Need Sony AVCHD 1080i to SD DVD Workflow Advice

This is day 5 of my struggle. I know others have banged away longer, but this isn't my day job and I'm running out of leisure time. I'm also running out of hair to pull out.

[deep breath]

I have excellent quality AVCHD Video shot with a Sony Handycam. (Please don't laugh or turn up your nose; I already said this isn't my day job.) The video was shot outdoors in good lighting conditions with the camera on a tripod. When the camera is plugged into an HDTV using HDMI, it looks awesome. Point: I'm starting with good video.

I have used Final Cut Pro to edit that raw footage into a 5-minute video. I have then exported the result into Quicktime format using various -- and I mean lots of various -- compression settings. I have then brought that video into Compressor and processed it with various -- did I mention LOTS of various? -- compression settings. (Yesterday's settings took 18 hours to complete.) I then brought that result into DVD Studio Pro and authored numerous versions of the same DVD, which I tested a variety of ways.

The result every time: crap.

It looks bad on my iMac's monitor, it looks bad on my HD TV. I don't have an old-time TV to try it in.

It's obvious that the process is breaking down someplace, but where? The video exported to AppleTV format from FCP looks outrageously good on my iPad, so I don't think quality is lost importing into FCP. And the quality of what I'm outputting from FCP to Compressor doesn't look bad, either. Hell, it even looks okay on YouTube (






MY QUESTION:

Given my source video format (AVCHD 1080i), the tools I have at my disposal (the latest version of Final Cut Studio), and my destination format (SD DVD), WHAT SETTINGS SHOULD I BE USING IN MY WORKFLOW TO GET THE BEST QUALITY RESULTS?

Things I may or may not need to consider:
- Interlacing/De-Interlacing?
- Downsizing?
- Export settings for FCP?
- Compression settings for Compressor?
- Encoding settings for DVDSP?

Time is not an issue. I'll let something render for a week if I need to. I just want my end product DVD to look as good as it possibly can.

I spoke to someone who makes DVDs for clients for a living, but he uses 720p resolution source material. He gave me some advice, which I tried. The results are better but not as good as I need it to be. He told me that if I needed more help, I should turn to LAFCPUG. So here I am.

I'm really hoping that someone who has mastered this workflow (1080i to SD DVD) and KNOWS the best way to do this will read and respond to this. If you don't know, PLEASE don't guess. I have been working with guesses offered on the Apple FCP forums for the past three days. I wouldn't mind so much if they were all guessing similar things, but they're not. The advice I'm getting is all over the map and much of it is contradictory.

I am willing to PAY for a solution. Really.

Help? Please?

No takers, huh? I'm thinking I'm the only person nutty enough to have this setup and picky enough not to settle for the garbage coming out of DVD Studio Pro.

Today, in desperation, I tried iDVD and the video quality was JUST AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER.

Maybe one of you can tell me why I spent $1,000 on a "Pro" editing package when Apple's consumer-level tools seem to produce the same quality?

I'll keep checking in. With luck one of you has the formula or is willing to work with me to find it.

Thanks.

Basically, you have to go from 1080i to a standard def format. You might be able to down-convert from the camera (some Sony's do this, but possibly only the higher range Z1/Z5, etc) or you can do this in Compressor. Go from FCP directly into Compressor, choose any SD template for the encode (120 mins, 90 mins, etc) and use this as a start point. Ensure you go to MPEG2 and AC3 audio only, and keep the bitrate below 7.5Mbps for the video. Use the tools in compressor to fine tune the encoding - it's impossible to say what settings you need, so much depends on your footage (the amount of movement, the colour changes, pans, fades, zooms and so on). Try using 2 pass VBR settings, and set the motion estimation to 'better', not 'best'. If it comes out a bit soft, try it at 'best'.

You would do well to take a short section - 30 seconds - and work with that to find the best encode settings. This could take repeated attempts, and there is a lot to learn about compression... it isn't a simple process.

These files will then import into DVDSP where you can author the disc. The encoding settings in DVDSP are to deal with anything that isn't MPEG2 format when you go to build the disc. Don't be tempted into thinking it is an alternative compressor... it *is* able to compress, but it won't do as good a job as compressor. BAsically, ignore them as long as you encode everything you use before you go to DVDSP.

So... why did iDVD look good? Because it is set up very well, and uses a predefined compression profile that you and I do not have access to, and cannot change. It is very well set up, and gives a great result.

Why did you pay for FCS? It gives you far, far more freedom and flexibility to edit and author as you want to do, not as someone else has decided.

If you prefer iDVD, great - it's a cool app. If you want to have access to a lot more features when building a DVD, such as creating playlists, manipulating the navigation, creating easter eggs, using your own designs and graphics, and much more... you need DVDSP. It's a choice only you can make, and DVDSP isn't necessarily the right choice for you.

The other consideration is that you wanted to edit using FCP... and DVDSP is just another tool in the box when you get FCP. You don't have to use it, but it is there for when you do want to.

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lafcpug mod

Thanks so much for this feedback. You taught me something new (to add to the new stuff already cramming my head): that the DVDSP encoding settings don't apply to what I'm doing. I'm already basically following your instructions to that point. I'd better check what I've set under encoding to make sure I'm not messing up.

My video has a LOT of motion. Not much in the way of zooming and no panning, but there's plenty of action in front of the camera, not the least of which is tree leaves in an orchard blowing in the wind. (The YouTube video I linked to above shows what I mean.) I guess that's screwing up the compression.

I do WANT the flexibility of Final Cut Studio Pro. But boy, the results on DVD are just so disappointing. I'm trying to put together a tour video for resale (the cherry video is a practice project) and I simply can't bring myself to sell something with this kind of quality. Am I just being picky? Maybe. But when I compare source video footage to the final DVD -- both played on the SAME television -- I wonder why the hell I shot in HD.

Maybe that's the real question: should I be shooting in SD? I guess I'll try that for my next video.

Thanks again for your help. Any more suggestions would certainly be welcome.

I have exactly the same problem. My AVCHD footage looks awesome when I view it straight on a HD TV, but sucks when I convert to DVD. I am using FCP 7, Compressor and DVD Studio Pro. Were you able to find any other tips to improve the DVD quality? Thanks.