I'm exporting mpeg-2-dvd from AE, intending to bring the files into dvd studio pro. Problem is i cant get a 720x480 export out of the render que. Regardless of what settings i use - i always get a 640x480 mv2 file. I've stretched, not stretched, cropped, not cropped - all getting the same 640x480 result. I need a 720x480 for dvd studio pro.
Any ideas? I've done this before and it worked great, but now it seems impossible. Frustrating.
Re: exporting mpeg-2-dvd, but keep getting 640x480 ? by Steve Roberts on Feb 7, 2008 at 9:16:43 pm
If you have DVDsp, you have Compressor.
Render (composition>Make Movie) a Quicktime Animation movie in AE, then drag that into Compressor and make the MPEG-2 there, using a 2-pass VBR preset, probably the 90-minute one.
Re: exporting mpeg-2-dvd, but keep getting 640x480 ? by Steve Roberts on Feb 7, 2008 at 10:11:52 pm
2-pass VBR is better quality, and file size. On the first pass, the encoder reads the clip to see where you have rustling trees (high bitrate) and talking head on bluescreen (low bitrate). On the second pass, it encodes appropriately, ensuring quality on the messy stuff and low bitrate (file size) on the smooth stuff.
Hey, don't take my word for it. Do some tests. :-)
Re: exporting mpeg-2-dvd, but keep getting 640x480 ? by Erik Pontius on Feb 8, 2008 at 12:46:38 am
CBR applies, well... a constant bit rate across the entire duration of the video. This is wonderful for short videos say less than 30-45 mins, in which the resulting file size won't exceed that of a single layer DVD-R disc.
For longer pieces, doing a 2-pass VBR can create a better balance between the compression used and file size in order to get the resulting files to fit on the disc and still have good quality. 2-pass is more efficient by essentially taking notes on the first pass where areas that have low movement (say a nice steady tripod shot of a bowl of fruit on a table) where it can use a lot of compression with less artifacting and areas where there are lots of changes and movement (say a big action scene or explosion) where it needs to apply less compression to minimize the artifacting.
Re: exporting mpeg-2-dvd, but keep getting 640x480 ? by Darby Edelen on Feb 7, 2008 at 10:40:19 pm
[michael greenawalt]"all getting the same 640x480 result. I need a 720x480 for dvd studio pro. "
For some reason, QT Player reports 4:3 NTSC MPEG-2s as 640x480 and 16:9 NTSC MPEG-2s as 720x404. If you import these into DVDSP the dimensions will be read as 720x480.
Darby Edelen Designer Left Coast Digital Santa Cruz, CA
Re: exporting mpeg-2-dvd, but keep getting 640x480 ? by Scott Bush on Feb 7, 2008 at 11:13:25 pm
I always thought this was due to pixel aspect - so a 720x480 frame with DV pixels is 640x480 in square pixels (like in QT player) - for some formats it will even say "640x480 (720x480)" - not sure if my theory is right, but I know this is normal behavior for QT.
Re: exporting mpeg-2-dvd, but keep getting 640x480 ? by Dave LaRonde on Feb 8, 2008 at 5:12:23 pm
[Scott Bush]"...so a 720x480 frame with DV pixels is 640x480 in square pixels (like in QT player) - for some formats it will even say "640x480 (720x480)""
Nah, it's just a flaw in Quicktime. Sometime, just for the heck of it, toss a 23.976 movie into the QT player and look at the frame rate it reports. Actually, any frame rate will do. QT Player rarely shows frame rates accurately, either.
It's been a eccentricity of QT ever since I've been using it. You'd think Apple could fix it, wouldn't you?
