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Premiere Pro and DVD authoring question
  • I'm working on a project where roughly seven video HD streams (both 720pand 1020p) are going to be rendered down onto a DVD (720x480). Thing is, when I do test renders from Premiere Pro (CS5) to check the quality, it takes a phenomenally long time. For example, a four-minute excerpt takes about two to three hours. The final product is roughly 2 hours long, so I'm looking at a looong render time.

    I'd like to know any strategies for shortening this process. Would it be best to simply import the sequence into Encore,. and let Encore handle the DVD rendering? Or, should I use Premier Pro to export the video to an MPEG-2 file, and important that as an Encore asset?

    (Also, if anyone has an FAQ on how to adjust render quality in Encore, send me the link. I've never been able to figure out anything beyond the basic bitrate setting.)

  • 4 Replies sorted by
  • With the scenario you suggest, my concern would be you may get a few days into your render and it crashes. Everything would be lost.

    Perhaps render out segments in DVD MPEG-2 codec or master of Premiere (MP4 or other, such as Avid DNxHD 10-bit on PC or ProRes (HQ) on Mac?) and add them into Encore timeline, then build and burn to DVD?

    My main comment is the issue of crashing with such a long render time. I am not sure how CS5 functions. Does it have GPU acceleration preferences option when rendering from Premiere, as opposed to CPU? If so, it can make a big difference. Not sure if this is a feature in CS5 and the Mercury engine development.

    Others will likely have better knowledge and advice for you. Good luck.

  • "a four-minute excerpt takes about two to three hours" What kind of computer is used?

  • I'm not the most experienced person at doing this, but I've some ... and I would second the notion of rendering out sections (chapters?) that you then would join in Encore as you build your dvd project. You should just use a preset (I think CS5 has them) for dvd (mpeg2) exporting from PrPro. I wouldn't mess with the options. Then after your project is assembled/built in Encore, let it determine proper bitrate.

    Now ... four minutes of footage taking THAT long is a concern ... yea, what sort of machine are you working on? And what's the effects that have been done to the footage? And are you requesting a high bit-rate? Remember, a two-hour dvd does not have a particularly high bitrate available ...

  • I've been revising my plans, and everything's under control now. My original plan involved using full HD footage (1920x1080) and reframing many shots within the 720x480 window. That's a combination that eats up processor cycles like crazy.

    Instead, I'm using 1280x720 footage, and framing only a few shots. That's a render and I can probably do in a single, long pass. (I'll do it in two, as it's a stage play, with an intermission I can use as the split point.)