Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

Steve- I really can't see any difference between what you tell your clients and what I do, with the probable exception that I also have a 3d option. I shoot and edit in HD and give the finished product in whatever format they require. I don't get asked for Bluray, but do sometimes get asked for HD, in which case I supply them with a usb. I also very occasionally get asked to put their wedding on iPad for them. However, though I let clients know that they can have an HD version, the preference from my clients is nearly always dvd.

Having said that, I have filmed and photographed one wedding in 3d this year and have another in February, both of which were requested and will be delivered in HD 3d and 2d, with 2d dvds aswell.

The only difference I see to you, is regarding what will be playable in a few years and whether I should worry about it, which I don't.

Roger

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

Seems fair really, though some people may want to be made aware of possible issues while others will be blind to anything but price.

Ain't that the truth... I've had some know it all arm chair internet browser type grooms (2 to be precise) tell me I don't know what I'm talking about and of course DVD is HD otherwise it would look really bad! When I ask them why they thought Blu-ray was introduced they kind of stumble around a little and try to change the subject.

I just had an inquiry specifically asking for DVD only, not highlights, no HD, no USB, they're just interested in getting DVD. Should I tell them to go away and come back when they finally appreciate how much better high-def footage looks or wait until they've seen 4K? Errr..... no, I think that DVD only is a doable situation, I just hate watching DVDs now after seeing the HD source and always feel I'm short changing them. I guess I need to get over it and be done.

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

Well as a third of my couples requested an HD delivered format this year, a mix between Bluray and USB, favouring the Bluray, there's obviously some difference in our approach. I'm down to 2 blank bluray cases from 25 ordered this year, though some of those were extra copies admittedly. I'm hoping for better results next year. :)

There's nothing wrong in hating seeing good footage ruined. After all we invest in HD cameras, work to capture a good quality video, then proceed to interlace it, reduce it's size and squeeze it into a 4:3 pixel ratio to then be stretched back to 16:9 across a widescreen tele. Can you imagine Photographers torturing their photos in such a way.
That said, I'd take the money for a DVD only job. Business comes before art.

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

Prior to 2010 everything I shot was on tape and made into dvds and I have several thousand which I'm now in the process of copying from the dvd to hardrive with the view to making these videos re-available to those in the videos.
To my delight all of the discs from back in 2005 which I'm doing (the oldest) at the moment (several hundred ) are just fine with no degradation whatsoever So thats about 10 years and a few of the cheaper ones look a little pale but overall they are in excellent shape

They were stored on 100pk spindles in cardboard boxes

On another note. dvds burnt to disc with edius 7 from Sony xvac-s 4k shot on a ax100 with decent light arn't too bad .Not quite as good as old hdv but approaching

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

Could you explain what you mean by this?

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

The 720x480 16:9 DVDs produced from 4K source footage off a fdr-ax100 and shot in good light are the best I've seen but still crappy when played full screen on a big tv which of course is the problem. They all have big screens

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

One reason may be the 4K from the AX100 is 30P but all your tape video was 60i so twice as smooth motion. Makes a big difference with any motion at all. Also if the project was over about 75 mins Edius is only 1 pass encode for DVD and will also not be as good as TMPGenc 2 pass encode and scaling. I export HQ from the Edius timeline and encode and scale in TMPGenc , 2 pass VBR for much better results.

Ron Evans

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

Ron, do you use authoringworks for the encode and scaling or videomastering works?

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

So you were comparing 4K downscaled to SD to the native 1440x1080 from HDV, rather than the HDV downscaled to SD? I'm confused.

SD just looks bad from anything...

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

I use TMPGenc T4 most of the time rather than T5 as I think it does better job. Now with Edius 7.4 export a HQX fine file to go to TMPGEnc. I use Sony DVD Architect for authoring for DVD and Bluray ( just change the project parameters and files so only author once). Bluray file comes straight from Edius with Quicksync encode though TMPGenc batch could do both.


Ron

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

I find HDV looks crappy at any resolution, though being interlaced probably makes for a better DVD than anything shot at HD progressive. Yet another good reason to abandon DVD in my opinion. Though Bluray still uses interlace. Personally if I shoot in one format, I prefer to deliver in that format. Anything else is a downgrade.

Re: How I hate DVDs....
 

I've previously provided 3 DVDs to all my brides but this year I'm offering a customized USB drive and no DVDs. If they would like DVDs then they are welcome to pay for the authoring and production, but I'm just tired of dealing with the conversions, authoring, printing, and mailing. I'll probably need to be very clear about this before the wedding so that they're not surprised if they assume a DVD comes for free.