Should I use Compressor 4 before sending over to DVD Studio Pro

I am making a FCP X movie and when it's finished I want to put it on a DVD using DVD Studio Pro. I have done this before but now I'm wondering if I should first export it to Compressor 4 and then to DVD Studio Pro. I understand that if I was puting it on YouTube or an iPod device I would need to Compress it however why would I need to go to Compresss 4 first if ultimately going to DVD Studio Pro? Would I get a better Codec quality then what I get from exporting in FCP X using their default Compression format i.e. Quicktime? Should I use an Apple ProRes Compression from Compressor 4? I guess I really don't understand the encoding quality options very well however I do want the best quality on my finished DVD. The DVD or Sequence is somewhere around 20 - 25 minutes if that makes any difference in your response.

This is (at least) a triple post. It's best not to ask the same questions multiple times in multiple forums.
Russ H

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Is it necessary to use Compressor for DVD Studio Pro*

I am making a FCP X movie and when it's finished I want to put it on a DVD using DVD Studio Pro. I have done this before but now I'm wondering if I should first export it to Compressor 4 and then to DVD Studio Pro. I understand that if I was puting it on YouTube or an iPod device I would need to Compress it however why would I need to go to Compresss 4 first if ultimately going to DVD Studio Pro? Would I get a better Codec quality then what I get from exporting in FCP X using their default Compression format i.e. Quicktime? Should I use an Apple ProRes Compression from Compressor 4? I guess I really don't understand the encoding quality options very well however I do want the best quality on my finished DVD. The DVD or Sequence is somewhere around 20 - 25 minutes if that makes any difference in your response.

The following applies equally to both C4 and C3.5 (which you have, if you have DVDSP). There is really very little that C4 can do compared to C3.5.
Bring your movie into Compressor as the source file. Drag the MPEG2 and Dolby Digitlal presets into the Batch window. Set the destination where you want your output file to be saved to.
If you are using HD material, open the Inspector>>Frame Controls and activate Frame Controls. Set Resize filter to Best. (If your source file is SD skip Frame Controls.) In the Encoding section, click on Quality and in mode change to CBR. Set your bit rate to 7.0.
Test a short representative section of your movie by marking a range in the Preview window. Submit.
Take your test file and drag it into the DVDSP asset pane. Do your build. Open it in DVD Player and see what you think. If you like the results, proceed with your project. If you're not satisfied, tweak your settings and test again.
Good luck.
Russ

Is Compressor 4 necessary when sending from FCP X to DVD Studio Pro

I am making a FCP X movie and when it's finished I want to put it on a DVD using DVD Studio Pro. I have done this before but now I'm wondering if I should first export it to Compressor 4 and then to DVD Studio Pro. I understand that if I was puting it on YouTube or an iPod device I would need to Compress it however why would I need to go to Compresss 4 first if ultimately going to DVD Studio Pro? Would I get a better Codec quality then what I get from exporting in FCP X using their default Compression format i.e. Quicktime? Should I use an Apple ProRes Compression from Compressor 4? I guess I really don't understand the encoding quality options very well however I do want the best quality on my finished DVD. The DVD or Sequence is somewhere around 20 - 25 minutes if that makes any difference in your response.

People will tell you that encoding in Compressor will give the best quality, but that assumes you are using a suitable preset and for your length of video the ready made ones are unsuitable and will waste time as they are all 2-pass with variable bit rates (VBR).
For DVDs under 70 minutes long the best quality and fastest encoding times are achieved using a constant bit rate (CBR) of around 7.5mbps.
For your short DVDs you should achieve the highest quality and fastest processing by simply exporting the project from the timeline as it is, drop it into DVDSP and set DVDSP to encode and burn it at the specs I gave above.
Returning to my opening comment, you will frequently find that the theoretically best solution to a problem results in no discernible improvement but often entails a lot more work and time-expenditure.
P.S. You might get marginally better quality by raising the bit rate to 8mbps but you run a slight risk that some old or cheap players may not be able to keep up, resulting in dropped frames.
Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

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.

