Speeding up DVD encoding time in Compressor 4?

Best workflow quality-wise:

If your original source files are, for example, DV, then ingest in DV.

Edit in the DV format.

Export a DV file of the finished edit.

Take that file into Compressor, Toast or iDVD and have it encode the DVD.

Burn the DVD.

As to speed - you'll need to see if it is faster.

There is a long, boring technical reason why editing in mpeg is difficult, but it basically has to do with mpeg treating frames as "groups of frames" and not single elements. This is fine when your hardware creates the file - it's like a conductor loading passengers in subway cars - 1st 8 frames go in car 1, 2nd 8 frames in car 2, 3rd 8 frames in car 3 . . .

But when you trim or edit, you might want to cut at Passenger 3 in car 6 - at which point the conductor orders everybody off the train and starts reloading the cars in groups of 8 passengers from the very beginning again, to insure that there are exactly 8 passengers in every car.

You may ask what happens at the end when there are not enough passengers to fill the last car - the whole car removed from the train and those passengers will be ignored.

mpeg2 has many advantages as it allows for an acceptable image in a very compressed file size, but is more challenging to edit.

MtD

talldave68 wrote:

Okay thanks for the reply, that is actually a pretty good way to explain i! Am I right that if there was no edits, a dvd would encode quicker using an mpeg 2 file as source?

Don't know, never have used this workflow. Maybe someone else can answer.

I presume I used an mpeg 2 file and just cropped the last 2 minutes off the end it would again need to be re-encoded?

Yes, AFAIK. Make any change and my understanding is that the mpeg GOP (Group Of Pictures) will need to be rebuilt for the file.

My other capture device captures in mp4, so guess I will just import it direct into compressor and do any edits there, as no advantage using mpeg 2 capture.

Using compressor to trim the clips is, I guess, OK. mp4 is a much newer codec the mpeg2 so may be a better solution for your workflow. If I had the option of capturing in mpeg 2 or mp4, I'd choose mp4.

But keep checking back as someone who has more experience with may be able to give better advice.

When I wanted to move years of home DV tapes to DVD, I bought a set top DVD Recorder from Panasonic and just hooked up the camera and went directly to the DVD, pausing the recording to edit out the stuff I didn't want.

Something like this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/620022-REG/Panasonic_DMR_ES18_DMR_ES18_Mul ti_System_Multi_Zone_DVD.html

MtD