miniDV to AVI or DV-AVI?

[vid83]

Not sure if this is the right place to post but here is my question.

I have a video from my miniDV video camera. I use Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 to capture the video. I drag the captured video into the timeline. Then I go to File > Export . . . > Movie. An "Export Movie" box opens and I click "Settings". Under "General" and "File Type", when I choose AVI and then click on "Video", under "Compressor", there are 8 to choose from (one of the choices on the list is "none"). How do I know which to choose?

[guns1inger]

You want to export is as DV avi. That way, only video you have altered (effects/titles etc, not just cuts) will be re-encoded. The process will be quicker, and you won't lose any quality.

[edDV]

I agree with guns1inger but we need to know what comes next in your process. What are you going to do with this video?

[vid83]

I plan to save my video to a hard drive in full quality. I have videos from my miniDV tape and just wanted to save it to a hard drive as a data. Don't want to save it as a DVD video because I know it gets compressed. Just didn't know whether to use AVI, DV-AVI or other file type.

[mats.hogberg]

DV AVI, as that's what your camera records as.

/Mats

[vid83]

If I wanted to take an edited video from Adobe Premire Pro 1.5 to Adobe Encore DVD 1.5 so that I can burn a movie DVD, will I need to export > Movie > DV AVI or export > Movie > AVI? Or will I need to encode instead? Which will give me the original video quality as my miniDV tape?
Note: I will let Encore DVD do the transcoding.

[mats.hogberg]

You'll never get the same quality on DVD as in the original DV AVI.

/Mats

[vid83]

You'll never get the same quality on DVD as in the original DV AVI.

/Mats

What I meant was, what would give me the same quality video as my miniDV (as a data file, not DVD video file).
I want to send the best quality video to Encore DVD.

[guns1inger]

If you are going to go to DVD at the highest quality you can, don't let Encore encode for you. Export from Premiere as mpeg-2, DVD compliant, because you have a greater level of control there. Use the mpeg-2 file in Encore and don't let it transcode/re-encode

[vid83]

I feel uncomfortable encoding with Premiere Pro 1.5. I know how to encode in Premiere Pro from doing videos for youtube but I dont' know how to encode for DVD and take it to Encore DVD 1.5. What I mean is, I don't know how to encode so that it will fit on a DVD.

[edDV]

I feel uncomfortable encoding with Premiere Pro 1.5. I know how to encode in Premiere Pro from doing videos for youtube but I dont' know how to encode for DVD and take it to Encore DVD 1.5. What I mean is, I don't know how to encode so that it will fit on a DVD.

You use the "Adobe MPeg Encoder" which is Adobe's implementation of the Mainconcept MPeg SDK.
http://www.mainconcept.com/site/developer-products-6/mpeg-12-sdk-727/information-4780.html

Since this is a Pro-sumer product, Adobe gives you many variables to tweak. The main two are VBR vs. CBR and video bit rate. For highest quality use CBR and higher bit rates.

I agree you should archive in DV format but DVD for distribution is easily played.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Beware the DVD encoding in PPro 1.5 - it does it straight to a blank DVD. There's no opportunity to preview it before burning. i.e., you can waste a lot of blanks. You can get around this with a virtual DVD drive utility. (Just one of the many reasons I finally dumped Premiere after nearly 15 years of using it!)

[edDV]

Beware the DVD encoding in PPro 1.5 - it does it straight to a blank DVD. There's no opportunity to preview it before burning. i.e., you can waste a lot of blanks. You can get around this with a virtual DVD drive utility. (Just one of the many reasons I finally dumped Premiere after nearly 15 years of using it!)

That is their "preview" DVD feature. Normal process is to encode to MPeg2 and pass the MPeg2 to a DVD authoring program such as Encore. The MPeg2 can be previewed.

Premiere 6.5 offered a bundled DVD Authoring Program (Sonic DVDiT). When Premiere Pro came out, the customer was forced to buy Encore for full DVD authoring.

[JohnnyMalaria]

In 1.5? I could never find such a "feature" and used to tear my (remaining) hair out. A victim of Adobe's fantastically bad documentation... Moot point now - happy Vegas 8 camper!

[pantsdavies]

You want to export is as DV avi. .

When you export as movie using premiere pro, the option is microsoftDV AVI, is this the same as DV avi?

also the options seem straight forward except it asks:

what feild what you like first, upper or lower or no feilds?

also bit depth, use project settings, 8 bit or maximun?

Which options should I use for best quality, I live in europe and hence use Pal?

Regards

[edDV]

You want to export is as DV avi. .

When you export as movie using premiere pro, the option is microsoftDV AVI, is this the same as DV avi?

also the options seem straight forward except it asks:

what feild what you like first, upper or lower or no feilds?

also bit depth, use project settings, 8 bit or maximun?

Which options should I use for best quality, I live in europe and hence use Pal?

Regards

Lower for DV

8bit

Use PAL DV project setup (4:3 or wide) and PAL movie export DV defaults (e.g. 720x576, bottom field first 25 fps and DV standard).

[pantsdavies]

You want to export is as DV avi. .

When you export as movie using premiere pro, the option is microsoftDV AVI, is this the same as DV avi?

also the options seem straight forward except it asks:

what feild what you like first, upper or lower or no feilds?

also bit depth, use project settings, 8 bit or maximun?

Which options should I use for best quality, I live in europe and hence use Pal?

Regards

Lower for DV

8bit

Use PAL DV project setup (4:3 or wide) and PAL movie export DV defaults (e.g. 720x576, bottom field first 25 fps and DV standard).

Thanks Edtv
,can I ask just why 8 bit and why bottom field first?, I have read that pal tv's are upper feild first?

[edDV]

You want to export is as DV avi. .

When you export as movie using premiere pro, the option is microsoftDV AVI, is this the same as DV avi?

also the options seem straight forward except it asks:

what feild what you like first, upper or lower or no feilds?

also bit depth, use project settings, 8 bit or maximun?

Which options should I use for best quality, I live in europe and hence use Pal?

Regards

Lower for DV

8bit

Use PAL DV project setup (4:3 or wide) and PAL movie export DV defaults (e.g. 720x576, bottom field first 25 fps and DV standard).

Thanks Edtv
,can I ask just why 8 bit and why bottom field first?, I have read that pal tv's are upper feild first?

DV format is bottom field first for both PAL and NTSC. That means it will play correctly (a source not destination issue). If field order is wrong, you will see motion problems like two steps forward one step back on slow pans.

All consumer and most broadcast formats are 8 bit. If you didn't pay more than $15,000 for your camcorder, you have 8bit. If you did pay more than $15,000 you probably have 8 bit. Check the specs.

[pantsdavies]

Cheers Ed, just watched a tutorial video on premiere pro by lynda.com
and he explained the two steps forward one step back on slow pans,
if the field order is wrong, thakns again im learning more and more everyday, but please excuse the dull question every know and then