Best Program to Convert to MPEG2 to use in DVD SP 3

[nepgunes]

I Have uncompressed Quicktimes and AVI files that I'm looking to convert to MPEG-2 to use in DVD Studio Pro 3. I would like to create DVD's of my video projects.

I know how to use DVD SP but my MPEG-2 conversions aren't ever really good, especially with when there is motion and movement. Here are the programs I have to convert:
- Compressor
- Sorenson Squeeze
- Quicktime Pro
- Final Cut Pro 5 [This is what I have used in the past, i exported to MPEG-2]
- FFMPEG X
- Toast 8 - I have used this to burn .AVI files to DVD without a problem, but looking for better and more user-controlled quality. I'm in here looking to become better at controlling the aspects inside a setting.


My guess is that Compressor or Sorenson Squeeze are the best. If it's possible, could someone give me settings to use to make the best quality conversion. Inside Sorenson, I would have to create my own settings, and this is where I get lost. In Compressor there is DVD Best and DVD Fastest Encode, 90, 120 and 150 minutes. Are those settings good enough? would I have to change the setting at all to make sure its the highest quality but fits on a DVD-5.

Would just importing the AVI or Uncompressed QT into DVD SP and let it start converting on its own be a viable option?

Any help on Converting to MPEG-2 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[aedipuss]

what is the source of your avi's?

[nepgunes]

How would I find that out?

I dropped it into FFMPEG X and got this:

Video: MPEG4, yuv420p, 624x336
Audio: AC3, 48K Hz, Stereo, 256 KB/S

Is that what you were looking for?

[terryj]

yes, that would help us.

So I hate to tell you this,but Mpeg-4, is a compressed format,
and NOT an uncompressed one.
( btw AC3 is also compressed audio as well).

An Uncompressed Quicktime file would be in the .DV stream format,
and even that has some compression,but not as much like a finalized
output format like Mpeg-1, Mpeg-2 or Mpeg-4.

Suffice to say,
your footage should have been captured into Final Cut straight in from
a DV Camera source, and that would have been the
highest quality footage to start with. (DV Stream)

From there, once your editing was done, you then send the the timeline
to Compressor ( Export using Compressor). In Compressor,
you use a BitRate Calculator to determine the quality of your Mpeg-2 encoding for your DVD. (see link)
Basically, if you have a lot of fast movement in your video,
you want to go with a 2 pass (VBR) encode. If it is over 2 hours in length,
you want to make sure to encode your audio to a 192kbps AC3
file, so you'll have more room to "up" the bitrate of your Mpeg-2 encode,
to say somewhere in the 3.3 to 3.9 mbps range.
If your video is under 2 hours, you can "up" it even more, almost to a 5.1 mbps range.

The DVD Studio Pro Manual has a lot to say about this for further insight.....

[lordsmurf]

DV is not uncompressed either.

I'm not impressed by Compressor. Quicktime is better.
Even better than Quicktime is Cleaner or a few others, name slips me at the moment. 3-digit pricing. I use it, but I don't recall the name.

[terryj]

DV is not uncompressed either.

compared to mpeg4 smurfy, it's the lesser of two evils.
*shrugs*
And since he's on a mac, and IF the footage
he is editing in FCP is coming from a DV Camera,
what other choices does he have....?

I'm not impressed by Compressor. Quicktime is better.
Even better than Quicktime is Cleaner or a few others, name slips me at the moment. 3-digit pricing. I use it, but I don't recall the name.

Knowing how to manipulate the Bitrate, and knowing your footage your working with,
you can get comparable results from either Compressor 2 or Quicktime 7.
Would a 3 digit solution with a separate hardware encoder work circles around both...?
surely. ( I like the Innobits BitVice!!)
burt wouldn't you agree that knowing the ins and outs of Bitrate would be beneficial?

[nepgunes]

Thanks Terry.

I know that MPEG-4 is compressed, I was stating that I had AVI & uncompressed QT's that I exported in FCP. All of my new videos I have the uncompressed QT's but some of my earlier stuff I only have AVI files. So i was asking the best possible way for both items. Thanks for the info and the links, I will be looking it over the next couple days.

[terryj]

u r welcome nepgunes!

[lordsmurf]

BitVice is the one I was thinking of.
Knowing video, period, is what is needed. Not just bitrate.