but I'm sending it off for replication so from what I've read it sounds like I have to build and format the dvd, then burn each Layer to it's own dvd. Do you have any experience with this? The break point is kind of confusing me right now because it sounds like just a lot of trial and error.
Thanks again
Matt

Emergency questions exporting for dvd studio pro (ntsc and pal)

Hi,
I'm under a tight timeline and would appreciate any help possible. I'm experimenting with outputs/burning today so the real thing can happen tomorrow.
I have an hour long project that was shot on two different kinds of cams -- a sony hdv V1U and pan dvx100b. The first shot mostly in 16:9, the second squeeze 24p. We imported all footage as non-hd though, because the V1u has had problems syncing properly with hd settings with final cut. The issue/question now is this-
I don't know what file format (I'm assuming mpeg-4 for DVD studio pro, but using compressor or no?) or settings to use -- I'm used to mpeg-4, but for some reason it is coming out all grainy/pixelated and I'm not sure if I need to adjust the settings. Also, once exported into a usable/high quality format, I need to burn a ntsc dvd but also a pal dvd -- I've burned pal dvds on dvd studio pro before and know adjusting the settings is just in preferences, but I'm assuming the video will need to be converted into a different kind of file. Or no?
My sequence settings are 1440x1080 (16:9), quicktime video settings compressor hdv 1080i60. When I export as a quicktime file the conversion is great and no problems, but that isn't workable in dvd studio pro.
I would appreciate any advice you could offer,
Thank you,
Tenzin

Thank you, I'm trying that -- someone else just mentioned it needing to be an mpeg 2 file as well. The trouble I'm having now in compressor is it isn't converting when I press submit -- nothing is showing up in the batch monitor. I've tried this directly exporting from fcp using compressor, as well exporting quicktime from fcp and then using the quicktime file in compressor.
I'm not used to using compressor so I'm thinking I am not doing something properly in this process? Thank you for the suggestions, they are reassuring. Do you know if the same file produced by compressor can be used for the pal dvd?

Exporting for DVD

Hi,
Ridiculous question I know but here goes.
I have a 2 1/2 hour show that I videoed on MiniDV and have edited in Final Cut. The image quality is as good as I want it, not perfect but fine, but when I export to use in DVD Studio I loose quality. I'v used Compressor and converted it to MPEG-2, but is there any way I can just export straight from Final Cut Pro without loosing image quality, keeping all the settings and so on I used in Final Cut Pro?
Im burning on to Dual Layer DVDs so space isn't really an issue.
Does it have to be MPEG-2? Is there a different, higher quality format I can use? Or is the only thing I can do to try keep the quality raising the bitrate?
Anyone with an insight to share with me can treat me like a luddite and use baby speak
Cheers

Heya,
All DVD's are authored to MPEG-2 format. You must compress the file to MPEG-2 in order to play on a standard DVD player. SD MiniDV is roughly 13gigs per hour. So for 2 1/2 hours of footage you're looking at around 30 gigs that needs to be compressed to fit onto a DVD.
You should also take into consideration the bitrate of MPEG-2 compression. Considering that the audio is compressed to AC3 a safe bitrate compression for DVD video is around 7.5 mbp/s. A bitrate higher than that may cause errors during playback on some DVD players.
single layer vs. dual layer makes no difference on the total bitrate compression it only means you can fit longer duration of the compressed bitrate. Sending to Compressor and using a customized setting of MPEG-2 compression with 7.5 bitrate for video and AC3 for audio is the best quality you'll get on a standard DVD.
Welcome to the forum.

Best way to export for DVD

Hi Guys
Right, I am exporting to DVD and i want to know the best way to do this at the highest quality, but also, so the DVD will play on most players.
I am shooting in HDV 1080i 60, importing to Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 (the older final cut pro) using the apple intermediate codec.
I want to make the best quality SD dvd. The content is rarely over 5 minute's (kids music videos) but i am preparing a 50 minute show which needs to be put on DVD.
I usually use; export to quicktime movie, with the setting dv pal 48 khz anamorphic, i use DVD studio pro also to make the DVD, but not sure what the best settings are.
PLEASE HELP.

