burning HD final cut pro projects to dvd

Question

burning HD final cut pro projects to dvd

I have found that when I finally finish a project in Final Cut Pro X (version 10.3.4) and then burn it to a DVD, the quality really suffers. The steps I'm going thru are:

1 - create a master file in Final Cut Pro X (and the quality of the Quick Time movie is close, but less than what I see in the viewer while editing the raw footage)

2 - pull that into Roxio Toast* (I use the High Definition DVD-video setting)

3 - burn the DVD using my Apple USB SuperDrive

I thought perhaps using a BluRay disc would make a difference, but have discovered that the Apple DVD burner would not burn BluRay. Are there other burner brands that can burn BluRay and are compatible with my Apple computer? If so, would it make a difference to burn in Blu Ray?

Is there something else I should be doing? Using YouTube as an option is not practical because 1) the quality is compromised (and the length of my final project, consisting of several final cut projects added to the DVD authoring software, are usually about 50 minutes total), and 2) I want to be able to put my project into a format that I can physically take with me or mail to share with family and friends on their TVs and that reflect the HD quality.

Also, I plan to upgrade to a 4K video camera and wonder if I'll have the same issue. Does anyone know if Apple plans to offer a means to burn in that format in the future?

*As an aside the limitations on the DVD authoring with this product are disappointing (lack of ability to change fonts in the menu and no way to add sound along with the menu)

Any suggestions on this topic will be greatly appreciated!

Final Cut Pro X, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Nov 18, 2017 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

Alchroma

Level 7

23,809 points

Nov 18, 2017 5:48 PM in response to MJMFinalCutUser

Your Mac superdrive DVD burner cannot burn Bluray as you have found out.

You can make an AVCHD disc using the superdrive like this:

Select the Bluray Share option.

Then the AVCHD option in the settings window:

This will give you a short HD disc (about 20 mins) BUT, will require a Bluray compatible player to view it.

Regards the other questions.

Yes can buy external Bluray burners.

To view on a Mac you need to purchase a third party player.

iDVD will work with El Capitan, Sierra but not High Sierra.

iDVD is very customisable as in fonts etc.

Al

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Answer 2

Nov 19, 2017 1:46 AM in response to MJMFinalCutUser

DVD is standard definition and will always look poor in a 4K tv, nothing you can do about that.

You could make AVCHD discs as suggested (but that will be limited by the disc capacity and a single DVD disc will not hold 50minutes of HD video).

Perhaps a better option is to export a master file, selecting “Computer” under settings to make an HD file in mp4 container that is playable almost anywhere. You can mail them in a usb thumb drive that can be inserted in the usb port of an HD tv and played directly from there.

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Answer 3

Nov 27, 2017 3:41 PM in response to Alchroma

Al, apologies for the delay in responding to your suggestion. I'm not sure this is going to solve my issue, but if not I may purchase another DVD writer that can handle BluRay.

With regards to the DVD authoring, unfortunately Apple no longer sells iDVD and my computer did not come installed with it. It's funny that Roxio hasn't improved their product as their is definitely a need for something better!

Thanks for your help!

Michelle

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Answer 4

Nov 27, 2017 4:09 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Luis, Thank you for your suggestion. I was able to export the master file and create it in mp4 format. I played it on another computer (HP) and the quality appears to be good. Unfortunately, when I plugged the thumb drive into my Smart TV (Sony 4K), it cannot read the video because it is in Quick Time. Do you know if there is a way to convert the Quick Time mp4 into a format that Android based TV's can read? I have a bad feeling that is not possible. I love the Final Cut Pro editing capabilities, but it seems like there are lots of issues in terms of its output compatibility for anything that is not Apple. It's becoming very frustrating for me.

Thanks again!

Michelle

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Answer 5

Nov 28, 2017 12:10 AM in response to MJMFinalCutUser

Check the manual for your TV concerning the formats it supports, but I'm convinced that if you do the following it will play:

File->Share->Master File

then click Settings; choose Computer. This produces an .mp4 file with H264 codec.

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Answer 6

Nov 29, 2017 2:08 PM in response to Alchroma

OK, The Sony manual did not provide any information with regards to USB formatting, so I went ahead and called their support line and they were extremely helpful. The tech remote added the VLC app to the TV and we were able to view both versions of my test video footage -- mov and mp4. The video was much clearer than on the DVD I produced. Thanks to both you and Luis Sequeira1 for sticking with me on this!

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Answer 7

Nov 29, 2017 3:57 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

OK, The Sony manual did not provide any information with regards to USB formatting, so I went ahead and called their support line and they were extremely helpful. The tech remote added the VLC app to the TV and we were able to view both versions of my test video footage -- mov and mp4. The video was much clearer than on the DVD I produced. Thanks to both you and Alchroma for sticking with me on this!

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