SD DVD upconvert

Does Apple TV upconvert your SD DVD's that you own to 1080p similar to buying an upconvert DVD player. If not is there software out there that does.

I am sorry what I am asking is if I were to take one of my old SD movies and put it on my mac and then transfer it to Itunes for watching on the Apple TV. Does Apple TV take that information an upscale it to 1080P resolution much the same way that a upconverting DVD palyer would if you take a SD movie and play it on that. Or is there software for the mac that can do this

Similar Messages

  • Do I really need Blu-Ray?

    We recently came into this century by replacing our old 27" CRT with a nice new Samsung 42" plasma (PN42C450). We upgraded our cable to HD and have the set mounted on the wall and are very happy with our update, We also have an old VCR (have several older family tapes) and an older Toshiba DVD player.
    I have played several DVD's with our player connected thru component connection. Admittedly they do look nicer on the new set than the old one. I understand that the upconversion offered in the newer DVD players will make them look even better. I know our set is 720P, but am also aware that it will display 1080i (I know because I have seen it do it in the store).
    I notice that many of the newer Blu-Ray players also offer wifi connection built-in. We do have a wireless N network in the house. The connection sounds intriguing to me, but if it is only for netflix and streaming movies it would be of limited use to us. Blockbuster is just around he corner, and of course the cable company offers PPV movies on demand. On the other hand, if it would allow it to connect to our computers for reviewing photos, etc, then it might have a good use.
    Back to my original question, do I really need a Blu-Ray? We do not own any blu-ray disks, and certainly don't need 3D. Will the current lot of DVD upconverting machines allow me to display in 1080i? I have been looking also at the Samsung model 6500 as a possible purchase (because of attractive pricing) and notice that it will also upconvert my DVD's and has built in wifi.
    Looking for opinions from those of you with more knowledge than I.  Thanks.

    Blu-ray is definitely worth the upgrade.  A few points to consider:
    Blu-ray will upscale your DVD's to 720p or 1080i.  If you ever get a 1080p TV, it will upscale to that also.
    Supports HDMI which provide you better sound and picture quality.
    Plays your current DVD's
    Most Blu-ray discs are region free so can easily import from UK, Japan, etc.
    Many new release Blu-rays also include a DVD copy of the movie for only a couple of bucks more.
    Many Blu-ray players are network connected, and like you mentioned offer streaming from Netflix, as well as Hulu, Vudu, and some even have Apps for Facebook, Twitter, and can connect to your home media network for music, video and picture streaming.
    Companies push firmware updates to Blu-ray players to keep up with technology...i.e I've had support for 3D pushed to 2 of mine.
    One other note; you mentioned 1080i a couple of times.  720p is generally going to provide you with a better picture quality than 1080i will.  My advice would be to not switch to 1080i regardless of whether you move to Bluray or not.
    I personally have 4 Blu-ray players in my household and wouldn't have it any other way.

  • LG - 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD/CD Player

    I have a question about the LG - 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD/CD Player. Model: LHT854 | SKU: 8713859.
    I plan on purchasing this here soon. i was wondering how long the wires are to the satellite speakers.the front 2 and center will not matter cause they will be right by tv. but the rear speakers i plan on concealing through part of my wall. i need to know how long the wires are so i can make this possible. is there anybody that can help me? its not in the specs

    Unfortunately I do not know for sure but usually they provide anywhere from 25ft or 50 Ft per speaker. My JBL system came with 50ft of wire. You should be able to splice additional cable from the front and center to make them long enough if they are not already or pickup some extra speaker wire.

  • Upconverting SD DVDs

    Anyway to upconvert SD DVDs using DVD Player? Playback on a HD TV via DVI to HDMI connection. Monitor looks great but DVDs are still 720x480 video. Going full screen only pixelates image. Is there any Mac solution for upconverting SD DVD's to 1080 without having to double or full screen DVD Player?

