My final DVD is very pixelated

moviebluedog wrote on 4/17/2003, 9:05 PM
I recently dowloaded Vegas 4.0 & DVD-A. I've been very happy with Vegas 3.0, but DVD-A is causing me headaches.

When I went to render a DVD on my Sony VAIO with the latest DVD-drive, the final DVD is very pixelated (lots of blocks in the image and digital noise, etc). The video contains rotoscoping (psuedo-animation) from Photoshop with lots of color. I shot the project as live action on a Sony VX2000 DV camcorder. That footage is *okay*, but it is also pixelated, especially around the subtitles.

I've tried setting different preferences with the highest bitrate, video quality, progressive scan, 24p, 16x9 etc., but I end up with the same poor quality DVDs. I've viewed the DVDs on an HD-ready t.v. and a standard t.v. with virtually the same results.

I also have Sony's Click to DVD that came with the VAIO. It is a bare bones program, but the DVDs I rendered through that program are near perfect with very little or no pixelation.

Has anyone else had this pixelation problem through DVD-A? Thanks.

Comments

Zorro2 wrote on 4/17/2003, 10:47 PM
It sounds to me that you may be pushing the bitrate envelope too far - what rate did you encode at? Is it different from the bitrate 'Click to DVD' used? What equipment are you playing these disks on?
moviebluedog wrote on 4/18/2003, 6:11 PM
<It sounds to me that you may be pushing the bitrate envelope too far - what rate did you encode at?

I encoded at the highest bitrate--9.800. In "Click to DVD," I haven't found anything that refers to the actual bitrate. In that program, I checkmark "High" quality.

<What equipment are you playing these disks on?

I'm playing these on a cheap Sony NS400D, which doesn't like almost any disc I put in. I also have a GO Video deck which doesn't have the best video quality, but at least it plays almost all DVDs I place in it. But I did play it on the DVD burner on my VAIO and the picture quality is marginal--I'm not getting a true representation of the picture, anyway.

I played a copy of the DVD (burned through Click To DVD) on my dad's Sony DVD changer and Panasonic HDTV--WOW! Perfect picture and sound (non of the Dolby Digital compression). So something's going on the DVD-A software, at least in my opinion. Maybe it's the bitrate. I'll try a lower bitrate.

Thanks.
Zorro2 wrote on 4/20/2003, 6:07 PM
I encoded at the highest bitrate--9.800.

Try a bit-rate of 6000 - I don't think the problem is the DVD-A software but rather the rate at which you encoded. Even at 6000 the picture will still be wonderful and will probably play on cheaper players with less ability to buffer.