DVD Quality - how do you present options?

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DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby sasha123 » Sat Jun 16, 2012 7:19 am

Hello again, looking for more thoughts from those of you using ProShow for business. If youa re selling "DVD Slideshows" (ie for birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, etc) - do many of you give DVD as an output option - or just BluRay? In my mind I was set on DVD for a few reasons, but now having done a few - to be totally honest, I am not 100% thrilled about the quality that results using the "DVD" publish option. I have played with settings but I think due to the technology, it's just not going to look nice on today's TVs. Yet, not everyone has a BluRay player. I hate the thought of someone watching the DVD and thinking it's me that made a less-than-stellar show... any thoughts or how do you present it to clients?

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby gpsmikey » Sat Jun 16, 2012 8:29 am

Unfortunately, you have uncovered a very complex issue - standard DVD is limited (by definition) to 720*480 for NTSC (Never The Same Color :lol: ). When you play a SD DVD and show it on a big screen TV, it has to be converted from the SD format to the HD format of the TV. Depending on how things are hooked up, that "upsampling" can happen in the DVD player (if it is connected to the tv with the HDMI connections) or in the TV if it is connected via the standard composite jacks. The results of that conversion can range from terrible to very good and I was never able to find much in the way of documentation on the various players as to which did a better job. I can't answer the rest of your question, but it is important to understand that the same DVD played on different configurations can have a wide range of viewing experiences. I have a Sony BD player in the living room connected to the 60" Samsung via the HDMI cables and have found that SD DVD's I have made look very good on the TV. You do have to have good images to start with - any softness/focus issues in the images will show up even more on the big screen (it's amazing how many people will take a little snapshot they have from 30 years ago, scan it then not be happy when the image on the TV does not look good although it looked OK on their editing monitor).

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby DickK » Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:22 pm

In my opinion you're probably overestimating the "quality" issue for your customers -- you're probably worrying a lot more about it than many (most?) of them will. There are going to many of them that will see absolutely nothing wrong with DVD quality shows. A DVD show can only look as good as the DVD format will let it but when the choice is DVD show or nothing I don't think you'll get many complaints.
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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby martinsta » Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:38 pm

On the other hand: the DVD is almost dead!
In 5 years from now we can't get/buy a DVD anymore (Sony said)
Blu-Ray has never had a life.

We should focus on other information carriers like USB-stick and not to forget "the cloud".
Send the file through WeTransfer to the customer.
Let him/her choose which carrier to use to store the show.

Martin

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby BarbaraC » Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:19 pm

Martin, what the devil is "the cloud"? :shock:

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby VernonRobinson » Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:58 pm

A fancy way of saying a hard drive that is operated by someone else that you access via the internet. Relieves you of the maintanence headache of maintaining the hardware. Since it is on the internet you can have easier access from more places.

-Vernon

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby gpsmikey » Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:04 pm

Around here, we get mostly rain from the clouds :-)

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby BarbaraC » Tue Jun 26, 2012 4:07 am

Vernon, is that the name--"cloud"--for backup services such as Carbonite?

Mikey, it's pretty much the same at this end of the country, though the variety and consequences of those clouds are quite astonishing.

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby martinsta » Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:38 pm

There is always sunshine behind the clouds!!! ha ha ha

Think about services like Dropbox (www dot dropbox dot com)
I'm not affiliated with them. Just a happy user.
But there are many other suppliers that deliver storage space.
Shows drop your show in "the Cloud" and it can be downloaded by customers whenever they want and wherever they are.

About DVD.
Don't forget that a DVD has a life cycle of 5 - 10 years.
After that they become unreadable.
I tell all my customers to make a copy of the content of the DVD on their hard-disk.
A DVD is just a carrier with a short life. Nothing more and nothing less.
The digital content can be stored on any other information carrier like USB-stick, hard-disk, memory-card, etc

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby BarbaraC » Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:52 pm

Martin, nothing is safe from disaster, not disks, not drives, not servers, and certainly not us. It's a conspiracy.

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby martinsta » Wed Jun 27, 2012 1:11 pm

You're absolutely right Barbara: nothing is safe and everything will last some day.
Whats new today will be old tomorrow.
That's why I have my service company for conversion older material to newer and help people understand the new things they bought: "how do I get my film from my camera to watch it on TV????"

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby sasha123 » Fri Jun 29, 2012 7:39 pm

Hmmm, lots of good input and thoughts here - thank you all! I have used Dropbox, and also WeTransfer; like them both! However, although I am just starting this business, I do like the idea of offering a 'keepsake DVD' that they can have in their hands with a nice case, etc... having said that, I also love the flash drive idea - and it is just as portable. Slightly higher in cost, though, unless the client provides it... lots of food for thought. I have not yet messed around with burning to BluRay but mostly because so far, no clients have had a player :)

Cheers, and Happy Canada Day weekend to any of you from up here :)
Sasha

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby martinsta » Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:14 am

Hi sasha,

I'm in business for 10 years now converting video and audio to DVD and other carriers.
Strange but true: not even 1 request for blu-ray!
So far it's mainly DVD. But more and more people have stronger computers and want to edit their video.
Which means I make more and more AVI and MOV files.
Which will be "burned" on hard-disk.

Like I said before: forget Blu-ray.
It was dead before it came alive!

Take Care,
Martin

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby greyhoundx » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:10 pm

FYI - you can buy archival quality DVDs and CDs (not sure about Blu-ray yet). Memorex used to make them, a little pricey but properly stored they can last up to 70 years ! The major factor is the gold layer that doesn't oxidize and the quality of the chemicals, etc. in the disk. Just Google archival DVD and you'll see they're out there, like from Verbatim. Providing those gives your customers a little more sense of security in the product, nice to have as an option.

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Re: DVD Quality - how do you present options?

Postby martinsta » Sun Jul 08, 2012 3:16 am

You want a DVD that lives for eternity?
Try the M-disc!
http://millenniata.com/m-disc/

Only 18% errors after 10,000 years
WOW.
Wonder if we still have a recorder to play them?

But if you're looking for real good quality DVDs that doesn't have the problem of all others it's a good alternative.
You will be safe for the all the years that you will live.

Take Care,

Martin

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