Obvious ? Want best output for DVD - what do I choose?

OK - this seems rudimentary but I've been on iMovie '08 for about 4 months now and it's still not obvious. I am shooting video footage on my Panasonic DV Camera - it's a great quality. I was under the assumption that I can import into iMovie without losing any quality, edit clips and keep same quality (and I'm not changing any color, audio, or cropping, etc - just clipping out some images, adding transitions), then export in same DVD-ready quality. I want to take the footage and put onto a DVD to watch on a TV.
So, why doesn't that seem obvious? I can't really find the right export. It's cramming down size to 640 x 480 and setting quality at medium. Using H.264 is a compressor - and if I want a DVD, I'd prefer it not to be compressed since it's going to be converted to a MP2, right?
Am I missing something? What do I use to Export at the same pristine quality in which I brought it in to then use on a DVD (and I mean shown on a SCREEN big viewing)?
I hate to commit "apple blashphemy" but when I used Roxio Media Creator or Adobe Premier Elements on my PC, the video was of better quality. I have Final Cut Express and maybe the answer is to spend about 40 hours learning it better because I much preferred the ease of iMovie for quick footage. But, I can't stand the end product looking worse.
Seems like iMovie is fine if I want to shove into a smaller-visual-size, poorer-quality video for MobileMe or email or YouTube but not keeping the quality I bothered to take? (And, even with the latter, the quality is poorer when I do a side by side of video footage from my dig camera - canon powershot s5 is - from straight out of the camera AVE vs pulled into iMovie, added transition, uploaded).
I know there are many of you that are professional videographers out there and can still make iMovie work in your flow for short, quick projects - am I completely missing something here?
I just want the best quality output - thanks for your help -
Alexa
p.s. To establish - I am using DV tapes an importing directly. I also have an ADVC-300 for bringing in analog. I am not messing around with anything during capture.

I'm going to have to disagree with the other poster here. I don't think iMovie 08 is touching the DV format as it's captured/edited. It may be using a method of changing the display, by only displaying a single field (as your screen is progressive, the 2nd field is kinda irrelevant unless it's an interlaced display.)
I do promise to go back to Muppet Labs and test this at some point this week.
On the other hand, the real problem is to "share" the work, iMovie is converting it into h.264 format...and then iDVD is converting it to MPEG-2 format.
To work around this, is pretty simple: Export using Quicktime:
For the Video, change your compressor to DV/DVCPro; the footage is interlaced, the quality slider is useless on the DV codec.
Change your audio to 48k 16 bit stereo.
These match the incoming DV footage, and should export it out 'untouched' for iDVD to make an MPEG-2 file from.

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Best output for DVD

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users can access? I would also like to be able to have the users
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HI,
Theres a million and one SWF to AVI converters out there
(Sothinkmedia *dot* com) is one of them. That will also allow you
to attach a playback bar, or, just use the one in your media
player, similar to what you see in YouTube.
Hope that helps.
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Best Output for DVD from FCP???

I'm a newbie and need help. I was outputting from FCP 6.0.4 using Export > QuickTime Movie, then importing that file into DVD Studio Pro. But, a college student who saw it recommended Exporting using Compressor 3.0.3 which I did using the DVD: Best Quality 90 Minutes. I noticed an improvement in my DVD quality, however, in every program I've tried and retried so far I get a little short segment (about a 10 second portion) in my half hour long program that all of the sudden goes crazy with distortion and pixelization and image irratic jumping movements. What can I do to create a totally smooth video when going from FCP to Compressor or is there a better way to finally get it into DVD Studio Pro? I want the highest quality solution as the video footage is originally HD. Thanks for your help, Desperate Russ

coyotegyrl333 wrote:
For some reason, I've always found this to work:
render your project and make sure you have only one
video track in the timeline. Drag existing sequences into
a new one so that you accomplish this. Render.
Restart the computer.
Export using compressor.
Maybe this is mumbo-jumbo, but it works every time for me.
good luck to you.
The advice is more or less sound but you have several unnecessary steps. Your idea is to consolidate all of the FCP timelines and their associated media into a single timeline; you are nesting the project.
Forcing everything to render is good.
Export the entire project as a self contained movie.
Import the self contained movie into DVDSP.
You would perform these steps with each of the individual movie clips you want to have as menu items in your DVD project. Maybe. You might be able to use one single large movie and set go-tos for each chapter. Whatever.
But there is no reason to restart your computer.
And there may be no good reason to use Compressor to create the MPEG2 files.
bogiesan

I want to produce wedding dvds.whats the best software to use...final cut x I'm thinking but what about the quality of the dvd?

i want to produce wedding dvds.whats the best software to use...final cut x I'm thinking but what about the quality of the dvd? Can i use idvd?

The only Programms I worked with are DVD Studio Pro and iDVD. You can burn a Video-DVD with Toast but there is no real option to design your Menu. Just a few themes as far as I discovered.
Do you have a Blue Ray Device to burn* the HD-DVD? Are the Bride and Groom able to watch the Blue Ray?
* which is only possible with DVD Studio Pro and not iMovie as far as I know.
This might help
For better quality I would go the Compressor & DVD Studio Pro workflow I just learned.
Export the Movie as is from Final Cut Pro and then use Compressor to encode the File.
Consider delivering the Movie in a different way like a private video on vimeo, a Website or on an SD card which is not really romantic...

What's the best output for burning to HD DVD

I'm working on some projects that I would like to burn to HD DVD. The original footage is captured with a AVCHD camera at 1920x1080 (highest setting) then ingested to Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080 to retain the highest quality. Now I want to output them and burn to an HD DVD using Toast 9 to retain the highest quality and avoid re-encoding the data. What would be the best settings to use to export from FCE?
Thanks,
John
(BTW - Yes, I know HD DVD is a dead format but I've got a player and the ability to burn playable HD Discs so it's still a viable format for me!)

Thanks Tom,
That was the first thing I tried and it came out Format : Apple Intermediate Codec, 1440 x 1080 (1888 x 1062) with Normal Size: 1920 x 1080 pixels (I'm reading form QuickTime Inspector here.)
So I'm confused. Which resolution is it really? If it is 1440x1080 am I losing quality in the down-rez?
Beyond that, I take what you're saying is that using this output it will only get encoded once going to the DVD. Is that correct?
Thanks,
John
Message was edited by: mojojones

What is the best output for archiving in Quicktime?

Hi,
I'm producing webvideo. The video's are converted to quicktime and dropped on a videoserver and converted to flash.
The most important footage is archived to tape but I'd like to archive all the output. What is in your opinions the best setting for output in quicktime with less space and enough quality to use again in webvideo. Final use will be 800kb flash video.

You should archive the material in it's native format so that you have the possibility to revisit the project and make changes or generate master files in other formats.
Use the Media Manager to consolidate your project into a single enclosing folder. This can be compressed into a .zip file or disk image. It will save space if you dont include render files, even more if you make the material that came from tape, offline -although you will have to recapture in that case.

4:3 vs 16:9, best choice for DVD?

What reasoning do I use in determining the best format for me to produce my DVD, 4:3 or 16:9? I'm just not sure of all the pros and cons to either, but it seems like 4:3 is going the way of the 8-track tape and with more and more TVs at 16:9, should I even bother with 4:3? Thanks.

fbcbootie wrote:
Since I can't produce both versions, I just want to satisfy the majority.
You can make it compatible with both formats. It will play full screen on a 16X9 monitor and letterboxed on a 4X3 monitor.
This is done all the time. It depends on your choice of authoring software, and the format choices you make within that software. In Toast, for example, you simply select "Automatic" for the Aspect Ratio. In DVD Studio Pro, you choose 16:9 Letterbox as the aspect ratio.
Most people think that seeing the letterboxed image on a 4x3 set gives the video a "cinematic" look.
MTD

BEST COMPRESSION FOR DVD

HI,
I want to find out the BEST compression setting for a FCP project that is 1hr and 41min. I'm burning it to a DVD that is 120min long. It's NOT HD. And it's going to be shown on a wall when it's finished. What are the best settings for this?
Thank you for your help.
Andy

#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.

Best codec for DVD export for editing

If I want to burn DVDs for a client who will want to edit the footage later, what's the best codec for that?

What editing application will they be editing with?
DVD's aren't the best archival solution. They hold 4.7GB of info, and that is like 20 min of DV quality footage. Forget about HD quality...Oh, unless you use HDV. That's the same data rate
Shane

Best settings for DVD project

I have done all of my work so far for online projects so I didn't realise that dvd always has dimensions of 720x576, and that it is only blueray which plays in full HD, until I started building a DVD project in Encore.
I would like some advice to produce the best possible results on a dvd format;
I presume that this means I must build all my menus in photoshop to 720x576 dimensions?
But what about the video itself? It was filmed in 1920x1080, and was created on a 1920x1080 timeline in Premiere Pro, can I simply export it at as an SD file?
What I'm asking really is how should I export my project from Premiere, and build it in Encore for best possible results for DVD format?
Thanks in advance

If you want the best conversion this method is regarded as one of the best,
Bellune Digital Video Services - Tutorials - hd2sd - High Quality Scaling From HD to SD
I'm sure there are topics about this in this forum but I couldn't search and find them.
If your HD material has a lot of fine detail that might strobe try adding a Gaussian blur to your HD export, I find a setting of 3 to 4 vertical helps.

