Apple DVD Studio Pro 4 - Manual (Page 18)

DVD Studio Pro supports HD video encoded using the HD MPEG-2 codec and the H.264
codec. Both of these formats are playable with the Apple DVD Player. You can use
Compressor to encode video to either of these formats. When you import HD resolution
QuickTime video, such as DVCPRO HD video, into DVD Studio Pro, it is HD MPEG-2 encoded
using the integrated MPEG encoder.
Using HDV Assets
The HDV format uses MPEG-2 encoding to store HD video on a standard DV or Mini DV
tape. Two video resolutions supported by the HDV format:
• 1280 x 720 (720p) at 19 Mbps
• 1440 x 1080 (1080i or 1080p) at 25 Mbps (which is anamorphic 16:9)
Imported HDV assets have the video and audio separated into elementary streams (the
HDV format combines the video and audio into a single file), but are not otherwise
processed or converted.
Important: The HD DVD specification does not support all HDV frame rates. See About
HDV Video for more information.
Using H.264 Assets
You can use the H.264 for HD DVD presets included with Compressor to encode several
supported HD and SD video resolutions for use in your HD projects.
The H.264 encoder is twice as efficient as the standard MPEG-2 encoder. When compared
to encoding with MPEG-2, this means that with the H.264 encoder:
• You can use a lower bit rate to get the same quality, resulting in smaller files.
• You can use the same bit rate and get better quality with the same file size.
See About H.264 Video for more information.
Using DVCPRO HD and Uncompressed HD Assets
Another source of HD assets for your HD projects is video encoded with the DVCPRO HD
compression types or uncompressed video. DVCPRO HD video, like DVCPRO SD video,
and uncompressed video cannot be used directly in your DVD Studio Pro projects. You
can import them, however, and DVD Studio Pro will automatically encode them to
compatible HD MPEG-2 assets using the integrated MPEG encoder. You can also encode
them to HD MPEG-2 or H.264 using Compressor or QuickTime.
Note: Using the Animation codec with HD resolution video can significantly reduce your
computer’s performance and should be avoided if possible. An alternative is to use the
Apple Intermediate Codec.
18 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro