preserving quality in DVD (HD) authoring (matroska)

[pay1000]

scenario: had a large HD (MKV FORMAT) movie file. wanted to copy to dvd with quality PRESERRVED. used FAVC to convert the video and preserve the quality. the resulting quality is lower but still relatively good. content with the fact that after convertion, the movie is split into several VOB files.

problem, what is a good program to use to author these videos onto dvd without re-encoding. since PROGRAMS like nerovision and others always reencodes the video files when authoring dvd, which dramatically reduces the quality

please help and please be specific.

[aedipuss]

use an authoring program. not all in one crud.

my authoring program of choice is dvdlab pro.

[t0nee1]

I can't comment on DVDLab Pro, however I'm not sure that FAVC falls under the "crud" category....After all it does use HCEnc or QuEnc for encoding...hardly crud IMO!...And the price is right...I normally just demux>create .avs script>HCenc>DVDauthorGui...hasnt failed me yet..Knock on wood!...

[pay1000]

dont know what crud means. as you can see in my use of language, i have no idea about computer or programs. so please be more specific.

[manono]

problem, what is a good program to use to author these videos onto dvd without re-encoding.

If the source is high definition and you're going for a DVD, then it has to be reencoded, as DVD uses standard definition. The trick is to lose as little quality as possible during the reencode. As mentioned, don't use Nero for anything. You want a single reencode and then to have it authored without further degradation. Or maybe I misunderstood and your authoring program is reencoding already DVD compliant files you created somehow (details, please). If you just need to author, Muxman will do it. If you want to author with menus, then DVDAuthorGUI or GUI4DVDAuthor are good (make sure to choose the Muxman authoring engine). Nothing gets reencoded. If they're not DVD compliant, you'll be told so and then it'll be up to you to make them DVD compliant. They're not going to touch the files.

As t0nee1 mentioned, FAVC can do the whole job for you. It's a good all-in-one (reencoding and authoring (with simple menus) both).

Crud as it's being used here means junk, bad quality, worse-than-useless.

[pay1000]

thanks for the help

as for clarification, the video that i need to transfer onto dvd is already dvd compatible as i already used FAVC to re-encode it (great quality). my problem lies in the fact that i do not know how to use the FAVC to make a menu and then transfer without reencoding onto a dvd. thus, leading me to try programs like Nerovision (which sucks with reencoding).

if someone can explain to me how to use FAVC to do the menu and authoring parts, that will be great.

[manono]

Here's an FAVC guide:

http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/FAVC_Video_to_DVD_Guide_page1.html

It looks like I was wrong about always being able to create a menu. It seems to let you create a menu only if there are multiple titles (like a series of episodes). I'm not sure why you'd want a menu anyway, though, unless just to be able to choose a chapter. Otherwise you can turn on/off any subtitles using the remote control, and change chapters the same way.

However, it does author DVD files and can also create an ISO ready to burn. The guide explains that. If you want real menus, perhaps open the individual video, audio, subs (if any) afterwards in DVDAuthorGUI or GUI4DVDAuthor (both freeware) so you can make yourself a real menu.

[guns1inger]

FAVC only creates a title menu, not a chapter menu, which would be why you don't get a menu if there is only one title. What I sometimes do is let FAVC do it's thing, but make sure I have Keep Working Files ticked on the front page. When it is done I can use the elementary streams it created to author any way I see fit - menus, specific chapter stops instead of regular intervals etc.

[pay1000]

When it is done I can use the elementary streams it created to author any way I see fit - menus, specific chapter stops instead of regular intervals etc.

???????

thanks for your answer, but please be more specific.

[guns1inger]

FAVC encodes the video and audio separately, producing elementary streams (one video, one audio per title), which it then authors into a finished DVD. If you want to author your own disc, you can use the files that FAVC has produced, in your own authoring tool (I use DVD Lab Pro) to create a new DVD. GUIForDVDAuthor or DVD Styler will happily use these streams and wont re-encode them.

When you are done, burn with Imgburn.

[pay1000]

found that in file conversion, in converting the MKV file to DVD. found that using FAVC, creatiing an iso file and burning it to DVD rom is the easiest. but the problem occured where the video and audio of the outcome file does not sync. there was a problem at the end of the video conversion where the process had to shutdown. if this is the problem, does anyone know why the video conversion might have shutdown before completion.

[t0nee1]

What are the specs of the original mkv? Use MediaInfo.....I normally just demux>create .avs script>HCenc>DVDauthorGui > IMGBurn....
I use FAVC, I just haven't used it on an HD mkv directly...Your issue is most likely in the muxing and authoring.....