TM
STD-03-0001-ENG
Preparing Files for DVDit!
DVDit! has specific requirements for the video, audio and graphics files you can use. This document
describes these requirements, and gives advice on creating suitable video, images, and buttons.
Preparing Video, Audio and Graphics
Video and Audio
You can create video files from a wide variety of sources, including video captured from analog
video tapes and cameras, digital video cameras, video editing applications, and even some graphics
applications. These sources let you save files in various formats, including MPEG, AVI, and
QuickTime. DVDit! accepts all these formats, providing they meet certain requirements; see the
relevant sections of this document for the required parameters.
DVDit! supports WAVE, MPEG-1 Layer II, and Dolby Digital audio files. Again, DVDit! requires the
files to meet certain requirements, such as audio sample rate and bit-depth; see the relevant
sections for these parameters.
Codecs
In most AVI and QuickTime files (and some WAVE audio files), the video and/or audio are
compressed to save space. To use a compressed file, you need to have the appropriate codec
( co der/ dec oder software) installed on your PC. Video and audio files produced by different
applications require different codecs; if DVDit! cannot create thumbnails, or play the video files, or
build a DVD from a project containing AVI or QuickTime files, you either do not have the correct
codecs for the files you are using, or the video is compressed with an unsupported codec (for
example, DVDit! does not support DivX-encoded video).
SONIC
™
Preparing Files for DVDit! 1
To see which codecs are installed on your PC:
1. Click the Windows Start button and choose Control Panel .
2. Open the Multimedia panel and click the Devices tab.
3. Expand the list of Video Compression Codecs or Audio Compression Codecs to see which ones
are installed.
Codecs supported by DVDit! include:
AVI video: Intel Indeo Real Time Video 2.1
Intel Indeo 3.1, 3.2
Intel Indeo Video Interactive 4.1, 5.1
Microsoft RLE
Cinepak
Photo JPEG
Editable JPEG
VDOWave (VDOLive)
ClearVideo (Real Video)
H.261
H.263
Graphics
QuickTime video: DV types 1 and 2
Sorensen Video
Cinepak
Indeo 3.2
Intel Indeo Video Interactive 4
Apple Video
Apple None
Apple Animation
Apple YUV
Photo JPEG
MJPEG-A
MJPEG-B
You can use your own images for backgrounds, buttons, and stills. Create the images using any
graphics application that can save files in one of the supported formats (see “Supported File
Formats” on page 18 of the User Manual for details).
Note : NTSC televisions have problems displaying certain colors. Most graphics applications can
make your artwork “NTSC-safe” by adjusting the colors automatically; see your graphics
application manual for details. This problem does not occur on PAL televisions.
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Video/Image Sizes
Your video and images must use the following sizes:
Aspect ratio 4:3
File type NTSC PAL
MPEG-1 352
MPEG-2
(see Notes)
AVI and QuickTime video Any size
Images for menu backgrounds Any size. 640
Images for stills Any size. 720
×
240 352
720
×
480
704
×
480
352
×
480
352
×
240 (must have progressive
sequencing turned on)
720
×
480 recommended for video
with rectangular pixels
720
×
540 recommended for video
with square pixels
×
480 recommended Any size. 640
×
540 recommended Any size. 720
Aspect ratio 16:9
File type NTSC PAL
MPEG-2 (must be flagged as
anamorphic)
720
704
×
×
480
480
×
288
720
×
576
704
×
576
352
×
576
352
×
288
Any size
720
×
576 recommended for video
with rectangular pixels
720
×
540 recommended for video
with square pixels
×
480 recommended
×
540 recommended
720
×
576
704
×
576
AVI and QuickTime video
(see Notes)
Images for menu backgrounds
(all menus are displayed in 4:3
format)
Images for stills Any size. 960
Any size
960
×
480 recommended for video
with rectangular pixels
960
×
540 recommended for video
with square pixels
720
×
480 recommended for
anamorphic video
Any size. 640
×
480 recommended Any size. 640
×
540 recommended Any size. 960
Any size
960
×
576 recommended for video
with rectangular pixels
960
×
540 recommended for video
with square pixels
720
×
576 recommended for
anamorphic video
×
480 recommended
×
540 recommended
Notes
MPEG-2 video at 352
The best image size for menu backgrounds is 640
monitor. If you use an image of a different size, DVDit! scales it to 640
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×
240 and 352
×
288 must not use the interlaced SIF format.
×
480 because that is the size of the video
×
480, which can cause
distortion and loss of quality. When you build the output, DVDit! expands the menu image to the
correct size, such as 720
When creating AVI or QuickTime video for widescreen projects, if your video editing application lets
you create anamorphic 16:9 video, please do so. This gives the best results.