The BEST export method I have found by comparing them all is by exporting using Compressor and the DVD Best Quality setting. Now this setting gives you a few different options for length of your project: 120 minutes, 150 minutes, or 90 minutes. And then with each of these length options comes the option of 4:3 or 16:9. So if your project is 50 minutes, select the DVD: Best Quality 90 minutes option, either 4:3 or 16:9 depending what your project is. After laying your cursor over this option it will open up a list of audio options. What I do is just select the "All" option, which then lists all 3 audio options in your batch window: AIFF, Dolby 2.0, and MPEG-2. What I then do is just delete the MPEG and Dolby options, leaving the AIFF. After waiting for it to compress (make sure you specify a destination for the files so you can find them) it will give you 2 files, an MPEG-2 file which is the movie file, and an AIFF file (looks like an itunes file) that is the audio file. At this point, open up DVD Studio Pro and drag these 2 files into the assets window, and you're good to go from there. Hope this helped.
-JP

Exporting for Web VS exporting for DVD

So here's the story:
I am pretty familiar with exporting my movies for the web and stuff like compression, etc but I was just asked to burn some of my movies for DVD distribution. As stupid as I am, I sent those guys the files that I use for web distribution and of course I get a reply that goes something like this: "This isn't DVD quality. We need the full movie file, highest quality/bit rate, frame rate, de-interlaced versions of the movie."
Can someone help me understand what that means??
If I were to export the movie uncompressed I might as well give up right now. It's all HD. I won't be able to fit even one of my movie files on the biggest hard drive.
Does anyone know what "the highest quality/bit rate, frame rate" etc. means? I feel like a retard right now.
Thanks for your help!

Assuming you are using Final Cut Express, your best bet is to create a master DVD and have a good service provider duplicate the disk.
In FCE, do the following:
Make sure everything is rendered:
*Sequence > Render All > Both*
*Sequence > Render Only > Mixdown*
Then save your project.
Export to QuickTime Movie (not QuickTime Conversion)
UNcheck the option called "Make Movie Self-Contained"
Check the option to Include chapter markers (if you have chapter markers in your sequence)
Save
Then import the resulting QT reference movie into iDVD and build your DVD project. Burn the finished project to disk and give it to the duplicators.
If that's not acceptable to them then you should
1) find another duplication house that will do the work or
2) get the exact specifications from them as to what they require; if this is the case you will probably need to get an external hard drive that you can use to save the project for them.
What is the exact nature of your source video? HDV? AVCHD? Something else? Do you have mixed formats in your sequence?

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

Exporting for DVD requires extremely low volumes, is that normal?

Hi,
I have completed a project and when exporting to dvd I find I need to lower the master volume by 18 db for it to not cause tv speakers to pop, I try it out on several different tv's with the same result.
When I mix my audio none of it exceeds 0 db, nothing is in the red and nonetheless I lowered by 6 db, but it won't be enough until I export at -18 Db.
I do this by lowerng the master audio level from 0 to -18.
Is this normal?

Hunt, thanks for the reply!
I do the same, well I use beyer dynamic dt 770 pro headphones for monitoring, then I test the audio out on a stereo and a 5.1 surround setup.
If I export the audio on a cd it sounds great everywhere, put it on dvd and it goes to hell.
Is it possible that audio cd's are at 44100 16 bit wheras dvd audio is 48000 khz?
Doesn't make much sense to me, but the way I see it the irony is this:
Play and audio cd where the audio peaks at 0db through your tv and it sounds great, play a dvd with the same audio on it and it kills the speakers :S
Is it possible that mpeg2 encoding boosts audio levels for some reason and you need to correct it by pushing audio levels down?
I found this link after doing some research:
http://dvcreators.net/discuss/showthread.php?t=25404
Basically this question was asked:
1. *is there a certain db level an audio track should be if you plan to burn to DVD?
amongst others,
The reply was:
Use the audio meters to gauge audio level. Peaks should be at -16 to -12.
Why is this do you think?
-2 db would not work when I burn to dvd, it would kill the speakers of either a surround system or a stereo tv system, including my samung hdtv.
When I export to dvd I first export from premiere the built in Mpeg-2 DVD setting and then use either windows dvd maker or idvd on my mac to burn to dvd.

