Burning High Def BluRay - Poor Quality

FatFasha wrote on 3/17/2012, 8:10 PM

I am looking for some help in figuring out the best way to burn the highest quality BluRay video using DVD Architect. I currently have DVD Architect Studio 5.0 (Build 157) and I have tried different techniques to burn a high-def BD but have been disappointed with the results to date. The quality of the video is no better than a DVD and sometimes the interlacing is very noticeable.

My computer specs are as follows:
- Processor: Intel Core i7 CUP 920 @2.67Hz
- RAM: 6.0 GB
- HD (Local Disk): 1 TB, 790 GB Free space
- Operating System - Windows 7 Professional Servide Pack 1, 64-bit operating system

Some other key information:
- The first point is yes, I have my project set to Bluray and not DVD.
- My video is a little over 1 hour long.
- I tried loading in AVCHD videos directly from my Sony camcorder into DVD Architect and it appears that the files are too large for the software to handle because when I try to set the markers, the program always dies ("... has stopped working").
- I primarily use Cyberlink PowerDirector to create my videos and have been using DVD Architect to create the final disks because DVD Architect has much better menu-editing capabilities that PowerDirector. I have created several DVDs using this method and have not had a problem until I decided to try to create BluRay.
- I also downloaded a trial version of Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11.0 to see if I can render the videos into a format that DVD Architect can deal with but when I tried to render the video to a high def format, using a format recommended by the program (e.g. 1920x1080), the program dies ("... has stopped working"). This sometimes occurs after rendering for over an hour.

I already sent an E-mail to Sony a week ago and have not heard back - other than their automated response. I would just like some explicit instructions on how to create high def BluRay discs. Ideally, I would like to be able to edit videos in PowerDirector and then use DVD Architect to create the BD. So I would like to know what format to use to create the video input to DVD Architect. AVCHD seems to kill DVD Architect, and MPEG2 seems to give me poor quality. If the video needs to be created in Vegas Movie Studio, I don't mind learning that tool - and purchasing it - if I can be sure that the video quality will be acceptable.

Does anyone know what video format I should be using to create high quality BD in DVD Architect? Or if my system is not powerful enough, that's OK too - that is information I need to know.

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 3/17/2012, 9:55 PM

To get the best results on a BluRay disc, load your AVCHD video into a Vegas project set up for 1920x1080. Then, when you're done editing, use the Make Movie option to Burn a BluRay Disc with menus.

If you follow the prompts, the program will give you the option to Send To DVD Architect. It will then automatically generate the optimized format for a BluRay and automatically send it over to your BluRay DVD Architect project.

No reason to make it any more complicated than that.

FatFasha wrote on 3/18/2012, 2:24 AM

Thanks for the quick response. I just tried what you suggested for my 45 minute video and when I tried to Make Movie, I got "... program has stopped working". I was able to get past this for a 15 minute clip but I have not tried creating a BD to check out the quality yet. It will be somewhat painful if I have to break down the video into clips but if that is my only solution, then I guess I have to do it that way. Do you think my system is not powerful enough (specs in the original E-mail)?

Steve Grisetti wrote on 3/18/2012, 9:10 AM

Your system is plenty powerful enough.

But it may be cluttered with junk files and such. Have you cleared all the tmp and junk files from your hard drive? Defragged?

You can also try doing a Save As and save your project file to a new, empty folder. This will give it clear space to create the necessary scratch and render files to do the transcoding.

Also, have you ensured that your project is set up with properties that match your source video precisely? As I show you in my books, this is key to creating an optimal workflow.

FatFasha wrote on 3/19/2012, 6:58 PM

OK. I was able to get through the flow by specifying exactly the right format. My problem was that the formats were not quite exactly right. Vegas was set up for 1920x1080x32 and my video was 1920x1080x<something else>. Once I matched the formats it ran fine. I was then able to burn the BD and the quality was pretty good - the colors are a little darker but I can live with that so I think I'm good to go. Thanks for all your help!