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Poor quality of finished DVD when using Architect 4.5
Hi, firstly I apologize if this question has been asked in the past. I’ve spent a while searching through the forums to see if it has been raised previously but couldn’t see it.
I’m fairly new to both Sony Vegas Pro & DVD Architect. I’ve been using Vegas to edit some home movies and to put together some picture slides. I’m not sure what’s the best file type to use when rendering the finished movie. I had thought .avi but .wmv seems to give better results. Is there a “best” file type I should be using for best quality video? File size is an issue but when a movie is only 10-15 minutes long, I can live with a large file.
Secondly, I’m using Architect 4.5 to make up a compilation of a few of these movies onto DVD (all .wmv movies). When viewing the finished DVD using a standard DVD player and TV, the picture quality is slightly dark, one or two night shots were barely visible. When I’ve used Nero 7 to create a menu and burn the same footage, the picture quality is noticeably brighter and the night shots clearer.
I prefer using Architect rather than Nero to create DVD menu’s but there seems no point if the end product’s quality is inferior. Is there something I’m doing wrong? The compilations are only between 30-50 minutes long so it’s not as if they need to be compressed to “fit to disc”.
Having said that, I have noticed when I compare the reflective sides of both discs (you know how after burning, the shiny side of the disc has more of a matt finish), the Nero disc has less of the original reflective area remaining on the disc whereas the Architect disc has more of the original reflective area remaining, so it seems to be compressing the files more than Nero. I have tried tweaking the compression rates but the options seem fairly limited.
Anyone help me out? Please?!
Josh
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32 Replies
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Hi Josh, You will get the best results if you render directly from Vegas Pro as MainConcept MPEG2 using the DVD Architect video stream template and then render the audio as Dolby Digtal AC3. You absolutely, positively, DO NOT want to render to WMV and then to DVD Architect. DVD’s can only use MPEG2 files. By rendering to WMV (which is a highly compressed format for delivery) and then re-rendering to MPEG2 (in DVD Architect) you are loosing quality.
There is a free script called DVD Prep on the VASST web site that will make all of this much easier by rendering to the correct templates automatically for you.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t say “all” players do not support .wmv but going from camera format to .wmv then to .mpg each step loses quality.
Best to know if you are using Standard Def .avi or High Def .m2t, m2ts, m2v .
1. Make sure you are starting your project (file/properties) using the camera’s settings noted in your File Manager list.
2. Do as previously noted using Architect mpeg2 main concept version
3. I like to make sure my advanced settings (custom button/video tab override during RENDER AS…) compression is 8K max, average 6K, low 192 (play around some DVD players are sensitive).
4. I also override Aspect Ratio to 16:9 Display unless you have old 4:3 TV or SD 4:3 format camera. Otherwise, you may find your TV / DVD compensating the format causing lower resolution.
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Hi John
that link to Vasst’s DVprep didn’t work. Maybe I shuld try FireFox?Allen
ASX Media Group, Inc.
http://www.asxvideo.com
NEW DVD – Europe, Trains-n-Trams -
Allen,
We’re experiencing some difficulties for unknown reasons on the software downloads side of VASST.com.
It should be resolved in the next couple of hours.
Apologies for any inconvenience.Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASSTCertified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor -
Oh, okay. Thanks Spot
ALlenASX Media Group, Inc.
http://www.asxvideo.com
NEW DVD – Europe, Trains-n-Trams -
How and when should one render the audio files as AC3? My projects in Vegas are AVI and WAV files. To prepare them for DVD Architect, I render the timeline as Main Concept MPEG2. When I “Make DVD” in Architect and choose optimize DVD, the audio files need recompression to be rendered as AC3. Is this correct or should the audio be rendered as AC3 prior to bringing into DVD Architect?
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Diane, render your video to MPEG-2 by selecting “DVD NTSC (or PAL, as the case may be) Architect stream” in the “Save as type:” box.
If your video is over 70 min. long, you’ll need to modify the render template to allow for this.
See my response in the “Large projects” thread earlier today for some links on how to do this.
Once this is done, render again but select “Dolby Digital AC-3 PRO” in the “Save as type:” box.
The default template is fine for now.
Make sure each file has the same surname (i.e. myvideo.mpg and myvideo.ac3) and are in the same folder.
This way, when you load the video file into DVD Architect, the audio file will follow automatically.
BTW, if your project has a lot of stills, render using “Best” mode as your images will look a bit better on the final render. -
Thanks Mike,
One more question. When I make the first MPEG-2 render, should I mute the audio so only the video file is rendered? -
No need to Diane. The template I recommended is a “video only” one, hence the need for a separate audio render.
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Got it! Many thanks for the help.
Best regards!
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