so we've talked about various ways to make your cineform projects into DVD's, but I'm wondering if there is an element that I'm missing here.

DVD's from major releases (even my boys' "Baby Einstein" videos, which were definitely shot in video --probably SD) just look noticeably better.

I make my videos with Adobe Encore and use the highest quality settings.

Is there some kind of professional "Mastering" process for DVDs?
Does this have something to do with DVD-R's

try "master quality" output using canopus procoder..of course shooting digi beta or a dvcpro 50 helps

Better in what way, do you think?

Much DVD footage I have seen has saturation cranked up, the gamma tweaked, and they're progressive rather than interlaced...

Also, I usually run a spatio/temporal smoother in post.

Better in what way, do you think?

Much DVD footage I have seen has saturation cranked up, the gamma tweaked, and they're progressive rather than interlaced...

Also, I usually run a spatio/temporal smoother in post.

mmmm.. saturation I understand.


Can you reccomend any good resources for understanding the propper gamma settings and the spatio/temporal smoother?

There are many variables that can account for the discrepancy in quality and I'd wager that MPEG2 encoding is actually pretty low on the list.

That said, I would highly recommend Cinema Craft CCE for all your DVD needs - its multipass encoding, and even its one-pass VBR mode - are quantifiably better than the competition. However, that said, I do have a soft spot for Procoder 2 as an all-in-one solution - particularly as I get noticeably better results for WMV-HDs compared to Windows Media Encoder.

Back on topic - the quality of the source material is the most crucial element IMO, so this comes down to the lighting and composition of the original shots and the camera chosen. Multi-generational passes on footage during production can also have an impact, but this is not really an issue on CineFormHD.

We could actually do with some comparison shots here, or at least more details, because you've not actually listed any criteria in which your vids are deficient compared to the DVDs you refer to :)

Can you recommend any good resources for understanding the proper gamma settings and the spatio/temporal smoother?

Not trying to be smart here, but seriously.....your eyes! I found I learned a lot by tweaking parameters and comparing the output with commercial DVDs.

One REALLY nice thing about Procoder, by the way, is that it has a whole suite of video filters (smoothing, deinterlacing, color correction, saturation, gamma, etc) that you can apply during the mpeg encode. So you can experiment happily without having to make changes to your edited source footage.

And when you find a combination of Procoder filters that you particularly like - save it as a preset and "Voila!"

If you dont have access to Procoder, your NLE should have equivalent settings you can play with. And Virtualdub and Avisynth (both freeware) have extensive filter support...