Shot in HD, need to hand off QT file for DVD

L

Lkorver

Well-known member
and not sure what the best export option is here. If it were me, I'd say uncompressed 8-bit, but the DVD people won't accept that. What's the next best thing?

I shot in 720p, edited, then moved to a 720X480 timeline (DVD people are requesting a SD NTSC de-interlaced 720X480 video). If I just hand them the full rez SD QT file, it looks like absolute crap.

Any suggestions??
 
You need to find out more info from them. I'm not sure why they wouldn't accept an uncompressed file.

And what do you mean by full res SD QT file? What codec?
 
yeah and what are they talking about with the deinterlacing i.e. knocking down half of the resolution. Sounds kind of misinformed.

Noah
 
Here are their exact demands, which made me think they wanted mpeg 2. But when I pressed them on that point they said they'd like their dvd authoring do the mpeg2 compression.

VIDEO
‐ NTSC, 720x480
‐ WIDESCREEN 16:9 (pixel aspect ratio: 1.2121)
‐ FRAME RATE: 29.97 fps
‐ CODEC: Main Concept MPEG video
‐ FIELD ORDER: none (progressive or deinterlaced footage)
‐ BITRATE ENCODING: VBR, 2 pass, bitrate to be determined

AUDIO
‐ CODEC: Dolby Digital
‐ AUDIO LAYER: Dolby Digital Stereo
‐ FREQUENCY: 48000Hz
‐ BITRATE: 256 kbps
 
720P is never interlaced, so you can easily make a progressive SD file from it. But you need to get more detailed specs from the DVD shop. You need to know what codec they want from you, and you may also need to know how much compression they want, depending on the codec.
 
Can you deliver the video as SD ProRes?

I think that would be a higher quality than H.264, but it's going to be about the same size as Uncompressed SD.
 
I'd love to give them SD prores. they complained about the uncompressed size already. I'm trying to figure out their mpeg2 "highest quality dvd" settings out of compressor and just give them that so I know they aren't messing with the quality and the file size is minimal.
 
First off, it sounds as though they just want highest quality SD DVD. Those settings they have given you are exactly what youll end up with.

Lkorver said:
I shot in 720p, edited, then moved to a 720X480 timeline
Click to expand...

Not sure why you would go that way regardless. Edit in 720P, export your edited timeline via the export as qt option then bring it in to compressor.
 
Thanks for the help Noel... So I'm going to revert to the 720p timeline, export into compressor, but then I'm not sure what to compress as? If I go mpeg2 its easy... but if I want to give them a QT they can convert for DVD encoding on their end, what full rez SD settings would give them the highest quality? DVCPRO50? DVNTSC? thanks again for the help!

-additional stupid question:
Do I need to set anything for widescreen or will compressor handle this with letterboxing?
 
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I'm sorry, but whomever is asking for the format doesn't know their butt from a hot rock

Why require Main Concept MPEG video? That's what Adobe and Roxio use, but it shouldn't matter.

Any m2v encoded video for DVD will work. They should know that.
 
I guess my big question is what type of QT file can I give them so they can then encode m2v on their end. Starting from a 720p time line and needing to deliver a 720X480 file.

David S. said:
Any m2v encoded video for DVD will work. They should know that.
Click to expand...

Thanks David.. definitely giving them m2v option and but my sequence and footage are 23.98, so would selecting the "29.97" setting in compressor suffice since they are asking for a 29.97 file? I tried it an it seems to play back choppy when burned to DVD.

Found this advice on another forum, its from 2008 though, so things may have changed. trying a burn using this method now:

Compressor does in fact add 3:2 pulldown correctly... You want to set your frame rate to 29.97 in the video settings button (which is located in the Encoder pane) and then in the frame controls tab set the output fields to 'Bottom first' and deinterlace to 'fast' and rate conversion to 'fast'.
 
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"I guess my big question is what type of QT file can I give them so they can then encode m2v on their end. Starting from a 720p time line and needing to deliver a 720X480 file."

Then ask them.
 
1. What camcorder did you use?

2. What were the record settings?

3. What are your sequence settings?

Do you have Compressor 3.0 or later on your Mac.
 
David S. said:
1. What camcorder did you use?

2. What were the record settings?

3. What are your sequence settings?

Do you have Compressor 3.0 or later on your Mac.
Click to expand...

1. Hpx170

2. 720p 23.98

3. Compressor = 720p60, Frame Size/PixelAspect Ratio =960X720, TImeBase = 23.98

4. Yes, 3.05

Thanks for helping out David.

To the previous poster...I would love to just ask them what settings they want but it's a long story and they have been terribly unhelpful in the matter and are too lazy to help out. Long story short it doesn't matter to them if the video looks like crap on DVD or not.
 
Lkorver said:
and not sure what the best export option is here. If it were me, I'd say uncompressed 8-bit, but the DVD people won't accept that. What's the next best thing?

I shot in 720p, edited, then moved to a 720X480 timeline (DVD people are requesting a SD NTSC de-interlaced 720X480 video). If I just hand them the full rez SD QT file, it looks like absolute crap.

Any suggestions??
Click to expand...

Give them DVCPRO-50 Anamorphic Squeeze, it's sounds like you're dealing with a windows based DVD Duplication shop, so DVCPRO standard def progressive. They'll interlace the signal themselves.

Based on the specs provided they are omitting a lot of things. So just hand-off a media file that works both in Windows and Mac quicktime without the need to down-rez it by the DVD ppl, let the DVD people encode it using Main Concepts and AC-3.

If your material is running @ 23.976 PsF and they're asking for 29.97 you'll need to introduce pulldown and interlacing, so give them a 23.976 PsF DVCPRO-50 Progressive File, - as 29.97 progressive won't make a progressive scan SD DVD which is de-interlaced and pulldown removed by the DVD player during playback and a 23.976 PsF DVD is not a standard, 29.97 interlaced with pulldown is. It sounds like they want to add pulldown and interlacing during the encode to MPEG-2, and just don't know how to ask for it.

If they are real sticklers, you can even re-wrap the DVCPRO-50 MOV in a AVI container, using MPEG Streamclip export to AVI component (Ships as an extra add-in to MPEG Streamclip). - Known to work.

They'll need to go spend more money with Main Concepts Inc, for the DVCPRO-50 decoder for AVI directshow for windows however, but something tells me they already own it.

Also give them the 48khz stereo pair so they can AC-3 the audio track themselves at peak -6dbFS - BWF (Broadcast Wave File - WAV).
 
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Export the sequence QuickTime/Self Contained/Audio and Video/No Recompression. Don't use QT conversion.

Take the exported DVCProHD sequence self contained movie file.

Drop it into Compressor.

Then apply the Apple>DVD>Best Quality 90 minute presets for both video and audio.

This will produce two files: m2v video and AC3/dolby 2 audio.

Provide those two encoded files to whomever.
 
David S. said:
Export the sequence QuickTime/Self Contained/Audio and Video/No Recompression. Don't use QT conversion.
Take the exported DVCProHD sequence self contained movie file.
Drop it into Compressor.
Then apply the Apple>DVD>Best Quality 90 minute presets for both video and audio.
This will produce two files: m2v video and AC3/dolby 2 audio.
Provide those two encoded files to whomever.
Click to expand...

thanks for the help guys. I gave them the m2v/ac3 23.98 and 29.97 already and am hoping for the best. Just hope that the pulldown situation isn't going to mess with the footage.
 
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