Pixelated DVD files, but sharp when played through ProShow

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Pixelated DVD files, but sharp when played through ProShow

Postby nikitangel » Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:31 am

Hello - I've been using ProShow Gold (6.0.3410) for about a month now, and I love it! But I am running into problems trying to publish my work to DVD for clients. The resulting DVD is pixelated (somewhat for the slideshow itself, and heavily for the menu - we're talking 1990s-graphics level). But when I choose the option to include the PC Executable when publishing, *that* version is wonderfully sharp. These are on the same disc! So that leads me to believe the problem is in the encoding or rendering, not the burning. But I can't tell clients to only use the ProShow app ...

Possibly Helpful Details:
- I am using Windows 7, with Core i7 processor
- I am watching the DVD on the same laptop I am creating it with
- I have already tried selecting 'Update DVD/Blu-Ray/CD support' from the Help menu, and it says no updates are available.
- I am burning to Verbatim DataLifePlus 4.7GB DVD+R discs, 1x-8x (only "Max" or 8x speed is an option when burning).
- When I publish to AVI instead of straight to DVD, the video is not pixelated (Unfortunately, I tried just using Windows DVD Maker with that file instead of publishing within ProShow, but a DVD Maker bug with 16:9 aspect ratio makes this a bad solution).

Thanks for any help or suggestions you all can offer!

.
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Re: Pixelated DVD files, but sharp when played through ProSh

Postby gpsmikey » Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:28 pm

There are a couple of things to keep in mind here - a DVD is encoded to mpeg2 format while the .exe is actually a wrapper of sorts for the px stream that you find if you upload to the sharing site for example. In the .px stream, the images etc. are stored sort of like a zip file for lack of a better description and then played with the pxplayer - the end result is the pxplayer can play back on the computer in whatever resolution the computer supports and what you had it set for, while the DVD on the other hand is limited to 720*480 (for NTSC - PAL is something similar) by the definition of the DVD format. That would explain why the .exe and DVD video could be so different watching. As far as viewing the DVD, there are a number of things that can affect just how you view it and you did not indicate just what path you were using - it is not unusual for a DVD viewed on a computer to look pixelated (at least when I have watched them on mine). How the signal gets from a DVD player to the TV is also variable and can seriously impact how you see it. If I create a DVD (NTSC) and play it on my Sony BD player (standard DVD, not BD) the player is connected via the HDMI cable to the 60 inch TV. The image looks very good (the dvd player is handling "up-rezing" the image for the TV and it looks great). On the other hand, if I run it from a standard DVD player to the TV using the standard cables (RCA jacks), the pictures looks pretty pixelated. The bottom line is that different configurations can drastically impact how your DVD is viewed. Try viewing it using the same path (hardware) as a commercial DVD that you have - how does the image on the TV compare to a commercial one?

[edit] as for burning, I would suggest using the method many of us (including me) use - instead of burning direct to the dvd, burn to an ISO file (in the pulldown menu where you select your burner, ISO file creation is one option), then use the free Imgburn utility to actually burn the DVD. It works very well, allows you to select the burn speed as well as verify (re-read it after burning and check for errors) and it is FREE !! (be careful navigating the website though - it is easy to download some of the other advertised stuff there. http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download


mikey
You can't have too many gadgets or too much disk space !!
mikey (PSP6, Photoshop CS6, Vegas Pro 14, Acid 7, BluffTitler, Nikon D300s, D810)
Lots of PIC and Arduino microprocessor stuff too !!

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Re: Pixelated DVD files, but sharp when played through ProSh

Postby nikitangel » Sun Jun 08, 2014 3:47 am

Thank you for the reply, mikey! I will experiment as you have suggested.

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Re: Pixelated DVD files, but sharp when played through ProSh

Postby Knight Diver » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:06 am

There is a setting button (can't remember the exact label, maybe "settings") on the dialog box where you select DVD for output. On the settings page you can select bit rate. The default is too low, in my opinion, for a clear slideshow, especially during the transition from one slide to the next. I usually set that number to 8.5Mb/s, which is high for a DVD but well within the specification. Try that. I found the same thing as you did until I found that setting and upped it.

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