Musicvid10,

Yes, I will keep my colors range between 16-235. However I was not sure about the color space rendering parameter. So I keep "Default" option.
Thanks.

Piotr

Yeah, just stay off that page of advanced settings. It's as it should be for DVD authoring.
You wiil want to adjust your bitrate to fit disc space.

Things I change in default template "DVD Architect PAL video stream":
VIDEO TAB:
1. Field order - prograssive (becouse my footage is progressive).
2. Two passes rendering - ON.
3. Variable bitrate (Max. 8,5; Avg: 7,0; Min: 0,192 Mbps).
I've drecreased Max. bitrate to aviod problems on cheaper DVD players. However I produce max. 30 min. videos, so there is plenty of space unused.

ADVANCED TAB
No changes

AUDIO TAB
Disabled

SYSTEM TAB
Save as separate elementary streams - ON

PROJECT TAB
Video rendering quality - BEST
Color space - DEFAULT

For audio - I use Dolby Digital AC3-Pro
I make no changes in this settings. I keep 192 Kbps bitrate.

The video files you present to DVDA should be interlaced LFF. Usually presented as separate video and AC3 audio streams/files.

Render from your timeline using Mainconcept MPEG2 and select the default template and use as is. Then move to Dolby Digital AC3 Pro and render the audio file.

LFF for DVD is not a given. All of my set-top recorders have been UFF, and the output should ideally match the source. Your DVD player doesn't care one way or the other.

I always thought that progressive mode is also possible. I have 25p footage. Do I have to convert it to 50i?

The DVD allowable specs are posted on Wikipedia.

You should just render it so it is flagged 50i, resampling off.

If your source was DV, then it should be interlaced LFF. Many, if not most, other formats are UFF. You should encode it at the same field order as the source. Since the original footage is progressive, it can be either UFF or LFF when encoding MPEG2 for DVD.

Also, since your videos are all under 30 minutes, VBR is completely unnecessary in your case, just encode CBR at 8,000,000 bps. This will provide maximum video quality.

My source is a footage from EX1r - 1920x1080 25p. Then I downsize it to SD - 720x576 25p. I tested the DVD-Video 25p on a few DVD players and PCs and it worked correctly. However in Wikipedia it is said that DVD standard for PAL is 50i.
Then why Vegas offers 25p template?? Strange...

Does DVDA re-render the 25p file to 50i or is the resulting DVD truly 25p?

It keeps oryginal video. Rendering DVD in DVDA takes just a few seconds.
In DVDA in "Disc properties" "frame rate" value is 25. "Progressive value" is set to "no" and it is grayed (can't change it).

That's fine . It's being flagged 25i SD, same thing as 50i HD.
Its also not re-encoding, which is the best possible situation.
Dvd playback should be good. Confidence is high.

Uff... I thought I was doing it wrong.
So reassuming - if I want to render DVD correctly from 1920x1080 25p footage - I should downconvert it to SD keeping 25p.
Then after authoring with 25p video, the DVD player will display image as interlaced (25i). It means it will "split" every frame on the fly and will display upper and lower lines of every frame. Am I right?

No, its not necessarily "resplitting" it, afaik that depends on what's playing it.
What is happening is its FLAGGED as being compliant so it plays on virtually anything.
Same thing as 24p soft telecine, which is most movies on DVD.
You're better off searching the internet to complete the learning curve. In the meantime, burn some dvds and try not to overthink.

OK. I will try not to overthink ;)
I've been looking for a good training DVD which would explain the theory of professional DVD rendering and authoring + showing some examples. In the internet I've found ofcourse many training videos. Unfortunately most of them done by the enthusiasts of Vegas Pro and they rather do not explain why they choose such rendering settings.

Do you know any good training DVD that would explain deeply this problem?

The authoring process that you achieve with products made by SCS is designed to be automatic and painless. YOU PETER100 are fretting over this just a bit too much. You should definitely stay out of the tweaking area- because in the end you will create inferior products.

On the other hand if you want to learn how-to author the big products like DOSTUDIO or Scenarist, these products are far from your reach, and in the end - the training is passed down from journeymen to apprentice, just as in any trade.

Stick with the forum here, and just read all the posts in the DVDArchitect subforum.

Despite that spanking you just received, everyone's learning style is valid and welcomed here.
This is one field where the set of instructions evaporates when you begin your very next project.
I encourage you to make lots of mistakes, good mistakes (those are the ones you learn from).
Wanting to know all the principles and nuances up front fosters a lengthier learning process.
A more efficient learning process (for all software, really) is to learn the one thing you need to know at the time, then return to the task. Save the reading for bedtime.

Most people use the stock DVD architect templates, match their dvd project, adjust the bitrate for best fit, and render. A couple of RW discs will save you from burning a lot of coasters while you're in testing mode.

Look up Knowledgebase article 84 on this website, and purposely adopt a kinesthetic (hands-on) learning strategy, and you'll become one of the best in due time. I promise.

Well, it is good sometimes to know, "why" not just "how". The old rule crafts says: If you do not learn a bit of theory, you will not be better than your teacher.
Thanks for your help :)

If someone has doubts similar to mine, here is quite good tutorial concerning the issue:

https://www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/dvd-architect-studio-50/532-how-to-render-video-dvd-bluray-menus-sony-vegas-pro

Yeah, my best math students know its often more productive to master the "how" first; then sleep on the "why." Waiting for those revelations can take up a lot of time that would be better spent producing something, even if it's less than perfect. Better to adapt to that model before it becomes a matter of survival.

In addition to what you find on the internet, our own forum regular Steve Grisetti has written books on every piece of Sony software, available on Amazon.

The Vasst series of DVD training was one of the most complete and appropriate to DVDArchitect users. It just scratched the surface of the potential of DVDArchitect. And most other training in release will be the same approach. Sony Webinars found on this site in archived form are still yet another good tool for seeing the potential.

I've found a program: MPEG Validator. It is no longer being developed, and it is freeware, so I don't know whether it does fully the job. Anyway, it analyzes mpeg files (* vob from DVD) for compliance with the ISO standard.
http://www.oocities.org/gabrielgoc/

I've analized a 25p DVD Video. The program concluded that it is incompatible with the standard. According to the analyze, it is OK that file is marked as interlace, but the fact that the film does not have "Upper field first" was marked as "Fail".

Note: If the aspect of the analyzed video is 16: 9, you need to change the MPEGReference.ini - Change 'aspectRatio value to 3 ('aspectRatio = 3').

PS. I do not know how much you can trust this validator. I've analyzed a few "branded" DVD videos. In each there was some inconsistency.

Compliance with ISO is no indicator of compatibility with DVD Architect.
For that you would refer to Knowledgebase article 84, as mentioned.