Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using? I
have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit 2.5 LE
to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the original DV
mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I can go to see what
bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV Card!?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using? I
> have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit 2.5 LE
> to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the original DV
> mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I can go to see what
> bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV Card!?

Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video. As a
rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the better the
image.

The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data at 25
mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per hour of video.
Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an OHCI-compliant
1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer that lets you transfer
digital files from your PD-150 to your hard drive. Since there's no
compression involved in the capture process, the bit rate doesn't change
(and can't be changed).

When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually compressing
the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor of 5.

The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both the
audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to limit your
mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for the audio.

I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg transcoder
plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than the MainConcept
plugin, but allows more control over the process and produces better video
at its highest settings.

Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant bitrate
(CBR) or multiple-pass variable
bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for the
entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of each
specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or more "passes"
through the video file.

In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a bitrate
considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR, I generally
use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use an average of 6,
with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will not produce particularly
satisfying results.

I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2 file and
graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I can't recall where
I got it, but if you google the program name I'm sure you can find it.

Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can produce
DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from the
original AVI on anything other than a production-quality studio monitor.

>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Good infomation here, but just some clarifications, Instead of using
Premiere for transcoding to MPEG-2 it would be better to use Tempgenc and
Adobe Encore for authoring to burn the DVD. So there two processes for
making DVD's Transcoding and Authoring, right?...Can I author with Tempgenc
too, I don't think I can afford Adobe Encore to author my DVD's.

"PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
newsyn_c.15844$3n1.15000@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using? I
>> have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit 2.5
>> LE to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the original
>> DV mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I can go to see
>> what bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV Card!?
>
> Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video. As a
> rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the better the
> image.
>
> The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data at 25
> mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per hour of video.
> Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an OHCI-compliant
> 1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer that lets you
> transfer digital files from your PD-150 to your hard drive. Since there's
> no compression involved in the capture process, the bit rate doesn't
> change (and can't be changed).
>
> When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually compressing
> the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor of 5.
>
> The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both the
> audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to limit your
> mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for the audio.
>
> I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg transcoder
> plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than the MainConcept
> plugin, but allows more control over the process and produces better video
> at its highest settings.
>
> Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant bitrate
> (CBR) or multiple-pass variable
> bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for the
> entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of each
> specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or more "passes"
> through the video file.
>
> In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a bitrate
> considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR, I generally
> use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use an average of 6,
> with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will not produce
> particularly satisfying results.
>
> I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2 file and
> graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I can't recall
> where I got it, but if you google the program name I'm sure you can find
> it.
>
> Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can
> produce DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable
> from the original AVI on anything other than a production-quality studio
> monitor.
>
>>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:c_n_c.5740$Vl5.4018@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Good infomation here, but just some clarifications, Instead of using
> Premiere for transcoding to MPEG-2 it would be better to use Tempgenc and
> Adobe Encore for authoring to burn the DVD. So there two processes for
> making DVD's Transcoding and Authoring, right?...

Right. Transcoding is the process of recompressing using a specified codec.
Authoring is the process of creating files in the necessary format to
conform to the DVD spec. If you want to be completely accurate, there is a
third step -- burning. This last step is unnecessary if, for example,
you're sending your authored files to a production house so that copies can
be made.


>Can I author with Tempgenc too, I don't think I can afford Adobe Encore to
>author my DVD's.

You don't have to use Encore for authoring -- it's overkill for most people.
Encore allows a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating custom menus,
video buttons, etc. DVDit should be fine for most purposes. It can accept
a transcoded mpeg2 file.

Tmpgenc doesn't author, though my recollection is that the same company
makes an authoring program. If you have DVDit, there's really no reason to
get other authoring software.

