This is my first real DVD project, and it's a compilation of stills and video that I have created/taken personally.. I am creating AVI files with an old version of Vegas (4.0?) and each AVI will be a menu object.. The DVD is from a vacation I recently took and each item is a "chapter" of sorts, one being "getting there", the next is "the cabins" etc. and each of those is a compilation of still images with transitions and words and crap. The who Vegas part of creating the AVI is fine, I've got that pretty well sorted out but I think there is a setting or two I need to address, specifically project resolution/frame rates (see below). I really fall apart when I try to encode. I understand I should encode to MPEG 2, and I have played with TMPGEnc 2.54xxxx (the current one) but I am struggling with a couple of aspects of the whole thing.. I want a DVD to play in a standard NTSC DVD home player (and PC too, but that's teh same thing really). Project resolution.. 720x576 (or is it 480?)? This is a Vegas and TMPGEnc setting, and I assume should mathc.. Vegas should make the file the right size and TMPEGEnc shouldn't have to resize either. What frame rate, 29.97 (NTSC, I'm in the US)? I've seen 23.976 mentioned elsewhere.. The really big issue is the encode itself.. what settings in TMPGEnc should I use? I find unbelieveable tons of crap on DVD ripping, P2P rips, etc but I want to take a virgin AVI (which I can render as an uncompressed AVI from Vegas) and encode it to MPEG2.. I can encode via Vegas but then I re-encode to MPEG which makes no sense, so I am doing uncompressed AVI out of Vegas then looking to TMPGEnc to do the encoding. FWIW, the final authoring will be via an older version of the Sony DVD Authoring (If I rememebr, haven't used it recently).. does the menus and navigation. What settings would I use in TMPGEnc and why? I am going to have a few "chapters" (individual AVI files) on the disc.. maybe 7-8, so do I first calc total length of them all then plug it into a bitrate calc and use that for my bitrate in TMPGEnc for each file? I read 2 Pass VBR is the way to go, and from there I can put in average rate, high (9000?) and low (0?). My assumption is that the bitrate is driven by the entire contents of the DVD itself, so I add them all up h:m:s x res etc and from there I can plug in the best possible encode rates? This is really driving my crazy, as I want to finish it and the project has dragged for over a year. I am finally near the end but getting it on the DVD is a pain.. I have used some software that does the encode natively but I'm trying to do it "right" rather than rely on some authoring program to encode.. Help! Wallyman
hi there... I'll only answer you some questions because I do not use TMPGEnc, for instance, and I wouldn't give you a wrong answer. First? Which DVD authoring tool are you planning to use? If you want to make menus with nice features and look more professional, then go for DVDLab Pro. Otherwise go for TMPG DVD Author. Both have a 30 day free trial. Resolution: 720x480 is NTSC FPS: 29.97 is NTSC (23.97 is NOT a compatible DVD format) Bitrate: it depends according to the total length, but as a rule of thumb project should not exceed 6000 bps. Use a bitrate calculator (you can find one at http://www.videohelp.com IIRC) for determining which suits you most. I read some time ago that in general it was better having a variable bitrate instead of a constant one, because you could distribute bps accordingly. I think, there's a guide in this very same website about setting up TMPGEnc properly. Why don;t you pay a visit to the Guides section? Perhaps it could help you. I use Mainconcept, sorry.
Resolution and frame rate, cool. What is the 720x576 I read then? I see it menioned occasionally for DVD. Bitrate calc, I already downloaded that one, ironically. Thanks! I've read the guides here but they seem to be geared towards DVD ripping to CD, or DVD9 to DVD5.. if I want a movie, I just buy the DVD used at Blockbuster. True authroing is harder to come by it seems, and the ripping stuff is very specifically geared the wrong way. The menus are fine, I've got that all ready to go it's just the encode part that has lost me. I want to say it's the Sony product, I'd have to look as I did those a while back and have been really working on the content stuff. It does a nice menu system and pretty easy to work with.. no complaints there at all. I'm not after super fancy anyhow, jsut simple nice menus are all I need. VBR makes more sense given I am doing mostly slideshows with 5 seconds static, 2 seconds of "motion" (transition), repeat.. so 2/7 of the time is movement, 5/7 is still image. Mainconcept, better choice over TMPGEnc? I see there is a demo version I can try out, and only $150 so not too terrible I suppose. Should I give that a shot? I'm only using TMPG because it was the most recommended one, not because I particularly like it. Thanks Wally
720x576 is pure PAL standart. First of all you should explain the video source (VHS,camcorder model) to be sure what video standart it is.
After much swearing and rendering, I managed to encode somethign that looks like it will work on a DVD disc... ugh... I ended up with the Vegas 6 demo and DVD Architect 3.. I can't say as I ever want to do another DVD, what a pain for so little return. 6 hours each render jsut to find out the settings that Sony has won't work.. and they are both current products. Madness. Thanks for those who did reply, I'm going to go back to driving my car and leave this video production insanity for you guys.. Way too much work. Wallyman
