Jerky Output

[kinglerch]

The input file is from Photodex Proshow (in "Blu-Ray Mode", fyi) the best slideshow producer I have used by far. But I don't like to use it for adding audio or small edits, so I wanted to get the best quality output format it had and take it to VS. You highlighted the problem with doing this though, as many programs (including Proshow) do not output video files with LPCM audio. If you render with VS with "Same as First Video Clip" then your output file will have the same compressed audio. So I have to re-render the VS project and output a WAV file too.

I am taking this to Blu-Ray, DVD, and some sort of computer format with a 3rd program, TPMGEnc or something similar. I just need a "best possible" output from VS in order to do this. I think programs like VS and Proshow have their strengths, but output formats, bitrates, compression, and lossless audio are not among them. They seem to have so many choices, yet none quite fit exactly. Long answer, sorry.

[Ken Berry]

Not a long answer at all, and quite useful really.

In fact, if you intend to output a Blu-Ray, then using 59.54 full frames per second is not the right frame rate. And that is not a VS thing -- it's the current international Blu-Ray standard. So I am a little surprised that Photodex calls that output "Blu-Ray Mode". The international Blu-Ray standard only allows 24p, 25p and 30p or 50/60i not 50/60p. The format can be either Blu-Ray mpeg-2 or AVCHD (or another format which we won't worry about for now). The *only* format using 50/60p which can be burned to Blu-Ray is 1280 x 720p. And I repeat, this is not just something that VS does, but is the international standard. The international standard also does not allow mpeg layer 2 audio, but uses Dolby, DTS or indeed LPCM. (In the past, most NTSC stand-alone DVD players could not play DVDs using only mpeg layer 2 audio, though PAL players had no trouble with it. It has gradually faded from use, although the international HDV format -- which is NOT Blu-Ray -- still uses it exclusively, along with the anamorphic 1440 x 1080i frame format... But when burning HDV to Blu-Ray, the audio is converted to Blu-Ray Dolby, though you can leave the 1440 x 1080 frame format...)

DVDs also cannot use 50/60p. They can use what is called Frame Based video which is essentially the same as high def's "progressive". But again this would be limited to 25 (PAL) or 29.97 (NTSC) full frames per second Frame Based mode.

If Photodex allows you to change the 'Blu-Ray Mode' frame rate to i instead of p, and indeed allows Dolby audio (though this could be a licensing issue with Dolby for Photodex and could explain why it might not offer it), you would be producing something which is immediately Blu-Ray compatible, and indeed more readily downgraded to standard def mpeg-2 which is DVD-compatible.

Indeed, you can even get VS to output LPCM audio for Blu-Ray by using a Custom template based on MPEG Transport Stream (*.m2t) format. Keep the standard Blu-Ray properties from the preset Blu-Ray format offered by VS and simply change the audio format from Dolby to LPCM on the Options > Compression tab.

You could also explore whether it allows output in 1280 x 720p frame format. That is still a high quality format despite the smaller frame size. Indeed for a long time it was the international high def TV format, and still is in some parts of the world. And it should still produce excellent images particularly because you are using still images.

[lata]

Hi

I was concerned regarding the 60000kbps data rate as mentioned this is not Bluray standards.

I have downloaded the trial of Photodex, seems a nice program when I get my head round it.
However it does not use 60000kbps from the default templates, the max for Bluray is 35000 then the program also gives you a warning (not officially supported by Bluray)
It also uses LPCM as the audio default format.

I was able to create my own template using 60000kbps with MP2 audio, is that what you did.?

I would suggest you view the default templates used by Video Studio for Bluray and then create a similar preset in Photodex. At least video studio would be happier and rendering I assume should be quicker.

[erdna]

A bit late, but I downloaded the 3 files. They seems to platback very snooth in FullHD with Windows media player on my Quad 9300/32bit/4GB/Vista and also on my i7 4470/64bit/16GB/W7/no dedicated GPU. Two conditions though : my screen has to be set to 60Hz (have it normally on 50Hz) and most inportant (strange enough!) the mouse pointer must be outside the moving picture area.