[Craig Seeman]

QT Movie BUT is your source a DV NTSC timeline or . . . ?
Is your move Self Contained or Reference?

[Craig Seeman]

What format file are you exporting from FCP? DV as mov or ?

[Craig Seeman]

You can create something in Motion, import it into Squeeze and compress it to Flash (swf or flv). While I’m not sure how it would work as a background, you can certainly use what you create in Motion.

In the link below is a page in which Flash is used to play video. Not what you’re looking for exactly but you can certainly have your motion graphics moving as part of a Flash “window”

https://www.innerphaseny.com/view_80.html

[Craig Seeman]

Media manager can’t seem to deal with Freeze Frames and speed changes of any sort in my experience.

[Craig Seeman]

I’ve also found turning off “Mirroring to Desktop” also helps stop the occasional dropped frame when sending to tape. I find it happens when output is over 10 minutes or so. On long outputs I see it can skip a frame (“stutter”) every few minutes . . . seems almost but not exactly periodic. Turnning off mirroring (after doing audio mix down) usually cures it. I also turn off Auto Save during output just to be safe.

[Craig Seeman]

You could use Flip4Mac Studio Pro, which can make WMV HD files on the Mac. Works in FCP as well as Quicktime Pro and Compressor 2.

[Craig Seeman]

Real Media Export plugin not compatible with 10.4.x but works in 10.3.x. Telestream/Flip4Mac allows one to create WMV9 an WMVHD using Compressor 2.

[Craig Seeman]

Short Answer, Flip4Mac

https://www.flip4mac.com/wmv.htm

It works in FCP, FCE, QuicktimePro, iMovie, Cleaner 6, Squeeze 4.1, Compressor 2. It creates WMV9 files. The Pro version can create WMV HD files.
BTW Cleaner 6 only does WMV7 without Flip4Mac. With Flip4Mac it will do WMV9 which will look much better.

In Cleaner 6 and Squeeze 4.1 you can crop the file. Not yet in Compressor 2 unfortunately.

[Craig Seeman]

In Squeeze 4.1, 1PassVBR has a bug so that may be the issue. Squeeze 4.2 for the Mac in in beta so I hope Sorenson has addressed the issue.

Please download/read this guide I wrote on using Flip4Mac in Compressor 2
https://www.flip4mac.com/pdfs/WMV_Compressor2_Guide.pdf

[Craig Seeman]

It’ll be hard for any of us to give a dollar amount depending on your market, your setup, your typical rates.

I can suggest to you what you should be considering though when developing a rate.

Do you have a separate DVD recorder or is it in your NLE computer?
Do you have to do the dubs yourself?
Is this part of a larger project in which the client is also paying for post production time?

Reason for the above questions.
If doing the dubs takes down your NLE because you’re a small shop then you have to make sure you don’t take a lose by not getting editing done. This can be offset though IF the client is booking (not just THINKING about booking) a major post production job. If you have landed the post job yet, I’d mark the dubs higher. If you have an assistant who is doing this in another room, you can probably mark lower.

If you’re a small shop don’t try to match the price of a big dub house. That’s what outsourcing is for. If the client can’t wait for the turnaround on an outsourced job, you should consider that and keep the price high since they’re paying for your personal attention to the job.

Just some random thoughts. Others may think differently though.