Making best quality video

[alfons]

Recently I have made quite long videos.
When it comes to make the actual finish video I always save them as AVCHD 1920x1080, but the file it's very large. Last one I have made it's 12Gb! The video is 1 hour and 40 minutes long.
It's there any way to make it with maximum quality to be played on a LED TV Full HD 1920x1080, but no as large file as I mention?
Hope you understand my question.
Many thanks and Happy New Year.
"SALUT FROM CATALONIA!"
CATALONIA, NEW STATE IN EUROPE!
Alfons

[Ken Berry]

You would probably need to do some experiments yourself to see what might be acceptable to you. Personally, I would experiment with AVCHD 1280 x 720p video. That format was for quite some time the standard for TV HD broadcasts, and still is in some parts of the world. Very good quality but should produce smaller files. Mind you, 1 hour 40 minutes videos are going to be large, relatively speaking, whatever format you make them in.

You might also want to experiment with HD DivX. Again, these are high quality but smaller size. You might need to be careful, though, since recent DivX conversions use an extension of .divx instead of the old .avi which most TVs and Blu-Ray players can recognise. I have to admit, though, that I have not experimented with DivX for some time, and certainly not for playing directly on a HDTV. As a result, I don't know if you can simply change the extension from .divx to .avi...

[erdna]

12GB is quite large, but remenber that in the DV.avi time, you even didn't get one hour SD video for that filesize. Like Ken mentions it depends on what you still accept as "maximum" quality. In addition to what Ken already suggested, I would also go for a lower bitrate 1920x1080 h264 (AVCHD) e.g. 5000Kbps. The PQ can remain quite good if there is not too much motion in the video.

[alfons]

Many thanks Brian and Erdna!
I'll try all the suggested conversions.
Let you know my best experience.
Alfons

[lata]

Hi

What type of video files are you using.?
What are the properties of the original video files.?

Maybe we can suggest suitable settings.
Right click a clip in the timeline and select Properties, copy the window and save as an image to attach to your post.

Now tell us the properties you are using for the new Hd rendered files?

[alfons]

Hi lata.
Video files are (0000.MTS) Video AVCHD full HD 1920x1080, data speed 16582kbps, bits speed 16582kbps ,photogram speed 25 x second, Audio 256kbps, rate 48 KHZ(Sony camera ). Mpg, avi and sometimes a flash or a gif file.
Still images jpg, jpeg, bmp, tiff or sometimes a png.
I used mp3, wav or wmv.
Sometimes I used Prodad plugins (HeroglyphRoute) to introduce a car following the daily route during holidays.

Do you understand?
I always ask because is difficult for me explain technicaly.

Happy New Year lata.
Thanks
Alfons

[lata]

Hi

Your Video files are (0000.MTS) Video AVCHD full HD 1920x1080, data speed 16582kbps will create a file size of approx 12 Gb
That is the nature of the beast..

If you create a new template and reduce the data rate from 16582 to a lower rate it will reduce the file size , but will reduce the quality of the video, you will not retain maximum quality
You will have to run a few tests to see how low you can go and retain the quality.

[montezuma45]

I was going to post a similar question so I guess it would be appropriate here.

I have a JVC HD Everio camcorder and did our annual X-Mas video. It is an hour and 17 mins. and I really have to cut down the sampling to get it close to fitting on a DVD-R disc.

I have Dual layer disc I can use but still need to work on sampling number.

How do they get 2 hour movies on the single disc? Is there a different format that they use or is it my lack of knowledge on how this is done?

[Terfyn]

Would you like to sit through 1 hr 17 min of someone else's video? Most TV programmes are about 50 min when you take out the adverts.
I only ask this because within you video there must be highlights and there must also be quieter areas. So why not edit it to create a snappy vid of about 40-50 min? Then you will have something really watchable and worth keeping.
If you want to just keep a record of your Christmas, then split it and record on to two Disks.

[Ken Berry]

If you use Dolby audio you could almost fit your project on a single layer DVD though you would probably need to reduce the bitrate from the default 8000 kbps to say 7700 to make sure it all fits.

Don't get hung up about commercial DVDs fitting a lot more video on the same size disc. They are produced with very expensive software to maximise the quality and then pressed from a master disc which is very different from our home burning of our discs.

You could try using a dual layer disc but frankly many of us have found they don't work all that well with VS...

[lata]

Hi montezuma45

Your problem is s little different in that you are converting your HD to standard definition DVD Mpeg2 to burn a standard DVD. (alfons is retaining the HD settings)
Dual layers, I have tried these discs with little success along with many others, so don’t be surprised if you also have issues, I guess somebody can make them work?

As Ken mentioned you can fit approx 75 minutes to a DVD – R disc full quality
However you will have to reduce the data rate to approx 7500kbps and use Digital Dolby.
In the disc create stage using Thumbnail menu rather than smart scene will also help.

Use Make Movie Templates Manager to create a new template:

Typically:-
MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Upper Field First (may be Frame Based)
(DVD-NTSC), 16:9
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 7700 kbps)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

The interlacing should match the original field order of your HD video file.

Render your project to these settings should produce a file under 4.3 Gb allowing a little space for the menu.
To burn a disc---From a new project (empty timeline) do Share Create disc—now add your new video file (add media top left)

[montezuma45]

Thanks. BTW, I would not subject anyone to watch my 77 min. X-Mas video (this is just us opening gifts). LOL. My step-son rolls his eyes every year when he gets his copy.

My purpose is two-fold.

One, I miss most of what is happening at Christmas in order to get the gift, hand it to the person who will be opening it and getting the next. So I watch it later to see who got what.

Two, it is to have a video record each year of all my family. I have been lucky that the only deceased members of my family (I'm almost 60), have been my grand-parents, an uncle, my dad and my step-dad.

My children do not realize yet, how much this will mean in twenty years or so. To see the one year old, tearing into the wrapping paper (forget the gift) or the 14 year old's face, as she sees a life size stuff monkey she wanted.

I just want to have the best video I can for archival purpose.

BTW, I just saw that they have Blu-ray disc with 18-25 gig storage. Is this mixing apples and oranges or could I use these for a HD video? Would the player of the video have to have a Blu-ray player to watch even if it's not Blu-Ray?

[Ken Berry]

BTW, I just saw that they have Blu-ray disc with 18-25 gig storage. Is this mixing apples and oranges or could I use these for a HD video? Would the player of the video have to have a Blu-ray player to watch even if it's not Blu-Ray?

Blu-Ray discs, like their DVD counterparts, come in single or double layer varieties. The single layer ones will hold 25 GB and the double layer ones twice that. You can also get rewritable ones.

I'm not sure what you mean by mixing apples and oranges in this regard. Blu-Ray discs are specifically made for HD video, both AVCHD mpeg-4 and BD mpeg-2, though the international standard for them only allows interlaced video at 1920 x 1080 i.e. 25 fps PAL or 29.97 fps NTSC. So far it's only 1280 x 720p video at full 50/59.94 fps which can be burnt to Blu-Ray discs.

Blu-Ray discs, however, can only be played in a Blu-Ray player -- and that includes what is called AVCHD hybrid discs, which use the original AVCHD format but burnt to a standard DVD.

[lata]

Hi
Just to add to Kens comments

Bluray discs require a Bluray burner
Then as Ken says you need a Bluray Player to play these discs.

If you have neither of these then your option is to downscale to standard definition to burn a standard DVD, which is what you intend to do.

Another option is to save the files to USB memory stick, assuming your TV or player has a USB port then you can use that option.

[montezuma45]

That was what I needed to know. It may be easier to buy Blu-Ray players for all the kids, than scale down the video.

Food for thought.

Thanks.