Best compression product

[Daniel Low]

I’m not promoting compressor – I don’t use it anymore because of various performance and reliability issues, but it’s all you have right now, so it’s worth giving it a chance….

Have a look at this page and the embedded links:
https://www.produxion.net/2008/04/08/hd-to-sd-conversion-the-holy-grail/

I think one of the key things mentioned is the field dominance settings – Ken Stones method does not cover this.

If you still can’t produce better SD quality using those methods then it may be worth trying Episode (there is a free trial version). If you are unhappy with the output from Episode then you’ll not see a huge difference with CinemaCraft or Bitvice.

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Please post back saying what solved your problem. It could help others, and saying ‘thanks’ is free!

[Magda Fernandez]

Wow! Excellent advice, Daniel. Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of lead I’ve been looking for. I can’t thank you enough for it.

Incidentally, I just posted a similar vote for the better compression product in the FCP forum, if you’re curious to see how those readers weigh in.

Many thanks again for your help!

[Joe Murray]

One thing you may want to try is to create your shows in a progressive instead of interlaced format. Graphics and footage that are interlaced typically look much worse on computer monitors and plasma displays because they are best at displaying progressive frame rates…they’re progressive scan monitors, not interlaced, and interlaced formats produce lots of artifacts when displayed on them.

For any DVDs we make where we have control of the frame rate from start to finish, we try to stay progressive rather than interlaced, usually at 24 frames per second. You’ll have to render your comps at the same frame rate, edit in a timeline of the same framerate in FCP, and then encode for DVD, not just take your existing 29.97 material and encode it to 24. Try a test with Compressor and DVD Studio Pro and see if this improves your quality.

Joe Murray
Edit at Joe’s
Charlotte, NC

[Magda Fernandez]

Thanks, Joe. I will try your suggestion, and your timing couldn’t have been better. I actually had some success yesterday using the Bonsai method that Daniel offered, but the graphics looked pretty fuzzy. I’ll definitely try converting everything to progressive.

I still plan to compare that result with other products’ HD to SD DVD compression results, before plunking down any $ for the best one. Daniel pointed me to Episode’s free trial version, which I plan to try today.

I asked my same question in the FCP forum, and Walter Biscardi recommended BitVice. BitVice also offers a trial version, which I plan to check out.

The offline compression product that seems to get the most favorable reviews is Cinema Craft Encoder SP. But other than Brian Gary’s review, I can’t find any other reviews or user feedback about Cinema Craft Encoder MP.

Have you or any readers out there tried Cinema Craft Encoder MP yet? They don’t offer a trial version, so I can’t test it in advance.

[Nook Kim]

Hi,

I just wanted to share a workflow that works for me as far as FCP to DVD SP goes:

1. After your edit in FCP, clear out the render files by using Render Manager. Then, go “Sequence Settings” and “Video Processing Tab”. Click on Render All YUV Material in High-Precision YUV.

2. Nest your HD sequence into a 10bit uncompressed SD.

3. Export the SD sequence with Compressor.

4. In Compressor, choose one of the “DVD Best Quality” settings.

5. In the Inspector Window, go under Encoder tab and uncheck “Allow Job Segmenting”, and increase the Average Bit Rate to 6.5Mbps.

6. Compress and bring it into DVD SP to make your DVD’s.

This has been working very well for me when I go from DVCPro HD with effects, CC, and titles to SD DVD’s. Before I took this approach, I could see some nasty stuff, the worst being lack of tonal representation. I thought I was doing something wrong when I was shooting.

Hope this helps.

Nook Kim
http://www.nookkim.com

[Nook Kim]

By the way, I wonder if you can make a H.264 Quicktime and burn that into a DVD as Data. Just asking since SD DVD will look blown-up if the client chooses full screen option. The bigger the client’s computer monitor is, the worse your SD DVD is going look.

Nook Kim
http://www.nookkim.com

[Magda Fernandez]

Thank you, Nook Kim. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much success with your workflow, but that doesn’t mean that others won’t find it useful.

Although the Holy Grail method above has yielded the most decent result I’ve had so far, I’m seeking the highest quality HD to SD compression possible, within my budget. So I decided to go ahead and trust Brian Gary’s review of Cinema Craft Encoder MP, and buy the thing. The price is steep, so I hope I see noticeable results!

I’ll report my impressions after my CCE-MP arrives in the mail and I’ve had time to use it.

[Magda Fernandez]

Hmm. I’ve been under the impression that sending .m2v files (as opposed to data files) is safer for playback assurance.

Perhaps someone out there knows a setting that forces an .m2v file to display in normal mode only.

Otherwise, I was planning to print those instructions on the DVD jacket: eg., For optimal viewing, view in Normal Mode only.

[Nook Kim]

Sorry it didn’t work out for you. I assume it’s the difference in between the original format of the video (ie. DVCProHD vs. HDV).

As for the H.264 option I suggested, it should be fairly easy for the client since it’s just double clicking the file. However, the playability of the data DVD could not be reliable depending on the client’s computer. For one, if the client doesn’t have the quicktime player, they will have to download it, which they may not prefer. Also, there are other factors that could make the H.264 data DVD not too viable such as the speed of the DVD player. I guess I’m suggesting it will be too risky for you to try unless you know the exact specs of the client’s computer. Sorry to suggest an option that was not so helpful for your situation in the first place.

I hope you will find the result that you’re looking for with the CCE product.

Nook Kim
http://www.nookkim.com

[Magda Fernandez]

Hi Nook Kim, please–absolutely no need to apologize! All the opposite, actually. I appreciate your taking the time to share your own workflow. I agree with you as to why it probably didn’t work for me, and why sending data files in my case is risky. Once blu-ray usage becomes the standard, I won’t have to contend with these compression headaches. But until then, I depend upon the generosity and workarounds put forth by readers, such as yourself, in forums such as this one. 🙂

Thanks again.