how do I make a dvd that will play on all dvd players

[matt_magnone]

I want to burn my videos to dvd-r's so they play on all dvd players. Do I need to capture in mpeg 2 or just output in mpeg 2 then burn a DVD using moviefactory...? I edit with MSP 8.

[DVDDoug]

YOU CAN'T Some players can't play "burned" DVDs at all.

DVD-R is the most compatible blank-DVD format. This will give you the best odds, if you don't know what format the target-player will play.

MPEG-2 is the standard DVD video format. This does NOT mean that you should capture in MPEG!!! Generally, you should capture to AVI/DV.

MPEG compression requires lots of processing power, which means there is a higher chance of a glitch or dropped-frames. And, MPEG is not meant to be edited. Any editing other than simple cuttting and splicing will require an extra "lossy" decode / re-code cycle which will degrade the video quality. Editing may even result in a corrupt MPEG that crashes Ulead programs or makes DVDs with "lip-sync" problems.


There are 3 standard audio formats:

All players must play LPCM audio. This is uncompressed audio. Uncompressed audio means less room for the video. The video may have to be further-compressed to make room for both audio and video, depending on the program length.

NTSC players (USA, etc.) must also play Dolby AC3 audio.

PAL players (Europe, etc.) must play MPEG-2 audio. (I believe most PAL players can play AC3 too, but the standard doesn't require it.)


If you select one of Movie Factory's NTSC DVD or PAL DVD formats, it will create a stardard-compatible DVD which will play on any player that can handle the DVD-blank format (DVD-R, DVD+R, etc.)

[Devil]

1. You have not filled in the essential system data in your profile.

2. You have not told us your source data.

3. It is preferable to capture in some lossless or near-lossless AVI format, do your editing and then encode into MPEG-2 at, say, 6000 kbit/s CBR. As for audio, LPCM is the safest but takes a lot of space. Better to use AC-3 DD 2/0 (stereo) at 192 kbit/s which should play on all players less than 5 years old in both NTSC and PAL land.

4. Like as has been said, there is no universal guarantee that any disk will play in any player. Buy good quality DVD-R blanks of a reputable marque and burn them at ½ the rated speed or less, to put all the odds in your favour.

5. Make sure your burner has the latest firmware and your burning software has the latest updates.

6. Keep your fingers crossed.

[krwzmann]

[quote="DVDDoug"] YOU CAN'T Some players can't play "burned" DVDs at all.

MPEG compression requires lots of processing power, which means there is a higher chance of a glitch or dropped-frames. And, MPEG is not meant to be edited. Any editing other than simple cuttting and splicing will require an extra "lossy" decode / re-code cycle which will degrade the video quality. Editing may even result in a corrupt MPEG that crashes Ulead programs or makes DVDs with "lip-sync" problems.



But what about when you capture and edit HDV? It looks like the only option MSP8 gives me when capturing HDV is for it to be mpeg.

[DVDDoug]

I have no experience with HDV.

If you're making a DVD, the loss of quality shouldn't be an issue. DVDs are not HD anyway. This is very similar to converting from AVI/DV to MPEG-2... You always loose quality, but you're starting-out with a high quality video, so the degradation is not as much of a problem.

The problem with re-coding MPEG-2 is that you're starting-out with DVD quality, and degrading from there. Even with the same bitrate and the same level of compression, there is additional loss. This is similar to making an analog copy, or a "Xerox of a Xerox".

If you decode / re-code any lossy format, you will degrade the video to some extent. However, I'll bet that re-coded HD/MPEG is still better than DVD quality!

I would assume that capturing real-time analog HDV is difficult.

I have no idea if Ulead programs can edit HDV without corrupting them... I would hope so.