One word of warning about tmpgenc -- when I said it's slow, it's REALLY
slow. As an example, a two-pass VBR transcode from a 2-hour AVI can take 24
hours or more to transcode on my 3 GHz Pentium P4 machine with 512 meg of
RAM. Tmpgenc can transcode faster, but you won't get the same quality and,
in that case, you might as well transcode from within Premiere. A big
advantage of tmpgenc is that it has a very accurate size estimator -- you
can pick your bitrate based on the size of the target and be reasonably
comfortable that the resulting file will fit.

Though tmpgenc is slow, I found it's worth the time it takes in terms of the
quality of output. I'll routinely spend 5 or 6 weeks editing a 2-hour
project (I only do this part time), so an extra 24 hours for transcoding
doesn't mean very much. Tmpgenc is pretty inexpensive -- as I recall, it
was around $40 when I registered my copy.

In order to maximize my DVD quality, I use 2-pass VBR on anything over an
hour in length, 1-pass CBR with a minimum of 6 Mbs, but sized in tmpgenc to
the largest file that will fit a DVD-R, for shorter projects. I bring in
the transcoded file to Encore, but don't transcode things like the opening
production credit (which is first play) and any video for moving menus or
buttons. Encore will transcode these automatically at the highest settings
available that will fit the remaining space on the DVD.

The result is extremely high-quality video that exploits the maximum storage
space available on a DVD.

Incidently, I burn DVDs using Nero 6, rather than from within Encore. Adobe
products tend to be a little flaky when it comes to burning, whereas I've
found Nero to be solid as a rock.


>
> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
> newsyn_c.15844$3n1.15000@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
>>
>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>> news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using? I
>>> have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit 2.5
>>> LE to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the original
>>> DV mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I can go to see
>>> what bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV Card!?
>>
>> Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video. As
>> a rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the better
>> the image.
>>
>> The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data at
>> 25 mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per hour of
>> video. Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an OHCI-compliant
>> 1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer that lets you
>> transfer digital files from your PD-150 to your hard drive. Since
>> there's no compression involved in the capture process, the bit rate
>> doesn't change (and can't be changed).
>>
>> When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually compressing
>> the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor of 5.
>>
>> The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both the
>> audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to limit
>> your mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for the audio.
>>
>> I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg transcoder
>> plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than the MainConcept
>> plugin, but allows more control over the process and produces better
>> video at its highest settings.
>>
>> Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant bitrate
>> (CBR) or multiple-pass variable
>> bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for the
>> entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of each
>> specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or more
>> "passes" through the video file.
>>
>> In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a
>> bitrate considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR, I
>> generally use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use an
>> average of 6, with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will not
>> produce particularly satisfying results.
>>
>> I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2 file
>> and graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I can't recall
>> where I got it, but if you google the program name I'm sure you can find
>> it.
>>
>> Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can
>> produce DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable
>> from the original AVI on anything other than a production-quality studio
>> monitor.
>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Very good on what you say. one last one though.....I heard that at least one
menu is needed to when you burn a DVD, some of the Authority programs always
start with two menu or chapters, I only want one menu with text, i.e., I
just need a colorful background and some text to introduce the name of my
video.

"PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
newskp_c.11737$QJ3.4018@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:c_n_c.5740$Vl5.4018@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> Good infomation here, but just some clarifications, Instead of using
>> Premiere for transcoding to MPEG-2 it would be better to use Tempgenc
>> and Adobe Encore for authoring to burn the DVD. So there two processes
>> for making DVD's Transcoding and Authoring, right?...
>
> Right. Transcoding is the process of recompressing using a specified
> codec. Authoring is the process of creating files in the necessary format
> to conform to the DVD spec. If you want to be completely accurate, there
> is a third step -- burning. This last step is unnecessary if, for
> example, you're sending your authored files to a production house so that
> copies can be made.
>
>
>>Can I author with Tempgenc too, I don't think I can afford Adobe Encore to
>>author my DVD's.
>
> You don't have to use Encore for authoring -- it's overkill for most
> people. Encore allows a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating
> custom menus, video buttons, etc. DVDit should be fine for most purposes.
> It can accept a transcoded mpeg2 file.
>
> Tmpgenc doesn't author, though my recollection is that the same company
> makes an authoring program. If you have DVDit, there's really no reason
> to get other authoring software.
>
> One word of warning about tmpgenc -- when I said it's slow, it's REALLY
> slow. As an example, a two-pass VBR transcode from a 2-hour AVI can take
> 24 hours or more to transcode on my 3 GHz Pentium P4 machine with 512 meg
> of RAM. Tmpgenc can transcode faster, but you won't get the same quality
> and, in that case, you might as well transcode from within Premiere. A
> big advantage of tmpgenc is that it has a very accurate size estimator --
> you can pick your bitrate based on the size of the target and be
> reasonably comfortable that the resulting file will fit.
>
> Though tmpgenc is slow, I found it's worth the time it takes in terms of
> the quality of output. I'll routinely spend 5 or 6 weeks editing a 2-hour
> project (I only do this part time), so an extra 24 hours for transcoding
> doesn't mean very much. Tmpgenc is pretty inexpensive -- as I recall, it
> was around $40 when I registered my copy.
>
> In order to maximize my DVD quality, I use 2-pass VBR on anything over an
> hour in length, 1-pass CBR with a minimum of 6 Mbs, but sized in tmpgenc
> to the largest file that will fit a DVD-R, for shorter projects. I bring
> in the transcoded file to Encore, but don't transcode things like the
> opening production credit (which is first play) and any video for moving
> menus or buttons. Encore will transcode these automatically at the
> highest settings available that will fit the remaining space on the DVD.
>
> The result is extremely high-quality video that exploits the maximum
> storage space available on a DVD.
>
> Incidently, I burn DVDs using Nero 6, rather than from within Encore.
> Adobe products tend to be a little flaky when it comes to burning, whereas
> I've found Nero to be solid as a rock.
>
>
>>
>> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
>> newsyn_c.15844$3n1.15000@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
>>>
>>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>> news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>>> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using?
>>>> I have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit
>>>> 2.5 LE to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the
>>>> original DV mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I can
>>>> go to see what bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV Card!?
>>>
>>> Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video. As
>>> a rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the better
>>> the image.
>>>
>>> The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data at
>>> 25 mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per hour of
>>> video. Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an OHCI-compliant
>>> 1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer that lets you
>>> transfer digital files from your PD-150 to your hard drive. Since
>>> there's no compression involved in the capture process, the bit rate
>>> doesn't change (and can't be changed).
>>>
>>> When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually
>>> compressing the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor of
>>> 5.
>>>
>>> The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both the
>>> audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to limit
>>> your mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for the
>>> audio.
>>>
>>> I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg
>>> transcoder plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than the
>>> MainConcept plugin, but allows more control over the process and
>>> produces better video at its highest settings.
>>>
>>> Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant
>>> bitrate (CBR) or multiple-pass variable
>>> bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for the
>>> entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of each
>>> specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or more
>>> "passes" through the video file.
>>>
>>> In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a
>>> bitrate considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR, I
>>> generally use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use an
>>> average of 6, with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will not
>>> produce particularly satisfying results.
>>>
>>> I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2 file
>>> and graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I can't
>>> recall where I got it, but if you google the program name I'm sure you
>>> can find it.
>>>
>>> Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can
>>> produce DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable
>>> from the original AVI on anything other than a production-quality studio
>>> monitor.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:vgr_c.6648$Wv5.763@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Very good on what you say. one last one though.....I heard that at least
> one menu is needed to when you burn a DVD, some of the Authority programs
> always start with two menu or chapters, I only want one menu with text,
> i.e., I just need a colorful background and some text to introduce the
> name of my video.

No menu is needed. Just designate the video as "first play" and the DVD
will run just like a tape on a VCR. You also don't need chapters, though
you can put them in using Premiere. If you do, you still don't need a
menu -- the chapter button will work just fine.

For a long time, I burned all my DVDs this way. It's only relatively
recently (actually, since I got Encore) that I've started using menus.


