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Best compression setting exporting QT from FCP to DVD Pro
Hello,
I’ve created a 30 second spot that will be broadcast on Comcast cable in the Seattle area. The producers at Comcast require that I send the spot on Beta tape or, if that option is unavailable to me, a DVD which they will use to make their own Beta tape (they will not accept a mini DV tape). I understand that this last option will reduce the quality of my spot but I live about 90 miles north of Seattle and getting a Beta made around here at this point in time is almost impossible.
So the question is: When I export a Quicktime movie from FCP to import into DVD Pro (where it will be compressed into a mpeg 2 file) will it matter if I export the spot from FCP using the “uncompressed 10 bit” setting which resluts in an 800 mg file or the “NTSC DV” setting which results in a 100 mg file? Will the quality of the mpeg2 file DVD Pro creates be higher using the 800mg file versus the 100mg file or is it a moot point?
I’ve tried it both ways and my eyes can’t tell the difference but I’d like to know if there’s a standard answer to this question.
Thanks for any and all responses.
KevinKD
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5 Replies
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One thing that could help a little is to render out any graphics in an uncompressed timeline. A DV timeline will compress the graphics with DV codec, before going on to compress them into MPEG-2 also. I would think that the uncompressed graphics would encode perhaps a bit clearer going to MPEG.
I would also recommend using Compressor to do your compression. That is what it is for, and you’ll have a bit easier control over the encoding process. (You can control compression settings from within DVDSP also, but it’s not as user-friendly.) Some standards for compression are discussed in more detail in the DVDSP forum, but a good setting for maximum compatibility would be to use a CBR (constant bit rate) of 6.5, but you could also use a 2-pass VBR like Compressor’s “High Quality 60 min. Encode > Both” and possibly get better quality. If you want to do the CBR, just go in FCP to “Export>Using QuickTime compression” then select MPEG2, and set it to “One Pass” and change the slider to 6.5. Then import your .m2v and .aiff files into DVDSP.
Hope this helps.
BTW… they should really accept miniDV, but in the past when I worked with DV I ran into the same problems. Those beta decks are steep!
-Todd Beabout
Vazda Studios -
Todd,
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I’m fairly new to video (I’m a graphic designer)and I was shying away from compressor and it’s mulitidude of settings and options…guess it’s time to figure them out.
KevinKD
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It’s very easy to let DVD Studio Pro do the encoding for you. I’ve had good luck setting the DSP encoding preferences to 2 pass VBR, minimum 6, maximum 7. A one-pass CBR at a high setting I’d expect would be fine also. Export a QT movie from the FCP timeline but don’t make it self-contained. Import that proxy file as an asset into DSP.
Rick
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Just a thought here…
Are they (Comcast) looking for an actual DVD or a data DVD with a Quicktime file on it that they import into a system that they use to make the Beta copy? I send data DVDs to one station in my market and they take the Quicktime file from the DVD and import it into their Avid and then play the spot out to tape.
Just wondering…
Tom -
Are they (Comcast) looking for an actual DVD or a data DVD with a Quicktime file on it that they import into a system that they use to make the Beta copy?
I wish that were the case but it’s not…they actually “play” the DVD then record it to their Beta tape deck. It’s their only available workaround for people like me who are unable to supply them with an original Beta tape.
-K
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