How to end up with a 1920x1080 high def DVD

dollaz · Post by **dollaz** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:51 am

Hi Everyone,

I need some configuration help with creating the final dvd in high def format with 1920x1080. I read posts for hours last night and still couldnt find the solution. Here is what I have done so far.
Equipment: Sony hdr hc3 high def camcorder, vs 11 plus, windows vista
1. Captured my video via firewire cable using the DV type-1 format (per Ken B. suggestion on a prev post). Odd thing is even though i set the project properties to 1920x1080 it still showed 720x480 in the information box.
2. Created a template with all the good specs in the movie manager

24 bits, 1920 x 1080, 29.97 fps
Lower Field First
(MPEG-2), 16:9
Video data rate: 25000 kbps
Audio data rate: 384 kbps
MPEG audio layer 2, 48 KHz, Stereo
3. Share -> Create Video File with the specs above
4. So here is where I have the issue. When I go to create disc and choose DVD there are no formats in anything higher than 720x480. Is there a way to burn the 1920x1080 to a regular dvd? thanks for your time

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:57 am

Have you installed the update patches?
Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus /Power Pack/Media 1

Post by **Ken Berry** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:54 am

I would only have recommended capturing using DV format from a high def camera if the user wanted to make standard definition video and a standard definition DVD. If you are wanting to burn a high def DVD, then you would capture in HDV format from that camera, I believe, which is a version of mpeg-2. Apart from that, though, I don't yet have a high def camera of my own, so you might have to wait for etech our high def guru to give you details.

However, I didn't think that the HC-3 used 1920 x 1080, but a smaller frame format (1440 x 1080?). It might do though...

And if you want to burn a HD DVD, you choose that as the burning choice when you open the burning module. However, I suspect that 'HD DVD' might only appear in the choice of templates once you have applied the 6 November patch and 8 November Hot Pack available on the Ulead.com website...

(NOTE: do not apply the patch called 'Hot Fix' which is the first one you will see on the patch page on that website. It is only applied if you have had the problem explained in the note. And by the sound of it, you have not had that problem...)

dollaz · Post by **dollaz** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:26 am

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info. I was offline for a bit and just read the replies. I did install the update after my initial installation. One quick question, do you guys see a bunch of .vfx files loading when you first launch the app? I noticed that after I fixed the readme issue yesterday and hoped it was normal behavior. I guess i'll find out once i get some replies.

So one thing I didnt state in the original post was that after trying to burn to DVD by selecting that format from the burn choices) and only getting a 720x480 resolution I thought well maybe if I try bluray (because it stated 1920x1080) I can get the full res I have been trying to acomplish. So I tried it and at the very end when I got to the burn icon it popped up a window saying I need a bluray burner to do this (duh, I thought I may be able to trick it and burn with these specs to a regular DVD but I was wrong). So when Ken told me to burn by choosing the HD DVD I thought to myself well that wont work because I don't have an HD-DVD burner on my pc either (I was thinking of the toshiba HD-DVD format that is because if this application has bluray then they must mean the toshiba HD-DVD format right?).Then I thought wait, maybe Ken knew this was not HD-DVD but it stood for High Def DVD and he solved my issues 2 nights in a row.

So I started to click through and it looks like it is going to work. Since it took and hour for the first one though and its getting late for me I thought I'd give it a try and update you tomorrow and let you know if this was the correct process. Once again thanks for your expert advice. I hope my posts help out others also. I'm lovin this forum! Update you tomorrow and as always thanks for your time

dollaz · Post by **dollaz** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:24 am

Well, my worst fears were confirmed, the hd dvd burn choice is actually hd-dvd and not high def dvd. After the process completed it created .evo files on the dvd which in fact do not play on my ps3 or my pc dvd player. When I looked up the file extension .evo it is for Toshiba HD-DVD discs. So I guess Im back to the same problem as not finding a way to finish the DVD burn in a high def format without burning bluray or HD-DVD. I know there must be a way. Any other suggestions or has anyone else accomplished this and could give me the pointers? thanks

2Dogs · Post by **2Dogs** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:31 am

PS3 can only play regular DVD's and Blu Ray discs, and HD-DVD discs can only be played by HD-DVD players, and not DVD drives on pc's.

If your target playback device is the PS3, you'll need a blu-ray burner - not a realistic proposition for most users at this point in time.

