exporting .m2v source files out of fcp without quality loss

[MacNiles]

So here's my problem: Im working for an art exhibition and i received a dvd with the scenes in .m2v extension and the audio in .ac3. I had to put subtitles on the files. So I imported the .m2v files in fcp, converted the audio to aiff so i could work properly.
Now, im trying to export to whole sequence out of fcp, but everything i try seems to mess up the quality or the aspect ratio.

Im using FCP 5 on 1.5 G4 Powerbook,

my source settings: .m2v files, 720 x 404, progressive
aiff audio 48,000 kHz

Sequence settings: 720 x 404

In FCP everything looks great after rendering, so why can't i find a way to export with the same quality that I see in final cut pro

Allready tried:
- using quicktime conversion:
* to .mov with dv pal codec ( -> quality not accepteble)
*to .mov with mp4 codec ( best quality untill now if i customize the bit rate)
* to . dv ( quality not great and no possibility to customize aspect ratio)

Planning on trying (after 3 hour rendering session):
- using compressor :
* to .m2v

Is there anyone who had the same problems and give me an exact answer, cause ive been trying a whole lot these latest days and deadline is approaching...

greeetz

[guns1inger]

What do you have to do with the finished video ?

If you want it for DVD then you have to make it compliant, and 704 x 404 is not a compliant aspect ratio for DVD.

Also, if DVD is the required outcome, you could have just authored subtitles into the disc without pulling it all apart.

Regardless, the best solution is dependent upon the desired result. So what do you want to do with the video ?

[MacNiles]

i have to write it away as a dvd... so i figured i need the best quality possible, to import in my dvd burning program
and why isnt it compliant ( my source files from the ripped dvd are also 720 x 404, )
i can probebly also write it as a vcd... it doesnt really matter how, as long as it works on the dvd player ( but it works with almost every format)

[guns1inger]

See What is DVD (top left corner) for compliant DVD resolutions.

[MacNiles]

but that's not my problem,
im not allowed to tamper with the settings of the source file (it's considered an artwork, and changing those settings would be like paintig a moustache on the mona lisa) I received the scenes allready cut apart, and had to assemble them again in the right order. and those were 720 x 404 .m2v files.And if I export using 16:9, fcp adds pillarboxes to fill up the screen.
So the outcome really should be an 720 x 404 progressive, because the source file is like that.

The most important problem is quality. how to get the edited file with subtitles out of fcp with the same quality that i see in fcp.

at the exhibitions they'll see to it, that there is a dvdplayer available to play all possible standards, so the outcome doesn't really matter. A .mov file, an avi, ... as long as the quality is the best and fits into a 16:9 plasma screen without pillar or letterboxes, i will be happy...

[Case]

It looks like the infamous QuickTime 'bug' again, where it reads 16:9 widescreen MPEG-2 video as 720x404 instead of the true 720x576 (for PAL) or 720x480 (for NTSC). That is, applications that use QuickTime to read video dimensions, will see widescreen DVD video of 720x576 or 720x480 as if it were 720x404, to maintain aspect ratio.

MPEG-2 for DVD has non-square (rectangular) pixels which are stretched on playback to either 4:3 or 16:9.
So maybe you should ignore the pixel dimensions and just focus on 16:9 and trust the apps to work things out by themselves.

If you can, export the subtitles to a separate file. DVD Studio Pro can then use the original M2V and AC3 files at original quality and aspect ratio, and use the subtitle file for "selectable" subtitles (=projected on top of the video at playback) (which may be default "on" without making a selection).
I'm no FCP or DVDSP expert, so maybe others can go into detail on how to do that.

If you can convert your subs file to an .srt file, then even shareware like ffmpegX can create a valid DVD out of it, but I wouldn't recommend starting with ffmpegX if you're close to a deadline.

[MacNiles]

Im exporting the whole thing now through compressor, to an 16:9 .m2v file with subs on them and quality seems ok.
but if it that fails as well, ill try the dvd studio pro solution. anythoughts on what kind of file i should export my subtitles to???

greeetz and allready thanks in advance

[terryj]

I'm no FCP or DVDSP expert, so maybe others can go into detail on how to do that.

---bat signal flashes in night sky-------


Ok,
so you want to take the existing assets that were demuxed,
and import them directly into DVDSP v. 3.02 or later.
Place them on the timeline.

Your subtitles, if you authored them in TitleLab or Subtitler
( my choise is subtitler), you would then simply export
the subtitles out as DVDSP STL files with the .stl extension

Once done, then you select the first Subtitle track,
right below your audio track, in the timeline, and option click
( or right click if you have a two button mouse) and select
"Import Subtitles".
Navigate to your file, select and click ok.
The subtitles import into the track.
Select the subtitle streams you want to preview, using the button at
the far left of the stream. Play /Preview the tracks to see how the subs look
over the video.

Then Navigate to the Inspector Palette in DVDSP,
and under the Disc Inspector, click the radio button that says
"enable" or "Show" subtitles. This sets it with the disc at the
same level you set the First Play menu, default button, audio, etc.

[MacNiles]

Thx guys, everything worked out fine...

so what i did was, placing the subtitles in fcp onto the m2v sourcefiles, exported the sequence using compressor to another m2v ( almost no quality loss) than I muxed the m2v and ac3 files to an video_TS using ffmpegX and burning that folder using Toast. Result: No more extra compressing and final image on tv looks great, so everyone happy...

thanks a lot for your help, the forum rocks....

[terryj]

u r welcome.