What format for burning DVD Video?

rpoepa · Post by **rpoepa** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:53 am

I'm a brand new user of Movie Factory 4.0. I'm experimenting with different ways of burning TV clips which I currently have in AVI format.

The first time I tried Movie Factory, the conversion process was agonizingly slow and I aborted it partway through. I noted while watching the files in the working directory that it was making *.mpg files. So, I decided, if I used a separate AVI-to-MPG converter that worked a little faster, I could speed this process up.

I downloaded "Cucusoft AVI to DVD" and converted the clips to "DVD format", which were *.mpg files. Great, I thought, now Movie Factory can skip the conversion step.

No such luck. Right now it is at 4h 42 of what looks to be a 6-7 hour conversion from MPEG to MPEG (!), for only 46 minutes of video. This is a 1 GHz machine. Surely there's a faster way to do this. Cucusoft took only about 2 hours to do the original conversion.

Is there? Assuming my external converter is faster at making the right format, what is the right format I should be making? Is there a way to set things up so that conversion is not necessary? I want to be able to import video, design menus, and then burn but not have to go through conversion if possible.

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 12:34 pm

MovieFactory4 is designed to import DVD compliant files and burn
them right away without re-encoding them.
Click on the GEAR icon on the bottom of the screen and make sure
"Do Not Convert Compliant Files" is checked ON.

When you import the mpeg2 files into MF and they are on the timeline
there shouldn't be an "X" in the upper right hand corner of the thumbnails.
If there is an "X" in the upper right corner of the thumbnail then MF is
considering the files as non-dvd compliant and will re-render the file
to the "Properites" you have set as the "Project Properties".

Do not edit the files if they are dvd-compliant or MF will have to re-render them (you don't want that).
Do not Join them or cut/trim (multi-trim)/effects/transistions etc.
You can create chapters no problem.

MD

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 12:36 pm

Forgot to ask if you "Right-Click" on one of the files you created with
the external program after importing it and it's on the MF timeline.

Post back the "Properties" of the Mpeg2 file you imported for us.
It may not be dvd compliant.

MD

rpoepa · Post by **rpoepa** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 9:39 pm

maddrummer3301 wrote:Forgot to ask if you "Right-Click" on one of the files you created with
the external program after importing it and it's on the MF timeline.

Post back the "Properties" of the Mpeg2 file you imported for us.
It may not be dvd compliant.

MD

I thought it might be something about properties, after reading other stuff on this site. So I checked that out: After conversion, the videos were at 29.97 frames per second, before they were at 25.

I did another trial today, making sure the stuff I was importing was now at 29.97. It is still going through a conversion step.

When I click on the gear icon, the "do not convert compliant files" option is checked, so that's not it. On that screen it also says this:

MPEG properties for file conversion

MPEG files
24 Bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
(DVD-NTSC), 4:3
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 7000 kbps)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

Here's what the videos I'm trying today say:

MPEG-2 Video, Upper Field First
24 Bits, 640 x 480, 4:3
29.970 frames/second
Variable bit rate (Max. 9000 kbps)
Audio: MPEG Audio Layer 2 Files
48000 Hz, 16 bit stereo
layer: 2
Bit rate: 224 kbps

I guess I"m trying to match the first set, which means that I need 720 x 480, 7000 kbps, and 256 kbps audio? Are all three of those numbers important for "DVD compliant"?

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 11:12 pm

This is what you posted:
MPEG-2 Video, Upper Field First
24 Bits, 640 x 480, 4:3
29.970 frames/second
Variable bit rate (Max. 9000 kbps)
Audio: MPEG Audio Layer 2 Files
48000 Hz, 16 bit stereo
layer: 2
Bit rate: 224 kbps

The 640 x 480 framesize isn't a DVD NTSC Compliant Spec so MovieFactory will
re-encode the video to the "Project Properties" you assigned.

Even though "Do Not Convert Compliant Files" is Checked the file isn't a
dvd compliant file because it's the wrong "FrameSize" so MF still has to
re-encode it to 720x480 which is your project properties.

When you do import a compliant file the dvd creation process goes very
quickly provided you don't have "Motion Menus" checked on.

The reason MF lets you choose to "Do Not Convert Compliant Files" on or off
is by leaving that box UNCHECKED will force MF to re-encode a dvd compliant file to the settings you have set as the "Project Properties".
Sometimes there is a need to re-encode a video, say to a lower bit-rate etc.

Hope this helps,

MD

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 1:00 am

You also said that previously the files were at 25 fps. What is your TV standard, PAL or NTSC? Both have different frame sizes and frame rates. Most modern DVD players, at least here in PAL land, can also play NTSC. However, if your original footage is PAL and you convert it to NTSC or vice versa, it will take time and quality may suffer also.
And one more thing, whilst a 1GHz processor is not slow for wordprocessing etc., when it comes to video rendering, it is not fast either. What are the other spec's of your system? OS? Free space on HDD?

rpoepa · Post by **rpoepa** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 3:41 am

The conversion program gave me a choice of PAL or NTSC. I didn't know which was the correct choice so I tried PAL first. I have since learned that NTSC is the correct choice for the US, where I live.

I think this conversion program is a little buggy. I tried it again today, making sure that 720 x 480 output was selected. Nevertheless, the output actually produced was 640 x 480. Also, there is no audio bitrate option, and I'm not sure why I'm getting 224 kbps instead of 256.