Blurry DVD output in Encore from 1920×1080 AVCHD source

[Jeff Bellune]

When you select the preset encoder settings in En, you have to check the box that says, “Use Maximum Render Quality”. If you don’t, then you get the soft, blurry output that you are getting.

Unfortunately, Maximum Render Quality takes a long time to render and encode and it’s even worse with 2-pass encoding.

Sidebar: Don’t use pure white text on a pure black background. It doesn’t translate well to video. I recommend white RGB values of (235,235,235) and black RGB values of (16,16,16)

-Jeff

The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

[Marc-julien Objois]

I totally forgot about the black & white levels! Thank you.

I don’t see this checkbox. What panel / dialog is it in? I did, however, create a custom quality profile and noticed a “quality” slider that goes up to 5. Are those settings related?

[Jon Geddes]

To enable Maximum Render Quality, in your Premiere project, right click on the sequence in the project panel, then go to properties. Towards the bottom of the properties, you will see a check box to enable maximum render quality. I highly recommend you read my article on achieving the best quality downconversion, complete with sample images and all:

https://www.precomposed.com/blog/2009/07/hd-to-sd-dvd-best-methods/

Jon Geddes
http://www.precomposed.com

[Marc-julien Objois]

Very helpful, folks.

Thanks!

[Jeff Bellune]

If you are using Dynamic Link, you have to enable MRQ in Encore. Right-click the sequence in the En project panel and choose Transcode Settings. There is a “Use Maximum Render Quality” check box in that dialog. That has to be checked for En to transcode using MRQ.

-Jeff

The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

[Marc-julien Objois]

I can’t find the Maximum Render Quality checkbox in Premiere Pro CS4.

The documentation seems to imply that going to Sequence->Sequence Settings will get you a dialog with that option, but the last thing I see on that dialog is “Maximum Bit Depth”. I also can’t find it in the new sequence dialog.

Where is the Maximum Render Quality checkbox?

[Marc-julien Objois]

Ah: I assumed I had the latest version, but I was running 4.0.0, which didn’t have that checkbox.

[Marc-julien Objois]

I recently found that you can get decent results by creating a standard definition sequence, dragging your high def sequence in, then scaling it down (Effect Controls -> Motion -> Scale).

As far as I know you can’t just tell it to scale to a certain width and height, you have to mess with percentages.

At any rate, this seems to yield a much crisper result when subsequently opened in Encore than exporting a DVD based on a high definition timeline.

I haven’t done extensive testing yet, so please feel free to set me straight if I’m out to lunch.

[Zahoor Sakharkar]

I can confirm that is my workflow too. Using my own tests of Hd test images and saturated movies.
Will add this too.

1)Copying and pasting the clips from HD timeline to SD yields better results than simply dropping the HD sequence into SD timeline.
2) Max render quality and Max depth do not signicantly affect the resolution. I leave them off.
3) Choose progressive output (as interlaced lowers the resolution)
4) VBR or CBR is upto you and doesn’t affect the resolution.
5) Quality has to be on 5 as all the other settings lower the resolution.

[Zahoor Sakharkar]

Apologie for the premature post.
Further tests on real world clips reveal the following.

If you work with PAL (50i settings) – this would be true for 60i I guess:
1) DO NOT use progressive as it causes too much stuttering
2) Create your SD premiere project as DV PAL (Lower field first)if you work with 50i clips
3) Export to media encoder with lower field first preset.
4) Burn as usual in encore.

So going back to the original post-
1) simply create an SD project
2) Copy and paste the HD clips in the SD timeline
3) Export mpeg2 dvd files in media encode
4) Burn in encore

REPEAT DO NOT mess around with progressive if you work with interlaced