Transferring my film from Avid to DVD

Morten · January 2, 2005

Hi all,

I have an editing question:

I've finished editing my film on Avid Xpress and would like to transfer it to DVD. After a lot of trials and failing I've come to the conclusion that exporting the sequence as file either doesn't work or the quality is unacceptable. So it seems the best alternative is cutting it back to tape and capturing it back onto my computer (using the DVD burning program Roxio, which is the only one I have at the moment). But the problem with this is that the files are still quite large and there is a drop in quality. It takes about 7gb for 30 mins, although the program does compress it to about half the size when you burn it to DVD, but I know you can compress feature length films with little drop in quality and the size is only about 700mb

So the question is does anybody know a better way of doing it?

Regards,

Morten

Saul Pincus · January 2, 2005

Hi all,

I have an editing question:

I've finished editing my film on Avid Xpress and would like to transfer it to DVD. After a lot of trials and failing I've come to the conclusion that exporting the sequence as file either doesn't work or the quality is unacceptable. So it seems the best alternative is cutting it back to tape and capturing it back onto my computer (using the DVD burning program Roxio, which is the only one I have at the moment). But the problem with this is that the files are still quite large and there is a drop in quality. It takes about 7gb for 30 mins, although the program does compress it to about half the size when you burn it to DVD, but I know you can compress feature length films with little drop in quality and the size is only about 700mb

So the question is does anybody know a better way of doing it?

Regards,

Morten

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You don't indicate whether you're on a Mac or PC, but there could be several issues.

First off, what's the format of the media you're cutting with? DV? Avid Meridian media? Is your media double or single field?

Your 700mb estimate for encoding a feature at average quality (let's assume 90 mins.) is way off, though. Triple that number.

Your best bet is to post on the forums at http://www.creativecow.net/ ? nothing beats their knowledge base on issues such as this.

Saul.

Alvin Pingol · January 2, 2005

I know you can compress feature length films with little drop in quality and the size is only about 700mb
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you're referring to those bootleg copies you can find on P2P networks, these are files that have gone through intense compression and are usually sub-SD resolution. The compressor of choice for these files is usually some variant of the MPEG4 video compression algorithm, like DivX, XVid, etc.. MPEG4 codecs can produce acceptable quality results at lower bitrates. DVD's, on the other hand, use MPEG2 compression, which, unlike MPEG1 or MPEG4, looks really mushy at lower rates.

In addition, and as with the MPEG4 codec, what compressor you use for MPEG2 makes a great difference in the overall quality of the video. Separate compressors like TMPGEnc (Tsunami MPEG) or the horrendously expensive CCE (CinemaCraft Encoder) can give you awesome results, as both applications allow you to tweak the settings that can make a world of difference, like GOP structure and Quantize Matrix. A lot of "built-in" compressors that come bundled with DVD software don't let you chage much and this can lead to inefficient compression.

Proper DVD's have bitrates that are usually around 8-9 megabits/sec, and use variable bitrate (VBR) to allow more bandwidth to scenes/frames that need it. This can save a lot of space, especially for movies that contain scenes with little motion.

For better explanations, try a forum where you can find people who do this stuff every day. The one Saul mentions is a good place to start.

(P.S., if you are planning on making a DVD that is compatible with standalone units, you must compress as MPEG2 with all compliant settings)

Phil Rhodes · January 3, 2005

Hi,

Woah, I'm not sure I'd say that "most" DVDs have data at 8 or 9 megabits. That's near the maximum the drive's supposed to be able to read - although many, if not most, will do more - and I've found that most release movies are considerably lower, around 5-6 or less if there's a pile of extras on the disc.

DVB broadcast television in the UK can be as low as 2.5 or 3 and MPEG-2 at that rate looks pretty abysmal.

By the way, anyone wandering up Tottenham Court Road in London at the moment, drop into the Sony Centre. They have a giant plasma display hooked up to a very early preview blu-ray hi-def DVD running the trailer to "Secret Window". Er, quite!

Phil

Edited January 3, 2005 by Phil Rhodes

Morten · January 4, 2005

Thanks for all the replies.

To Saul:

I'm using a PC and I'm cutting with DV. I'm not sure whether it's single or double field. How can I tell and what's the difference?

I'll check out the web page you posted.

Thanks again.

Morten

Alvin Pingol · January 4, 2005

...8 or 9 megabits. That's near the maximum the drive's supposed to be able to read - although many, if not most, will do more - and I've found that most release movies are considerably lower, around 5-6
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes thank you! That rate of 8-9 mbit/sec is for maximum quality before you start to go out of spec, not the usual average bitrate. And, as you've mentioned, release movies do usually have a considerable amount of extras on them, thereby lowering the overall bitrate of the feature film.