[Tom Amici]

Thank for the good ideas.

[Tom Amici]

Scenarist uses .sst files which reference bitmaps or tiffs. .son work for Maestro. Whoever is exporting the titles can probably make .sst as well.

Tom Amici
Tobin Productions
NYC

[Tom Amici]

DVDit Pro HD creates Blu-ray as if they are a standard DVD, so you would prepare the menus in the same way, although you only have to design for 16:9.

If you are just doing simple menus with video, DVDit Pro should fit your needs fine. However, it crashes like crazy if you let it compress your video assets for you, so they must be prepared outside. We use Compressor or Cleaner XL, but there is an output for Premiere as well. Here is a forum entry from Roxio outlining the specs for asset creation.

https://forums.support.roxio.com/index.php?showtopic=21049

This program is good for creating one-offs and duplicated discs. If you need replication, that’s a whole other ball of wax. I have heard that DVDit Pro can create masters that replicate, but haven’t heard any solid testimony to back it up, as most people doing these kinds of discs use the high-end software.

Tom Amici
Tobin Productions
NYC

[Tom Amici]

I use both, Scenarist for SD DVD and DVDitPro HD for simple Blu-ray work. DVDitPro HD is glitchy, slow and limited, but it gets the job done with some extra work on the outside (preparing assets so no secondary compression is required, etc.).

I’ve been a Scenarist user for four years and once you get past the learning curve it is a great tool. I haven’t tried the BD version, but I hear Sony Blu-print is great as well.

-Tom

[Tom Amici]

That makes sense. I tell clients to send me proper files, but they get lazy or rushed. I’ll just keep QT updated and jump on Compressor if necessary.

-Matt

[Tom Amici]

Makes total sense. Thanks.

-Matt

[Tom Amici]

Cleaner will recognize “Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), 1920X1080, Millions”, but not “Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), 1280X720, Millions”. From what I can see, this is the only difference between these files.

-Matt

[Tom Amici]

I exported a file using this method, and though Movie Inspector said the data rate is 50 MB/s, the Final Cut time line said the data rate was 6.3 MB/s, and one minute of footage is only 400 MB. Am I missing something?

-Matt

[Tom Amici]

I do have Quicktime installed. I can process most files, but sometimes I only get the audio, meaning I am missing a codec, I assume. I guess I would have to look at the files on a case by case basis. I usually ask for uncompressed to be safe, but sometimes I have clients who need a quick turnaround and their system crashes on them. In these cases, I bring them into Compressor, but I don’t want to use Final Cut as a cruncher while there is work to be done.

-Matt

[Tom Amici]

In FCP, I can export to “Blackmagic NTSC IMX MPEG (50 Mb/s)”. Is this right?

The client is looking for:

Video:
MPEG2,
NTSC,
720×480 resolution
50 Mbit CBR,
i-frame only, no GOP,
16:9 content should be anamorph 720×480, no black bars or picture boxing,
we prefer 16:9 versions of the content!
Audio:
best Audio you got

Each film is 90 minutes. I would be getting the films on a hard drive rather than Digital Beta, so no capturing would be necessary.