    Not sure I get what you are asking. My Mac mini is hooked up to a 40" 1080p LCD TV and the mini is set to 1920 x 1080 at 60Hz, which looks great on the TV screen (perfect one-for-one pixel mapping). When I play a SD DVD using DVD Player, it is definitely upscaling the video. It looks great! I have a hard time seeing a difference between it and a 720p Comcast broadcast.

  • MacBook as upconverting DVD player

    Does a MacBook - connected directly to a plasma HDTV - offer any advantage over a regular DVD player?
    I couldn't find much on this topic so I tested it myself and found my MacBook is an excellent DVD player. I don't have an upconverting DVD player to compare to, but I can say the MacBook (FrontRow player in Leopard) is far superior to my progressive scan Toshiba SD-3750 DVD player (component connections), which isn't bad. I suspect the direct digital connection to my Panasonic 50" plasma accounts for most of the gain - no D to A to D conversions. Not sure whether the Mac or the panny does the upconversion, but the result is very good.
    Now, I don't know if I want to hook up my laptop every time I rent a DVD, but it'll be hard to watch the old Toshiba player now that I've seen the light.

    Macaby wrote:
    I played on DVD from my MacBook to my LCD and it did work great. However, the downside of doing so is just not worth it in my opinion.
    1. Cord problem. Necessary to hookup cords to TV to do so.
    2. Perhaps unsafe layouts as to where to place MacBook. Due to cord length, I had to balance my MacBook on a chair and hope is stayed there.
    3. Wear and tear on DVD player in laptop. From reading several posts on this site, there seems to be a problem of DVD malfunctions due to perhaps excessive play.
    4. Economics, there are several up-conversion DVD players on the market for well less than $100. I recently bought one at Costco for about $40 and it seems to do a great job and plays everything I throw at it including stuff I burn, some of which, my MacBook DVD player won't play.
    5. Ease of use in having a DVD player ready to go at a moments notice without going through the hoops of connecting a MacBook.
    6. And the biggest reason, I don't have to worry about a DVD getting stuck in my MacBook. From time to time, I had DVD's and CD's get stuck in desktop optical drives. At least when it happens there, they have a tiny hole that will eject the tray manually when poked with a paperclip.
    1. I use my MacBook's "extension" cord left in place near the TV, and use only the brick for most day-to-day stuff. I also have a DVI-HDMI cable just for this purpose, with the Apple adapter, also in place. Worst thing is I have to borrow the audio cables from the regular DVD player. Going to optical cables soon, so even this will be easy.
    2. Yes, perching on anything isn't good. I have a handy spot on the floor that's out of the way.
    3. My biggest qualm. I don't use the drive for much else and frankly don't watch many movies, so I'm not too worried. But agreed it's not a good permanent installation. I guess a cheap external DVD drive is an option. More cables though!
    4. I've been wondering how good a job they do, whether they're a scam or not. Do the cheap ones really beat an older progressive-scan DVD player? Maybe with the HDMI (all digital) connection they do. Also considering a PS3, and that's what got me thinking in the first place. Seems like PS3 = AppleTV+Blu-Ray player+gaming.
    5. No question, but see #1. I only started doing this to watch Lost in HD streaming - something not possible with a DVD player - and then I got intrigued by the whole HD and Blu-ray movie thing.
    6. Whew, this hasn't happened yet, knock on wood. My daughter managed to squish her MacBook so that the slot narrowed and that caused some trouble but otherwise I haven't had one get stuck.

  • Can FCPX "upconvert" & export DVD video at 960x540?

    My video needs are basic -- mostly editing short clips, but often they're imported from standard DVDs from the pre-HD era. But as an audio pro, I'm accustomed to very flexible and precise editing controls.
    Frustrated with iMovie, I'm considering purchasing FCPX, but I have two questions:
    1. In iMovie, I detach the audio from the video for precise audio editing. But iMovie's audio controls are painfully rudimentary.
    —>  In FCPX, with audio detached, are you able to fine-tune fade curvatures and otherwise precisely edit volume automation?
    2. I ultimately need clips that are 960x540, and while iMovie 9 upconverted DVD video (which is 720x480) and exported it at 960x540, that feature (like many others) has been removed from iMovie 10.
    —>  In FCPX, can 720x480 video be exported at 960x540?

