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HDV to SD DVD Compressor Settings
Hi All,
So after spending days reading about different workflows for HD video I’ve come to the conclusion that there is not one best or right way to do it. This has been a frustrating and liberating revelation.
My question is what is a good way to get my 63 min HDV FCP project onto a Dual Layer DVD R.
Here are my details.
I’m in FCS 2 and all my sequences have been round tripped through Soundtrack Pro if that makes a difference.
Shot on a Canon HV30 at 1440 X 1080 29.97 fps. I edited using a HDV 1080i60 codec.
Here are my sequence settings.
However when I exported the final project using a self contained QT movie (11.74 GB) the Audio slowly falls out of sync. After reading many of these forums, I learned that the HDV 1080i60 codec has a syncing issue with longer projects. So I made a version of the project with the Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) sequence codec.
I exported that as a self contained QT movie and the audio is synced but the file size is now 83.4 GB.
Is there a better way to get a smaller self contained QT file out of FCP?
If not what compressor settings should I use to get the best quality DVD of that file?
Do I need to worry about de-interlacing at all? -
13 Replies
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Are you burning a DVD that will play in a DVD player or a DATA DVD?
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Vimeo page
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Play in a DVD player.
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[Zach Hammel – Shaver] “So after spending days reading about different workflows for HD video I’ve come to the conclusion that there is not one best or right way to do it. This has been a frustrating and liberating revelation.”
There are correct ways of editing with HD. If people can work in 4K, HD editing should be simple if done correctly. HDV is a very difficult codec to work with. So is the very compressed h.264 codec. Codecs such as DVCPro HD and ProRes are VERY EASY to work with.
[Zach Hammel – Shaver] “I exported that as a self contained QT movie and the audio is synced but the file size is now 83.4 GB.”
This is normal. You could have changed it to standard ProRes and it would have been smaller while maintaing the same quality. Drop that file into DVDSP and create a Dual Layer DVD.
Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Vice President
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group -
Thanks for the advice Steve.
So in conclusion you would recommend changing the sequence codec to Apple ProRes 442 Non HQ and exporting to a self contained QT file. Then taking that directly into DVDSP. So I don’t need compressor at all?
Do I need to worry about de-interlacing at all with this?
So in the future would you recommend capturing using ProRes 442?
Thanks so much!
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Why do you want to put it on a Dual Layer DVD?
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Vimeo page
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I figured there would be less quality loss pushing a 83.4 GB file to a 8.5 Duel layer DVD then to a 4.7 GB single-sided DVD.
Is that thinking wrong?
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[Zach Hammel – Shaver] “I figured there would be less quality loss pushing a 83.4 GB file to a 8.5 Duel layer DVD then to a 4.7 GB single-sided DVD.
Is that thinking wrong?”
No! But, you are over-thinking.
1.5 to 2-hour movies are routinely encoded and authored to DVD-5s.
Don’t be concerned with the file size of the original master, it’s the length of the program that really matters. DVDs are highly compressed, so whether you start with a giant uncompressed HD master, or just a DV master, both will ultimately get compressed enough to fit on a DVD-5, as long as the running time isn’t over two-hours.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comDon’t miss my new Creative Cow Podcast: Bringing “The Whale” to the Big Screen:
https://library.creativecow.net/weiss_roth_david/Podcast-Series-2-MikeParfitandSuzanneChisholm/1POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
Creative COW contributing editor and a forum host of the Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums.
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[Zach Hammel – Shaver] “I figured there would be less quality loss pushing a 83.4 GB file to a 8.5 Duel layer DVD then to a 4.7 GB single-sided DVD.”
It’s not necessary to put it onto a dual layer. The maximum bitrate you should be using for DVD is 7.5 anyway, and your 63 min video should easily fit onto a single layer at that bitrate. I recommend going through Compressor rather than just dropping your QT movie into DVDSP. Use the ’90 minute Best Quality’ template as a starting point and adjust the bitrate setting to 7.5. Bring the results of that (both audio and video files) into DVDSP and make sure you don’t make a HD-DVD. As well, if your end result is for playback on a TV you don’t need to worry about de-interlacing… that’s only for playback on a computer.
Keep in mind DVDs are SD only. If you start out with HD footage, don’t expect to see HD quality pictures on your final DVD.
HTH
Gary
This is me – this is what I do – https://web.mac.com/garymmw
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Yeah, you can fit it on a DVD-5 just fine. DVDSP doesn’t handle the layer break the best anyways. Beside, I would guess that your video would only take up one layer anyways.
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Vimeo page
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Thank you all for the advise.
I’m exporting a self contained ProRes 442 version as we speak and will run that through the compressor as Gary stated then go to DVDSP.
Thanks again and have a good Christmas or any other holiday you’re into!
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