Getting 24p to look good on DVD

Many people love DSLR technology and have been shooting 24p to get the film look everyone seems to love.

I shoot 24p on Canon 7D and 60D (convert to ProRes using Philip Bloom's MPEG Streamclip workflow), edit in 24p and export my final edit to a 24p self contained QuickTime. It looks pretty good on screen, looks pretty good on Vimeo, but looks awful on DVD (I use Compressor's presets for DVD).

The problem is it is not smooth at all between the frames, giving it a very stuttery look...you just don't see that on Hollywood DVDs...even movies with lots of high speed action...it is very smooth between the frames, and I simply cannot figure out how to get it to look right, and I'm even struggling to find the correct way to describe it...persistence of vision, perhaps?

Any idea what part of the process I'm missing? Maybe a step requiring Cinema Tools? Adding pulldown?

Thanks!
Casey

Casey,
Compressor's DVD presets make a 23.976p MPEG-2 (with NTSC resolution) from either 24p or 23.976p (regardless of its resolution). If you use DVD Studio Pro to make the DVD files from the MPEG-2, it will preserve the 23.976p. So the unsmoothness you're seeing must be due to the player, not the MPEG-2 itself. The player could be adding pulldown (changing the frame rate) or it could be skimping in decoding the MPEG-2. Your description suggests the latter.

Professional DVDs use better encoders than Compressor's, requiring skillful guidance. Best compression involves constant compromise between motion smoothness, detail, and color depth. Different scenes, different shots, and even different portions of the frames warrant different compromises. The hardware based CINEMA CRAFT Xtream Encoder is one example of what professional studios use.

Back to our semi-pro universe; experiments you might try, just to see where the problem lies:
...Try reducing the bitrate from Compressor's preset values.
...Try changing the GOP size to 6, and from closed to open.
...Try using a completely different player.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany