Please help.... dvd quality is terrible ....project setting?

jahmarvin · Post by **jahmarvin** » Wed May 30, 2007 10:47 pm

hello...I am trying to burn footage that is from a dv camcorder....every time I burn it...the images get blury and look messed up when people move or panning...I read the other post...but I am unsure about the project setttings. Should the compression be none ? dv encoder 1 or dv encoder 2 or mpg ??

the original file when captured is avi ....please help...I was supposed to have this dvd to the customer a week ago...and I am running out of excuses...

thanks in advance

Jerry Jones · Post by **Jerry Jones** » Wed May 30, 2007 11:09 pm

* NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
* Microsoft AVI files
* 24 bits, 720 x 480, 4:3, 29.97 fps
* Lower Field First
* DV Video Encoder -- type 1
* DV Audio -- NTSC, 48.000 kHz, 16 Bit, Stereo

These are the settings I use for DV .avi video (MiniDV tape).

1. You need to set your PREFERENCES default field order to be LOWER FIELD FIRST.

2. Then edit your video.

3. Then export to a finished MPEG-2 file using the following settings:

* MPEG files
* 24 bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
* Lower Field First
* (DVD-NTSC), 4:3
* Video data rate: Variable (Max. 9200 kbps)
* Audio data rate: 256 kbps
* Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

Should work.

My step-by-step tutorial is here:

http://www.jonesgroup.net/media/vsone.htm

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net[/b]

jahmarvin · Post by **jahmarvin** » Wed May 30, 2007 11:46 pm

thanks for your fast reply Jerry...I'm goin crazy here...

the project is edited already in a vsp file..not sure if the project settings were correct at the time I was editing....will this still work if I change the settings and open the vsp again ??

also I notice your bit rate is set to 9200 variable..

this dvd is 1:45 MIN loong...I have the bitrate set to 2500 for 2 hour dvd is that correct ?

tnks for your help

Jerry Jones · Post by **Jerry Jones** » Thu May 31, 2007 12:36 am

Well, if you lower the bitrate, then you will reduce the quality of your finished MPEG-2 file that will be burned to DVD (although it will allow you to fit more video onto the disc).

I would re-open the project file and then adjust your project settings as I indicated.

What I do is...

1. Render out a finished DV .avi file that I later convert to MPEG-2

...or...

2. I render the timeline directly to MPEG-2 after I've finished making all of my edit decisions.

But then, I open the VideoStudio DVD authoring module -- without any clips in the timeline -- and I then *import* the finished MPEG-2 clip and then build my menus.

That workflow eliminates many of the issues that can arise when one attempts to open the DVD authoring module with one's project timeline already loaded with various clips.

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

GeorgeW · Post by **GeorgeW** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:38 am

jahmarvin wrote:this dvd is 1:45 MIN loong...I have the bitrate set to 2500 for 2 hour dvd is that correct ?

For single layer disc (DVD5), you can up the video bitrate to ~5500kbps (assuming compressed audio of ~256kbps or lower). If you are including dvd-rom data (personal folder), then you have to adjust the bitrate down to account for the space needed for the personal folder. Motion menus also need more space that still menus, so you would have to adjust again to account for the motion menus...

Regards,
George

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:57 am

this dvd is 1:45 MIN loong...I have the bitrate set to 2500 for 2 hour dvd is that correct ?

That bitrate is too low! My favorite online Bitrate Calculator says you can use a bitrate of 5200 kbps if you use Dolby audio.

A couple of reference points:

-- For commercial DVDs, a bitrate of 5500 to 6000 kbps seems quite common. Of course, the pros have better MPEG encoders and they know how to tweak them. So, they can get better results at a given bitrate. Also, most commercial DVDs are dual-layer. (And, they are starting-out with high-quality film, shot by professionals, etc.)

-- At 6000 kbps, you can fit 90 minutes of good quality video and Dolby audio onto a single-layer DVD. (At 4500 kbps, you can fit one hour of video and LPCM audio.)

-- The DVD spec allows a maximum combined audio & video bitrate of slightly over 10,000 kbps. (But, some players have trouble with high-bitrate "burned" DVDs.)

I try to keep my DVDs to about 90 minutes. When I've pushed it much beyond 2 hours, I really start to notice the degradation.

Higher bitrate = higher quality = bigger file size = lower compression = less playing time.

Lower bitrate = lower quality = smaller file size = higher compression = more playing time.