Which DVD's do i buy?

[Gracie-lou]

Hi, I have recently invested in a new Apple Desktop and with it Final Cut Pro 7. Iv started making my wedding videos on here which are quite large in file size and also, are quite long. (filmed in HD too)

Im very unconfident when it comes to this stage of the post production and im really struggling to get my project onto a DVD that will play in a DVD player.

So, my question i propose to you is, which DVD's should i buy? And if ANYONE can help me understand why every time i burn a DVD it says it is not formatted correctly on the TV i would be eternally grateful! I have my degree in Avid, not FCP so this is like learning to walk again for me.

Please please help, im not technical so my books don't really help me as i don't understand all the jargon (i just know how to put a pretty video together )

Thanking you kindly

Gracie-lou

 

[Richardthe4th]

Hi Gracie-lou,

Congrats with your new business.
For your question: oh-dear..... a bit more background could help.

How do you burn your dvd's? You know you have to use a special program for that? DVD Studio Pro (comes with the final cut suite), has a lot of options, but you have to learn to use it; or iDVD (comes with your mac), simpler, perhaps start with that.

Do you just drop a quicktime from FCP on the DVD and burn with finder? Tht doesn't work (a DVD player is not a computer, it expects a certain format on the DVD)?

So, be a bit more specific please

You don't like books, but there are video tutorials. You also learned the avid, you just have to dive in this too, wether it's by books; video tutorials, classroom; or someone showing you

 

[Vantage Point]

I just bought my first Blu-ray player and tried with DVD+R discs that I had burned from my MBP. My new player does not accept that format so the discs are useless on that device. They, meaning I tried several, play perfectly fine on my MBP and my old DVD player but not my new Panasonic BDT210 - yeah, it does 3D discs but I don't have a 3D TV and have no desire to own one. Shame because I had planned to sell my old DVD player and now I must keep it if I want to watch anything burned on those type of discs.

This really pissed me off

 

[Gracie-lou]

A little bit more

Hi Richard

Thanks for the congrats, its been a mission!!

So a little background (heres where i actually explain what im on about )

I have Final Cut pro Studio so have compressor and DVD and Motion...

Your simple 'quick time' comment makes total sense and yes...thats what i was doing I presume i have to use 'share' and send it through to compressor - correct?? The 'export' option is quicktime only isn't it? All being said, when i get to compressor this is where i get lost there are so may options. I filmed in HD 1080i - using 'best quality 90 min' is not only not enough as my film is 2 hours long, but when i cut it to test this option, the picture quality was really poor on the TV.

Iv tried with the tutorials and they do explain, but for some reason, i must be doing something wrong as mine never work I want to burn my DVD's through DVD sp - am i right going through compressor? My files seem horrendously large

Did any of that make any sense at all??

Thanks for your help you have no idea how glad i am to get a response!!

Gracie

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Hi Vantage point,

Well thats a shame, it is so irritating when everything is in different formats and all, i think the boffs who designed computers just wanted to over complicate everything!! I have a mountain of burnt out disks that are wrongly formatted to the device i want to use them on!! Very Stressful!!

 

[Richardthe4th]

Hi Gracie,

The reason for so many formats, is that they all are good for different uses, I always compare with cars. Trucks are good for heavy loads, but not for shopping, four-wheels versus a Ferrari, etc.

So, you start with filming the wedding. The cam uses a codec with a certain format good for economic use of the storage medium. Then you capture/transfer/copy/whatever and edit. Sometimes you have to use a different codec, suitable for editing (mostly ProRes for FCP). Then, if you make a DVD, you use another codec, because that's efficient for the DVD's and what the player expects (MPEG2). A BlueRay has an other codec (a newer one: H264/MPEG4), streaming for the web is also mostly by H264 currently.

Compressor can convert the video, and sound (use Dolby digital professional AC3 for the sound instead of bitstream PCM, this is more efficient)

Use the presets in compressor for DVD, it also has presets for 120 and 150 minutes. You have to use both under the preset, the MPEG2 and the Dolby digital professional) and import the results (two files) in DVD SP.

Perhaps check out online tutorials (for example lynda, I hear good stories about them)
http://www.lynda.com/

Or Ken Stone, he has very good, free, tutorials, I highly reccomend
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/fcp_homepage_index.html

Good luck with the next steps

From FCP, use export (quicktime, do not tick the self contained box, current settings), don't use send to, that sometimes gives strange behavior. In compressor, use the quicktime with the presets. In DVDSP import the two (or more) files.

 

[Paratel]

Use DVD-Rs They are most compatible with older and new DVD players. I personally use TDK DVD-R for my Legal Video Business. You will have on rare occasion have some compatibility issues but they are very few.

 

[Vantage Point]

Use DVD-Rs They are most compatible with older and new DVD players. I personally use TDK DVD-R for my Legal Video Business. You will have on rare occasion have some compatibility issues but they are very few.

Thanks. I didn't know that but I will give it a try. Sadly, I have about 50 DVD+R blanks...

 

[dtechlogic]

Hi,

I use dvd-r also for my church videos. I use Adobe software. I make my dvds with encore. There is time one might not work when I make copies of it with my duplicator. I will make up to 20 copies of the final product and one from all of it might not work. That is what the client says

 

[cgbier]

There are still players out there that can't read DVD+
I thought that issue was solved some 5 years ago?

My standard is printable Verbatim DVD + or - (whatever I can get my paws on) for home use, and Taiyo Yuden for clients.

If possible stay away from double layer disks. I had some problems with set top players with DL.

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I will make up to 20 copies of the final product and one from all of it might not work. That is what the client says

One coaster out of twenty? I'd change the brand. With the Verbatim, I have maybe 1 or 2 per 100 disk spindle.