DVD Output has pixelization

[Ronky]

I have just recently created a movie and in Premiere Pro used the Export to DVD feature and burnt a DVD. When playing back on my TV and stand alone DVD, some of the footage which I have sped up as an effect, appear very pixilated and low quality. I tried again, this time using the encoder to create MPEG2-DVD files to my hard drive. I have imported the necessary files to Encore, but there still seems to be an issue. The said footage is fine when the original tape is played on the camera at normal speed, and the footage looks fantastic when run as a raw product in Premiere. Am in Australia so settings are PAL.

Hope someone knows what is causing this.

[Alan Mills]

A couple of points spring to mind when symptoms like this arise. No promises they are the solution but...

What speed are you writing the disk at? Try weriting at single speed. Depending on your PC spec you may, like me until recently, have a 4x writer plugged in but only have a PC capable of pushing 1x speed through it.

Also, make sure you hard drives have plenty of space and Imean much more than you thing you need. Also make sure they are WELL defragged.

[Marc Peters]

Just a theory in Marc's world: when you speed up the clip, I pressume you would have more data per given time period/clip. Therefore the bitrate would necesarily have to be higher than that of a slower clip to maintain quality. I say this as there are more changes per frame and therefore less data is duplicated from one frame to the next.

Possible solutions:

1) increase the constant bitrate or the average variable bitrate or

2) mess around with the GOP settings so that you get more key frames (can't remember of the top of my head what to change and for some reason the settings in Premiere are unfathomable to me - search the foruyms and read the sticky in the DVD authoring forum).

3) get a better encoder

4) don't speed the clip up as much. Ecode several times at different speeds (hjust output the workbar area over the sped up clip) until you get the optimum quality

5) all of the above.

[LJR]

I would agree with Marc. If your video will fit comfortably on a DVD then perhaps keep it all the highest constant bit rate. If you have to go VBR then use an encoder which does multiple passes. The first will evaluate the GOP and work out the best bit rate and encoding, the second pass will do the work. TMPGenc is a very good encoder.

Practice your settings by encoding it to a file on your PC and viewing with a DVD viewing application. PowerDVD for example. When it looks good then author it to DVD.

You can mess around with the GOP but this is as much fun as stabbing yourself in the eye with a fork. I think the key frames are the I-frames?!?!!