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3 Choose an average bit rate using the Average Bit Rate slider or field or click the Automatic
button.
Choose an appropriate bit rate based on the content and length of your source video
and the intended size (in bytes) of your output file. In DVD authoring, the entire video
must fit on the DVD disc—the lower the bit rate, the more data you can store. However,
the higher the bit rate, the better the image quality will be.
As you change the Average Bit Rate value (with the slider or the field), the bit-rate
calculator at the bottom of the Quality tab dynamically shows the maximum number of
minutes of video on a DVD-5. The calculator assumes 1.5 Mbps for audio (two-channel
AIFF).
See the table below for some average bit rates and corresponding footage times for a
4.7 GB DVD.
4 If available, use the Maximum Bit Rate slider or field to set a maximum bit rate.
Because SD DVD players support peak bit rates of up to 10.08 Mbps for video plus audio,
you should set the maximum video bit rate between 8.0 and 8.5 Mbps if you are using a
1.5 Mbps (two-channel AIFF) audio track.
Note: For best results, make sure the maximum bit rate is at least 1 Mbps higher than
the average setting. Larger differences can produce better results.
5 Choose one of the following settings from the Motion Estimation pop-up menu:
Good: The fastest motion estimation setting—sufficient when there is relatively low
motion between frames
Better: A good general-purpose motion estimation setting—provides very good results
even in the presence of complex interlaced motion
Best: The highest quality setting to handle the most demanding and complex motion
for interlaced sources—somewhat slower than the Better mode
See Quality Tab for more information.
The following table shows some average bit rates and corresponding footage times for
a 4.7 GB DVD:
Approximate duration for 4.7 GB DVD
Average bit rate
1
121 minutes3.5 Mbps
94 minutes5.0 Mbps
82 minutes6.0 Mbps
68 minutes7.5 Mbps
65 minutes8.0 Mbps
1 For a DVD clip with video, audio, and subpictures: assumes 1.5 Mbps for audio (two-channel AIFF).
215Chapter 18 Creating MPEG-2 Output Files