Export for DVD
 

When I export a project with DV compression, it looks great on my monitor. However, when I burn it onto DVD using iDVD it looks flat and faded. Should I export in something else that iDVD likes better?

DV to DVD
 

First, I do all my work on PC, but the principles should be the same.

DV is fairly low compression, compared to DVD compression. An hour DV uses 18 Gig, and and hour of the best level MPG compression is about 4 gig. Then if you are pushing more time on a 4.7 gig DVD disk, your DVD burning program is has to compress further. To answer your question further, twe would need something more on what compression you are working with, etc.

Perhaps I should ask what the best codec is for importing video into iDVD.

Export to DVD
 

I'm guessing that you are editing with FCP and at least 4.5 (aka "HD"), if you are not, email me (JohnMChristensen@msn.com). After you finish your production do not export to quicktime movie or DV stream instead click, under File, Export > Using Quicktime Conversion. At the bottom if the resulting popup make it say "Quicktime Movie" click "options". Under "Video" click "Settings". Then go to compression type set it to "H.264" I use "high quality, multi pass" on anything over about 30 minutes and "best quality, multi pass" on items less than 30 minutes. Once it encodes (it will take much longer than doing a quicktime encode) I just drag it in to iDVD and make my DVD menus like I always do. H.264 video files are small but the quality is great, a five minute video at "high, multi" is only about 65MB that means an hour at the same quality is only about 780MB (if only CD's were that much bigger).
Now I am just a "young-in" at video so this may not be the super duper best way (and I am always open to modifing my way if doing things) but it is how I do all my encoding out of FCP 4.5. Hope this works for you, John.

P.S. If someone else knows all better way to encode video please let me know.

Awesome! Thanks so much, John! I am going to try that.

I find that a DV codec makes my titles look strange. I'm going to try the h.264 right now.

Thanks John, this info will help me too!

Hey, no problem. Let me know how it worked for you. Also should tell you for a 30 minute video encoding it to H.264 on a PowerMac 2.0GHz Dual Processor it took me 2-2.5 hours. Now just think how I feel when my main computer is a 1.8GHz iMac G5 (5 looong hours). lol John
BTW, The PowerMac is owned by a friend. :)

Maybe I'm mistaken, or updates have rectified this...but I was under the impression that iDVD will ONLY accept the DV codec - it won't accept pre-encoded files - as it needs to compress to mpeg2 on its own terms. Please let me know if I am wrong on this.
-Jon

Export to DVD
 

I do not know what verson of iDVD you are using but I've pulled H.264 .mov files, quicktime .mov files, DV streams, just about anything into iDVD. I use iDVD 4 (I think) from iLife'04. Its always worked for me. John

Good to know. I haven't ever tried this 'cuz I haven't been in a situation where it has come up....and likely my info was something I heard about referenced from early versions of iDVD...so I appreciate you info. Thanks.
-Jon

To the original post. If you're going to export to burn in iDVD you should export quicktime movie using current audio and video settings. This exports a virtuall lossless quicktime movie which can then be converted to mpeg 2 in iDVD. Using any other compression scheme will subject your footage to multiple compressions and will make it look like crapola. Good Luck, Jason.