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1280x720 DVD - Best CODEC?


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I have been experimenting with burning 1280x720 media onto a DVD using various formats and their respective CODEC (H.264, WMV, MPEG4) using Premiere CS4.

 

I start by exporting an uncompressed QuickTime comp out of After Effects. I will then import several QT files into Premiere and compress them using a format/codec listed above. Final step is build the DVD in Encore.

 

I haven't had any trouble using any of these, but I have yet to get one that really gives me really sharp playback, especially where there is text.

 

Any suggestions?

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I'm slightly confused - are you trying to actually get the HD footage onto the DVD still in HD? I know it's possible, though I must admit I don't know much about it, and I was under the impression it required special DVD players. If this isn't what you're doing, then I'm not sure it'll matter what format you hand to encore, as it'll end up as MPEG-2 in the end anyway.

 

Unless I'm totally misunderstanding you?

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I'm slightly confused - are you trying to actually get the HD footage onto the DVD still in HD?

 

 

Yes.

 

I have always used the MPEG2-DVD format for SD footage, but now I want to output 1280 x 720. The MPEG2-DVD doesn't output a 1280 x 720 frame, but QT, WMV, and H.264 will.

 

I just haven't been able to get them super crisp.

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PC or TV...

 

I found an assortment of info on HD DVD playback. It is possible to encode HD to DVD (which I have already done), I just can't get it to look really crisp.

 

I found a suggestion on-line to burn the HD footage to Blue-Ray, make an image copy of the Blue-Ray, and then burn the image onto a regular DVD.

 

That maybe just a way to save money on blank Blue-Ray media. I don't think it would play in a DVD player. Any guesses?

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From Wiki:

 

Video

HD DVD video can be encoded using VC-1, AVC, or MPEG-2. A wide variety of resolutions are supported, from low-resolution CIF, all SDTV resolutions supported by DVD-Video, and of course the HDTV formats: 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.[51] All studio-released movie titles have featured video in a 1080-line format, with companion supplements in 480i or 480p. The vast majority of releases were encoded with VC-1, and most of the remaining titles encoded with AVC.

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I haven't heard of this approach before. Normally if we do an HD animation we will use Encore to create a DVD with additional DVD-ROM content. The disc will contain an SD widescreen version for DVD player playback on a regular TV, plus an HD version as a Quicktime movie for PC playback.

 

This gives them the option of both as well as the option to hook a laptop up to an HDTV to watch the HD version on a big screen.

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I think Flash video for PC playback is definitely something worth looking into. It gets around the whole codec issue that you constantly have to explain to clients as most will already have Flash player installed. People generally just expect Windows Media Player to play anything then blame you if it doesn't!

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I haven't heard of this approach before. Normally if we do an HD animation we will use Encore to create a DVD with additional DVD-ROM content. The disc will contain an SD widescreen version for DVD player playback on a regular TV, plus an HD version as a Quicktime movie for PC playback.

 

 

What do I need to do to get the QT file incorporated into the Encore DVD and let the client know it's there?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry Claudio, I completely forgot to reply to this. Hope it's not too late or you already figured it out! Under the Build tab there's a section called DVD-ROM content. Just browse to the folder containing the content you want to include.

 

In terms of letting the client know that it's there obviously telling them is one way, but also you can make reference to it on the packaging of the DVD. You can download the standard DVD and DVD-ROM logos from the web to put on the disc itself too.

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  • 1 year later...
The disc will contain an SD widescreen version for DVD player playback on a regular TV, plus an HD version as a Quicktime movie for PC playback.

 

This gives them the option of both as well as the option to hook a laptop up to an HDTV to watch the HD version on a big screen.

 

How would you go about doing this?

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