No MPEG-2 Export Option from FCP?
 

I'm running FCP 5.1 with both DVD studio pro and compressor installed and under export using quicktime conversion there is no option to export as an MPEG-2 file. The manual says that if you have either DVD studio pro of compressor installed that MPEG-2 will then show up as an export option. Running a Dual Intel 2.66 Mac Pro with an AJA Kona LHe board if that helps.

Hi Aaron.

"MPEG-2" can be a pretty broad term. All of your HDV export options are actually MPEG-2 options. Or are you referring to the generation of an MPEG-2 file for making a DVD (called an .m2v file)?

If you are looking to make an .m2v file for a DVD, you have two options:

1/ Export a Quicktime movie (or Quicktime Reference movie) and then import that movie into Compressor.
2/ Directly export from your FCP timeline into Compressor.

Once in Compressor, you can then choose the MPEG-2 encoding that best suits your requirements (e.g. it might be something like Best Quality 90 minutes 4:3, or whatever). Just select the .m2v option plus either the AIFF or .ac3 (Dolby) option for the sound file.

Then import your .m2v and .ac3 (or AIFF) files directly into DVD SP.

Alternately, you can simply export your Quicktime movie from FCP, import it into DVD SP and then let DVD SP do all of the MPEG-2 encoding. That would also work, but creating your assets in Compressor will give you a lot more control over your visual quality.

I'm sure that others could add a lot more details about this, but I hope I'm guessing correctly as to your basic MPEG-2 requirements.

I'm looking to create a .m2v file to take into DVD Studio Pro. I was just wondering as the manual and my DVD training DVD's say that this can be done directly from FCP using quicktime conversion and that MPEG-2 compression will be an option in the quicktime conversion if DVD studio pro is installed, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

what version of DVDSP is that? and what version of the manuals?

the direct export component for Quicktime used to included as part of the DVDSP install, but was discontinued as of DVDSP3, in favour of the better quality method avaialble by using then newly introduced Compressor application.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301871

If you want to export an MPEG2 from your timeline, rather than Compressor, it's quite simple;

FILE>EXPORT>USING QUICKTIME CONVERSION - click the dropdown menu (where it says QuickTime Movie) and you'll be able to select MPEG2.

Hope that helps,

Liam.

Liam,

That's exactly what I want to do, but there is no MPEG-2 Option in my list of format choices for some reason? Oh well, no big deal.

the preferred way is export it as quicktime then open it up in compressor and encode it there.

Liam you totally missed the point there. Clearly you are running a system that has been consistently upgraded, or not upgraded at all. Anyone who has done a clean install of a newer version and/or never had the older version, will not have this option. Apple discontinued this.

Thanks for the clarification on the version of software being why I can't do this. I was looking for another way as my exports using compressor seemed really, really slow. If I export an uncompressed qt and encode in DVD studio pro it is about 10 times faster than if I compress it using compressor and that's using the same two pass vbr. Maybe because I am working with uncompressed SD footage?

I am however wanting to export a feature length film making it impossible to use an uncompressed qt as the file would be way too big. I guess I can export in sections and let DVD studio pro do the compression and then delete the uncompressed file. Not sure why it takes so much longer to compress in compressor than in DVD studio pro?

Compressor has a lot more options available, higher quality compression, batch processing, and allows you to work in other applications while its encoding.

Yep, you're right. There's a lot of legacy software in all my machines.

Liam.