>
> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
> newskp_c.11737$QJ3.4018@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
>>
>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>> news:c_n_c.5740$Vl5.4018@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>> Good infomation here, but just some clarifications, Instead of using
>>> Premiere for transcoding to MPEG-2 it would be better to use Tempgenc
>>> and Adobe Encore for authoring to burn the DVD. So there two processes
>>> for making DVD's Transcoding and Authoring, right?...
>>
>> Right. Transcoding is the process of recompressing using a specified
>> codec. Authoring is the process of creating files in the necessary format
>> to conform to the DVD spec. If you want to be completely accurate, there
>> is a third step -- burning. This last step is unnecessary if, for
>> example, you're sending your authored files to a production house so that
>> copies can be made.
>>
>>
>>>Can I author with Tempgenc too, I don't think I can afford Adobe Encore
>>>to author my DVD's.
>>
>> You don't have to use Encore for authoring -- it's overkill for most
>> people. Encore allows a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating
>> custom menus, video buttons, etc. DVDit should be fine for most
>> purposes. It can accept a transcoded mpeg2 file.
>>
>> Tmpgenc doesn't author, though my recollection is that the same company
>> makes an authoring program. If you have DVDit, there's really no reason
>> to get other authoring software.
>>
>> One word of warning about tmpgenc -- when I said it's slow, it's REALLY
>> slow. As an example, a two-pass VBR transcode from a 2-hour AVI can take
>> 24 hours or more to transcode on my 3 GHz Pentium P4 machine with 512 meg
>> of RAM. Tmpgenc can transcode faster, but you won't get the same quality
>> and, in that case, you might as well transcode from within Premiere. A
>> big advantage of tmpgenc is that it has a very accurate size estimator --
>> you can pick your bitrate based on the size of the target and be
>> reasonably comfortable that the resulting file will fit.
>>
>> Though tmpgenc is slow, I found it's worth the time it takes in terms of
>> the quality of output. I'll routinely spend 5 or 6 weeks editing a
>> 2-hour project (I only do this part time), so an extra 24 hours for
>> transcoding doesn't mean very much. Tmpgenc is pretty inexpensive -- as
>> I recall, it was around $40 when I registered my copy.
>>
>> In order to maximize my DVD quality, I use 2-pass VBR on anything over an
>> hour in length, 1-pass CBR with a minimum of 6 Mbs, but sized in tmpgenc
>> to the largest file that will fit a DVD-R, for shorter projects. I bring
>> in the transcoded file to Encore, but don't transcode things like the
>> opening production credit (which is first play) and any video for moving
>> menus or buttons. Encore will transcode these automatically at the
>> highest settings available that will fit the remaining space on the DVD.
>>
>> The result is extremely high-quality video that exploits the maximum
>> storage space available on a DVD.
>>
>> Incidently, I burn DVDs using Nero 6, rather than from within Encore.
>> Adobe products tend to be a little flaky when it comes to burning,
>> whereas I've found Nero to be solid as a rock.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
>>> newsyn_c.15844$3n1.15000@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
>>>>
>>>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>>>> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using?
>>>>> I have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit
>>>>> 2.5 LE to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the
>>>>> original DV mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I can
>>>>> go to see what bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV Card!?
>>>>
>>>> Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video.
>>>> As a rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the
>>>> better the image.
>>>>
>>>> The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data at
>>>> 25 mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per hour of
>>>> video. Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an
>>>> OHCI-compliant 1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer
>>>> that lets you transfer digital files from your PD-150 to your hard
>>>> drive. Since there's no compression involved in the capture process,
>>>> the bit rate doesn't change (and can't be changed).
>>>>
>>>> When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually
>>>> compressing the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor of
>>>> 5.
>>>>
>>>> The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both the
>>>> audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to limit
>>>> your mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for the
>>>> audio.
>>>>
>>>> I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg
>>>> transcoder plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than
>>>> the MainConcept plugin, but allows more control over the process and
>>>> produces better video at its highest settings.
>>>>
>>>> Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant
>>>> bitrate (CBR) or multiple-pass variable
>>>> bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for
>>>> the entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of
>>>> each specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or more
>>>> "passes" through the video file.
>>>>
>>>> In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a
>>>> bitrate considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR, I
>>>> generally use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use an
>>>> average of 6, with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will not
>>>> produce particularly satisfying results.
>>>>
>>>> I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2 file
>>>> and graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I can't
>>>> recall where I got it, but if you google the program name I'm sure you
>>>> can find it.
>>>>
>>>> Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can
>>>> produce DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable
>>>> from the original AVI on anything other than a production-quality
>>>> studio monitor.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Great, PTRAVEL, one more if you please.....I have MyDVD and DVDit on my
computer, (MyDVD came with Dell computer) I like DVDit because I like the
way I can put background color and menu, but, seriously which one would you
suggest to upgrade. I want to stay withing 100 dollars. I rather not go to
different applications, if I can have Premiere do the encoding and either
MYDVD or DVDit do the authority and burning. I was thinking about getting
Tmpgenc, if it can do all the authority and encoding too.


"PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
news:ZCs_c.11792$QJ3.4874@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:vgr_c.6648$Wv5.763@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> Very good on what you say. one last one though.....I heard that at least
>> one menu is needed to when you burn a DVD, some of the Authority programs
>> always start with two menu or chapters, I only want one menu with text,
>> i.e., I just need a colorful background and some text to introduce
>> the name of my video.
>
> No menu is needed. Just designate the video as "first play" and the DVD
> will run just like a tape on a VCR. You also don't need chapters, though
> you can put them in using Premiere. If you do, you still don't need a
> menu -- the chapter button will work just fine.
>
> For a long time, I burned all my DVDs this way. It's only relatively
> recently (actually, since I got Encore) that I've started using menus.
>
>
>>
>> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
>> newskp_c.11737$QJ3.4018@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
>>>
>>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>> news:c_n_c.5740$Vl5.4018@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>>> Good infomation here, but just some clarifications, Instead of using
>>>> Premiere for transcoding to MPEG-2 it would be better to use Tempgenc
>>>> and Adobe Encore for authoring to burn the DVD. So there two processes
>>>> for making DVD's Transcoding and Authoring, right?...
>>>
>>> Right. Transcoding is the process of recompressing using a specified
>>> codec. Authoring is the process of creating files in the necessary
>>> format to conform to the DVD spec. If you want to be completely
>>> accurate, there is a third step -- burning. This last step is
>>> unnecessary if, for example, you're sending your authored files to a
>>> production house so that copies can be made.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Can I author with Tempgenc too, I don't think I can afford Adobe Encore
>>>>to author my DVD's.
>>>
>>> You don't have to use Encore for authoring -- it's overkill for most
>>> people. Encore allows a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating
>>> custom menus, video buttons, etc. DVDit should be fine for most
>>> purposes. It can accept a transcoded mpeg2 file.
>>>
>>> Tmpgenc doesn't author, though my recollection is that the same company
>>> makes an authoring program. If you have DVDit, there's really no reason
>>> to get other authoring software.
>>>
>>> One word of warning about tmpgenc -- when I said it's slow, it's REALLY
>>> slow. As an example, a two-pass VBR transcode from a 2-hour AVI can
>>> take 24 hours or more to transcode on my 3 GHz Pentium P4 machine with
>>> 512 meg of RAM. Tmpgenc can transcode faster, but you won't get the
>>> same quality and, in that case, you might as well transcode from within
>>> Premiere. A big advantage of tmpgenc is that it has a very accurate
>>> size estimator -- you can pick your bitrate based on the size of the
>>> target and be reasonably comfortable that the resulting file will fit.
>>>
>>> Though tmpgenc is slow, I found it's worth the time it takes in terms of
>>> the quality of output. I'll routinely spend 5 or 6 weeks editing a
>>> 2-hour project (I only do this part time), so an extra 24 hours for
>>> transcoding doesn't mean very much. Tmpgenc is pretty inexpensive -- as
>>> I recall, it was around $40 when I registered my copy.
>>>
>>> In order to maximize my DVD quality, I use 2-pass VBR on anything over
>>> an hour in length, 1-pass CBR with a minimum of 6 Mbs, but sized in
>>> tmpgenc to the largest file that will fit a DVD-R, for shorter projects.
>>> I bring in the transcoded file to Encore, but don't transcode things
>>> like the opening production credit (which is first play) and any video
>>> for moving menus or buttons. Encore will transcode these automatically
>>> at the highest settings available that will fit the remaining space on
>>> the DVD.
>>>
>>> The result is extremely high-quality video that exploits the maximum
