What FCP settings do you use to export a 7D project for the highest quality DVD burn?

P

parnassus

Member
Surprisingly, there seems to be a wealth of information on the 7D but very little info on how users go about finishing their 7D project, to get the absolute best quality when burning 7D footage to DVD. I'm doing a 15 minute 7D 25p Project on Final Cut Pro 7 (to be authored and burnt on DVD Studio Pro) and I was wondering what settings you use to export your project? Do you use quicktime conversion or Compressor to export your project from FCP? And when you get to DVD Studio Pro, what settings do you use then to ensure the best quality encode?

In my initial tests, I've noticed a drop in quality and an increase in pixelation in going from HD to SD which as I understand is normal and expected. So what do you do to make the absolute most out of the footage when exporting and burning your project to DVD? How do you minimise the drop in quality? Any step by step instruction would be muchly appreciated :happy:
 
I use this and thats very good, with the extra things posted to him by a user further down as well.

http://www.geniusdv.com/news_and_tu...ut_sequences_to_dvds_the_high-quality_way.php

heres the extra:
"An addition to your instructions may be the elements I use inside of compressor.

1. The default setting for dolby 2.0 is -27, I usually change this to -31 this makes the input equal to the output

2. I change the structure of the GOP. I use CBR, it seems to do quite well. I also change the GOP from IBBP to IBP, change the closed file structure to OPEN and then change the I frame from 14 to 6. This creates an I frame every 6 frames. That really helps with those 1-2 second transitions and fades to black.

I have been using this formula for over a year now with great success. "


Steve and I have been discussing the details of these settings, and you'll probably see the results in those articles I was talking about. We have different opinions about some of the video settings, but then again we come from different perspectives: I look at it from the math side, where he looks at it from the real world of mastering bazillions of DVDs for clients on deadlines! We do agree that his settings will help out a whole lot around those transitions that can look so awful in MPEG2 -- so definitely give them a try if you're in to messing with video compression.
 
Also, if you are downscaling from HD to SD DVD, you should make sure that you have Frame Controls on within Compressor's DVD settings and that the Resize Filter is set to Best.
 
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