Mpeg Streamclip DVD settings for FCP...trying to preserve quality

I'm very new at editing, so please bear with me!
I am creating a director's reel for myself using footage on DVD. I'm ripping the DVDs with MPEG Streamclip to DV NTSC then importing to FCP and finally exporting to DVD.
My problem is--there is an egregious quality loss through this process. Basically is there a better codec than DV NTSC to use in MPEG Streamclip?
I'm having to render my clips in Final Cut which leads me to believe I'm adding an unnecessary step of compression/de-compression. Also, the DV NTSC quicktime doesn't look so bad until I put it in Final Cut...then it looks awful. Am I messing up an import setting?
Finally-- When I load my clip in final cut it loads it anamorphic and I'm having to right click my clip after I load it to the bin, search it's video settings, and de-click "anamorphic" in order to get the right aspect ratio (16:9)...am I doing something wrong there?? Is that messing with the quality?
I realize that this is a basic question, but I literally have spent 3 hours searching for an answer and haven't found one, so please forgive me if it's repetitive! And obviously I'm stuck using the DVDs...I have no option to get the uncompressed original footage. Thanks!!

razini wrote:
I'm very new at editing, so please bear with me!
No problem, we all were at one time. Welcome to the family.
razini wrote:
I'm ripping the DVDs with MPEG Streamclip to DV NTSC then importing to FCP and finally exporting to DVD.
My problem is--there is an egregious quality loss through this process. Basically is there a better codec than DV NTSC to use in MPEG Streamclip?
Shouldn't be. But transcoding form MPEG2 to DV can get messy. I use DVDxDV for unwrapping MPEG2 form DVDs.
razini wrote:
I'm having to render my clips in Final Cut which leads me to believe I'm adding an unnecessary step of compression/de-compression. Also, the DV NTSC quicktime doesn't look so bad until I put it in Final Cut...then it looks awful. Am I messing up an import setting?
You should not be rendering in FCP, this suggests your sequence is not set to be plain ol' DV.
razini wrote:
Finally-- When I load my clip in final cut it loads it anamorphic and I'm having to right click my clip after I load it to the bin, search it's video settings, and de-click "anamorphic" in order to get the right aspect ratio (16:9)...am I doing something wrong there?? Is that messing with the quality?
If your clips are not anamorphic, your sequence is set incorrectly. Start with a new sequence and make sure it is set to DV.
razini wrote:
I realize that this is a basic question, but I literally have spent 3 hours searching for an answer and haven't found one...
Yeah, video is like that.
bogiesan

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