>>> storage space available on a DVD.
>>>
>>> Incidently, I burn DVDs using Nero 6, rather than from within Encore.
>>> Adobe products tend to be a little flaky when it comes to burning,
>>> whereas I've found Nero to be solid as a rock.
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
>>>> newsyn_c.15844$3n1.15000@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
>>>>>
>>>>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>>>> news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>>>>> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am using?
>>>>>> I have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I use DVDit
>>>>>> 2.5 LE to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as good as the
>>>>>> original DV mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there somewhere I
>>>>>> can go to see what bit rate I am using. I have a Pinacle Studio DV
>>>>>> Card!?
>>>>>
>>>>> Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video.
>>>>> As a rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the
>>>>> better the image.
>>>>>
>>>>> The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data
>>>>> at 25 mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per hour
>>>>> of video. Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an
>>>>> OHCI-compliant 1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer
>>>>> that lets you transfer digital files from your PD-150 to your hard
>>>>> drive. Since there's no compression involved in the capture process,
>>>>> the bit rate doesn't change (and can't be changed).
>>>>>
>>>>> When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually
>>>>> compressing the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor
>>>>> of 5.
>>>>>
>>>>> The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both
>>>>> the audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to
>>>>> limit your mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for
>>>>> the audio.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg
>>>>> transcoder plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than
>>>>> the MainConcept plugin, but allows more control over the process and
>>>>> produces better video at its highest settings.
>>>>>
>>>>> Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant
>>>>> bitrate (CBR) or multiple-pass variable
>>>>> bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for
>>>>> the entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of
>>>>> each specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or more
>>>>> "passes" through the video file.
>>>>>
>>>>> In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a
>>>>> bitrate considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR,
>>>>> I generally use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use
>>>>> an average of 6, with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will
>>>>> not produce particularly satisfying results.
>>>>>
>>>>> I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2 file
>>>>> and graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I can't
>>>>> recall where I got it, but if you google the program name I'm sure you
>>>>> can find it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can
>>>>> produce DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable
>>>>> from the original AVI on anything other than a production-quality
>>>>> studio monitor.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:nFt_c.6037$Vl5.2218@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Great, PTRAVEL, one more if you please.....I have MyDVD and DVDit on my
> computer, (MyDVD came with Dell computer) I like DVDit because I like the
> way I can put background color and menu, but, seriously which one would
> you suggest to upgrade. I want to stay withing 100 dollars. I rather not
> go to different applications, if I can have Premiere do the encoding and
> either MYDVD or DVDit do the authority and burning. I was thinking about
> getting Tmpgenc, if it can do all the authority and encoding too.