Grey screen on final burned DVD, used Compressor and DVD Studio Pro 4

Trying to create a standard dvd from a 2 hour and 8 minute 720x480 mov file. I have used compressor to create a mpeg2 as well as an ac3 audio file. After looking at other posts, I feel that what i've done in compressor is ready to be imported into DVD Studio Pro. I changed my preferences in DVD Studio Pro to support my mpeg2 and ac3 files coming in from compressor. After I import, they import very quickly. The playhead lets me scrub through the video fine, but when I go to the simulator, I get a grey screen.
I'm trying to output this file onto a dual layered Standard DVD. The fact that my video was originally an HD mp4, converted into .mov should not matter once it's converted into an mpeg2, correct? Mpeg2 is the standard DVD format.
I've also messed with the markers in DVD Studio Pro because I've read that the Automatic settings for the "break layer point" are not that "Automatic" I've seen other posters saying to add markers in the gap where the DVD laser should switch from layer to layer, but still my output burned DVD and simulator remain a grey screen!. Please help, I've referred to many posts and I believe that I've done everything right except maybe one or two things. So Close! Help! Thanks!
i

messerw8 wrote:
I changed my preferences in DVD Studio Pro to support my mpeg2 and ac3 files coming in from compressor.
What were the chamges you made?
Does the m2v file that Compressor output play OK in QuickTime?
Russ

DVD Studio Pro must be serialized before using...?

I keep getting an error when I try encoding using QT and A.Pack. The error reads "DVD Studio Pro must be serialized before using A.Pack/QT." I have legit software and I've registered my software, but this error keeps popping up and it's a hassel when I need to rush on projects. I'm using compressor, but for certain projects I like to use QT for encoding...please help!!
MB

Have you just opened DVD SP and re-entered the serial number?
If not then do so, if DVD SP isn't installed then install it, then open it and input the serial number, that's all it's asking for.
The Mpeg 2 encoder is part of the DVD SP's install and activated when DVD SP is launched and serialized.

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

DVD Compressor setting for use in DVD Studio Pro

I'm trying to create a playable dvd that has using dvd studio pro. However I want to compress the .mov file using compressor first. I've tried several setting, ut I get the same blurry text and graphic results.
What's the best setting for a hi quality dvd, the same quality has professional dvds.
Thanks in advance for any help.

The best one you'll get with Compressor is DVD Best Quality 90 mins. Tweak it any higher than that and you run the risk of drives refusing to play the disc.
You can't make it look like a professional DVD because the pros don't use DVD Studio Pro. They use significantly more expensive software and encoding hardware, and the discs are replicated, not burned.

Do you have to use Compressor with DVD Studio Pro?

Hello,
I'm trying to find a way to streamline bringing QuickTime Movies made in FCP6 into DVDSP.
When I try to import QT Movies or movies compressed with H.264 into DVD Studio Pro, I get the error message: "Incompatible Format".
Is there anyway to get QT Movies into DVDSP successfully without using Compressor?
The least applications I have my students using for this, the better.
It's odd to me because you can go directly from QT Movie into iDVD with no such problems.
Thanks,
Marc Griffin
Message was edited by: Marc Griffin

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the quick response. The rationale of our workflow is to avoid using Compressor to simplify the process for our students making DVDs. But if we are going to have to use Compressor to change the frame rate, as you suggested, then we're just going to have to live with using the application.
We'd consider burning High Def DVDs, but with the format war between BluRay and HDDVD, and a general lack of High Def players and Monitors on the general marketplace, we are going to have to stick with SD DVDs for the time being.
Resultantly, we're going to be stuck with using Compressor in our DVD burning workflow.
Thanks Everyone For Your Help!
Marc Griffin

What compressor settings settings are best for 1080i to output to DVD using DVD Studio pro?

What compressor settings settings are best for 1080i to output to DVD using DVD Studio pro? I used FCP 6, exported using Quick Time.

DVDs are only SD. There was at one time HD-DVDs, which DVD SP and Compressor can make, but HD-DVDs will only play in Macs and, now obsolete HD-DVD players. HD-DVDs will not play back in standard DVD players or Blu-Ray players. If you want to make a "DVD will be played on DVD player for TV" disc, your only choice is SD.
If you want HD video on a disc, then you want Blu-Ray. You will need a Blu-Ray burner (Apple does not make a Blu-Ray burner so you will have to buy a third-party Blu-Ray burner), Blu-Ray discs and software that will make a Blu-Ray disc. That could be the latest version of Compressor, or FCPX, or Toast, or Encore.

Using Compressor mpeg2 in DVD Studio Pro.

