What program would you use to do a DVD production?
Simple menu and mpeg2 video?

What program would you use to encode the mpeg2 file?
And my last and most important question, what bitrate would you use when you compress the mpeg2..


/Andreas

What platform are you using Mac or PC?

Hello Andreas,

What are you using to edit your footage? Are you editing with a non-linear program such as FCP?

http://www.apple.com/dvdstudiopro
http://www.apple.com/idvd

Oh, I'm so sorry...
I'm using PC and I have both Premiere 6 and Vegas 3.0
I dont use Premere much nowadays. It can't compete with Vegas.
Only reason I have it is because it came with my DV card (Pinnacle DV500)

I'm thinking of buying "TMPGENC" Perhaps after I get Vegas 4.0

So what can you recommend me?
I'm most interested in the bitrate question.
I want extreme videoquality but I'm limited to DVD-5
the video project is about 45-1h long..

I switched from VV3 to Vegas 4 with DVD Architect. I love it. You can save some money by using the upgrade options available through sonic foundry. V4 is very similar to VV3 with a lot of neat new stuff you can do. The type of DVD you make depends on what it's for. I use movies without menu for my demo, and with menu for my Wedding video.

I only use a Mac for video, so perhaps one of our fellow PC user friends can chime in...

For what it is worth, I may use iDVD if I can keep it under an hour, or from FCP with the MPEG Export Plugin that comes with DVD STudio Pro... and usually around 5.5 to 8max.

- don

5.5 - 8 max?
How good quality would that be?
What would happen if I went with.. lets say 12?
Does diffrent coders (Mpeg2 in Vegas) or lets say TMPGENC
result in diffrent quality?

Don, do you know what bitrate they use on DVD's you buy?
like the matrix or starwars?

Thanks again! You have been very helpful!
/Andreas

Andreas,

The DVD specification requires that video + audio DOES NOT EXCEED 9.8 so 12 would not play on any current DVD player. However, I have encoded several 2 hour videos at around 4.5 that look better than VHS. You might be surprised what the lower bit rates can accomplish.