Problems Encoding Dv To Mpeg2 With Toast 8

[LenaBreadBurn]

Hello,

 

I have DV file, which is from iMovie. I did not take the clip in the project folder. Instead I choose send/export.

 

The file is recognized as DVCPro.

 

I open Toast 8

I choose DVD from "video" on the left.

I open the DV file in Toast

choose settings for encoding.

hit start and choose "save as Image"

now it encodes for hours

at the end I will be prompted to save the .dics and asked again.

 

Result: I have a name.disc and othername.disc

- the first is 8kb big, if I open it I have a preview picture of the DVD, which i set before. Under it it says DV, 48kHz. and I have no sound

- the second, when I open it, is just a sound track.

 

I thought, ok it is just the Image, I have to burn it still. I did choose to burn it and it was encoding again.

 

How can I convert a DV file (from iMovie) to mpeg2 and save that to my HDD?

 

Thanks.

[tsantee]

When you choose Save as Disc Image you get a .toast file on the hard drive. The .disc file may be just a Toast project file that shows how you set up the project in Toast. Look for a file on your hard drive that has the .toast extension. You can burn this to disc using the Image File setting in the Toast Copy window. You also can preview it with DVD Player on your Mac by mounting it when you select it in the Copy window.

[LenaBreadBurn]

Thank you.

 

So that would give me a mpeg2 file with a max of 8mbit/s. Can you think of any other way to keep the DV-file (iMovie) as big as possible?

 

It is 8,76GB big and I'd like to write a data dual layer disc and only minimize the size, just so, that it fits the 8,5GB. Using a h.264 encoder in iMovie led only to a 5,44GB file (bitrate of 17mbit/s + 320kbit/s audio). I could try Handbrake... I don't know, if it is able to make a bigger file.

[tsantee]

Thank you.

 

So that would give me a mpeg2 file with a max of 8mbit/s. Can you think of any other way to keep the DV-file (iMovie) as big as possible?

 

It is 8,76GB big and I'd like to write a data dual layer disc and only minimize the size, just so, that it fits the 8,5GB. Using a h.264 encoder in iMovie led only to a 5,44GB file (bitrate of 17mbit/s + 320kbit/s audio). I could try Handbrake... I don't know, if it is able to make a bigger file.

How do you want to play it? If you want to play it on a set top DVD player then it must be mpeg 2 encoded at a bit rate not to exceed the video DVD spec. Toast takes care of that. MPEG 2 is, of course, much more compressed than DV which has only a 4:1 compression.

 

If you want to play it on a computer or stream it from a hard drive to a Smart TV then h.264 will be slightly better quality than mpeg 2.

 

Try not to think of a bigger file size meaning higher picture quality. Do the encoding and look at the picture to assess quality. With a video DVD, be sure to look at the picture on a TV and not a computer because a computer display has about 4 times the number of pixels as a standard definition video DVD and the picture can get really soft when blown up that size on a computer screen.

[LenaBreadBurn]

The person who will get it, has both possibilities, streaming via PC or from media in set top box.

 

I read that 8mbit/s for video is the usuall maximum for video-DVD, since, though you can choose up to 9mbit/s, some set top boxes can not handle over 8mbit/s mpeg2. So I chose custom and set minimum and maximum to 8mbit/s to have a onstant bitrate of 8mbit/s. For audio I chose 448kbit/s, which is, when I now think about it, stupid, because the DVD standard (I guess) doesn't like more than 320kbit/s, or does the audio thing not matter?

 

I am not sure at the moment, if I want to give the documentary to the other person as mpeg2 or h.264.

For h.264 I could go up to 17mbit/s, but I read that 3-4mbit/s would be the max and above there would be no gain, it doesn't get better.

So would I be on the save side, to choose h.264 and set the bitrate to 5mbit/s (quality wise). I know, that 1-2mbit/s usually is perfect and finde for most situations, but as I mentioned, I'd like to keep the quality as closest to the DV file as possible, the limiting factor on the media shall be 4,7GB or 8,5GB DVD.

[tsantee]

I haven't done any evaluation of the slight quality differences of higher bit rates. I've read comments where too high a bit rate on a video DVD can cause playback problems such as stuttering with some players. Making sure Half-Pel is selected in Toast's custom encoder settings is important. You might find some recommendations at keystone.net because those folks are video professionals and there is a lot of topics there.