Best format for DVD studio pro??

I will be exporting from FCP4.5 and am wondering what is the best format to get the best possible quality from FCP to DVDSP? Also, should I go through compressor and what settings should I use?
I also want to make my own video transistions, what is the best format for those as well?
Thank You

The movie is 90 minutes.
You didn't mention your video format. You can export your movie as QuickTime Movie (not QT Conversion), same settings and self contained (my favorite flavor). The use that movie in Compressor and use the Best Quality DVD: 90 min presets encoding your video to MPEG2 and your audio to Dolby 2 (AC3).
That's the best standard workflow. With standard I mean that sometimes some kind of footage can need different treatment.
Hope that helps !
Alberto

Best Program for DVD/Video converting

What is the best program for converting DVDs and videos? I know one is videora or something like that. I want something that is easy to use and dosen't take up alot of time to install.

GUIDES TO: Converting Video for iPod - Mac & Window
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=123067
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Best Workflow for Dvd studio Pro

I am looking to get the best possible workflow for dvd output. I currently just export my FCE HD project as quicktime movie NOT self contained. I then pull it into DVD Studio Pro 3 and after i do all the menus I build and burn the dvd. The image quality is good, but after reading alot of posts here it seems alot of people put their projects through compression before dvd studio pro builds the project. Should i be doing this?
Thanks.

Well, use the best encoder you can get your hands on. If you can budget for other encoders then maybe do that. Compressor will give you more control so its a good place to start,
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Best codec for dvd release

I'm finishing two extras for a dvd re-release of a film I made in 1980, and am very new to codecs and HD, would like to know the best quality transfer/conversion and/or codec for putting into a DVD release format with a digi-beta master.

Thanks for all the suggestions; to clairify, I wrote, directed and produced Ghostkeeper, am editing the extras which I want included on the DVD, so distrib said go ahead but he's not paying for it. So I'm doing 2 extras (actor & DP) on my own. I've had FCP3 (DV) for years and finally upgraded some time ago to, still not all that familiar with HD needs and requirements.
Distrib will make the dvds, he made a digi-beta copy from a 35mm film print and said all he needs is a QT file, but he's not really tech-savvy, thus my enquires. I will definitely be speaking with whomever is actually making the DVD's, they'll be re-released in a week or two.
I'm editing on FCP Studio 3 and downloaded two different files; the movie itself from a dvd straight from the digi-beta copy and the extras interview ftg comes from a Canon 5D with separate sound recording, thus having to sync it (got someone better than me to do that). I made the mistake of conflicting codecs, but still managed to stumble my way through.
Movie was released in 1980 via theater and VHS and was lost in obscurity until a cult following began. You can see my first cut on youtube at:

What is the best flash for ipad3, What is the best flash for ipad3

What is the best flash for ipad3.

No Flash for iPads, iPhones, or iPods
Here's why there's is no Flash available for iDevices or other mobile devices. Adobe was unable to provide a product that was suitable to the needs of battery powered mobile devices used for Internet browsing. Existing Flash technology used too much memory, ate battery life, and was buggy. Simply put Flash did not work well on mobile devices.
Apple's Steve Jobs led the escape from Flash dependency when Apple introduced the iPhone, and later introduced the iPad. There was a hue and cry over the omission. Time proved Jobs was right on target.
So this is why there is no Flash for your iPhone or iPad or iPod nor for most SmartPhones. Flash has been abandoned by many sites in favor of supported technologies such as HTML5 or by providing their own custom app.
Here is Steve Jobs official comment on his momentous decision to omit Flash from iDevices: Steve Jobs on Flash.
Here is Adobe's later announcement to cease development of Flash for mobile devices: Adobe on Mobile Flash.
Now, you are not necessarily out on a limb. There are some apps that can display some Flash, but don't count on there ability to display anything using Flash.
Apps that can display some Flash from the Web:
Puffin
SkyFire
Photon Flash
Browse2Go
iSwifter
Also, note that many sites that use Flash provide their own app for accessing their material. So check with your favorite sites and find out if "there's an app for that."

Obvious ? Want *best* output for DVD - what do I choose?

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Obvious ? Want best output for DVD - what do I choose?