Unfortuantely, I'm not familiar enough with either product to make a
recommendation. Before I got Encore, I was using another semi-pro product
by Pinnacle called Impression. When it comes to video software, I've always
been something of a control freak, and I've never liked the over-simplified
interfaces of the purely-consumer products. I suspect, though, that, as
long as they can accept mpeg files that have been transcoded by another
source, either one would be fine. Authoring software is, compared to all
the other steps in the video process, relatively simple. Where on program
will outshine another is flexibility and ease of use. For example, in
Encore, I can create a menu background in Photoshop, import it into Encore,
add buttons, export the result back to Photoshop and modify the buttons to
my heart's content, bring it back to Encore and customize the button
navigation and actions. It's extremely easy to do moving background menus,
thumbnail buttons, etc. In a relatively short period of time, I can create
a relatively complicated DVD. If you're not doing things like that, then
all you need is a program that is capable of basic menu generation and DVD
file formatting,.

I would, though, strongly recommend tmpgenc over transcoding in Premiere.
The difference really is quite visible, and if, like me, you're creating
projects that you'll want to watch 10 or 20 years from now, it's worth it to
spend a little extra effort to get better quality.

>
>
> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
> news:ZCs_c.11792$QJ3.4874@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
>>
>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>> news:vgr_c.6648$Wv5.763@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>> Very good on what you say. one last one though.....I heard that at least
>>> one menu is needed to when you burn a DVD, some of the Authority
>>> programs always start with two menu or chapters, I only want one menu
>>> with text, i.e., I just need a colorful background and some text to
>>> introduce the name of my video.
>>
>> No menu is needed. Just designate the video as "first play" and the DVD
>> will run just like a tape on a VCR. You also don't need chapters, though
>> you can put them in using Premiere. If you do, you still don't need a
>> menu -- the chapter button will work just fine.
>>
>> For a long time, I burned all my DVDs this way. It's only relatively
>> recently (actually, since I got Encore) that I've started using menus.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
>>> newskp_c.11737$QJ3.4018@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
>>>>
>>>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:c_n_c.5740$Vl5.4018@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>>>> Good infomation here, but just some clarifications, Instead of using
>>>>> Premiere for transcoding to MPEG-2 it would be better to use Tempgenc
>>>>> and Adobe Encore for authoring to burn the DVD. So there two
>>>>> processes for making DVD's Transcoding and Authoring, right?...
>>>>
>>>> Right. Transcoding is the process of recompressing using a specified
>>>> codec. Authoring is the process of creating files in the necessary
>>>> format to conform to the DVD spec. If you want to be completely
>>>> accurate, there is a third step -- burning. This last step is
>>>> unnecessary if, for example, you're sending your authored files to a
>>>> production house so that copies can be made.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Can I author with Tempgenc too, I don't think I can afford Adobe Encore
>>>>>to author my DVD's.
>>>>
>>>> You don't have to use Encore for authoring -- it's overkill for most
>>>> people. Encore allows a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating
>>>> custom menus, video buttons, etc. DVDit should be fine for most
>>>> purposes. It can accept a transcoded mpeg2 file.
>>>>
>>>> Tmpgenc doesn't author, though my recollection is that the same company
>>>> makes an authoring program. If you have DVDit, there's really no
>>>> reason to get other authoring software.
>>>>
>>>> One word of warning about tmpgenc -- when I said it's slow, it's REALLY
>>>> slow. As an example, a two-pass VBR transcode from a 2-hour AVI can
>>>> take 24 hours or more to transcode on my 3 GHz Pentium P4 machine with
>>>> 512 meg of RAM. Tmpgenc can transcode faster, but you won't get the
>>>> same quality and, in that case, you might as well transcode from within
>>>> Premiere. A big advantage of tmpgenc is that it has a very accurate
>>>> size estimator -- you can pick your bitrate based on the size of the
>>>> target and be reasonably comfortable that the resulting file will fit.
>>>>
>>>> Though tmpgenc is slow, I found it's worth the time it takes in terms
>>>> of the quality of output. I'll routinely spend 5 or 6 weeks editing a
