workflow suggestions needed- from compressor to blu ray burner

I'm currently exporting my QT/FC sequence from compressor through the H.264 for Blu Ray option.
What next?
Just go directly into an external blu ray burner, or do I need additional software to encode? My tower doesn't have eSATA inputs, so do you have any suggestions on blu-ray burners that go into computer w/ firewire or USB, or is there another type of external adapter available?

One option would be to use Toast with your H.264 file and author the BD from there (and then burn it). Toast can also encode the video file (not sure how the quality compares with that of Compressor).

Final Cut Pro can create a BD using the Share menu (FCP 7) and the current version of Compressor has a BD template. You wouldn't need Toast in these cases.

You can get an external BD drive that connects via FireWire or USB.


-Dave

That's helpful Dave, thank you. Can you suggest any models other than the LaCie 301906U d2 Blu-ray 12x External Drive that supports MAC? I noticed some of the less expensive external drives are only PC supported.

Sam11115 Wrote:
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> That's helpful Dave, thank you. Can you suggest
> any models other than the LaCie 301906U d2 Blu-ray
> 12x External Drive that supports MAC? I noticed
> some of the less expensive external drives are
> only PC supported.

Having been burned by LaCie quality issues in the past, I won't buy anything from them. Besides, LaCie just puts drives into their labeled enclosure (they and other vendors don't make the drives).

Here's a good place to start: Other World Computing.

OWC provides excellent customer support and is recommended by a lot of people here...

I wouldn't go for the cheapest drive-enclosure combo... you'll pay for it...

Depending on your Mac, an internal drive might be a nice addition.


-Dave

Hi Dave- I just ordered the OWC Mercury Pro 10X Blu-Ray+Super-MultiDrive Burner External
Burner (I've had trouble with LaCie products also)- Hopefully I just plug it in- and then i can burn right from Compressor, correct? Or do i need anything else in the middle. I really appreciate the help.

Sam11115 Wrote:
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> Hi Dave- I just ordered the OWC Mercury Pro 10X
> Blu-Ray+Super-MultiDrive Burner External
> Burner (I've had trouble with LaCie products
> also)- Hopefully I just plug it in- and then i can
> burn right from Compressor, correct? Or do i need
> anything else in the middle. I really appreciate
> the help.

I'd look a bit in the product pages at OWC. Or, go to the customer forums, or send them an e-mail. It will probably come with some instructions, as well.

Though, I suspect that you just plug it in via FireWire and it should just work.

Glad to help...


-Dave

Hey Dave (or anyone else out there reading along)-

I'm at an impasse- I seem to have everything plugged in correctly- after I put my sequence into compressor at the H.264 for Blu Ray
settings- the process completes and indicates that a burn was successful. When I tested that out it seems the media hadn't burned onto the disc. When I tried to import into DVD studio pro it said the files weren't compatible- even though I had chosen HD/NTSC in the sequence settings. Obviously, there's a step I'm leaving out?
The dvd that was in the burner seems to have information on it- a BDMV folder and a certificate folder. Any suggestions? I really appreciate the help. Would love to return the favor one day. www.paradoxsmoke.com

Quote
Sam11115
Hey Dave (or anyone else out there reading along)-

I'm at an impasse- I seem to have everything plugged in correctly- after I put my sequence into compressor at the H.264 for Blu Ray
settings- the process completes and indicates that a burn was successful.

Using a "Create Blu-ray" template does what you've described. It transcodes your source file and makes a BD disc, which you should play on a set-top/standalone BD player. It may play with VLC or MPEG Streamclip, but I wouldn't know.

I believe that this template will allow you to burn the BD files to a DVD if they fit (not sure).

