iDVD = terrible HD quality!

Hi

A. DVD is as standard only SD-Video, there are no HD-DVD (except academic for those few with a Toshiba HD-DVD and special programs to do these HD-DVDs)

B. Using iMovie'08 to 11 makes things even worser as they can not Export over interlaced video to iDVD any known way to my knowledge . at all

• Using iMovie HD6 and FinalCut - fiull interlaced quality can be preserved.

C. "Sharing to iDVD" also reduses quality - Instead do - "Share to Media Browser" and as Large (NOT HD or other resolutions as this too costs in quality)

D. If You persist in wanting HD - then Roxio Toast™ and a Blu-Ray-burner + disks is a possibly way.

(Short movies about 20 min can be burned on standard DVDs - BUT THEY only play in BD-Players - not even in Your Mac - un-less via Roxio-Player)

Yours Bengt W

Yes me too - I love the iMovie HD6 and can not understand the Apple Policy to infringe on their own products. If iMovie'08 to 11 and FinalCut Pro X had been named properly as e.g. iVideo and iVideo Pro. The world would have cheered and not felt this wave of frustration. But there are so much I do not understand.

Still I think this works (Have no such Camera to do a test)

AVCHD

• need of Intel Mac and iMovie’08 or 09 or 11

• or - can be converted to AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) via Voltaic™

Google it and try.

PLEASE - feedback if You make it work - Many more might benefit.

Yours Bengt W - AND A VERY HAPPY NEW 2012 !

You say you want to get your new Canon Vixia into iMovie HD 06. Try this.

Both HDV and AVCHD are converted into AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) when imported into iMovie 09.

HDV can be imported into iMovie HD 06 (also converted into AIC on import ) but the AIC clips can also be imported from an iMovie 09 Event into iMovie HD 06.

So, Import your footage from your new HD camera into iMovie 09 to create an Event. Close iMovie 09.

Open iMovie HD 06 and create new project. Select FILE,IMPORT and select the Imovie 09 Event where you imported your new HD footage. Now select the clips in this 09 Event that you require to import into your HD 06 project.The AIC clips should now be copied from the iMovie 09 Event to your iMovie 06 HD project.

I can verify that this works for HDV imported into iMovie 09 (AIC) then imported onto iMovie 06 (AIC) . As AVCHD is also converted into AIC on import to iMovie 09 this may work.I do not have an AVCHD camera so cannot confirm.

I have both 06 and 09 installed on the same Intel machine so it is easy to import from the Imovie 09 Event to the iMovie 06 project; you may have to make use of an external HDD to do the transfer of clips.

If you can copy the clips from your iMovie 09 Event onto your desktop you may be able to drag them into the shelf of the 06 project directly instead of going through the import process mentioned above??

You seem keen to experiment so good luck.Report back if it works for you.

C. "Sharing to iDVD" also reduces quality - Instead do - "Share to Media Browser" and as Large (NOT HD or other resolutions as this too costs in quality) (this goes for iMovie'08 to 11)

For iMovie HD6 read on.

Do not use Share to iDVD - in any version of iMovie used (even iMovie HD6)

1. Try to import movie directly to iMovie HD6 - not via iMovie'08 to 11 as there is no way to get 100% interlaced video over.

2. When done in iMovie HD6 - Just close it - No Export or No Share - Open iDVD and import the iMovie project (icon with a black star on it - I use to save it (from iMovie HD6) on DeskTop/Finder to be easy to find.

Now iDVD will render it and does this so much better.

Yours Bengt W

If You first imported to iMovie'08 to 11 - then there are no way to save full interlaced video over to iDVD.

If You import interlaced video to iMovie HD6 then import this movie project into iDVD then the loss from Camera to Playback quality of the DVD is near to zero.

Your Mac screen has 5 to 10 (or more) times as high resolution then what You can store on any Video-DVD as they are as standard interlaced SD-Video. So if You record in HD - You never get a DVD that plays on any standard DVD-player in a quality even near this. Then You need Blu-Ray work line.

Yours Bengt W

Bengt

Trying to learn more about iMovie and how it operates.

Does the import of interlaced video into iMovie 09 suffer at the time of import to the Event or the sharing process from the project. I must admit that I thought it was the Sharing /Exporting of the project that removed every other line and that the clips in the event remained 100%. Hence that is why I thought that importing the 09 event clips into 06 delivered 100%.

Hope you can help with your thoughts.

Yes that was the question I put to the forum long time ago and the answer was - degradation occurred during Share/Export.

But then if it's intact on import then Exporting out via QuickTime should be able to keep quality - It doesn't.

But may be if You hack into the iMovie Event's folder and find the imported original movie clips and copy them out to iMovie HD6, quality might still be there. (Be careful not to change or alter anything in this folder as this can give serious problems)

Then movie in - iMovie Project's - There are non - this is a "non destructive" video editor and that mean that in project there is only a script on HOWTO the material in Event's (plus other extra audio/photos etc) are to be viewed on screen and on Export/Share.

So I don't know of any better way that skip the iM'08 to 11 step and from start Import/Capture to the editor where the editing-work will be done. And to me it's iMovie HD6 or FinalCut if result is to be a DVD.

Yours Bengt W

So maestra

the good news is that by importing the 09 clips from the 09 Event into iMovie 06, then no degradation takes place.

As you know you cannot import directly your AVCHD into iMovie 06 so, as I see it, this is the only way you can do it without using some other conversion software.

I carried out some tests myself yesterday.

Imported same HDV footage into both iMovie 09 and 06 (remember both of these can handle HDV, AVCHD cannot be handled directly by 06 ). Both 06 and 09 convert the HDV to AIC on import.

I then imported the AIC clips from the 09 Event into iMovie 06.

I now have 2 sets of iMovie 06 clips, one that was imported directly, the other that was imported firstly into 09 then into 06.

When I compare these 2 sets they appear to be identical. Also when shared and burnt to DVD the quality also looks identical, albeit that it it is in standard def.

This now leaves you with your disappointment with the quality of your burnt DVDs.

For transfering to DVD this is what I do and I get pretty good results, for both 06 and 09.

When I have finished editing and am ready to share I select,

Share -Quicktime,expertsettings......Movie to Quicktime movie

options...video ....settings

compression type =Apple intermediate codec

frame rate = current

compressor preset = HDV 720p (although you started with AVCHD still select HDV 720p )

size select HD 1280x720 16:9

I do not check the box -preserve aspect ratio or deinterlace source video

sound settings...AAC

rate=48000

render setting quality = best

target bit rate =128

When I am experimenting I use DVD- RW discs to avoid wastage.

Also I use Professional quality encoding when burning DVD.

Knowing that you can now get your AVCHD into 06 via 09 without degradation give it a spin.

Do not use Share to iDVD - in any version of iMovie used (even iMovie HD6)

I have tried both ways. I cannot find a difference in quality.

After I share my movie with iDVD 11, I quit iMovie 06. iDVD is the ONLY application running.

I find that I get the best DVD results using iMovie 06 with iDVD 11.

When I am experimenting I use DVD- RW discs to avoid wastage.

I always make a disk image first. After I test the disk image I then burn the DVD with zero risk.

I would recommend Taiyo Yuden DVD+Rs. (I get excellent results using iMovie 06 with iDVD 11.)

http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/taiyo-yuden-8x-dvd-plus-r-media-white-i nkjet-hub-printable-100-pack