>>>> 2-hour project (I only do this part time), so an extra 24 hours for
>>>> transcoding doesn't mean very much. Tmpgenc is pretty inexpensive --
>>>> as I recall, it was around $40 when I registered my copy.
>>>>
>>>> In order to maximize my DVD quality, I use 2-pass VBR on anything over
>>>> an hour in length, 1-pass CBR with a minimum of 6 Mbs, but sized in
>>>> tmpgenc to the largest file that will fit a DVD-R, for shorter
>>>> projects. I bring in the transcoded file to Encore, but don't transcode
>>>> things like the opening production credit (which is first play) and any
>>>> video for moving menus or buttons. Encore will transcode these
>>>> automatically at the highest settings available that will fit the
>>>> remaining space on the DVD.
>>>>
>>>> The result is extremely high-quality video that exploits the maximum
>>>> storage space available on a DVD.
>>>>
>>>> Incidently, I burn DVDs using Nero 6, rather than from within Encore.
>>>> Adobe products tend to be a little flaky when it comes to burning,
>>>> whereas I've found Nero to be solid as a rock.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "PTRAVEL" <ptravel@ruyitang.com> wrote in message
>>>>> newsyn_c.15844$3n1.15000@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "leo" <dusty-roads@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:S7n_c.5699$Vl5.1803@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>>>>>> What is bit rate and where do you go to see what bit rate I am
>>>>>>> using? I have Premiere 6.5 and have done some MPEG-2 avi's which I
>>>>>>> use DVDit 2.5 LE to do my DVD. When finished they look almost as
>>>>>>> good as the original DV mini tape. I have a PD-150 also. Is there
>>>>>>> somewhere I can go to see what bit rate I am using. I have a
>>>>>>> Pinacle Studio DV Card!?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being used to create video.
>>>>>> As a rule, the higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the
>>>>>> better the image.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The output of your PD-150 uses the DV-25 standard which outputs data
>>>>>> at 25 mbits per second (which works out to about 13 gigabytes per
>>>>>> hour of video. Your Studio DV card is really nothing more than an
>>>>>> OHCI-compliant 1394/Firewire card -- it's a port into your computer
>>>>>> that lets you transfer digital files from your PD-150 to your hard
>>>>>> drive. Since there's no compression involved in the capture process,
>>>>>> the bit rate doesn't change (and can't be changed).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When you use Premiere to transcode to mpegs, you are actually
>>>>>> compressing the video. DV25 already introduces a compression factor
>>>>>> of 5.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The DVD spec has a maximum bitrate of 9.8 Mbps. This includes both
>>>>>> the audio portion and the video portion. Generally, you'll want to
>>>>>> limit your mpeg bitrate for DVD to 8 Mbps, leaving some headroom for
>>>>>> the audio.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't transcode in Premiere (which uses the MainConcept mpeg
>>>>>> transcoder plugin), but instead use tmpgenc. tmpgenc is slower than
>>>>>> the MainConcept plugin, but allows more control over the process and
>>>>>> produces better video at its highest settings.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Both MainConcept and tmpgenc allow you to choose between constant
>>>>>> bitrate (CBR) or multiple-pass variable
>>>>>> bitrate (VBR). CBR, as the name suggests, uses a single bitrate for
>>>>>> the entire project. VBR varies the rate depending upon the need of
>>>>>> each specific scene, based on an analysis performed during one or
>>>>>> more "passes" through the video file.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In order to fit 2 hours of video on a 4.7 Gbyte DVD, you'll need a
>>>>>> bitrate considerably lower than 8 Mbits. When I transcode using CBR,
>>>>>> I generally use something between 4.5 and 5 Mbs. If I use VBR, I use
>>>>>> an average of 6, with a peak of 7. Bitrates much below 4.5 Mbs will
>>>>>> not produce particularly satisfying results.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I use a program called Bitrate Viewer, which can analyze an mpeg2
>>>>>> file and graphically display the bitrates used. Unfortuantely, I
>>>>>> can't recall where I got it, but if you google the program name I'm
>>>>>> sure you can find it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Using tmpgenc for transcoding and Adobe Encore for authoring, I can
>>>>>> produce DVDs that are, for all intents and purposes,
>>>>>> indistinguishable from the original AVI on anything other than a
>>>>>> production-quality studio monitor.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>