The only other options are to output to folders on your hard drive, which you can play with a software DVD player. If you have a suitable video card, you might be able to hook up the pc to an HD TV.

Other than that, you can hook the camcorder itself directly to the HD TV. I think that you've discovered the reality of HD at the moment - it's not yet mainstream, with player, burner and blank media prices still out of reach of most people, even though the camcorder prices are pretty reasonable.

dollaz · Post by **dollaz** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:55 pm

Hi 2Dogs,

Thanks for your response. I actually understand the bluray and hd-dvd technologies very well. What I'm hoping to learn to do with this post is actually how to make an High Def formated DVD using a standard single layer 4.7gb DVD to send to friends and family as they do not have my camcorder and miniDV tape but do have high def tvs capable of 1080i or 1080p with a standard DVD player. I think there are ways to do this but don't know how to set up the VS 11 app to do it this way. This is the objective Im hoping to accomplish with this post and if anyone has successfully done this can you please describe the way it was done?

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:43 pm

Thanks for your response. I actually understand the bluray and hd-dvd technologies very well.

Then why would you attempt to make a dvd with High Definition video on it to play on standard dvd players.
Your family only has DVD Players, they only play standard definition dvd's which are SD mpeg2 video. The same resolution you captured using firewire as DV-Type1. Obviously you either recorded the original video in standard definition or captured it in High Def and used the camcorders internal down convert feature to capture in standard definition.

I don't understand, do you want to play High Def video on your PS3?
Or, send high quality dvd's to your family, the 2 would have to be separate disks.

The PS3 plays High Definition on AVCHD disks, which are burnt to standard dvd's. To keep the high resolution first you have to record the video in HDV and then capture it in HDV. Then use the VS11+ "Share -> Create Disk -> AVCHD Disk". That will produce a High Def Video with menus that will playback on your PS3.

To make a high resolution dvd to distribute to the family then use the "Share -> Create Disk -> DVD"

Both dvd's will play in the PS3.
The AVCHD disk will not play in the families dvd player, the dvd will.
All this new technology takes awhile to learn, for best quality video I suggest you record & capture in HDV. DV-Type1 is standard definition video.

The Sony hdr hc3 captures in 1440x1080, that's the resolution you want to stay with, not 1920x1080 or it has to be re-encoded to a new vertical height. The PS3, Blu-Ray Players will play this 1440x1080 video at full screen because it uses a PAR (Pixel Aspect Ratio) of 1.3333. 1920x1080 uses square pixels.

Hope this helps

dollaz · Post by **dollaz** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:43 am

Hi Etech,
Thanks for the response. I think I wrote the last reply a bit confusing with my high def comment. Just to clarify everything that I am attempting to do with VS 11 is only to use a standard dvd in a standard dvd player, whether its a normal 1080 upconverting one or my ps3 that can also play a standard dvd. Let me give you the real life scenario and maybe you can let me know if it will work.

First, I take video with my HD Sony camcorder (and I assume it will have a 1080i output as that is what it is recording in). Then I will use the firewire port and capture the video using DV type-1 as the format.
Side Note - One thing I posted originally is I notice that in this mode I only see a resolution of 720x480 in the information box.
So then when the .avi file is created I go to the share tab and select "create video" and create an mpeg2 file using a template with the HD settings (1920x1080) which is what my tv is capable of doing or maybe I need to put 1440x1080 (because i have the hc3) as you stated in your earlier response, either way I change the resolution from its original 720x480 to an HD resolution.
This is where I am having trouble. I would like to create a DVD that I can send to my family to view in these HD formats on their HD tvs. So I need a resolution higher than 720x480, and it wont let me change it from this resolution when i chose to burn a "DVD." If I chose to burn a bluray or HD-DVD then the higher resolutions are available. Is there a way to make a standard DVD with a 1080 output and have it play on a regular DVD player?
Hopefully I have described this better now and you have a better understanding of what I am trying to accomplish. Is this doable?

sl2008 · Post by **sl2008** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:00 am

dollaz

Man, you are confused about this HD stuff. Let me try to help:

-When you play a regular DVD, the resolution recorded on it is always 720X480. If you play it on a DVD player that outputs 1080i or 1080P you are not playing a HD dvd, you are playing a regular DVD which is being upconverted to 1080I/P. ONLY a HD player, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player like Toshiba, can play a true high def DVD. The PS3 doesn't play HD-DVDs but as tech has said, can play AVCHD DVDs or Blu-Ray.

