simple question

[kookooframe]

Well, I hope it's a simple question. It has to do with burning a 50-minute HDV project onto iDVD. I have a 29gig Quicktime Movie file of the project. I drop it into the iDVD menu. It starts burning onto a standard 4.7 gig DVD. So far no prompt has told me that the file is too big -- so am I correct in assuming that iDVD automatically downconverts the file to standard DV in a quality setting that will fit on a standard DVD?

Or am I just dreaming?

 

[Demistate]

I know that Authoring software like DVD SP, and Encore will convert just about any file you throw at it into Mpeg-2 at the appropriate Bitrate. Of course it won't be as good as actually fine tuning the settings, but auto should get you with a draft quality disc to present.

Don't forget that you can save disc space if you have Final Cut Pro, You can render out a reference QT (by not checking the "make self contained movie" button) and this file will be much smaller and match the quality of the original movie you edited. This method basically references frames from the original source instead of transcoding from one source to another, and then going to Mpeg-2

 

[SPZ]

Why Idvd? Actually, you'll get better results if you throw it at Toast- I remember this was true back in the days when I actually had to use Idvd for a rush job.

 

[kookooframe]

Thanks, Demi and SPZ. That's just the kind of info I'm looking for. It's nice to know that NOT checking the self-contained movie box might actually save one step of transcoding. I'll try it next time.

I have Toast and so I will try that to see if the quality improves. By the way, I guess I was correct in assuming iDVD downconverts (if that is the proper term) my HDV project to fit on a standard DVD. Had I done my homework I would have noted the settings for quality and size. As it turned out the 50-minute, 29gig file burned as a 3.1 gig SD.

The quality is okay but a little dark and feathery for my taste. I'll try my Toast 9. Someday with my federal bailout money I'll buy Final Cut Studio.

 

[OSV]

the "dark" look shouldn't be a function of the encoding process... that sounds like a gamma issue.

go over to videohelp.com, and take a look at their online bitrate calculator... learn how to caculate bitrate for the length of the file, and use encoding apps that let you set bitrate, and also do things like variable bitrate encoding.