Quote
Sam11115
When I tested that out it seems the media hadn't burned onto the disc. When I tried to import into DVD studio pro it said the files weren't compatible- even though I had chosen HD/NTSC in the sequence settings. Obviously, there's a step I'm leaving out?
The dvd that was in the burner seems to have information on it- a BDMV folder and a certificate folder. Any suggestions? I really appreciate the help. Would love to return the favor one day. www.paradoxsmoke.com

The term sequence settings refers to your timeline/sequence in Final Cut Pro. The files created by Compressor above are not compatible with DVD Studio Pro (DVDSP), as DVDSP creates SD DVDs, not BDs.

You can't "author" a BD in DVDSP. You get a simplified BD by directly burning from Compressor onto a DVD or BD.

Toast offers simple authoring of BDs. Adobe Encore is the only (?) "full-featured" environment for creating BDs on Mac OS X.

-----

So,

For a BD:
QuickTime movie file exported from FCP ---> Compressor using "Create Blu-ray" ---> output files and burn to DVD or BD media.
(Most BD players can play BD material on a DVD, as well as BDs.)

For a SD DVD:
QuickTime movie file exported from FCP ---> Compressor using one of the supplied SD DVD presets (or make your own) or use the simplified DVD template ---> output files can go to DVDSP for authoring of a SD DVD.


-Dave

I hear what you're saying, now I won't pull my remaining hair out and spend time figuring out DVDSP.

So the disc I've now got will play on a stand alone blu ray dvd player? I don't have one here at the office but i will test this out.

thanks again, Dave

Sam11115 Wrote:
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> I hear what you're saying, now I won't pull my
> remaining hair out and spend time figuring out
> DVDSP.
>
> So the disc I've now got will play on a stand
> alone blu ray dvd player? I don't have one here at
> the office but i will test this out.
>
> thanks again, Dave

If I understand you correctly, yes, the disc should play on a standalone BD player.


-Dave

Hi Dave-
Well, I tested my dvd in a stand alone burner. Although the running time of my piece registers, nothing plays. After Compressor indicates that the burn is complete- is there a finalizing stage that I'm not doing?
Will get one more swing at this.
thanks.

Sam11115 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Dave-
> Well, I tested my dvd in a stand alone burner.
> Although the running time of my piece registers,
> nothing plays. After Compressor indicates that the
> burn is complete- is there a finalizing stage that
> I'm not doing?
> Will get one more swing at this.
> thanks.

You need to be much more specific about things... I am making wild guesses based on my own thoughts about the "correct way" of doing this...


Are you using BD media? Are you using the "Create Blu-ray" template in Compressor? What kind of device are you using to play back the disc? What is a "stand alone burner" exactly?

This should "just work"... I can't see over your shoulder, nor can I read your mind...



-Dave

Hi Dave- Sorry for the frustration. New terrain- burning blu-rays. The secret is having an in house on hand playback device- the kind but unknowing sales people at the two places i went to to test what i thought i burned were messing with my mind- it turns out that in the theater last night- when we did our tech run thru ( I had regular SD dvd's as a back-up), surprise surprise the blu-rays worked fine. So in the end- the workflow described above worked fine. Thanks for your patience as I tried my best to explain the situation.

Sam11115 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Dave- Sorry for the frustration. New terrain-
> burning blu-rays. The secret is having an in house
> on hand playback device- the kind but unknowing
> sales people at the two places i went to to test
> what i thought i burned were messing with my mind-
> it turns out that in the theater last night- when
> we did our tech run thru ( I had regular SD dvd's
> as a back-up), surprise surprise the blu-rays
> worked fine. So in the end- the workflow described
> above worked fine. Thanks for your patience as I
> tried my best to explain the situation.

Awesome! I'm glad it worked!!!

Yeah, I haven't had to do much BD burning yet. This helps me as much as you, getting me more familiar with the process (so I don't confuse myself down the road). Of course, Apple will release a new version of Final Cut Studio sometime this year, so things may change again...

So, it turns out that I did understand your explanation...


Always glad to help, whenever possible (and hopefully not provide bad advice). Good luck!


-Dave