 

Here are the settings I find ideal for exporting from iMovie when making a DVD with Toast. You'll see that this is for a 16:9 video and yours probably is 4:3 so your setting would be different. The important thing is to choose Progressive even though your source video is interlaced. This eliminates the shimmering around areas with bright contrast such as chrome on cars or wire fences. I believe access this window by selecting QuickTime Movie.

 

Given that you may have room on the DVD you can add the h.264 as data content to the video DVD. This is a little complicated so I'll give you the easy way. Prepare the video DVD and choose Save as Disc Image. Mount the disc image file using the Mount Image File command in the Toast Utilities window. Switch to the Data window and select DVD-Rom (UDF) as the format. Click New Disc and name your disc. Drag in the VIDEO_TS folder from the mounted disc image. Now add the h.264 video. Burn the DVD.

[LenaBreadBurn]

Thank you very much tsantee!!!!

 

Sorry I answer so late, I was sick for a week.

 

The interlaced thing you mention is interesting. Because, when I export my projects as DV-file, the resulting file has horizontal lines in (mostly in moving) objects. No one could give me an answer to this. Then I used that DV file to convert it to a mp4 file and chose progressive for one time and the next time I chose interlaced, but the result was the same.

Would I have to have been taken the original project file and export that as h.264? Because the exported DV file has these lines and mp4 files made from that have these, too.

 

I once knew it, but how was it... with that progressive / interlaced thing. Tube TVs need progressive material and Flatscreens need interlaced and (mpeg2)-video-DVDs must be interlaced, too?

 

I have PAL instead of NTSC, btw. does that make a difference about scanning?

 

Also, I have iMovie05 (during import material should stay untouched) and I read that from iMovie08 on every material gets a special treating during import and it gets automatically interlaced and internally saved as aic and you won't see a difference on PCs and Flatscreens, but from DVD to Tube maybe. I don't know, if that says anything.

[tsantee]

I'm presuming you imported a DV video to iMovie. DV is interlaced. When you finish editing in iMovie export the video as a full-quality QuickTime Movie. If you click the Custom button in the QuickTime export window you should get the window I previously attached. From there you should be able to make the settings match (except yours will be 4:3 rather than 16:9). Put that exported movie in Toast to make your DVD. I think you'll like how it looks.

[LenaBreadBurn]

Ah, OK. I see it is a difference to just choose "save as best quality" to create a DV file and going to "save as quicktime" -> DVCPRO50, both result in a DV file, but with the first option one can't choose "progressive".

 

But, if the DV file is allready interlaced, shouldn't I NOT see the horizontal lines inside the object, while wathcing on a LCD screen of my ibook?

Shouldn't the problem also disappear, when I convert to h.264 and check "progressive" before the encode (in mpegstreamclip or Handbrake)?

 

I can put the files on a USB stick and connect it to my set top box and watch on my Tube-TV, but both progressive and non-progressive videos have the lines. It does not support DV via the USB-stick, so I will later try connecting the ibook via Video-out to SCART to my Tube.

[tsantee]

I'm not enough of an expert to be totally sure of my answers to your latest questions. You shouldn't see the effects of interlacing while a video is playing at actual size. However I have seen Toast's MPEG 2 encoder create horizontal lines where there is high contrast such as when panning by a chainlink fence or with chrome on a car. Exporting as progressive eliminated that problem for me. I'm only referring to what I see from Toast's MPEG 2 encoding for video DVD. I don't know about the lines appearing with h.264 and wouldn't expect it unless the lines were already visible in the source before conversion.

 

As for problems with fast motion, turn on Half-Pel in Toast's Custom Encoder Settings window when having Toast make a video DVD. That doesn't apply to h.264 conversions.

 

I'm surprised that the h.264 videos have this artifact.

[LenaBreadBurn]

tsantee, you have beeen of great help, even if your input did not solve the horizontal lines problem in DV and h.264.

 

I'll try what you say prior to encoding the mpeg2 file with toast, later.

 

I tried to find the keystone forum you mentioned, but I did not find it. The only video related site was a manufacturer site from switzerland.

Can you tell me where I can find that Forum, you talked about?

[tsantee]

Sorry, it is kenstone.net. The automatic spell checker changed it to keystone.