[Joe Jennings]

Cool. Thanks. Good to know.
I am operating mostly with the default settings of FCP (7). So it probably is autosaving.
Is it better to keep these files? or does it really matter?
I usually ‘save all’ from time to time just to be sure work is not lost.

thanks
joe

[Joe Jennings]

The entire project is longer than an hour, but it is to be broken down and the discs will be shorter than an hour each.

It appears that i have no choice to NOT deinterlace. This is what is confusing to me. here is a screen shot.

I was told that turning the frame rate on would increase the quality when applying different settings.

And DVD SP seems to automatically compress the footage when you build and burn your project. It seems that I am doing an extra step that may not be necessary, but i am lost as to how to create a high quality file that I can take directly into dvd sp from FCP.

I have been creating a quicktime .mov from FCP (self-contained NOT checked) and then use Compressor to make the video and audio files that will work for my project. From there I have been taking that file into DVD SP and making my DVD.

Any suggestions?

[Joe Jennings]

you say you are going to compressor after you come from FCP in order to get it to a certain codec. that codec should be available in FCP so there is no need, you should just eliminate this step. can you tell me what codec you are using in compressor? yes there is quality loss when you encode the asset through Studio Pro, that is why it’s imperative to give Studio Pro the best quality possible source file from which to encode…here is a workflow tip. cut with the footage at the frame rate you ultimately need it to be. this might mean FIRST converting 23.98 footage to 29.97 through compressor -or even better use Shake- and keep the codec the same as the source.

I am using the dvd best quality 90 min codec…. mpeg-2 6.2 Mbps 2-pass with aiff audio on a dvd-5.
How do you eliminate this step? Is it when you create the .mov file? or do you have to do something else?
I apologize for the elementary questions, it has been sometime and I am diving back into it.

Also… If dvd studio pro will not recognize 23.98, then if i leave my sequence settings ‘editing timebase’ the same as it is already…29.97, that eliminates the need to change it when compressing right?

I shot on canon xl h1s. 24p …(1440X1080) HDV footage. Shot on HDV tape, so there is automatic compression going on correct?? From what i understand the compression that HDV uses is mpeg-2? So when you compress a codec into the same codec, all you are doing is making the file size smaller???

I am making some training videos for dvd and the web. I know that i will have to use a different codec for both mediums.

I am not familiar with shake. I has come up in many articles/forums that i read in. Is it’s main purpose to do as you stated…. first converting movie files before you edit?

Would that mean I would take the movie files from the scratch disc folder and put all that into compressor (or Shake) and compress before i import the footage into FCP?

My ultimate goal with the training videos that are to be used on dvd, is to get the best possible quality and to fit all the footage onto one standard dvd. I have approx. a total of 2 hr and 45min of footage but the longest project will be no more than 40min of footage on one dvd. I am going to bundle the dvd’s into a multiple disc package.

[Joe Jennings]

Thanks for the info.
I went a head and copied and pasted into another project with the sequence settings matching the footage that i shot. From playback i cannot tell any difference between the two. Why is this? And if the final product is going to be a DVD, isn’t the timebase going to play at the standard NTSC anyway??? (what it’s compressed to)

And if you can change the codec when you export, why does it matter if the codec in the timeline doesnt match what you shot? especially when you can change it back when compressing. Is there quality loss with that?
Just curious. I know there are ways of doing things, and standard procedure is just that, but i am curious to know what the difference would be.

And i cannot figure out why there is a need to double compress? I am creating the .mov reference movie in FCP and exporting it. I then use compressor to make the codec that is for the dvd. Then after I import the assets in dvd studio pro, when the project builds and burns….isn’t it compressing again?? why?? is there quality loss with this workflow?

any additional info you might be able to add?
thanks
joe

[Joe Jennings]

Thanks. i will try that.
Does that mean that they should remain ON for hd projects? and do you have advise as far as the FCP sequence settings… quicktime conversion settings specifically? do my settings look correct or should they match what i shot in?

thanks
joe

[Joe Jennings]

Great!
thanks so much for the info

joe

[Joe Jennings]

I did hit the start sharing button and then I will hide that window and go to compressor to continue and hit submit in compressor. I think I have got it set up properly.(I can see many processes working while looking at the cpu activity in the activity monitor)(but i have also done it to see only one working) I have played around with it enough. I guess I don’t really understand the processes of the application. I know that it’s possible to to utilize many computers with a cluster…correct me if i am mis-understanding. And it’s also possible to utilize…spread out processes over different cores on the same computer…correct? This is what I think that I am doing. I only have this one work station. 2 X 2.26 8 core mac pro with 12Gb or RAM. Oh… also, I can see the usage of RAM in the activity monitor as well after I share in qmaster and submit in compressor. My question is approx. how much usage should i be seeing…of RAM and CPU processes. I am seeing about 6 different processes working around 200% to 300% each and the RAM only seems to be using 2 to 3 GB. This confuses me a little because i thought that RAM will make your computer faster. Maybe I am wrong to assume that it would be using more….???
Any information you might have to help me understand better and or to help me make sure that my setting are the way they are suppose to be for best optimization.

thanks
joe

[Joe Jennings]

thanks,
i will try that

[Joe Jennings]

Great!! Thanks so much!
It worked after I restarted the computer.

joe

[Joe Jennings]

I will try this.
thanks