trying to export a high quality DVD

C

c.g._eads

Veteran
I have reached a point where my projects are for more than just myself. Up to this point, it didn't matter that every movie I outputted to DVD looked like a blocky 1/3 of the resolution it should have been piece of crap.

But now I'd like my movies to look as good as possible when they get to DVD - especially since I'm shooting in HD. My question is, how I do get there?

I use Vegas 7 and I have DVD Architect 4. I used to burn my movies straight out of Premiere. They looked terrible. When I worked on a Final Cut project, I burned a couple out of Apple's basic burning software too. They looked terrible.

So what do I have to do? What software should I use (I use Windows so whatever it is, I'll buy it), And what are the steps and settings I need to use? Props if I can do it in DVD Architect or Nero (two programs I already have).

Thanks much.

Chris
 
Generally speaking, render from Vegas as MPEG-2 using a DVD Architect template, then use DVD Architect. Read up in the manuals for both as to the best method(s).
 
David, why doesn't Vegas let you render from within the program? Or why doesn't Architect allow you to import the project (instead of an mpeg file) and render directly from the program? (instead of having to render twice - once to get out of Vegas. Then a second time to get on the DVD).
 
This is clearly a case of two different engineering departments not working together to provide the best way of doing things. I've seen it all too much in the OSS world, it's bad enough that it exists in the same company too.
 
As for why you can't render a DVD directly from the timeline -- it's just not set up that way, as most pro-level NLEs are not. I rather dislike doing it that way myself -- the options are far too limited, and most editors I know who make a lot of DVDs don't even burn from the timeline if they have the option; they use external apps for it.

As for opening a VEG file in DVD Architect -- there are merits to the idea, as well as drawbacks. I remain mostly agnostic on the idea.

As for "engineering departments," I'm not sure that Sonic Foundry had multiple departments before the Sony acquisition -- it's more likely they simply chose to do it the way they did.
 
c.g._eads said:
David, why doesn't Vegas let you render from within the program? Or why doesn't Architect allow you to import the project (instead of an mpeg file) and render directly from the program? (instead of having to render twice - once to get out of Vegas. Then a second time to get on the DVD).
Click to expand...

Actually, it doesn't render twice if you export from Vegas with a DVD Architect template -- which is why the templates exist. Now, menus, etc., still have to be rendered, but your core video won't be -- unless you don't use the DVD Architect template, or change it significantly.

This is an advantage. If you imported the VEG file, DVDA would have to render the video. There are disadvantages here -- it would mean DVDA would require a sophisticated render engine similar to Vegas's, which would increase the bulk of the program. Also, it's possible that any time you make a change to your DVD -- change the spelling of a word in a menu, etc. -- you may have re-render the entire thing from scratch (though SmartRender alleviates this somewhat), including your VEG file, whereas if you have a DVDA-compliant MPEG-2 file with compliant audio, you don't have to re-rende that portionf of the DVD, which is most likely the biggest part by far.

To me, rendering the video once out of Vegas is the better way to go. Vegas usually renders faster, anyway.
 
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