    Best route is to download the trial and work with it to see whether it meets your requirements.
    If you're ripping DVDs, presumably you're using something like MPEG Streamclip.
    Whatever you're using, you would rip them as SD and then could  upres them. You could also do that in Streamclip (or Compressor). But fair warning; the images will be softened as a result.
    Russ

  • Philips - 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD/CD/MP3/DivX Player Wire'LESS'?

    Is this thing wireless or Wiired? BestBuy needs to describe this needed info in thir item descriptions.

    Hey Black_Hawk_262,
    According to information provided by the manufacturer, Panasonic’s HTS3544/37 is a wired home theater system.   Unfortunately, the “TV” inputs are standard stereo (RCA) inputs and the model only appears to support digital coaxial audio as an output.  If you’d like more information though, I would strongly suggest visiting Philips’ website for more information.
    Hope this helps you out!
    Agent Aaron
    Geek Squad® Community Connector
    Go Ahead.  Use Us.
    Aaron|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
     Private Message

  • Satellite A660 - 3D DVD software runs out of date or is secretly altered

    Whats going on; why do I get lynched to pay an additional $59 for software to make my Satellite 3D work?
    Ok.
    This probably sounds nuts; but my Toshiba Blu-Ray DVD software seems to have a DVD/Blu-ray prevention program in it. Preventing 3D and smaller issues.
    It has been out of whack since I updated the software on the Toshiba site and when I updated the nVidia GTS 350M drivers.
    That may be co-incidental to the problems which began in previous month/s; as I don`t always play discs on this laptop; so pinning a date when it went pear-shaped is harder.
    But, after going through a nightmare (of not working on DVD or Blu-Ray on half my discs for months now); I installed the latest TRIAL ($59) Corel WinDVD 11 Pro player and everything (including 3D) works perfect again. But for 30 days only; until/unless I`m robbed of $59 additional that is.
    The problem is/was;-
    3D only worked on half of my Blu-Ray 3D discs using pre-installed (and later updated) Toshiba COREL WinDVD media PLAYER. Sometimes it only played 3D side by side; 2 images. No 3D. Some Blu-Ray 3D discs were fine ODDLY. Region code not an issue.
    Toshiba DVD 3D player/upconvertor program was the worst (not the SD version, I dont use).
    Toshiba (HD) 3D player would not recognise half of my Blu-ray 3D laptop disc drive content. "DVD drive not recognised" error message.
    Toshiba DVD player itself would not upconvert any normal DVD to 3D.
    Toshiba DVD player would only play NORMAL 2D when running upconvert (no 3D).
    Toshiba DVD player would only play HALF-SPEED DVD when upconvert was disabled. When trying to play a DVD in normal 2D mode.
    All settings were tried and altered to fix the problem around a thousand times.
    Software uninstalled and re-booted and re-installed a dozen times each.
    I also had to un-install the software and re-boot and re-install the following;-
    nVidia graphics driver (from nVidia sites own 295.73 and re-install Update to the `older` nVidia Toshiba 260.51 driver).
    I used to be able to upconvert DVDs to 3D using this laptop; so it did work many months ago; but now that has all stopped for months now.
    Its a pain as I have un-installed everything and re-installed all the relevant software from the Toshiba home page; but no solution for the problem without getting mugged an extra $59.
    I hate computers for the ten-thousandth time.
    1 minute Ramble:-
    Its the last Microsoft product I will ever buy (Windows Ultimate rubbish [had to buy a new A3 color lazer printer as no Win 7 drivers for my existing laser printer]).
    SAMSUNG (3D internet TV) products from now on. No computers for ten years. Until the rats get it right and stop experimenting on my wallet. $10,000 on PC products in the past 5 years and still being able to do simple things like watch a 3D movie is a hit and miss affair.
    I`m rambling....because a hundred hours reading on how to get it working again has scrambled my head.
    Spec
    Toshiba A660 3D laptop. Satellite.
    Windows 7 Ultimate. Updated.
    Intel i7 1.73Ghz
    Graphics is GTS 350M
    4GB Ram (8-gig upgrade on order)
    Spare 550GB hard-drive space.
    Toshiba site; Bios updated.
    Toshiba own DVD 3D player (doesn't cut the mustard) Version 4.00.1.08
    Toshiba Corel WinDVD 3D player (doesn't cut the mustard) Version 10.0.5.822
    The Nvidia graphics always works fine on the test background page; which makes me think software; but all the relavant software has been updated. Re-installed and re-tried a hundred times with different settings.
    I thought the discs were the problem. But 50 DVDs not working in 3D up-converting, or faulty all by themselves? And half of my 3D Blu-Ray collection?
    I wondered if these these problems are deeper than this one system. Whether there was a systemic problem somewhere (besides blaming the buyer end-user).
    Toshiba assist line in one call was a guy who knew far less than me and had to ask someone advice for every single part of the call. 2 hours to tell me to re-install the software in a long, slow, bit-by-bit way, eventually. We done everything they can do to help. Now they seem to blame the discs and don`t have any answer.
    Microsoft x64 Ultimate says its roger all to do with them on their helpline/e-mail assist.
    I tried nVidia to no avail;
    Any ideas; do I bite the bullet and everyone eventually be forced bit by bit to pay for $59 software to get the thing working.
    Whats the beef?

