DVD capacity - best compression

[Daniel Stevenson]

I have a question re DVD capacity (I feel like I'm always asking on this site and never able to give answers, but there'll come a time...)

I have a 2 hour and 15 minute speech that I neeed to put on DVD. I have edited in the power point slides which need to be read by the viewer.

My question is what compression (if any) should I use to minimise the amount of DVDs I use? I know I'll need at least 2 but is there any way I can avoid using three? I have a G4 imac and just use its internal burner. Because of the power point slide factor I'm not sure what compression is an option as they aren't full screen and they MUST be completely readable. I'm exporting from FCE.

[Christopher Lefchik]

If you split the project about evenly over two 4.7 GB DVDs, using a compression of 8Mbps for the video track with a 192Kbps Dolby Digital (AC3) soundtrack, you would have room to spare.

[Daniel Stevenson]

Thanks Christopher, unfortunately FCE doesn't give me the option of exporting audio as AC3 and I just didn't have time to figure out how to download the codec and get FCE to let me compress it . I ended up just going with three DVDs ut I'll check out getting the right codec available for the future...

EDIT: OK so I figure what I needed to do was get a copy of Quicktime Pro and use that to convert my exported Quicktime movie to your suggested settings - correct? Or should FCE give me that option once the AC3 codec is installed?

[Christopher Lefchik]

Originally Posted by Daniel Stevenson

OK so I figure what I needed to do was get a copy of Quicktime Pro and use that to convert my exported Quicktime movie to your suggested settings - correct? Or should FCE give me that option once the AC3 codec is installed?

I do not believe purchasing QuickTime Pro will give you an AC3 encoder. You would need DVD Studio Pro.

If you export your project with a 7 Mbps video track and uncompressed PCM audio, you could still fit it on two DVDs.

[Mike Teutsch]

Maybe the thing to remember is that you can compress all you want, as far as the data flow, but time is another thing. The DVD's run for a specified time, no matter the compresion. A two hour DVD, for example, will run two hours no matter how much it is compressed. Just like an old record, the grooves are a certain distrance apart and there is so much room. You can't slow it done and make it last longer.

[Chris Chang]

So from what you've said so far...
1. final cut express
2. slideshow

so...

1. Make an AC3 audio. For a simple speech, and pretty much everything, AC3 is a lot smaller for good enough quality. You can do this for free. Search for "ac3machine" in google.
2. If the slideshow is simple, you may consider doing it in a DVD authoring program and not final cut. You'll save a lot of space. Some authoring programs will even do simple transitions for you. Each slide becomes a type of menu, instead of a movie.
3. Slideshows don't need much bandwidth. Never blindly use other people's video settings. 7 Mbps CBR is a horrible preset to use for most applications. Just export small clips at different bitrates. Use a bitrate calculator to figure out your maximum average bitrate for the length of content. And pick which clip is the best tradeoff between quality and size.

[Christopher Lefchik]

Originally Posted by Chris Chang

Slideshows don't need much bandwidth. Never blindly use other people's video settings. 7 Mbps CBR is a horrible preset to use for most applications. Just export small clips at different bitrates. Use a bitrate calculator to figure out your maximum average bitrate for the length of content. And pick which clip is the best tradeoff between quality and size.

True, slideshows don't need much bandwidth, but this is more than a slideshow. He also has live video. It's a speach.

He could play around with different compression settings, but there is no way around the fact that to fit two hours and fifteen minutes of footage on a single 4.7 GB DVD will require an average bitrate of 4.3 Mbps, if he uses 192Kbps AC3 audio, and 2.9 Mbps if he uses uncompressed PCM audio. Perhaps the footage will come out okay at such low compression, but I have my doubts. He might get away with it at 4.3 Mbps if he uses VBR compression, since he will have a good number of PowerPoint slides, but that would require AC3 audio, which FCE cannot export.

By the way, AC3Machine only runs on Windows. He's on a Mac.

And would you mind explaining what is so horrible with a bit rate of 7 Mbps?

[Christopher Lefchik]

Originally Posted by Mike Teutsch

Maybe the thing to remember is that you can compress all you want, as far as the data flow, but time is another thing. The DVD's run for a specified time, no matter the compresion. A two hour DVD, for example, will run two hours no matter how much it is compressed. Just like an old record, the grooves are a certain distrance apart and there is so much room. You can't slow it done and make it last longer.

Yes, I think he knows that, which is why he is using at least two DVDs.

[Chris Chang]

Originally Posted by Christopher Lefchik

And would you mind explaining what is so horrible with a bit rate of 7 Mbps?

That's a fine bitrate for Compressor. I was trying to subtly imply that other solutions will give the same quality for a lower bitrate.

[Nathaniel McInnes]

This is simple i put a 3 hour project onto a DVD 4.7Gb. in FCE goto file > Export > export as qiucktime movie. Create a project in IDVD and then Project > Project info and make sure that under the encoding that it is set to best quility. this will then allow you to fit upto a 3 hour project in IDVD

[Colby Knight]

I thought iDVD had a 2 hour limit at best.
I've changed the setting from best performance to best quality and vice-versa, but 2 hours is still the limit on iDVD.

So I'm told... And I've had no luck with getting any more on it either.

Two hours? No problem.
Two hours and two minutes? Not a chance.

[Nathaniel McInnes]

what version of IDVD are u using

[Colby Knight]

I am using iDVD 5.

[Nathaniel McInnes]

Oh right i think that might be the problem. IDVD 5 i think ony gives you a maxinum of 2 hours including titles. Have you though of spitting it up into part 1 and 2

[Colby Knight]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel McInnes

Oh right i think that might be the problem. IDVD 5 i think ony gives you a maxinum of 2 hours including titles. Have you though of spitting it up into part 1 and 2

I did end up splitting it on to two DVDs. But I am still confused. How are you getting more than 2 hours of footgage on a DVD using iDVD?