Best export settings for DVD/TV?

[Shane Ross]

DVDs are standard def only…720×480. So that’s all they can play back. Author a DVD and SD is all you get. If you want HD, then you need to author a BluRay disk…and hope the clients have a BluRay player. But then you need a BluRay burner, and BluRay authoring software like Adobe Encore or Toast 10.

Ask what the clients want…work from there.

Compressor, that comes with FCP, has presets for DVD compression.

#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 amd select the top option “first play”.

5. Now drag your QT from the broswer 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.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Beth Schneider]

Hi Shane,
Read your post, thank you. For some reason when I am exporting the quicktime file from fcp for the dvd authoring process I am getting a handfull of glitches at edit points that are not there in final cut on quick view or when I export using quicktime conversion. Do you have any suggestions?

I too am a beginner with much of the technical stuff and want to add simple chapters to my instructional dvd project. Would I go through compressor first and then create the chapters in idvd or studio pro?

Thanks for your help.
Peace,

Beth