How Do I Get Better DVD Quality?

AndyAtos

Member Joined: Jul 25, 2008 15:42 Messages: 82 Offline

Solved by

Jan 02, 2010 13:13

Hi Gang,

I've got PD8 (8.00.22) on a brand new Windows 7 machine.

I was able to achieve a pretty nice quality video for YouTube by letting PD8 produce and upload my finished project to YouTube. Here's that video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WURzjc7IA18

That one was produced at 640 by 480 in AVI format. I had produced another version with the finished product as an Mpeg2 but the quality wasn't as good. But I think that was because I produced it in 720 by 480 without knowing it till later. Here is that video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-6Gk0QSPE

Notice how the straight edges of the hang gliders are pixelated in the second video. Yet in the first video those straight edges are nice and clean.

So I took that very same 640 by 480 AVI "made for YouTube" file that PD8 had produced, imported it into a new project then burned it to a DVD. I figured this would produce a lovely, clean video on my TV.

But no! I have the very same pixelated straight edges when I play this 640 by 480 .AVI produced file on my TV. However, in the past when I've burned DVDs before (with PD6) and watched them on my TV, the quality is outstanding. Those files were produced in Mpeg2 format.

But when I tried to burn a DVD in the Mpeg2 format for my TV, I get the same pixelated straight lines. I'm confused. What's going on?

Thanks for all your help,

- Andy

KEN-PD

Newbie Joined: Nov 15, 2009 08:48 Messages: 27 Offline

Jan 02, 2010 13:33

Try saving the original video using a custom progressive 480 format - I used about a 10Mb data rate - but the resulting files are not that huge.) Then from a fresh re-open of PD8, load up that progressive encoded file, and burn that progressive encoded file to disk. I had some jaggie issues as well saving files using the standard DVDHQ interlaced format

Quote: Hi Gang,

I've got PD8 (8.00.22) on a brand new Windows 7 machine.

I was able to achieve a pretty nice quality video for YouTube by letting PD8 produce and upload my finished project to YouTube. Here's that video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WURzjc7IA18

That one was produced at 640 by 480 in AVI format. I had produced another version with the finished product as an Mpeg2 but the quality wasn't as good. But I think that was because I produced it in 720 by 480 without knowing it till later. Here is that video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-6Gk0QSPE

Notice how the straight edges of the hang gliders are pixelated in the second video. Yet in the first video those straight edges are nice and clean.

So I took that very same 640 by 480 AVI "made for YouTube" file that PD8 had produced, imported it into a new project then burned it to a DVD. I figured this would produce a lovely, clean video on my TV.

But no! I have the very same pixelated straight edges when I play this 640 by 480 .AVI produced file on my TV. However, in the past when I've burned DVDs before (with PD6) and watched them on my TV, the quality is outstanding. Those files were produced in Mpeg2 format.

But when I tried to burn a DVD in the Mpeg2 format for my TV, I get the same pixelated straight lines. I'm confused. What's going on?

Thanks for all your help,

- Andy

Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

Jan 02, 2010 14:17

Hi Andy,
I endorse what Ken has written.

1. The DVD NTSC "norm" is 720 x 480. Make sure your video is better than 640x480.
2. Go to produce and create an Mpeg2 template and render your video to it.
3. return the video back to PD to create the DVD.

See the template I created below.

See the mpeg example data.

Dafydd
[Moderator]


Filename	sdukpd8-387.gif	Download
Description	DVD custom template
Filesize	20 Kbytes
Downloaded:	198 time(s)

Filename	example.txt	Download
Description	Mpeg2 NTSC test file info
Filesize	2 Kbytes
Downloaded:	312 time(s)

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at Jan 02. 2010 14:49

James Dotson

Senior Contributor Location: Tennessee Joined: Aug 24, 2009 20:40 Messages: 3066 Offline

Jan 02, 2010 21:39

Ok, a question that I think is related. I created a custom profile as recommended above and set it to progressive, but when I produce the video the TV settings still tell me that it is interlaced. I went to edit the profile and it still says progressive. Is there an alternate way to verify this is correct, or is there a way to force PD to give me a progressive video? __________________________________
CORNBLOSSOM

Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

Jan 03, 2010 05:44

Hi Jaime,

Look up MBAFF and encoding interlaced and progressive footage.
Try this one: http://forum.doom9.org/archive/index.php/t-120317.html
Basically a false positive can be thrown up. Have a search here on the forum the same question/concern has been raised before.

Dafydd
[Moderator]

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Jan 03. 2010 05:54