When you use a non-MPEG video or image file in a project, DVDit! forces it to fit the TV screen size
and aspect ratio by stretching, squeezing, and/or cropping. If you want to use a tall, thin picture or
a short, wide picture, add borders to the picture in your graphics application so that the final image
has the correct dimensions.
The DVD specification requires all MPEG video files in a project to be the same resolution. If a
project contains MPEG files with different resolutions, you will get an error when you try to create
a DVD.
Recommended Button Sizes
Buttons should be large enough to be easily visible to the viewer. We recommend that you make
your buttons at least 72
in DVDit! without loss of quality, but if you make a small button much larger, you lose resolution.
×
480 for NTSC.
×
60 pixels, or 300
×
80 for larger buttons. You can scale a button smaller
Creating irregularly shaped buttons
Adobe Photoshop lets you create files with background transparency. You can therefore create nonrectangular buttons, even buttons with holes in them. Photoshop also uses layers to separate parts
of an image; you can use these layers to create multiple buttons in the same file, with one button
in each layer.
To use Photoshop to create buttons:
1. Create a new Photoshop document. In the New dialog, click the Transparent radio button:
This creates a document with no background.
2. Create the artwork for a single button in Layer 1.
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3. To create another button, add a new layer, then create the new button in the new layer. You
can create as many layers and buttons as you like. You can also name each layer, using any
name you like:
These names will appear
in DVDit!’s Palette
window when you import
the file
4. Save the file in Photoshop format and import it into DVDit!
When you import the file, each layer appears as a separate button in the Palette window.
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Video and Audio Parameters
MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group)
MPEG is a set of international standards for compressed video and audio. The DVD video format
uses a subset of the MPEG standards, permitting only specific images resolutions, frame rates,
aspect ratios, etc. DVDit! supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video files, but you cannot mix the two in
a single project. DVDit! also supports MPEG-1 Layer II audio, which it converts to PCM or Dolby
Digital audio when you create a disc.
DVD-compliant MPEG files can contain:
•A single stream of either video or audio (an “elementary stream”), or
• One MPEG-1/MPEG-2 video stream and one MPEG-1 Layer II audio stream (a “program
stream”)
DVDit! supports both elementary and program streams.
Use the following parameters when creating MPEG video and audio files.
MPEG-1 video:
Maximum GOP size:
(see “What is a GOP?” on page 7 for
more information)
Frame rate:
Aspect ratio:
Bit-rate:
Filename extension:
18 frames (NTSC)
15 frames (PAL)
29.97 Hz (NTSC)
25 Hz (PAL)
4:3
1.15 – 1.856 Mbps
.m1p, .m1v, .mp1, .mpg, .mpeg, .mpv
MPEG-2 video:
Maximum GOP size:
(see “What is a GOP?” on page 7 for
more information)
36 fields/18 frames (NTSC)
30 fields/15 frames (PAL)
Some encoders generate MPEG-2 streams with variable GOP sizes. DVDit!
supports these streams, providing the GOP size does not exceed the above
limits.
Frame rate:
Aspect ratio:
Bit-rate:
Constant bit-rate (CBR) or
variable bit-rate (VBR)
Filename extension:
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29.97 Hz (NTSC)
25 Hz (PAL)
4:3 or 16:9 anamorphic
2.0 – 8.0/9.4 Mbps
If you use PCM audio in a project, the maximum video bit-rate is 8.0 Mbps.
If you use Dolby Digital, the maximum is 9.4 Mbps.
.m2p, .m2v, .mp2, .mpg, .mpeg, .mpv
MPEG-1 Layer II audio:
Sample rate:
Sample size:
Number of channels:
(front/rear)
Filename extension:
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
16 bits/sample
2/0 (stereo)
When you use MPEG-1 audio in a project, DVDit! converts it to 48 kHz
PCM or Dolby Digital audio, depending on the project settings.
.abs, .mpa
What is a GOP?
An MPEG video stream consists of a succession of GOPs (group of pictures). Each GOP starts with
one complete video frame (called an I-picture or I-frame), which is only moderately compressed. The
following frames (called P-pictures and B-pictures) contain only information that is different from
the I-picture, and are therefore much more highly compressed. Larger GOP sizes help to compress
the video more, because there are fewer I-pictures per second of video.
Because the I-picture is the only complete image in a GOP, it is the only frame where you can insert
a chapter point or pause the video.
The DVD specification requires a sequence header before each GOP (the sequence header contains
information about the MPEG stream, such as aspect ratio, GOP size and bit-rate). DVDit! does not
support MPEG streams without sequence headers. Check your encoder’s settings to ensure that it
creates sequence headers before you encode MPEG files for DVDit!
AVI (Audio Visual Interleave)
AVI is the most common format for compressed and uncompressed video and audio on the PC. An
AVI file can contain one video stream and multiple concurrent audio streams. DVDit! supports AVI
files containing one video stream and one optional audio stream in WAVE format only. See “WAVE
Audio” on page 8 for the audio parameters.
