The Digital Video Information Network - Distribution Center

Bit Rate Numbers

Sean Malone — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:33:51 GMT

This has probably been covered some ware but I can't find it. I remember reading a few years back that its best to set bit rates to a number that�s divisible by 32 (it was probably 8 or 16 in the early days). I don't know if its still applicable, but a guy in our building and I were discussing bit rates today and it came up. Is this another famous myth or is there any validity to it?

Mac: Possible to autostart HVDVD_TS program?

Johan Forssblad — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:12:45 GMT

We would like a HD DVD program to start automatically as soon as the iMac is started and logged into a limited account. Anybody who know how to do it?

It could be like opening the DVD-player or VLC, then File-Open the HVDVD_TS folder and start but it should work automatically.

We are making an interactive DVD program with DVD SP in HD on a Mac for a museum.

BTW, it is possible to make a long HD DVD program containing hours of video (< DVD max size) if not burning it to disk. Just store it on a harddrive!

What's the best delivery option?

Tom Sessions — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:47:19 GMT

I have a corporate client that wants to record 5 1/2 hours of talking heads in SD and then have the capabilities to upload the footage to thier server so all employees can view the speaches on thier computers from around the world.
Would this be something you would encode using H.264 to DVD?

Are there competing brands of H.264 encoders? I'm using Adobe Prem Pro 2.0 to create the .avi. What happens next in the process?

This is new to me.

Bluray interlaced footage plays as progressive no matter what!

Dimitris Mantalias — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:02:22 GMT

Ok, here is a very disturbing problem I've got.

In our studio (we do wedding video), we have a setup combined of a 37'' LCD 1080p TV plus a PC (Windows XP, Nvdia 8500GT), so we can present our job to our customers, especially the HD. Here is the deal:

We have our BD iso image files, created by Encore or Sony DVD Architect which we mount with Daemon Tools. Then we use a BD software player to playback the Bluray. Problem is, although the footage is interlaced, all software players insist on converting to progressive. No matter what the player is (WinDVD, Showtime, PowerDVD or Total Media Theater) and regardless I check "no deinterlacing", the BD will play progressive.

Strangest thing though is that, if I open the iso file and playback directly the m2ts files inside, they will play perfectly interlaced! The problem seems to be with the BD structure as I can understand, but I can't find any workaround. I played with every possible setting in both software players and Nvidia settings but no luck. It wants progressive.

Another strange thing is that for example, if I have PowerDVD to "no deinterlace" option, it will still play progressive but with the known image distortions found when playing interlace on LCD. Still, PowerDVD will play perfectly the interlaced material from directly inside the ISO (m2ts files)!

Also, if I play the BD from a PS3, it plays as it was supposed to play.

I am very frustrated about it. Can anyone please help me finding a solution to that issue?

Thanks in advance.

Bitrate calculator questions

Nathan Quattrini — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:05:48 GMT

I have about 4 hours of bonus footage, about 36 different clips. I have a few questions about how to get them all appropriately put on a DVD.

1. Does a clips gig size affect what bitrate it should be compressed to? Example. Video A is 1440x1080 and is 50 gigs. If rendered from the video software at 720x540 instead, Video A is 13 gigs. Does it matter which one I compress to fit it on the DVD?

2. Do they make bit rate calculators that allow you to input a bunch of files and play with their rates? Some videos I don`t mind the quality taking a hit, others I want to look their best.

3. Yes I know I am crazy. But I am trying to give people their money`s worth :)

DVD question.. sorry can't find an answer anywhere!

Manus Sweeney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:36:58 GMT

Hi,

its been a long time since i had to put anything on dvd and now beginning to realise how clueless i am in this area..

So i have PAL footage (interlaced 25fps) that i would like to burn to DVD.

It will probably be viewed both on PC and DVD Player/TV.

Basically I would like to know how to do it so that I keep the 25P feel. I know how to burn to DVD, and avoid jaggies but it gives that awful (for what i want to do at least) 50fps feel to the motion (played back on the PC dvd playing software anyway).