Exporting for DVD SP?

Ive finished editing my video in FC and have exported using both Quicktime and QT conversion - when I open DVD Studio Pro and try to import the asset - it gives me an error saying the file is not compatible. What file format do I need to export to to create a simple DVD of one video created in FC?

Hi
Export your sequence to *Quciktime Movie* (nos QT Conversion) including DVDSP markers (self contained is my favorite flavor).
OPTION A
Drop that file in DVDSP and let it make the encoding (less control over encoding settings plus uncompressed audio)
OPTION B
Use Compressor with the corresponding Best Quality preset for DVD depending your movie lenght in minutes to get: MPEG2 video and AC3 audio. Import thoses as assets in DVDSP.
Check that your DVDSP project match your movie format: PAL/NTSC and SD/HD DVD.
Hope that helps !
Alberto

Export For DVD Studio Pro

What's the best export setting for an iMovie that I will be including on a DVD-SP project. I posted a similar question in the DVD-SP forum and was told to use MPEG-2 as my export setting under the "Expert Settings" tab. However, I didn't see this as an option. What's the best setting to use for a DVD project. I was under the impression that MPEG-2 is the standard for DVD but don't know what to do to get that quality from iMovie.

Well what -I- would do is a FULL Quality DV export from iMovie then use Compressor to encode to MPEG-2. Compressor gives you a lot more options and (arguably) better quality.
Daniel C. Slagle
Keeper of the "Unofficial" iMovie FAQ
http://iMovie.danslagle.com

Poor Quality when Exported for DVD

Hi,
I am creating a dvd of some animations, and the animations are videos of what were originally all vector shapes and text. The videos were originally made with After Effects, at 720x480, NTSC preset. I can export from after effects at full-scale with with no problems, but once the comp tries to go into NTSC mode (where it squishes it to 640x480) the whole thing becomes ruined. All text becomes illegible and many vector objects get jagged edges.
I have tried exporting from after effects as well as bringing it into final cut pro and using compressor at 2-pass (Best Quality 90 min DVD preset), and no matter what I do the resulting video is always horribly deformed... Any idea what I need to do differently?
thank you.

thank you for your help.
I am viewing this on a computer display. I've been switching between a powerbook and a g5 with cinema display.
In AE I typically use apple animation codec, but I have also been trying it as an uncompressed avi and and uncompressed quicktime. By bringing the file directly from AE to compressor and changing from vbr 2-pass to One Pass CBR it has greatly improved the quality, still it does have some pixelation that I can't get rid of, even at the full 9mbps bitrate.
My understanding was that I wasn't bringing it into square pixels that I was using the DVCPRO/NTSC preset which formats it to a 4:3 ratio (which is what I think Final Cut also is doing), either way, by not doing that in After Effects, and by changing to CBR it is definately an improvement.
One more thing I should probably mention is that the videos are actually programs I have written and so they are being captured using a screen-capture to video utility called iShowU. The program seems to be good, and I am using an NTSC preset.
Any ideas as to what I can do to get these to as good of quality as their apple animation quicktimes?
the dvds I am assembling are only about 45 minutes.

Exporting for DVD - exported video plays too fast

Hello helpful people!
I'm fairly new to Premiere - but familiar with Final Cut. Using Adobe Premiere Pro CC v8.1 on a MAC. I have a video that was shot in 1080p, and I picked sequence settings to match (or so I think).
The video looks great in Premiere, and I need to create DVDs to send to the UK (I'm American), and they will have to be able to play in a standard dvd player over there. My understanding is that PAL would be the wiser choice for encoding. I'm trying to keep the export simple, and I've exported it multiple times using both PAL and NTSC, and while the audio files are fine - for both PAL & NTSC the video files are significantly shorter than the actual film, and plays in a sort of fast-forward effect. In Premiere, the film plays at 17 minutes, but when I open the exported .m2v files they are only playing at 14:33, - or one that I finally (somehow) got up to 15:00 minutes. That 15 minute one I got from not tweaking the settings at all - on the previous ones, I had read somewhere to increase the bit rate and use VBR Pass 2 for better results. However 2 minutes off is still a big problem.
Below are screenshots of the sequence settings, and the most basic export settings I've used - example of the NTSC.
Any help is hugely appreciated! Thanks

I personally consider QuickTime the bane of video production whose use needs to vanish from the landscape quickly and permanently. Give VLC a try instead.
VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video framework!
I say just go ahead and author the disk. Chances are good it'll work correctly.

