Edit done, ready to author DVD... Best export file type from NLE?

[Rumple]

Hi Everyone,

I know I will get some odd remarks here, but I have always used DV PAL (widescreen) to export my videos ready for a DVD. But by doing this the file then needs to be transcoded for the DVD...

So, is there a codec better suited to put into an authoring program to a) speed up the authoring process b) reduce quality loss due to recoding/transcoding?

I know DVD's use MPEG2, but is it advisable to export as MPEG2 for DVD authoring?

Cheers,
Rumple.

p.s. I use Premiere Pro CS4 and for Authoring i use Encore CS4.

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

Well, what else can you use? DVDs are only mpeg2 at 720x480. So you have to transcode to that format anyway. There is of course going to be quality loss, since DVDs are not HD.

[Rumple]

I am aware that the transcoding process will reduce the quality of the video. This is of course true of all optical disc formats, not just DVD (but also Blu-Ray and HD-DVD).

I didn't say a word about the videos not being or not being in HD, as the project was always going to be in SD... I simply asked for opinions on the best file type to use to export a video bound for DVD.

I gather that even if I exported using the MPEG2 codec the DVD authoring program would still need to transcode the video prior to writing the disc. I am accustomed to using DV PAL (widescreen) setting to export my videos, as this is what I was told to use a few years ago when I started university, however as you lot know alot more about making quality videos than some of my old tutors I am asking you now:

In your opinion, what codec would you use to export a video bound for DVD, for best image quality?

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

No, if you export with the right mpeg2 template, the DVD app won't re-transcode. Both Adobe and Sony and Apple have mechanisms to "recognize" that the file is in the right format, exported from their own editors, and then they use the file as is. This is why I was surprised by your question, I thought you knew that.

Also, never create SD projects from HD sources. Always edit in the source resolution/properties, and only export in SD if desired at the end.

[Rumple]

Ok, that makes sense, I could export as one of the MPEG2 options:

MPEG2
MPEG2-DVD (seems like this would be the right way to go)
MPEG2-Bluray (obviously not for me)

Use an Encore to make the DVD (making sure that it didn't try and transcode the video), and this will get the best results...

Makes sense.

Out of interest, why not use HDV clips in an SD timeline and just scale them down to fit the screen?

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

Because of three things:
1. If in the future you want to export in HD, the text/gfx caches won't automatically re-created in HD after changing the properties (Vegas 8 won't do that for example), so they won't look sharp.
2. If your project properties are not 100% the same as in the exporting resolution, then the editor has to resize twice: once to fit in the SD timeline, and once for the exporting resolution. Two resizes mean loss of quality.
3. When you force a clip to preview in a non-native resolution by resizing it, the CPU has to work harder. On Vegas is faster to set the right project properties and preview the clips as such, rather than force a resizing in real-time. I expect other editors to work the same way, because it makes algorithmic sense.

Therefore, always edit in the natural resolution, and simply export as desired at the very end. You gain absolutely nothing by forcing the videos to not be native in your editor.

We have already discussed this btw.

[Rumple]

Luckily Premiere allows me to copy and paste the whole sequenced, colour corrected and graded set of clips into a new project... Only thing missing is the transitions. No biggy. Also I'll need to re-render.

I have now dropped it all into an HDV timeline and will deal with it that way.
I had wondered by it had taken nearly 3 hours to render and then 5 hours to export!

Sorry I didnt spot an earlier discussion on the subject, I'm not really sure why I decided to do it the way I did, but it seems there is little harm done (besides annoying you and making myself look stupid, which I can deal with!)

I will export out using MPEG2-DVD and then hopefully encore will play nice with it and i'll be done.

Thank you Eugenia.

[oddmanil]

If DVD is the rendering template, then set properties to output media. Also if input is HD.

[Rumple]

Sorry?

[oddmanil]

If you are to render to a DVD format, then your project property should be one of the DVD templates.

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

No, it shouldn't. This is what I explained above. Always edit in the native format, decide how to export at the end.

[oddmanil]

To use a HD project property may cause black bars.
To be sure there is no black bars in the finished product, set project property to a DVD template, on the timeline pan/crop - rigth click - "match output".
When rendering to MPEG2, also use "Studio to compoter RGB" for preview on a computer monitor, remove before rendering.

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

>To be sure there is no black bars in the finished product, set project property to a DVD template

If you are doing that to avoid the black bars, just crop in the timeline, you should not be setting the WHOLE project to DVD sizes that create the 3 problems I mentioned above. Besides, a few pixels of letterboxing never killed anyone.

[Rumple]

I understand that the vertical black bars I am getting is due to the new pixel aspect ratios introduced to CS4 and that it will not be visible due to overscan, but I am going to provide this video in digital format as well, meaning the black bars at the edge are not acceptable for that purpose...

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

You can always crop the final. It makes more sense to optimize your output, rather than FORCE your whole editing process to a non-native format.

[Rumple]

I didn't actually realise you could crop in the export options. Thanks for that, trying it now.

[oddmanil]

If you want to crop to avoid the black bars before rendering, you will have to "Match output" every pan/crop keyframe. Also if you got stills on the timeline.
It will not influence the rendered quality what ever project property you use. A

[Rumple]

The method detailed here gives suprisingly good final video:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/2053400#2053400