I exported a 2 pass MPEG2 out of Compressor without audio.
I place it in DVD Studio Pro as a track, set the first play to that track and loop it. When I select 'Burn" I get the error Compiler File Error, Building not Successful.
Also I selected Build/Format, I am not even giving the selection option to proceed with this method.
What gives...anybody have any advice?
Thanks!

If you are still having the problem, check the permissions on the hard drive you are writing to. Make sure you have permission to both read and write to that drive.

Motion 3, DVD Studio Pro 3, Compressor...fail to display interface

Macbook Pro C2D, Leopard OS X 10.5.1. All apps were running perfectly before this happened...
First, all the apps of Final Cut Studio 2 crashed on startup.
I recall that the last thing I did is trashing the newly installed trail version Aperture.
After checking the crashing log, I found the problem comes from Prokit.framework. I did a thorough search, the answer is quite clear that the Prokit.framework comes with Aperture 1.5.2 is a PPC version, it replaced the intel version that was in my OS. So the solution is replacing the PPC version back to Prokit for Intel. Finally I found some provided download links of Prokit for Intel. BUT..
All the Prokit online are extracted with Pacifist from either Tiger OS disc or ProAppRuntime4.0.2.pkg(from apple's website). So they are either version 3.1 or version 4.0.2. After replacing my Prokit.framework with version 4.0.2, all my FCS 2 apps except Final Cut Pro (but Log and Transfer inside FCP 6) stopped crashing but failed to display any interface. But the icons are in the dock.
So finally I cleaned up all the files related to Final Cut Studio 2 and Prokit.framework and did a fresh reinstallation of FCS 2.
Same thing! No interface at all.
At this point, I doubt if the Prokit.framework in Leopard OS disc is different. It's too bad that I'm traveling for a project and my Leopard DVD is not in hand. So I asked a friend using Pacifist to extract Prokit.framework and Browser.framework from his Leopard DVD and sent them over. Now I found that they are indeed different. The one from Leopard is version 4.1. I did a replace again. Now, Motion 3, DVD Studio Pro 3 and Compressor start up, but with black windows and a few images, and the menu bars are really weird. I guess I should install this two framework with Pacifist instead of replacing them with the extracted folders?
The last resort I guess is to reinstall Leopard? My dilemma if I don't finish my project, I have no access to my OS DVD, but I need to use FCS 2 to finish the project.
Has anyone run into the same situation? Any enlightenment will be appreciated!

I have just installed Leopard ans having problems with DDVDSPRO crasshing, can you please expand on how i may install prokit.framework and Browerkit frame work with Pacifist. I am not an expert please bear in mind!!
many thanks

What to send to DVD Studio Pro

My son just finished his final year of Youth Football, and I want to make dvd's of all his games over 4 years to give to his teammates. I have made some in iMovie sent to iDVD, but I felt the quality is very poor. I used a Sony HDR-HC3 and shot in 1080i for most of it, switching to a Panasonic HDC-TM700 shooting 60fps 1080p for the last year. I always used the highest quality settings for the workflow. I now have Final Cut Studio in my possesion, so would like to try DVD Studio Pro. My Question is: Will a QT movie exported from iMovie 6 or 9 be the same quality as one exported from Final Cut Express or Pro? Should I send them to Compressor, and if so will Compressor 4 work with DVD Studio Pro? I edited the HDV in iMovie 6 but could redo. The AVCHD video was edited in iMovie 9.
Basically, I have all the iMovie, Final Cut Express, and Final Cut Studio versions at my disposal. What would be the workflow to get the absolute best DVD quality? I plan on giving a SD disc and a Blu-Ray disc (on a regular DVD but playable on a Blu-Ray for HD) of each game to each boy/parent. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

My Question is: Will a QT movie exported from iMovie 6 or 9 be the same quality as one exported from Final Cut Express or Pro?
Depends how your iMovie projects were exported, for example HDV in to HDV out or converted to something else on output like H.264?
Note that not all QuickTime movies are equal .mov is just a container -the video inside could use any one of a number of codecs.
Final Cut gives you the opportunity to export to QuickTime using Current Settings -same as your Timeline. Assuming it was set up correctly to begin with, the exported film is identical to the material you shot. iMovie has something similar.
Should I send them to Compressor, and if so will Compressor 4 work with DVD Studio Pro?
Yes. Compressor 3 has time based DVD presets. You select one that the running time of your movie fits into.
Compressor 4 has a single preset in the "Disc Burning" folder. DVD Studio Pro will also encode the files it needs if you import the master file from your editing software directly. Compressor offers more control over the process.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Read the manuals for Compressor and DVD SP. I taught myself DVD authoring in a single afternoon with those resources. Buy a couple of DVD-RW discs -you can experiment, erase and re-use them. Better than burning through a spindle of -R discs just to throw them away afterwards.