QuickTime
QuickTime is another popular format for compressed and uncompressed video and audio. (You can
get the latest version of QuickTime Player from Apple’s web site: http://www.apple.com/
quicktime/.)
A QuickTime file can contain multiple layers of video tracks and multiple layers of audio tracks. It
can also have multiple video or audio tracks appended to one another within the same layer. DVDit!
supports QuickTime files with one video layer (containing one or more video tracks joined end-toend) and one optional audio layer in WAVE format only. See “WAVE Audio” on page 8 for the audio
parameters.
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WAVE Audio
WAVE (Windows audio) files contain either uncompressed PCM audio or compressed audio. When
you use WAVE audio in a project, DVDit! converts it to 48 kHz PCM audio or Dolby Digital audio,
depending on the project settings. DVDit! supports any WAVE file with the following parameters:
1
Sample rate:
Sample size:
Number of audio streams:
Number of channels:
Filename extension:
Dolby Digital Audio
Dolby Digital is a highly compressed audio format that provides quality comparable to
uncompressed PCM audio at much lower bit-rates, in addition to other useful features.
DVDit! supports any Dolby Digital file with the following parameters:
Sample rate:
Sample size:
Number of channels:
(front/rear)
Bit-rate:
48 kHz
16 bits/sample
2 (stereo)
.wav
48 kHz
16 bits/sample
2/0 (stereo)
128 – 256 kbps
Filename extension:
.ac3
If your project contains any Dolby Digital audio, DVDit! will convert all other audio to Dolby Digital
when you create the DVD.
For more information about Dolby Digital, go to the Dolby Laboratories web site: http://
www.dolby.com.
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Graphics Parameters
Windows Bitmap
This Microsoft-created file format can contain an uncompressed or RLE (run-length-encoding)
compressed image. DVDit! supports Windows bitmaps with the following parameters:
Bit depth:
Color mode:
Filename extension:
OS/2 Bitmap
This format is used on IBM’s OS/2 platform and is similar to the Windows bitmap format. DVDit!
supports OS/2 bitmaps with the following parameters:
Bit depth:
Color mode:
Filename extension:
JPEG
JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) is a lossy compressed graphics format that works well with
photographs but causes “blockiness” and other artifacts in the image, especially with higher levels
of compression. DVDit! supports JPEGs with the following parameters:
1, 4, 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits per pixel uncompressed
1, 4, or 8 bits per pixel RLE compressed
RGB, indexed, grayscale, and monochrome
.bmp, .rle
1, 4, 8, 16, or 24 bits per pixel uncompressed
1, 4, or 8 bits per pixel RLE compressed
RGB, indexed, grayscale, and monochrome
.bmp, .rle
Bit depth:
Color mode:
Filename extension:
Grayscale: 8 bits per pixel
Color: 24 and 32 bits per pixel
RGB, grayscale and CMYK
.jpg, .jpeg
Macintosh PICT
This format is popular on the Macintosh platform. DVDit! supports PICTs with the following
parameters:
Bit depth:
Color mode:
Filename extension:
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1, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32 bits per pixel
RGB, indexed, grayscale and monochrome
.pct, .pic, .pict
Photoshop
This is the native format produced by Adobe Photoshop. Files can contain unlimited layers and have
background transparency, so you can create multiple irregularly shaped buttons in a single file, with
each button residing in a separate layer. DVDit! supports Photoshop files with the following
parameters:
Bit depth: 24 bits per pixel
Color mode: RGB (8 bits per channel only)
Filename extension: .psd
PNG (portable network graphic)
The PNG format is used for lossless compression and display of graphics for the web. DVDit!
supports PNG files with the following parameters:
Bit depth: 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32 bits per pixel
Color mode: RGB, indexed, grayscale, and monochrome
Filename extension: .png
Note : PNG files can use an alpha channel for transparency effects. However, DVDit! ignores the
alpha channel, so you cannot create irregularly shaped buttons using PNG graphics.
TIFF (tagged image file format)
TIFF is a very flexible format used to exchange files between computer applications and platforms.
Virtually all desktop scanners can produce TIFF images. DVDit! supports TIFF files with the
following parameters:
Bit depth: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 24, and 32 bits per pixel
Color mode: RGB, CMYK, Lab, indexed, grayscale, and monochrome
LZW compression: Not supported
Filename extension: .tif, .tiff
Targa
Truevision Targa (TGA) is a format created by Truevision Inc. DVDit! supports TGA files with the
following parameters:
Bit depth: 8, 16, 24, and 32 bits per pixel
Color mode: RGB, indexed, grayscale, and monochrome
Filename extension: .tga, .vda, .icb, .vst
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