    Hi
    You wrote really long story :) anyway this is an user to user community Im not sure if I could clarify all these issue for you but I would try to share my knowledge with you.
    But firstly it would be really interesting to know what Satellite A660-xxx do you have exactly?
    You said that you have installed the Win 7 ultimate.
    According to the Toshiba page the notebook was preinstalled with Windows Home Premium. The preinstalled WinDVD was a full version (not trial) and you have not to pay for this software. In my case I have not to pay for any software (except MS Office :) )
    you said also:
    > I installed the latest TRIAL ($59) Corel WinDVD 11 Pro player and everything (including 3D) works perfect again. But for 30 days only; until/unless I`m robbed of $59 additional that is.
    So it seems that you dont use the preinstalled Win DVD but you have installed other version which was not preinstalledso you have to purchase such version if you want to use a full version of any software which is not part of Toshiba image.
    > 3D only worked on half of my Blu-Ray 3D discs using pre-installed (and later updated) Toshiba COREL WinDVD media PLAYER. Sometimes it only played 3D side by side; 2 images. No 3D. Some Blu-Ray 3D discs were fine ODDLY. Region code not an issue.
    Take a look into this Toshiba document:
    +3D video content not displayed in 3D when using the Toshiba Blu-ray Disc Player+
    http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSB1C038C0000R01.htm
    >Toshiba DVD 3D player/upconvertor program was the worst (not the SD version, I dont use). Toshiba (HD) 3D player would not recognise half of my Blu-ray 3D laptop disc drive content. "DVD drive not recognised" error message. Toshiba DVD player itself would not upconvert any normal DVD to 3D. Toshiba DVD player would only play NORMAL 2D when running upconvert (no 3D). Toshiba DVD player would only play HALF-SPEED DVD when upconvert was disabled. When trying to play a DVD in normal 2D mode.
    Found some info regarding the Toshiba player which should provide answers to most mentioned issues:
    +Toshiba DVD Player Troubleshooting+
    http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSD17036L0000R01.htm
    +Toshiba DVD Player Settings+
    http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSB17036M0000R01.htm
    +Important Information for Using the Toshiba DVD Player+
    http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSB17036N0000R01.htm
    +Useful information for playing DVDs with the Toshiba DVD Player+
    http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSB17036O0000R01.htm

  • HD 1080i to SD DVD (anamorphic)

