Hi, can someone advise my son please

[jeremyrundle]

He is trying to do a DVD in Pinnacle studio ultimate 15 but no matter what he does the images are terrible, he has learning difficulties so any help would be most appreciated thank you

[jeremyrundle]

I should have said that before rendering the bmp's look sharp, done as a standard pal dvd

[jagabo]

You can't have small text like that in standard definition video. There's simply not enough resolution. Use larger text.

[jeremyrundle]

Cant use larger text it is a scan from a book, I did the dvd for him once and it came out perfect but have forgotten the settings, he has created the dvd with menus like shop bought when he does a hddvd it looks good but the menus don't work

[jagabo]

You are never going to get clear text of that size on a DVD. Using different resizing filters, sharpening filters, or cropping the page down may help a little. Or he can get the text here:

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/plymouth/heritage-lottery-fund/

and reconstruct the page with larger text.

Upload the full res scan and someone will try reducing it to 720x576 while keeping it more readable.

[usually_quiet]

Cant use larger text it is a scan from a book, I did the dvd for him once and it came out perfect but have forgotten the settings, he has created the dvd with menus like shop bought when he does a hddvd it looks good but the menus don't work

You didn't make a normal video DVD if the the scan used for the poor quality sample came out perfect. As you were already told, DVD resolution (720x576 maximum for PAL) is not capable of showing small text clearly.

What do you mean by "hddvd", an AVCHD disc? AVCHD is an HD video format on a DVD media and playable by many Blu-Ray players, but not DVD players. HD DVD is something else entirely and an HD DVD would not be useful today. HD DVD has been a dead format since 2008. HD DVD players have not been made for several years now and neither DVD players nor Blu-Ray players will play HD DVD discs.

[smrpix]

What's the context here? How is this being used? Expecting an audience to pop in a DVD and sit there and read this much text is a dubious proposition even if it were legible. Maybe time to rethink the approach to this part of the project.

[jeremyrundle]

It is a recipe book copied onto dvd

The quality of the images IN the program are good but when finished they are poor see attached

[jeremyrundle]

What's the context here? How is this being used? Expecting an audience to pop in a DVD and sit there and read this much text is a dubious proposition even if it were legible. Maybe time to rethink the approach to this part of the project.

people read recipe books all the time

[jeremyrundle]

You are never going to get clear text of that size on a DVD. Using different resizing filters, sharpening filters, or cropping the page down may help a little. Or he can get the text here:

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/plymouth/heritage-lottery-fund/

and reconstruct the page with larger text.

Upload the full res scan and someone will try reducing it to 720x576 while keeping it more readable.

I know the site, I took the photographs, my son is trying to put it on DVD for the charity

[jeremyrundle]

Cant use larger text it is a scan from a book, I did the dvd for him once and it came out perfect but have forgotten the settings, he has created the dvd with menus like shop bought when he does a hddvd it looks good but the menus don't work

You didn't make a normal video DVD if the the scan used for the poor quality sample came out perfect. As you were already told, DVD resolution (720x576 maximum for PAL) is not capable of showing small text clearly.

What do you mean by "hddvd", an AVCHD disc? AVCHD is an HD video format on a DVD media and playable by many Blu-Ray players, but not DVD players. HD DVD is something else entirely and an HD DVD would not be useful today. HD DVD has been a dead format since 2008. HD DVD players have not been made for several years now and neither DVD players nor Blu-Ray players will play HD DVD discs.

Thanks, I am showing my son this and we are learning

[usually_quiet]

What's the context here? How is this being used? Expecting an audience to pop in a DVD and sit there and read this much text is a dubious proposition even if it were legible. Maybe time to rethink the approach to this part of the project.

people read recipe books all the time

I have recipe books on DVD (and CD) too, but they are computer programs that use resource files on a DVD (or CD). They are not DVD video discs. They only play on a computer. They do not play in a DVD player and thus do not have the same restrictions on resolution and format as DVD video discs. Pinnacle Studio makes DVD video discs, not the other kind.

[jeremyrundle]

Ok We are beginning to understand with thanks to you all, that the image size, 720x576, must be the reason for the rubbish text, surely in the 21st century there has to be a solution, what is/about avchd, can he create a menu based dvd with this that plays on a pc or in a dvd

Can I also thank you, as I am darn sure you are thinking "*(&^^ beginner and dumb questions)

[smrpix]

edit: (cross-posted with your #13)

It's a question of appropriate content for the medium. I would certainly read this on a tablet, a computer or even a phone.

On a DVD, IMHO, I would at the very least break this down into at three pages of text. To do it properly for DVD, I would want, even expect, a live demonstration as well.

quick page sample below:

[jeremyrundle]

Most interesting and thank you for taking the time to make and show such a suggestion, hmmmmm, very interesting

[jeremyrundle]

Can AVCHD be played like a DVD, put it in the pc/dvd player and click on the menue's to navigate the dvd

Thank you for being to understanding to a novice

[smrpix]

Can AVCHD be played like a DVD, put it in the pc/dvd player and click on the menue's to navigate the dvd

It can, but there are a whole lot of things that have to go right for it to work properly.
edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD#Playing_back_AVCHD_video

Mainly, the user's computer will have to have Blu-Ray playback software, the disk will not automatically load up the way a DVD (usually) does. If you use regular media players like VLC or MPC-HC you lose access to the menus -- which defeats the purpose.

If it were me, I would look to software that essentially creates a website on a disk. You're not really doing video at this point.

[usually_quiet]

Can AVCHD be played like a DVD, put it in the pc/dvd player and click on the menue's to navigate the dvd

Thank you for being to understanding to a novice

AVCHD discs are not playable via the set-top DVD players that are normally used with a TV. For one thing DVD players can only play video with a maximum resolution of 720x576.

AVCHD discs are playable with most Blu-Ray players. AVCHD discs are also playable using a computer with a DVD drive that has compatible software installed. Corel WinDVD Pro 11, ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 6, or Cyberlink PowerDVD 13 Pro or Ultra, but not PowerDVD 13 Deluxe, will provide full menu support. As was previously mentioned, other software either won't play the discs or won't provide full menu support.


You are better off following smrpix's suggestion for playback on a PC.