Bitrate for good quality?

[dynamique]

Hi!
I'm doing a dvd for a short film with extra features. The main film is 29 minutes and together with the extra features (small films, subtexts and one additional audio track) the total length of the material will be 95 minutes.

I would like the main film to be able to be viewed on a video projector in a theater for about 100 people.
My question is - how high bitrate do I need for the main film? Is 4 mbps vbr2 enough or do I need higher? The original film is in hdv, but this copy is exported (and edited) as dv from the camera. I will do a hd mastering later, to a hd dvd.

Or should I do a special dvd with only the main film, with a high bitrate, for cinema purpose and then do the compound dvd with tv-applicable bitrates (how high do you recommend?) (I know that one should use dv or beta tape for the theater, but not all festivals will have this option).

Another question is if you recommend pcm or dolby sound on the dvd.

Thanks,

Urban

[Anakin]

95 mins? You should easily be able to get 7000+ kbps

[SanderMan]

Use the VideoHelp Bitrate calculator to see what bitrate to use.

[45tripp]

Is 4 mbps vbr2 enough or do I need higher?

Probably not.
Might as well double that.

Another question is if you recommend pcm or dolby sound on the dvd.

Dolby.
Got to consider pcm option=wasting space. Not that you're short of it.
You could even upmix and provide an extra multichannel dolby track.
Ask for upmix help here
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1683585&highlight=upmix#1683585

95 mins? You should easily be able to get 7000+ kbps

Not on a DVD5 if it's 95 mins of video.

but
together with the extra features (small films, subtexts and one additional audio track) the total length of the material will be 95 minutes

if the 95 min total calculation includes the addition of the extra audio track
then you can even use pcm and get close to 7Mb/s
Or just use DVD9 for something important and max out everything.

gl

[dynamique]

Thanks, 45tripp.
The issue with the bitrate to get "good" quality still seems diffuse to me. I suppose I have to burn a dvd with small test files in different bitrates to see if I can see a difference.
But I have also heard that there are risks with too high bitrates.

The total of 95 minutes is the total of the video length, without the additional audio track.
Unfortunately double layer will be much more expensive.

[thecoalman]

Use the calculator linked to above to use the maximum you can.

But I have also heard that there are risks with too high bitrates.

This is relative to to when you are reaching the maximum allowed and is one of those ongoing arguments..., 91 minutes on single layer won't even come close.

[dynamique]

I want to maximize the 'main film' quality. The other films can have "acceptable" quality. So I will have to do the calculation by hand, I suppose. But I have tried the calculator, it will give a guideline.

By the way, when I set the vbr bitrate, I can also set the bottom and peak bitrates. Any suggestions here? It's a drama film with some movements and fast zooms, but it's not an action movie.
Thanks

/Where did you guys learn all this? I'm struggling with the machete

[thecoalman]

I want to maximize the 'main film' quality. The other films can have "acceptable" quality.

Be aware you need software that supports this... DVD Lab Pro and Ulead DVD Workshop are two..

/Where did you guys learn all this? I'm struggling with the machete

Stick around for a few years...

[dynamique]

Yes - which are the dvd authoring programs you recommend for people like me - commercial 'small business producers' (not home-stuff and not nationwide distribution) ?
I've been using Adobe Encore for a while but it seems to still be a program with bugs.
Thanks for your tips - Lab and Ulead.

I will stick around...

[guns1inger]

I like DVD Lab Pro, but it has an initial learning curve, and isn't pretty to look at. However it does put most of what you need at your fingertips. Version 2 has had a few hiccups, but is settling down now. It probably has the widest feature set of any PC based authoring tool this side of $10,000.

Ulead VD Workshop 2 is getting a bit long in the tooth in some respects, but is a solid tool with an easy to use front end. It now lacks some of the niceties that make for slicker product, such as playlists, but it does the fundamentals very well.

Encore has had a chequered history. Some versions have been hopelessly bug-ridden, others have been better. It has tight integration with the other Adobe products, but it does not accept all compliant material, which really drops it out of serious contention in my book.

[dynamique]

Thanks, guns1inger. Wish I had a double G5 Mac with FCS bundle

[guns1inger]

s'funny, but I don't find Macs tempting in the least.

[dynamique]

Why not? They're like the dream woman - beautiful, reliable and easy. At least in my head

[lordsmurf]

Why not? They're like the dream woman - beautiful, reliable and easy. At least in my head

The ideal woman? The ideal computer?

This reminds me of the movie Chasing Amy:
There's a $100 bill in an intersection. From the North approaches Santa Claus. From the South approaches the perfect woman. From the East approaches the Easter Bunny. From the West approaches your average man-hating bitch. Which one gets to the $100 first? The man-hating bitch. Do you know why? Because the other three don't ******* exist!

Mac is fine, but it's nothing special. I do really like Apple DVD Studio Pro, but that's about it. I can get almost the same results using Ulead DVD Workshop 2, there are only a few really advanced features that DVDSP has (gradient shade highlight buttons, for example).

[45tripp]

An excel sheet prepared by another hobbyist
Customizable and helpful for calculations when using multiple audio tracks.

encodingcalculator.rar

[dynamique]

Thanks