    Hi there,
    I've searched around and have surprisingly not found anyone with this question:
    How do you go from 1080i to an anamorphic SD DVD?
    What I have done is the following:
    In FCP 5, create new sequence. There is not a sequence preset that offers 1920x1080, so I choose any preset and then change the settings in the sequence settings window. In sequence settings, I select "HDTV 1080i (16:9)" from the aspect ratio dropdwon menu. This provides me with my desired 1920x1080 frame size. I then use a "square" pixel aspect ratio and not anamorphic. So far so good.
    However, then I want to use this HD footage to make an anamorphic SD DVD. My idea was to use an "NTSC DV Anamorphic" sequence (sequence settings: 720x480, 4:3 aspect ratio, NTSC CCIR 601 pixel aspect ratio and anamorphic checked) in FCP and nest my HD sequence into this sequence. Here's where the problem lies:
    If I follow the sequence settings, 720x480 is not a 4:3 aspect ratio but is rather "NTSC DV 3:2". Thus I can't get the HD sequence to fit the 720x480 frame - I either have to crop the HD or squish it to fit the 720 frame or resize the HD so that there is a letterbox encoded into the file. I would like to avoid the latter option and simply have the HD fit the SD frame and then encode it as anamorphic. This, as we all know, will result in a letterboxed image on a 4:3 display and a fullscreen image on a 16:9 display.
    How do you accomplish this?
    The FCP HD Format manual says (in reference to upscaling, but the principles are the same):
    [quote]
    If the aspect ratios of the original and destination formats match (for example, 720 x 480 anamorphic footage upconverted to 1920 x 1080), you can simply scale the original video to the destination size.
    [/quote]
    How is 720x480 anamorphic the same aspect ratio as 1920x1080?! I don't get how to accomplish this is FCP.
    In essence, my question is how do you go from HD 1080i to SD DVD and have the DVD be anamorphic all the while maintaining the full image (no croppping or distortion)??
    Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks so much,
    skay
    G5 - Dual 2Ghz / ATI Radeon 9600 (128MB) /   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  
    G5 - Dual 2Ghz / ATI Radeon 9600 (128MB) /   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  

    This may sound wrong, but 720x480 is a 4:3 ratio video stream (that is to say it is the right dimensions for MPEG-2 or DV that will be played to a 4:3 TV). Squish your 1920x1080 square pixels into the 720x480 non square pixels, and it will be anamorphic, and will play looking correct on a TV.

  • AVCHD to DVD revisited

    I am shooting 1080i 29.97 AVCHD footage using the Sony NX5U.  I have followed the advice in this video for converting the footage to MPEG-2 for DVD authoring, but I'm not happy with the results:
    http://bellunevideo.com/tutvideo.php?tutid=10
    Has anyone come up with a different way of going from AVCHD to DVD that works beter than this?
    (I'm not criticizing Jeff Bellune's video.  I appreciate that he took the time to make the tutorial, and this may in fact be the best that can be done)
    J. D.

    "Also, I'm curious - how were you viewing the MPEG2 DVD results when you decided the quality wasn't good enough?"
    Funny you should ask this.  I was planning on waiting until tomorrow to respond to most of these suggestions because I am starting to wonder if it's my television that is the problem.  I am authoring a DVD with the Mpeg2 DVD file in Encore CS5, then burning the DVD and viewing it on a Viewsonic 20" widescreen TV from an upconverting DVD player with an HDMI cable (I've tried two different models of player).  I've already discovered that unless the sharpening on this TV is set to absolute minimum, the sharpening artifacts are very noticeable.  Even after this adjustment, I still see a thin halo around people with light-colored clothing against a dark background.  Also, the video is of a children's dance recital (yeah, I get the big time gigs, don't I), so there are a lot of artifacts when there is a lot of motion.  I've tried playing the footage straight from the camera to the TV via HDMI, and I don't see any of these problems.
    I'm going to take my DVD home tonight and watch on a different widescreen TV.  I'll let you all know tomorrow if I see the same issues or not.
    "If you want to try Pr again, make sure Use Maximum Render Quality is checked in the Export Settings dialog."
    Interetsingly, the Premiere manual reads "Maximum Render Quality often makes highly compressed image formats, or those containing compression artifacts, look worse because of sharpening."  I've been using MRQ, but since AVCHD is a highly compressed format, maybe this shouldn't be used?  I tried converting a bit without MRQ checked, and it didn't seem to make much of a difference.
    J. D.

