Member Avatar for phaedrusGhost

I used iDVD to create a DVD with menu that is perfect for the job.

Thing is, I can't seem to get a high res finished product.

I saved this as professional quality but the TS outcome lost some major quality.

I can't view it on a 1900 X 1640 res screen without it pixelating. I then tried to convert the project file through Roxio's Toast but it just isn't doing it.

I might consider to pay someone to simply create a high quality DVD out of my dvdproject file. I really can't afford to burn up anymore time with this.

Really appreciate any and all help regarding this issue...

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Good points from and — the visible pixelation is a consequence of how the project is being re‑encoded and the final delivery format. Practical paths forward are fairly limited: either preserve and deliver the original HD master (or an HD authoring format), or accept a standard‑definition DVD and take steps to make that SD encode as clean as possible.

If true HD playback is required, export a full‑resolution master from the editing app (an H.264/MP4 or a QuickTime ProRes file) rather than letting iDVD re-encode. Use Toast or dedicated authoring software to create an AVCHD or Blu‑ray disc, or simply put the exported HD file on a data DVD/USB stick so players read the native file. Test the resulting disc/file on the target player first, because player support for AVCHD-from‑DVD and file playback varies.

If a traditional DVD with menus is mandatory, minimize losses by pre-encoding: create a high‑quality MPEG‑2 master from the HD source with a good encoder (Compressor, Adobe Media Encoder or ffmpeg) at a generous bitrate, then author the disc using those pre‑encoded VOB files so the authoring app does minimal re‑encoding. Disable any automatic “fit‑to‑disc” or SmartFit options that force bitrate reduction — that preserves the best possible SD picture.

Quick checklist: confirm the original clip resolution and codec; make a short test encode and view it at the target screen size; try an AVCHD test on the actual player; if short on time, deliver the HD master on USB or use a pro authoring service. When requesting deeper help, including the Toast/iDVD version and a screenshot of burn settings makes diagnosis much faster.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

I don't know what the source resolution was, but remember that DVD's are mpeg2 encoded, and limited to 720x480 (US/NTSC) or 720x525 (Europe/PAL). In any case, you aren't providing enough information to tell you why it has lost quality. IE, if you have a HD source (1920x1080) and encode it for DVD, then you are losing a LOT of resolution. The difference is between 2M pixels (HD) and 350K pixels (DVD). IE, you lose about 5/6 of the data. What encoder you use to transcode from HD to mpeg2 makes a lot of difference. A good one will interpolate the data to give the best results possible - ffmpeg is great for this. I don't know what iDVD uses to transcode into an mpeg2 DVD format, but that is likely the cause of your issue.

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