I know DVDs are always interlaced but they dont always have the cheap video motion look.. Sorry for the basic question and hope someone can point me in the right direction.

I can do it on either PC (PP) or Mac (FCP) I would prefer mac though as that will be my current platform from now..

Cheers

Epson Artisan vs Adobe PS

Dan Gunn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:26:28 GMT

What gives? I can not get a DVD to print properly in the Epson Artesan 800. Epson says I must go thru their CD/DVD software (aint going to happen). Has anyone been successful at getting a DVD from PS to print properly?

JoJo
info@AtlantaVisual.com

Export format for mobile phones/devices?

Dan Robinson — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:10:19 GMT

I'm in the process of converting short clips for use on mobile versions of web sites that can be played within the web browsers on Blackberries, iPhones, and the like. The clips are about 30-45 seconds long and are under 3.4MB.

I have tried just about every size/aspect ratio/bitrate combination of the mp4/h.264, 3gp and psp export options in Adobe CS3 Media Encoder without success. They will all download as random 'gibberish' characters in the phone browsers (including on my Blackberry). I can manually move the video files to the phone's memory card via usb, but only the audio plays back - the video is a black screen.

On the PC, the browser prompts to download the file instead of playing it (as if it doesn't recognize the mime type/file type). The files play just fine in Quicktime and VLC.

I spent all day yesterday scouring the web for information without any results - has anyone had any success with this?

Samsung P2500 won't play dual layer DVD

Philip Howells — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:15:32 GMT

My question is whether anyone else has encountered this problem and if there is a solution.

I have recently produced a dual layer programme and tested it on our Samsung P2500 Blu-ray player. This player has never failed to play correctly any single layer Blu-ray, any single layer DVD we've produced or any commercial DVD amongst which I'm sure are some dual layer disks.

What happens with this disk is that after the programme has passed the layer change point, it fails to play beyond the next chapter point. By returning to the disk menu I can select chapters within the second layer and the machine plays them correctly - except that at the end of the chapter it returns to the head of that chapter and starts to play it again.

Each chapter beyond the layer change can be selected and played but at the end of the chapter it repeats.

The disk plays perfectly on all the other DVD players we have, mainly bog-standard economy models.

I've downloaded the latest firmware for the Samsung (though I believe I have it on the machine already) but Nero 8 burns the unzipped ISO file into an unrecognised RUF file.

Any help or practical suggestions would be welcome. I am hoping to play the disk on a pal's Blu-ray Sony later in the week.

Who is using WordPress?

Michael Wisniewski — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:31:34 GMT

Who is using WordPress? I would love to see what you've done with your website. To share, I just setup WordPress for my brother's nightclub, M Sessions - but we're still working on getting the videos up and running.

Playing DVDs on PC - at wit's end

Karen Ellrick — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:53:53 GMT

My ultimate goal is to play a DVD I produced (either a burned DVD-R or the real DVD-Video - I have both) in a portable environment for demonstration, using my EeePC (netbook) with Windows XP, hooked to an external DVD drive. Since the EeePC's storage space is really limited, I'm first trying to get this to work on my regular desktop (so I know exactly what I need to install), but I can't even succeed at that.

The external drive came with a CD full of software, but none of it is a DVD player, nor is there an MPEG-2 decoder, as far as I can tell. I tried out VLC Media Player, but it doesn't really have DVD menu nagivation in the normal sense. So I'm trying to just get Windows Media Player to do it - supposedly all it needs is an MPEG-2 decoder. I installed GPL MPEG-1/2 Decoder, but WMP still complains of no decoder. So I installed Microsoft's "Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility" - it lists lots of decoders, including the GPL one and several associated with my desktop's Roxio software, but all are listed as incompatible with WMP10 or MCE (whatever that is). My desktop has WMP11, and the EeePC has WMP10 (too bad it's not an earlier version, because that might have worked with the GPL decoder... but I don't think it's possible to downgrade to 9). Real Player (on both machines) also refuses to play a DVD, presumably for the same reason of a lack of the right kind of decoder (it says I should upgrade to the newest version of RP, but I already have).

Does anyone have any suggestions?