  • DVD Display Quality for Mac Mini Core Duo

    I'm moving from PC to Mac, starting with a Mac Mini Core Duo as a media server.
    The spec looks great, but I'm concerned that the CNet review says that on their test machine:
    the DVD- and video-output quality was marred by false contouring (banded or splotchy colors), moiré patterns (line distortion), and jagged diagonals
    I can't find any mention of this problem in this forum, so perhaps CNet had an early version, or a manufacturing defect, or was poorly configured.
    To put my mind at rest, can anybody confirm that the DVD player works fine for them on this system? And if so what exact configuation they have?
    Mac Mini Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.6)
    PC (Toshiba Tecra)   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    Yes, large display - I'm outputting to a Panasonic
    AE900 projector and putting up a 90 inches diagonal
    picture.
    nice setup.. OSX with Front Row is a good platform for HTPC. Unfortunately the picture quality is not as good as what you can obtain with PC's. but it is still plenty good. Then again, if you will watch DVD's only, I would recommend getting an upconverting DVD player (Oppo is a good brand for 200 bucks aprox). Again, check out the avsforums, you'll find plenty of useful info and very helpful people.
    Gmas.

  • Upconverting Receiver?

    Hello,
    I seem to be confusing myself with a home theater set up. I recently bought a Samsung 46" (LN46B640 - I don't believe this model runs 5.1 surround via optical) and I am trying to understand what I need to put together a decent home theater system. I will be hooking up a ps3, HD direct TV dvr, and a 5.1 surround sound. My plan is to purchase a receiver in which I can run all my sources to, then have my receiver run to the TV. I will use my ps3 for blue ray and upconverting SD DVD's. So the questions I have are as follows:
    1. Do I need an upconverting receiver with this system?
    2. Will I be best off running everything though the receiver, then on to the TV?
    3. If I do need an additional source for upconversion, is it better to have a receiver or DVD player do it?
    Sorry if these questions seem a little noob-ish, I have just been reading myself into confusion.
    Thank you for your assistance!

    Nowadays, you can get receivers around $400-500 that do the work that $1200 receivers did 2 years ago.  Take a look at Onkyo and Denon branded receivers at a local BB with a Magnolia Home Theater. If you're not around one of those, you can still find similar models from Denon in regular Home Theater departments. Keep in mind, the few TVs that actually route dolby digital through optical back to a receiver do not process Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD, formats of sound you're paying to hear on today's blu-ray players and movies.
    As you move up, you will gain features in receivers like better upscalers, better amplifiers for cleaner sound with less distortion, more HDMI inputs, internet connectivity, file-sharing, ipod compatibility, on-screen set up menus, etc.

  • Dual format on dvd

    FCP5.1.4
    Would like to create dual format for one dvd. 4:3 and 16:9
    Small still slide show of about 60 jpeg pictures.
    Not sure how to approach this. Set up two seperate sequences- one for 4:3 and the other 16:9? Then compress for DVD studio Pro?
    Or just import slides into Studio Pro and not use FCP?
    Suggestions?
    Steve

    Pictures were shot with a digital camera in 4:3 format or at least when I imported them into a 4:3 preset sequence, they appear to be correct.
    My thought was that if I used FCP correctly I could upconvert them to 16:9 and make them look like wide screen correctly as well. Then I saw DVDSP slideshow function and tested the waters to see if anyone had done this using DVDSP.
    FCP is nice but time consuming.

  • MiniDV to DVD transfer via iMovie and iDVD?