-I understand that you want to create HD DVDs to play on your PS3. The way to go is to use VS11+ to capture in HDV, not DV, and the resulting captured file will be a 1440X1080 mpg file. Open the Share, Create Disk and choose AVCHD. Make sure you select upper field first using the edit mpeg, compression, general. Sometimes you have to go back and forth between compression and general to make sure your options will be MPEG2, AVCHD H.264, constant 15000 bit rate and 1440X1080 resolution. Create the menu and burn the AVCHD disk, about 45 minutes on a single layer standard DVD or twice on a double layer. This is a high definition video on a standard DVD, don't confuse it with a HD-DVD. This disk is playable on the PS3 but NOT on a standard DVD player.

-I also undewrstand you want to create DVDs playable by your family. Just do the same, capture in HDV at 1440X1080 but instead of selecting AVCHD use the DVD option on Create Disk. The VS11+ will understand that your high definition video should be downconverted to a standard definition video. This will result in a standard DVD 720 X 480 wich is playable on any DVD player. It doesn't matter if your family has a HD TV or not. They need a HD player, like the PS3, to play a high def DVD. Again, if they have a DVD player that upconverts to 1080I/P , this is NOT a hd player and can only play 720X480 disks.

You are doing almost everything wrong. DON'T capture HDV material in DV unless you only want the plain vanilla DVD. Always capture with the best format, in this case , HDV.

Don't get confused about standard DVD players capable to OUTPUT 1080I/P. This player can only play 720X480 DVDs. They ARE NOT high definition players.

Never capture a 1440X1080 video in DV (720X480) and upconvert it again to 1080. Why ?

There is a lot more about using standard media to create high def disks. I hope you can be less confused now and enjoy your hobby.

Segio

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:40 am

dollaz,
Yes, that's exactly as I interpreted your post.
First check your camcorders settings.
Using the Sony HC3 put it in capture mode, at the top left it should say 1080i OR DV.
Click on the bottom right "P-Menu -> Press Menu - > Camera Set", Scroll Down to the "REC FORMAT" and make sure it's in the HDV-1080i if you want to capture in HDV mode (High Definition). You can record in either High_Definition or Standard_Definition using this setting.
Then scroll down to the " i-Link CONV " and see if it's off or on.

During "Playback" the HC3 LCD screen displays the true format of the original recording at the top left of the screen.
So if your camcorder when in playback mode displays 1080i and you captured DV-720x480 then the internal Downconvert feature must be on.
If you did capture in the 1080i HDV mode and the downconvert feature was on then toggle the down convert to off.
Start a New VS11+ project and try capturing some video in HDV mpeg2 format.

You can't send your videos to the family in High Definition unless you capture in High Definition. Either way if they only have standard dvd players then you have to send them standard dvd's. The max resolution for DVD is 720x480 (NTSC) & 720x576(PAL).

If you captured in DV format the video may look high def to you because it's high quality standard definition.

When your family finally owns a device that can playback AVCHD dvd's then you will be able to send them your High Definition Videos. For High Definition burnt to standard dvd's that would be the AVCHD format.

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:49 am

dollaz,

You have a PS3 and this should be very helpful information.
It was written for VS10+ at the time, everything still applies to VS11+

http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... hlight=ps3

Hope this helps

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:55 am

sl2008,
Thanks for that post, your post wasn't there when I responded so I didn't read it before responding to his last post. related to the HC3 internal capture settings.

dollaz · Post by **dollaz** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:21 pm

Hi Segio and Etech,

Thank you very much for your explanations. I now understand what I was doing wrong. Wow, I was confused about all this and you guys cleared it up for me. I'm gonna try what you both suggested and cant wait to see the results.

thanks again

sgraham · Post by **sgraham** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:29 pm

etech6355 is right. I shot with my XL1S canon for four years and went to their XLH1. The capture thru firewire is NOT HD. It looks much better than the old SD but it is downconverted thru Firewire. One of the reasons I bought the XLH1 is it has an on board HD - SDI port to jack the film out as native HD when I want. Plus I think you would still need to load a Magic card in to connect to your source with an HD cable as Firewire won't work. Also, be SURE of your field order. My original capture is Upper Field First and I didn't catch that first couple films and had to recut as I had Lower Field First set as output (stick with output in MPG2). The field reversal will have impact (negative) on your quality esp if you cut for Internet use. Good luck.