Need Help with poor quality DVD from FCP project *TIGHT DEADLINE*

[Michael Lansdell]

If you don’t have to burn it using iDVD, you could export it through compressor as 7MBS a second one pass cbr (for speed), and a 48kHz Aif and burn in DVD Studio. How long is the video? Even making a DVPAL (I’m in the UK, use your equivalent – DVNTSC?) QT at full quality and get DVD Studio to do the conversion would be better, assuming the problem comes from get iDVD to make a 1900 x 1080 60fps video into a 720 x 576 25fps one is the problem…

Michael Lansdell

Online Editor,
Available Light Productions Ltd

My system:

2 x 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
5GB DDR2 RAM
512MB ATI Radeon X1900 XT
OS X 10.4.11
Final Cut Pro 6.0.4
Blackmagic Design DeckLink HD Extreme (6.6.2)

[Dan Herz]

Not sure how to minipulate the settings in compressor. I have dvd studio, but have not used it before. Right now I am exporting from FCP to compressor using the existing settings for “Best Quality DVD” for SD and 1 for HD. Will this improve the quality…or am I wasting my time? It is showing that it will take about 5 hours to complete the compressions.

[Michael Lansdell]

Don’t do HD, as you don’t get HD playback off DVD, so there’s no quality to gain from doing that. What version of fcp studio are using? And is at a Pal or NTSC project? What length? Will post instructions for you to use in compressor.

Alternatively, export as a DV Quicktime, and then open up DVD studio Pro, drag the QT from finder into the asset window (lower left in advanced window set-up). Delete the menu icon in the “Graphical” window on the top left, and ctrl click the green “track 1” icon, and set it as first play. Drag your QT on and click burn.

Job done!

Michael Lansdell

Online Editor,
Available Light Productions Ltd

My system:

2 x 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
5GB DDR2 RAM
512MB ATI Radeon X1900 XT
OS X 10.4.11
Final Cut Pro 6.0.4
Blackmagic Design DeckLink HD Extreme (6.6.2)

[Dan Herz]

Turns out I need to deliver a 4:3 letterboxed DVD that will be played off of a DVD player at an event.
Once again it is a 1080 60i FCP project. If someone could tell me how to export or compress it to get the best quality DVD that I will create in iDVD, i would really appreciate it. If you could let me know exact settings and how to to create the settings, that would be great. I am not too experienced with changing settings in compressor.
Thanks

Dan

[Dan Herz]

I am using FCP 6.0.5. It is a HDV project, but the DVD will need to be 4:3 SD letterboxed. The length is about 10 minutes.
I would really like to use iDVD to create the DVD since I am familiar with it. If you think I would get much improved quality by using DVD Studio, only way I could pull it off at this point is if you give me detailed step by step instructions (sorry).
Thanks for your help!

Dan

[Michael Lansdell]

Follow the instruction in my previous post, but to make sure your video is letterboxed, before pressing burn in DVD studio pro, click on the green “track” icon in the “graphical” window, in the bottom right of the screen is a window called “track” under teh “general” tab there should be a drop down menu marked “display mode”, choose “16:9” letterbox from this and now burn your disc.

Does that help?

Michael Lansdell

Online Editor,
Available Light Productions Ltd

My system:

2 x 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
5GB DDR2 RAM
512MB ATI Radeon X1900 XT
OS X 10.4.11
Final Cut Pro 6.0.4
Blackmagic Design DeckLink HD Extreme (6.6.2)

[Forrest Burger]

Try this if you’re in a hurry:

Create 5 sec black before video starts
Export video (including black )as a self contained QuickTime movie
Right click on movie to get info, change to open with QT player
(This step may not be necessary, but I do it anyway)
Import movie into compressor
Apply DVD Fastest Encode-90 minutes
Go to quality settings, change from good to best
(I find this setting as good as two pass, best encode)
Submit (Render)

In DVD Studio Pro import assets (mpeg2 and audio stream)
Delete menu window
Drop both video and audio assets into track 1 window
Right click on window, set to first play
Make DVD

The video will automatically play, starting in black (5 sec). For the settings on the DVD player that your using at the event, make sure it is set to letterbox the video, so even though your DVD is created in 16×9 it will automatically letterbox to fit the screen correctly. Also, when the DVD is played on a widescreen TV it will display correctly.

I don’t produce 4×3 DVD’s anymore, expecially since everything I do originates in HD.

Hope that helps.

Forrest

[Dan Herz]

I will give it a shot…thanks.
I am currently compressing the video from FCP in compressor using the MPEG-2 6.2 mbps 2-Pass settings for “DVD – best quality 90 minutes”. Will this work? will it squeeze or distort the video? should I continue or stop the compression?
Thanks

[Dan Herz]

Thanks, but I can not have the DVD start automatically…it will need to have a start/menu page where you push/click play to start.
I have never used DVd studio…do you know if you can you get decent quality with iDVD?

[Forrest Burger]

I haven’t used iDVD, so I can’t really help there, but here’s how to do it using Photoshop and DVD Studio Pro.

Make a Photoshop graphic/bkrnd in DV Widescreen
Change DVD Studio Pro preferences to 16×9
Import your mpeg2, audio stream and Photoshop assets into DVD Studio Pro
Drop your Photoshop backround into menu window
Drop a button of your choice (right side of DVD Studio Pro) onto bkrnd
Pull mpeg2 and audio stream over onto button
Drop onto button using create track/asset option
Click simulate at top of DVD Studio Pro
Click on Button, video should start to play
Exit simulate
Put blank DVD in and press burn at top

This hopefully will work for you. You can put text under or on the side of the button if you’d like.

Using Photoshop you can customize your menu look with a logo, etc if you’d like.

You can also just use one of the DVD Studio Pro menus if you’d like.

Forrest