    I own a Sony DCR-PC9, which is a digital tape video recorder (MiniDV) circa 2001. (yes I know, time to upgrade) I have about 20 tapes to transfer to DVD. I am using iMovie to import and edit the video and iDVD to burn the DVD. Digital tape is not HD of course and I really do not know what resolution it is. All the tapes were shot in 4:3 (vs. 16:9) so I know I will have some issues with bars on the sides. My real questions are:
    1. How do I make sure that I import the highest quality image I can from the recorder into iMovie? I do not care about the size of the file.
    2. I have no problem actually importing and editing but the DVD I create is very poor quality when played on a new LCD HD TV. Is that just the way it is? A “bad” source (digital video tape) being played on a brand new TV? Is there something I can do either in iMovie (editing) or iDVD (compress, not compress, upconvert, etc.) to make the DVD quality better? I really have no knowledge of what “compress, not compress, upconvert, etc.” mean and I threw those in there as I see those words all the time. It seems as though there is some choice in how the DVD is burned in iDVD. Are there other products that can improve the video quality before it is burned to the DVD?
    I am not interested in making any fancy edits, adding titles, etc. I just want simply to get the digital video tape on a DVD but with good quality. I did plug the video recorder directly into my new TV and as expected, the quality was not good. Am I just doomed because I have a “bad” source (digital video tape) being played on a brand new TV?
    Thanks in advance for your help.

    Your camera is a miniDVD camera with FireWire. It is 4:3.
    Have you tried the OneStep DVD approach in iDVD? (Look in the iDVD HELP for OneStep).
    This will let you transfer your video content to a DVD without using iMovie.

  • *** Still trying to get good HDV to DVD image quality

    Okay, so I thought I had a good solution, but I'm now back to square one. I'm shooting and editing in HDV with a Sony Z1U. I edit by using Final Cut Pro, 1 monitor and my 32" LCD tv (native resolution of 1366x768). While editing the image, and especially the text looks crystal clear.....beautiful.
    My problem is outputting it to DVD. Currently, I am exporting my project directly from the timeline of FCP into compressor using the 90 minutes best quality 16:9. This gives my a 2pass VBR at 6.4mbps.
    On a tube tv, it looks so-so, but it appears as though almost as if the lines are out of resigster. It reminds me of reading a newspaper where the print is off register. Definitely you can see interlacing around people and the text looks off register.
    In DVD format on my LCD flat panel it looks really good (the best it can look).
    On my 60" Sony SXRD new tv at home it looks really bad (granted I'm using a Playstation 2 to show it, and on the flat panel I'm using a DVD player with upconversion capabilities - maybe that's the solution right there....)
    Currently I'm not adjusting the presets in Compressor.
    Given all the variables above, is there anything that anyone can suggest that will give me better results? I don't want to import the footage in SD because then I'm editing SD and can never output the finished project as HDV when Blu-ray or HD-DVD comes out.
    I would really appreciate some other workarounds that people have used to try and make their HDV footage look as best as possible in DVD format.
    The frustrating thing is that you never know what TV your clients are watching your project on. Is there a standard set up that I could suggest they buy/use to get the best results?
    P.S. When watching my project on the 60" SXRD I'm not only using a Playstation 2, but also it is connected through an S-Video cable. On the LCD flat panel, I'm using the up-converting DVD player and an HDMI to HDMI cord....Does the cord/way of connecting really make that much of a difference? How do I make it still look good for people that want to watch it letterboxed on a tube tv?

    It's not the upconverting as much as the limitations of S-Video connections. And for true upconverting, you need to utilize the HDMI connection, which will produce better results over component, and qualitatively better over S Video.
    As to client complaints as to image quality, my analog of the weakest link still holds. I always show my clients what it looks like on a good DVD player with at least component in to progressive conversion.
    If their set up produces less, you simply identify what part of their set up is suspect.
    Good quality blanks. Solid encode rates, and Dolby 2/ac3 audio.
    Again, it has to be good going in
    take care,
    and I would appreciate it if you could award points.
    It helps us all out.
    david
    BTW, go to http://www.lyric.com/video/losgatos/index.htm and look at the web samples of Los Gatos Then and Now, or buy the DVD.
    Produce on a FX1.
    best wishes
    David
    Remember to mark an response helpful or solved.
    It protects the integrity of the board.

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