FCP file output for playing DVD on PCs

[13]

It sounds like some of the windows computer he is using do not have proper DVD playing software or plugins to play ANY DVD.

Even if they have windows media player the computer may not have a DVD MPEG plug in that is needed to play a DVD.

If this is the case there is nothing that you can do to make a video DVD play on that computer, it is up to them.

Also they may not even have a DVD rom drive on the computer, if they are OLD they may not have one.

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Stu,
DVDs are the same for Macs and PCs. If your DVD is playing well in some machines (Computers or DVD players) I can think only of two reasons:
– The media (disks) you are using. It seems that some brands give more problems.
– You may be setting a too hight bit-rate in your MPG2 and some machines can not read them properly.
How long is your program and what bit-rate has you choosen? How are you compressing your MPGs? With DVDSTP? With Compressor?
The fact that you are using Blackmagic codec it shouldn’t affect at all to the quality of your DVDs. Although you should use that codec only if you are ex-changing footage with PC users. If you are only working inside Mac you better use the Apple 8b uncomressed.
Cheers,
rafael

[Stu Aull]

Thanks for the replies Gents!
Rafael:
to answer your questions-
-using Sony discs
-using Compressor and the standard DVDStudioPro “90min DVD”setting w 7.5Mbps Max (6.4 average), 2 pass VBR Best settings.
I have NEVER had a complaint from anyone using this before

Q: would a lower bit rate allow some problematic PC-based DVD players to play this? Or is it a DVD-player SOFTWARE issue? Client (a PC tech) sez that he CAN make the in-house PCs play current DVD with proper, ADDED software, but concerned THEIR clients will not have this loaded and be unable to play the disk. Unless the PC is really old, I would “assume” any machine with a DVD player/recorder built in would have both the capacity and software to play a Video DVD?

I will burn a DVD at a lower bit-rate and see what happens, too
Thanks!!

Regards
Stu
Alaska

[Rafael Amador]

Stu, old machines can have problem to cope with a high data-rate, but your set-up is OK. I see that the to-day domestic players can easily read files that they couldn’t two or three years ago. This why now I’m making Short GOPs DVDs. They need a higher data-rate but the improvement in the picture is noticiable. A couple of years ago the most of the players they read junpy those DVDs.
As I told you can be a problem with the media. Even if is Sony. II’ve read in this forum people complaining about the Sony, Verbatim, Mitsubishi..
Think as well that if you make printed DVDs (not copy in the computer bu printed from a cristal-master) those they have less problems to be read in any machine. In fact they support even higher data-rate. Just make a test with some of the PCs that find difficult to read your DVDs. Copy the VIDEO_TS folder in the HD of the PC and try to read it from there.
Cheers,
rafael

[Stu Aull]

Thanks Rafael!! will try new brand and the TS copy ideas!
Stu Aull
Alaska