Issues quality of video exporting for DVD

I am putting a bunch of commercials on a DVD...
I burned two test DVDs with two different settings.
My setup is NTSC DV 48 (that is how the footage is captured too, FIREWIRE NTSC Default).
I also have graphics mixed in there, and thats where the problems begin... the all too common complaint here of +my graphics look jagged+.
So on one sequence I changed the field order to none, exported a qt reference to compressor and there saved a mpeg2 with best quality 90 min. then I burned a dvd with dvd studio pro.
I did the same thing with a different clip, except I set the field order to even and followed the same procedure above.
Version 1 (with field order set to none) looks better than the 2nd version EXCEPT for one minor detail. I have a 3d graphic which looks PERFECT in FCP (created in Cinema 4d by someone else exported with the animation codec w/alpha with interlacing set to even) when interlacing is set to EVEN the graphics looks GOOD and looks JAGGED when set to NONE (quite the opposite from the rest of my graphics).
And on the DVD (being viewed in a DVD player connected to a TV) the part of the video with the 3d graphic looks better in the version where the original video setting was set to even field order.
I also made a test where I set the sequence settings to ProResHQ NTSC... the graphics do look a little better but the same issue happens with the 3d animation.
I also re-exported the 3d animation with compressor, w/FO set to none with ProRes4444, and it still looks jaggy in FCP. I think the issue is here but I do not know how to fix...
So what do I need to do so everything looks good, not one or the other... This dvd is going to be looped in a store (about 50 stores actually) and one tends to notice imperfections when viewed over and over again.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Christina Rodriguez

Fixed it...
Found the answer here... http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12877936&#12877936
+Compressor is better for de-interlacing. Ignore the de-interlace filter in the filters tab. This is a legacy filter from before Compressor had Frame Controls.+
+On the Frame Controls page, it's irrelevant what Resize Filter is set to, since you're not using that. Ditto for Anti-alias and Details. They're for resizing.+
+Set Output Fields to Progressive, and De-interlace to Better, with Adaptive Details checked.+
+Best takes a lot longer to process, and the difference is usually visually negligible. If you're in doubt and you have the time, try both and see if you can tell the difference.+
Message was edited by: Christina Rodriguez

Exporting For DVD Quality

I have a project I want to burn with iDVD. But I am clueless about the quality settings. What would be the best setting for burning to a DVD? Thanks ahead of time.

Exporting to QuickTime Movie. iDVD does the compression.

Exporting for DVD? Please help, I'm going nuts.

Hi all,
Pretty huge issue at the moment. I have a deadline to meet and I can't export my movie out of Final Cut to a DVD. How can I export the timeline for a DVD quality finished product? I don't have Compressor installed and I think this is a major issue. I tried printing to tape so I could bring the project over to Adobe Premiere and use Encore to publish the DVD, but every time I try to print to tape it constantly drops frames and it's hopeless.
If anyone has any suggestions at all please help me!
Thanks,
Daryl

thing is, I don't have FCS...I have FCP. I had my software installed where I bought my mac from, and I've came to realize now that I have nothing else but FCP installed...there is nothing else there that came with FCS. It's not really a huge problem because I can take my mac back whenever I want to get the owner to install any software I need, but that's kind of an issue at the moment considering I have deadlines. I can't afford to have my mac sitting at their office for a day or two at this point.
If I can just figure out how to print this thing back to tape so I can bring it into Premiere on my PC and use Encore to make the DVD everything will be golden. I'm just having HUGE issues trying to print this to tape...which shouldn't be a problem in the first place. (that I have encountered anyway).

Export for DVD

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for