Medium Scale Production Question? (DVD studio Pro, FCP and Compressor)

Please Help Me,
Ive made it to the last faze of 50 dvd production project with UNDERWATER video. Im trying to find the most efficient way to begin the DVD formatting process and Id like to think compressor could speed this up.
The underwater video is DV source captured in Final Cut 5, edited and marked with chapter markers for use with the custom DVD Studio Pro Menus.
Each DVD Menu is unique and each chapter marker corresponds with a button already prepared in a DVD studio pro menu.
Im trying to determine:
1. Whats the best setting to use for DVD quality (the tapes are no longer than 30 minutes)? My thought was a one pass CBR at 9mpbs.
2. Can I create a batch process for the video and audio that WILL include the preset chapter markers and be useful in DVD studio pr? Ive attempted this process with the export to compressor setting in FCP 5 and then my custom 9mbs CBR setting in Compressor, but the "chapter" markers do not show up in DVD Studio Pro.
3. What if any filters should i run over the video in Compressor to improve the quality of the underwater video? de-Interlacing? Color correction?
4. Does it save me anytime to create this independent .m2v files for use in DVD studio pro or should I just create a export to quicktime file and let DVD studio Pro do the encoding? Does DVD studio pro re-encode the video when i burn my DVD with it?
Please help, ive got to get 29 done by monday and it took me months to get this far. Custom menus, editing, capturing, menu flaws, etc...
Ryan

Hi,
9mbs is too high if the discs will be duplicated (as opposed to replicated). 7 would be better. Be sure to compress the audio as Dolby Digital.
Do your color correction in FCP before compression.
Best Wishes,
Mitch

Final Cut Sequence to Compressor to DVD Studio Pro

Running latest FCP Studio apps. Have a sequence fully edited and mixed (via Soundtrack) and sent the file to Compressor for output to DVD Studio Pro to create the DVD. I used the H.264 for DVDPro compression template (H.264 for DVDPro - 120 min) setting as provided by Apple. The compression file worked like a charm. I have the file and it plays beautifully in QT player. However when I try to add the asset or import it into DVDStudio Pro it says it is in an incompatible format. What gives? Shouldn't the template know how to render/compress the movie if the template setting is supposed to be in DVDStudio Pro format? Scratching my head on this one. Any pointers would be of great help.
File particulars: 3 1/2 minute movie (film student project) that was sent to compressor as a sequence file. Encoder template is set up for MPeg2 format using 7.34Mbps Average Bit Rate/23.00Mbps for Maximum Bit Rate/2.0 seconds for Frame Sync and Multi-pass and Include PCM Audio are checked (all are the default settings as provided by Apple).
Message was edited by: William Lutes

That would be a reasonable except that when I used those preset settings the file was unplayable by Quicktime OR DVDSP. QTPlayer wouldn't play it (as it was unrecognized file format) and DVDSP wouldn't import it. So I am at a loss on how to use compressor with the DVD setting templates. All I need is to compress the 3.5 minute movie file in a format that DVD Studio Pro will import and allow me to build and press to a DVD for family members to watch. I should add that I exported (via the Quicktime option in FCP) a movie file and then brought it into DVDSP but when I built the DVD it encoded the movie file in a very weird way (strange flicker when close up shots played on screen). When I just tried to change the encoding settings (in DVDSP) to allow for the least amount of effect on my file (basically the movie is only around 500mb uncompressed so a 4.7 blank dvd has more than enough room) DVDSP encoding still encoded the file in the strange flickering artifact manner.
The project is basically a simple menu with two options one to view the 3.5 minute movie file and the second is a 5 min behind the scenes explanation of the project by the director. All together the project file in DVDStudio Pro is around 650mb. So, the question now becomes: should I be bothering with Compressor at all and if I eschew its use then what can I do in DVDStudio Pro's encoding to have the least effect on the movie file (which plays fine without any flickering artifact before DVDSP gets its hands on it to build the DVD).
Any ideas? Thanks for chiming in btw, I do appreciate it.

Should I use Compressor 4 before sending over to DVD Studio Pro

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