I've read tons online. I have the missing manual. But nowhere is there a definitive answer for which encoding to use in iDVD.
As I understand it, Best Performance uses fixed bit rate (not savvy on the terms) for movies up to about an hour long. If the movie is too long it simply won't fit on one DVD.
Best Quality uses a variable bit rate and so can encode up to 2 hours.
Professional Quality is the same as Best Quality but thinks twice as hard about it (and can also encode up to 2 hours). This would be the obvious answer for projects over an hour long.
I have no idea about the compression that goes on behind the scenes, so despite understanding the details above I am none the wiser as to:
Which will produce a better DVD for a project less than an hour?
Will High Quality and Professional Quality simply default to the same encoding as Best Performance anyway, or would Professional still produce better results? (Time is never a problem so I'm not worried about how long anything takes.)
If anyone can answer this in words I can understand I'll be as pleased as a schoolboy that's just found what he was looking for under a hedge.
By the way, if it helps any, I have a Canon HV30 so shoot in 1080i and import to iMovie at Large. I then Share to the Media Browser at HD (i.e. 720p) and drag that into iDVD.
As I understand it, Best Performance uses fixed bit rate (not savvy on the terms) for movies up to about an hour long. If the movie is too long it simply won't fit on one DVD.
Best Quality uses a variable bit rate and so can encode up to 2 hours.
Professional Quality is the same as Best Quality but thinks twice as hard about it (and can also encode up to 2 hours). This would be the obvious answer for projects over an hour long.
I have no idea about the compression that goes on behind the scenes, so despite understanding the details above I am none the wiser as to:
Which will produce a better DVD for a project less than an hour?
Will High Quality and Professional Quality simply default to the same encoding as Best Performance anyway, or would Professional still produce better results? (Time is never a problem so I'm not worried about how long anything takes.)
If anyone can answer this in words I can understand I'll be as pleased as a schoolboy that's just found what he was looking for under a hedge.
By the way, if it helps any, I have a Canon HV30 so shoot in 1080i and import to iMovie at Large. I then Share to the Media Browser at HD (i.e. 720p) and drag that into iDVD.