Burning .mov file to dvd via IDVD

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Burning .mov file to dvd via IDVD

I created a slide show to music on IMovie. Playing the .mov file through my computer and even projected on a big screen it looks great. But when converting it to a DVD via IDVD, the font on the couple of lines of text that I have coming up with the pictures is pixilated and really horrible. I tried a couple of different burns and always choose best quality but the results remain the same. The dvd created through IDVD is horrible with really badly pixilated edges on the fonts. How can I burn DVD's so that they look as good as they do playing directly from my .mov file so that I can burn copies for others who have requested my music slide show? I am working with a brand new MacBook Pro computer and the IMovie and IDVD programs that came with it, if that helps at all.

iDVD '08

Posted on Jun 1, 2011 1:25 PM

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Answer 1

zyfert

Level 3

610 points

Jun 1, 2011 3:58 PM in response to jvmorton

How did you export the file from iMovie to iDVD?

If you used the direct method (Share > iDVD) then you will get better results by first exporting Share > Media Browser.

The file will be avavilable in iDVD when you click on the Media button at the bottom right corner.

In iDVD Preferences > Projects, change your Encoding to Professional Quality.

And finally in iDVD > Preferences > Advanced, slow your burn speed down to x4.

If you are burning multiple copies, save your project as a Disc Image - File > Save as Disc Image...

Then right click on the Disc Image, select Open with Disk Utility, highlight the image and click on Burn.

You will be prompted to insert a disk and after that, select x4 as your burn speed.

Far more efficient and quicker way of burning multiple copies.

Hope that may be of help.

Z.

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Answer 2

jvmorton Author

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Jun 2, 2011 9:43 AM in response to zyfert

Hi Z,

thank you for the detailed suggestion. I made a .mov file of the IMovie file. Tried a couple of different ways of importing it into IDVD and all copies had pixilated type, especially on the round edges of the letters. So, after getting your suggestion, I opened the IMovie file to try to follow your directions and for some reason, even though the IMovie file is sitting on my desk top as an IMovie file, when I open it, I get a blank IMovie screen as if it is waiting for a new project. Not sure why it just doesnt open back up to my edited version of the project. Any suggestions there? Or suggestions in taking the .mov file of my project and taking that through IDVD to make copies that are not pixilated? Again thanks for your help!

J

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Answer 3

jvmorton Author

Level 1

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Jul 8, 2011 12:52 AM in response to jvmorton

Since I no longer have the I-movie file and only have the .mov file. I cannot follow the directions above in an attempt to burn dvd's of my slide show. I have tried to follow the above directions and still although my original .mov file looks great on the computer, when I go through I-dvd to burn a copy, the type remains very pixilated, especially the rounded portions of the letters. So, how can I take a .mov file and burn it to a dvd so that it will look as clean as the .mov file looks on my Mac Book Pro?

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Answer 4

J Keller

Level 4

2,750 points

Jul 11, 2011 7:33 PM in response to jvmorton

Did you try changing the iDVD preferences to "pro" or "best performance" as suggested? These settings adjust the compression amount, and the so-called "best quality" is for movies longer than 1 hour and can pixilate some fonts (cleaner text results from san serif fonts like Arial).

John

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Answer 5

jvmorton Author

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Jul 11, 2011 10:09 PM in response to jvmorton

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes. I did try going into IDVD preferences and changing it to professional quality and slowing down the burn speed to 4x but still the type is really pixilated, mostly on the round portions of the letters. I just dont understand it. The .mov file on my MAC looks great. but completely unacceptable when burned to a dvd. I heard so many good things about IMovie and IDVD so this poor result really surprises me. So, do you have any other suggestions? I greatly appreciate your help!

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Answer 6

J Keller

Level 4

2,750 points

Jul 11, 2011 10:35 PM in response to jvmorton

The Quicktime video format (.mov) is a container format and the video inside can be in other formats. If you load the .mov into Quicktime Player and look at the movie properties, what does it show for the video track format? and what does it show for the size of the movie (in pixels)?

I'm asking because DVDs must be compressed and formatted in a standard mpeg-2 format. If your video is in H.264 (for example), it already is compressed, but looks great when it is played. To go to DVD, however, iDVD has to uncompress and recompress into mpeg-2, which typically means a loss of quality.

John

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Answer 7

jvmorton Author

Level 1

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Jul 11, 2011 10:57 PM in response to jvmorton

Okay. Loaded the .mov into quick time... here is the info that comes up...

FORMAT: DVCPRO50, 720 x 480 (853 x 480) millions

16-bit integer (Little Endian), Stereo (LR), 4,100kHz

FPS: 29.97

Data Size: 2.13 GB

Date Rate: 58.89 Mbit/s

Current Size: 853 x 480 pixels (Actual)

I believe when I made the slide show in IMovie, I selected HD and a high screen resolution.

Does this info help at all?

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Answer 8

jvmorton Author

Level 1

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Jul 11, 2011 11:10 PM in response to jvmorton

Also, I just noticed that I have another version that I have labeled "1080p.mov".

The specifications on this one say...

Format: H.264, 1920 x 1080, millions AAC 2 channels, 44100Hz

FPS: 29.97

Data Size: 691.4 MB

Data Rate: 19.14 Mbit/s

Current Size: 1280 x 720 pixels

This one appears to be of a higher resolution.

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Answer 9

J Keller

Level 4

2,750 points

Jul 12, 2011 10:25 PM in response to jvmorton

Hi,

The info helps explain what's happening -- the 1080p version is widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) and physically large (1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels tall), and much more compressed than the DVCPRO50 version (the 1080p file is less than half the size even though it's more than twice the screen space). So, iDVD would have a difficult time crushing that down into the standard DVD video dimensions.

The DVCPRO50 version is also widescreen, so you want to be sure your iDVD preference is set to 16:9 aspect ratio (if not, start a new project and re-import).

iDVD also has to crush this version to make it fit the standard 720x480 format, but not as much as the 1080p version. Text can particularly suffer when video dimensions are altered.

Is your iMovie version gone or just won't open?

I'd be inclined to experiment with a copy of the DVCPRO50 version. Try the free MPEG Streamclip to see if it can resize the video to 720x480 before bringing it into a 16:9 iDVD project. Next try using Streamclip to convert the format to DV (DV Stream or .dv) to see if that format change makes iDVD happier.

John

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