You're not going to get HD quality if you're producing a standard definition DVD, so give up on that dream. ;-) That said, it should still be pretty decent so long as 1) you're using that DVD Architect video stream template and 2) DVDA isn't re-compressing the files (check the File > Optimize DVD dialog). What don't you like about the end product? Is it blocky, grainy, blurry...?

One thing you might try is enabling two-pass encoding in Vegas. That will help Vegas better understand where it should be using bits and where it can save some.

Also, how do the movie people fit two movies on a disc and they are both crystal clear?

Gobs and gobs of money. No, seriously.

The "movie people" start out highly paid cinematographers that use expensive cameras, which gives them high quality source footage. And after that footage is edited, it is encoded by highly paid techs that use expensive software and hardware to make the best use of the bits available.

Both of these factors together allow them to output, as you say, crystal clear video even at bitrates lower than most of us would think of using.

Also, almost all commercial DVDs are on dual-layered discs, whereas you are probably using single layer discs. Dual-layer means being able to a higher bitrate if you have to.

Although, I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say "two movies on a disc"? Who's putting two movies on a disc? Only DVDs like that I can think of are the economy collections of, like, old movies, in which case the image quality isn't that great to begin with, so they usually don't worry about maintaining any.

Rob

Thanks for the replies.

I know that HDV to DVD is a big step down. I also use Dual layer. I also understand their cameras are up in the $100k range.

That being said, it just isn't the clearest picture, even for DVD.

For instance, a 1 hour indie production shot in 1080P rendered as 24p DVD Architecture at 9,500 bit-rate with 24 bit sound, Render best quality. It just seems not to be even up to DVD standards. Again, I understand it is not HD anymore. I still have not moved to the Blue-Ray disc yet.

As for two movie on a disc, I just watched from Netflix, "Journey to the Center of the Earth". I did not care for the movie, but the picture was great on the Widescreen and the Standard.

The only thing I think they could be doing is using the same movie with a script that can make it Standard or Wide. So perhaps it is one movie with script to interpret it both ways.

"I know that HDV to DVD is a big step down. I also use Dual layer. I also understand their cameras are up in the $100k range."

The thing that doesn't get mentioned as much is the MPEG-2 encoder. The Mainconcept encoder is quite good. However, for Vegas+DVDA to encode at commercial DVD quality natively, its purchase cost would certainly be over $2,500.

Perhaps they will include a better encoder with Vegas 9 whenever that comes out. Thanks for the response.

First, I am a "newbie" to the world of video/DVD -- for the most part, have done a few youtube uploads via Windows Movie Maker -- stepping up to Vegas 9 Platinum is a big leap forward . . . and I like it.

My current project is to create a 16:9 Widescreen DVD using just photos. (I have over 7 years of sunsets photos). I started by formatting all the shots to a 16:9 aspect, then jumped into Vegas 9 to learn and do. The finished Vegas movie is quite good. I have made full use of 3-D transitions and every shot is panned. It runs over an hour and is just a bit over 3 gig when rendered.

But . . . the final DVD does not have the clarity or "brightness" of either the Vegas preview screen or the rendered .mpg file.

The DVD is "darker" -- as if the colors are over saturated -- the pastel quality and the lighter shades all seem to be getting lost -- and there is a "graininess" that is not evident when viewing the .mpg in Windows at full screen.

I am not computer illiterate, but surely have a learning curve ahead of me regards codecs, compressions, formats, etc. -- but I will learn . . . I am pleased enough with the results so far to be planning future shoots around ultimate DVD presentations.

I would appreciate any advice as to the appropriate project settings in Vegas for the original project, the appropriate rendering settings when "making the movie" -- then when I get it into DVD Architect 5 -- the project settings for the DVD, and the prepare settings for the burn.

I had hoped that starting with everything at 16:9 would make creating a widescreen DVD a bit simpler . . . I am sure it is just my inexperience that has made it a bit more complex. I have rendered the audio as a separate project and then import it into the DVD -- that seems to be working out just fine. Its the color quality that has me stumped.

Thanks.