Should I tick DVD-VR when saving video?

[Ossie]

hello everyone
I'm saving a 3 minute project to video but I want the best quality. It was captured from a Sony Z1, so it's in Mpeg2. I'm saving it to video so I can author in MovieFactory later to DVD. I have ticked perform non-square pixel rendering as it is to be shown on TV.

In compression, the speed/ quality is default at 70 and date rate is variable 8,000. Should I tick DVD-VR compliant (what is it)? Also, should I tick 2 poass encode?

Any quick advice welcome.

[skier-hughes]

DVD -VR is the type of disc a dvd recorder plugged into your tv or a dvd camcorder makes and it can add more video to the disc until it is either full or you then finalise the disc and it can then be watched anywhere and can no longer be added to.
Don't bother with this option.

[Ossie]

Hi & thanks. Do you have any views on two-pass encode?

[Ron P.]

Not everyone agrees on why or when to use 2-pass encoding. My opinion and thoughts are that one the first pass, it will analyze your video for parts that need higher bit-rates, and parts where lower bit-rates would suffice. Then on the 2nd pass the video is actually encoded, using the different, varying bit-rates. Higher bit-rates would be need for fast moving actions, and the lower for slow, still or no movement.

I don't think it has much to do with the quality, it seems to be more for being able to squeeze more video onto a disc, while maintaining the same quality.

[Ossie]

Thank you Ron.

[Gorf]

Not everyone agrees on why or when to use 2-pass encoding. My opinion and thoughts are that one the first pass, it will analyze your video for parts that need higher bit-rates, and parts where lower bit-rates would suffice. Then on the 2nd pass the video is actually encoded, using the different, varying bit-rates. Higher bit-rates would be need for fast moving actions, and the lower for slow, still or no movement.

I don't think it has much to do with the quality, it seems to be more for being able to squeeze more video onto a disc, while maintaining the same quality.

From the perspective of a video editor, It's everything to do with quality! CBR tries to hit the same bitrate for both action* and sleepy** scenes. At the same average bitrate, VBR will yield the same filesize as CBR. You don't get any more data on the disc, but the bits will be apportioned more appropriately for the content, improving the perceived quality.

It might be possible to drop the average bitrate with VBR and still maintain the same perceived quality as the higher CBR rate. That would mean you can fit more on the disc, but it's dependent on the footage, and you're still starting with quality as a criterion and getting the discspace as a result, not the other way around.

Having said all that, if you use something like Nero to recode a >4.7GB disc to fit into 4.7GB, then VBR will help.

* Action might be explosions, rainfall, leaves or grass in a breeze, a waterfall, confetti etc.
** Sleepy might be a "talking head" newscaster, slow pan over a static room scene etc.

[Ossie]

Thanks Gorf
My first and only concern is quality as I'm doing this for a local charity. Scrunching it on to disc is secondary (if it comes to it, I could send the file away to be put on disc professionally).

My final setting was VBR 8,000 and I left the speed/ quality at 70% but I have to say I was a bit disappointed at the final quality. Considering the equipment (Sony Z1), the final result was edging towards fuzzy/ pixely rather than crisp and sharp. The final version on disc is OK and watchable but the quality wouldn't take your breath away.

Any tips for the future would be welcome.

[Gorf]

VBR 8000 is a waste. VBR is only necessary for bitrates below about 5½ K

Try VBR 5000 and 100% quality - despite the lower bitrate, the quality will be better. Depending on your footage, CBR 6,500 will probably look better, too.

"Quality" dictates the amount of time spent on the encode - if I remember correctly lower "quality" = faster encode.

[skier-hughes]

I'd disagree with your vbr only being of use below 51/2k.
Personally I wouldn't even use a 5.5k bitrate, I'd make sure that I could use a higher one and put on two discs, dual layer or edit it shorter.
For quality you'll need a higher bitrate.
WHat did the OP watch the final dvd on? A tv? What sort?

[Ossie]

Hi
The DVD was played back on a Samsung 32" HD TV. The length of the two movies combined was just over 8 minutes. Even at 8k kbps, it left nearly 3.75GB space on the disc.

[skier-hughes]

Do you not have a blu ray burner?
You've taken an HD movie file, converted to SD and then upscaled to watch on an HD set, this won't help.