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SD Dual Layer DVD Disappointment
Hello again,
On my never ending quest for the highest quality SD DVD possible with my current equipment, I finally decided to burn to Dual Layer so I could raise my bit rate significantly… The results were better but still less than I’d imagined they’d be.
Granted I shoot live theater (lighting directors aren’t considering video when they design, and I choose not to ask them), but my footage looks decent for what it is (SD footage shot on 3 Cannon GL2s).
My workflow is from FCP straight to Apple Compressor to DVDSP. Most of my settings are the ones I’ve found suggested here on the COW (my screen shots are pictured below).
It’s a given that Hollywood has tons more money than I have, but are their expensive cameras and costly DVD authoring software truly the only things that create the difference between my final DVDs and theirs?
What am I missing?
Why does my final DVD, even dual layer, still contain so many artifacts and look so fuzzy compared to the original footage I capture.
At one point I exported through Compressor to an external drive using H264. Huge in GB but BEAUTIFUL! Made me wonder why no one has invented a “Thumb Drive Entertainment System”.
DOES ANYONE HAVE THAT MAGICAL ANSWER I’M SEARCHING FOR?! ;P
Thank you in advance – Lisa 🙂
FCP Capture Settings
FCP Sequence Settings During Edit
FCP Sequence Settings for Export to Apple Compressor
Compressor Video Format
Compressor Quality Screen
Compressor GOP Changes
Compressor Frame Controls
DVDSP Settings
Lisa Laughbaum
Laughing Tree Productions
http://www.LaughingTreeProductions.com -
6 Replies
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DV is not a nice codec but that is what you are shooting. You might get a better result by exporting PorRes422 from the timeline (self contained quicktime and then bring that into compressor. This will help with titles and graphics.
Also you sequence settings show compressor as none? It should be DV, or you could change it to ProRes 422.
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You can’t raise your bit rate significantly, as 7 is about the highest you can go in a burned DVD and not cause playback issues on some players. Hollywood DVDs are replicated, not burned. Different process. They also use expensive hardware encoders and are working with very high quality source material. DV is a bad codec. ProRes might improve things a little.
Your settings for VBR are not good…you will actually cause artifacts and playback Issues with those settings. There is also no need to turn the frame controls on unless you are doing resizing or frame rate changes. You are vastly increasing your encode time, with no benefit. Actually, you might be making it worse…as you have deinterlacing turned on. Bad idea.
How long are your videos? You might have better quality using CBR rather than VBR
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“ProRes might improve things a little.”
Are you suggesting ProRes as a capture setting or sequence setting once I’m done editing and am ready to export to Compressor?
What VBR settings would you use? What about the GOP settings?
The live theater productions I capture run as long as 2 1/2 hours.
Thanks! 🙂
Lisa Laughbaum
Laughing Tree Productions
http://www.LaughingTreeProductions.com -
Thanks! I’ll give that a try. I read somewhere that “none” leaves the footage uncompressed and is why I was using that “codec”. Mostly for the titles and credit roll.
Thanks again! 🙂
Lisa Laughbaum
Laughing Tree Productions
http://www.LaughingTreeProductions.com -
Following your advice, I changed the FCP sequence setting to ProRes 422, but when exporting to Quicktime, there are quite a few ProRes choices. Which should I choose?
Lisa Laughbaum
Laughing Tree Productions
http://www.LaughingTreeProductions.com -
Not having heard back, I chose the Pro Res 422 NTSC but it’s too square. I’ll continue experimenting but sure would love to hear back as to the best choice.
The parents I create these for tend to be higher end clients with large widescreen TVs and blu-ray players. Does that help with advice on my choice?
Lisa Laughbaum
Laughing Tree Productions
http://www.LaughingTreeProductions.com
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