LAFCPUG: DVD FAQs

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Revision as of 03:26, 12 June 2008

What brand of DVDs should I use?

What brand of DVDs should I use and which are considered most reliable?

From Greg Kozikowski

Those of us with active Quality Control processes pretty much figured this out already, but it's nice to have independent verification. We were pleased to find that Sony full coat white tops use the same data coating and ID as the shiny tops unlike some other manufacturers that burned us.

Find the best and most reliable choices on DigitalFAQ.com

Why Do MY DVD's Play On My Computer but Not ON A DVD Player?

Why Do MY DVD's Play On My Computer but Not ON A DVD Player?

From John Foley

Many times this question is asked by new DVD authorers.

It is generally the bit-rate chosen to encode from Quicktime to MPEG-2 for inclusion in DVD Studio Pro. Lots of folks think the fastest bit-rate has got to be the best quality for a DVD.

The reason why the process is called encode, is because there is also a decode process involved in playback. MPEG-2 is a very highly compressed format and needs help playing back each frame of video.

While your computer is capable of decoding just about any frame rate, the DVD player you use is not.

The trick is to encode at the slowest bit-rate that gives you an acceptable picture (especially during transitions). as a general rule anywhere from 5.0 Megabitspersecond (Mbps) to around 6.5 Mbps is good. Remember this however - The faster the encode the bigger the MPEG-2 file size.

This can be critical when you are trying to put 2+ hours onto a single-sided (DVD-5) disc.

The indications that your DVD Player can't handle the content is pixelating or skipping frames of video during playback.

How do I put chapter markers in my DVD?

Q. How do I put chapter markers in my DVDs?

From Jude Cotter

Quick and dirty but very useful answer.

Read this tutorial by Ken Stone

Compression and Chapter Markers