What in ur opinon makes a great DVD, in a technological sense

Comments pls....as a famous American distributor company intrested in Indian films will read this topic. Not saying anything more.....

I guess everything that great Hollywood DVDs are:

Superbit anamorphic video made from original negative (like SE7EN) or at least a good interpositive. This in turn should make it unnecessary to use too many filters, noise processing, edge enhancement etc. The original aspect ratio should strictly be preserved.

5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS (not if it comprimises video quality though)
5.1 DD in other Indian languages if applicable (e.g. Asoka, Dil Se)
Director's(etc.) commentary audio track.

If I can get a great presentation of a film like this, I'm willing to forego extras like 'making ofs', 'music releases' etc. Such stuff should be on another disc.

Hi,
Good question. A DVD offers a video version of a film and in some cases supplements as well. I'm not going to talk about supplements except that I do not consider them an asset unless they do not reduce the image and sound quality of the film itself (and they usually do by taking bits away from the main feature).
For me an excellent/reference DVD is a DVD that
- looks like the film master used (as good as possible given
the limitations of the medium compared to 35mm film) and
not like digital video, especially artifact ridden video.
Naturally the better the film master is the better the
DVD can look as well. Excellent DVDs need an excellent
film master to fully use the potential of the format.
- looks good even on the most revealing watching conditions,
such as when projected on a 2-3m screen with a state of
the art CRT or DLP projector. And not only when watched on
low resolution standard TV monitors sitting 7 or more
screen heights away and with suboptimal lighting
conditions (bright room instead of dark room).

Excellent DVDs are rare among Western DVDs and not
(yet) existent among Indian DVDs.
The reason is it costs more than a run of the mill DVD and
you need to know exactly what you are doing during the
mastering stage. Unfortunately many don't want to spend the
money or don't know/care how to get the film look and avoid
the video look.
To get a superior film-like DVD one must
- transfer from original film elements, using digital
component video (HD -> PAL/NTSC or direct to PAL/NTSC)
- use a state of the art telecine that produces sharp
pictures (almost) free of digital artifacts
- use the correct theatrical aspect ratio and 16:9
enhancement for widescreen films.
- master the NTSC DVD with a corrct 2:3 pulldown so correct
progressive film frames can be reconstructed by
progressive DVD players and external video processors that
have inverse 2:3 pulldown implemented. Do not do format
conversion from PAL to NTSC, NTSC to PAL, HD to PAL/NTSC
which compromises the original film frames and introduces
motion artifacts during playback. If you do the film look
is lost and it looks like video, even if everything else
is done optimally.
- color and contrast correct the film digitally for optimal
playback with 8bit video, preferably in the telecine or
on the 10 bit HD master so rounding errors and
recompression artifacts are minimised.
- use a state of the art MPEG encoder and use a high enough
bit rate to handle the enormous detail present in a sharp
transfer. Optimise the compression by carefully tuning the
MPEG-2 parameters to the image content.
- not optimise for small TV screens where some edge enhance-
ment usually looks 'nice', but looks ugly on bigger
screens. People that like the pseudo sharp look can use
their TV sharpness function. Forcing everbody to endure
enhanced edges makes no sense. It also destroys the film
look. Don't use edge enhancement at all. Make a naturally
sharp transfer and use a high bit rate if sharpness is
what you want (and hopefully you do!).
- not reduce sharpness in horizontal or vertical direction
with a low pass filter so a lower bit rate can be used
and there is less flicker on interlaced monitors.
- not apply noise reduction to the transfer since it
inevitably leaves a trail of artifacts behind that again
destroys the film look. If the film master is too noisy
use a better master. If none is available encode at the
highest bit rate. Use high quality digital restoration
methods if film defects are too annoying otherwise, but
not a real time general purpose noise reducer. Be aware
that edge enhancement and noise reduction is often per
default built into and active in telecines and MPEG
encoders alike and may actually be active while you are
not aware of it. In some brands/models you can't turn it
off, EVEN IF YOU WANT TO! In that case ask for software/
hardware updates and insist on the possibility to turn
it off. This situation is wide spread and affects top
films like "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" which has some
excessive edge enhancement. But Fox plays dumb and denies
they applied any. A simple look at the picture proves them
wrong. Scary.
- Concerning sound quality use again the best sound masters
available. Use the high bit rate Dolby Digital or DTS.
Don't generate pseudo 5 channel mixes from mono sources
and don't reduce the dynamics of the master. Instead map
the loudest sound of the audio master to 0DB so the full
digital resolution is used and no bits wasted.

If you do all of this you will get a DVD that looks and
sounds remarkably like the film master, film-like, natural,
including the masters artifacts (speckles, scratches, grain,
out of focus shots etc.). If you want to get rid of the
film masters artifacts use a better master or CAREFULLY
apply digital methods that do not add any new (visible)
artifacts.
Such a DVD looks better than bad HD-TV. Actually most non
experts will think it is HD-TV when watching it with high-
end equipment. It looks great! Only good HD will clearly
show the still existing limitations of such a DVD (except
for good 35mm prints, of course).

cheers
Michel Hafner
http://www.imdb.com

If money is tight than the most I expect is :
1) Good PICTURE (anamorphic and in original aspect ratio)
2) Good sound (orignal theatre sound or enhanced sound(5.1DD or DTS) that makes an improvement to original)
3) decent chapters(45) and song selection menu (sinlge track, multi track, all or repeat)

thats the minimum

I agree with Michael 100%.
Michael has given a simple and detailed explanation of the important DOs ant DON’Ts for making DVDs. It amounts to FREE CONSULTATION. Indian DVD makers, better make use of this free consultation.

I just want to re-emphasize one of Michael’s point and add one non-technical wish:

1) Master the NTSC DVD with a corrct 2:3 pulldown so correct
progressive film frames can be reconstructed by
progressive DVD players and external video processors that
have inverse 2:3 pulldown implemented. Do not do format
conversion from PAL to NTSC, NTSC to PAL, HD to PAL/NTSC
which compromises the original film frames and introduces
motion artifacts during playback. If you do the film look
is lost and it looks like video, even if everything else
is done optimally.


2) Don’t compromise on bit rate so as to fit the main feature on to one side of one disc only. We are willing to flip or change disc in the middle of a movie. For example, for a three-hour film and one hour of extras, two dual layer discs should be used. Of the 4 layers available, 3 layers should be used for the main feature and the fourth layer for the extras. Bit space should not be compromised so as to include extras.

Rana

Thanks for your comments guys, just got word from the American company who have listened to your advice, and found them really useful. They will keep cheaking this topic over the next couple of days so if anyone else has any comments now is the time.

And if this American company is contemplating a DVD of an Indian movie, be sure to include a separate song menu. I think Michael pretty much covered it. The main things, to me, are to keep the bitrate high enough, using 2 dual layered discs or a DVD-18 if needed, avoid filtering out the highest details, do not use ANY edge enhancement whatsoever, and don't use DVNR excessively.

Guys some excellent info here in these posts. One question for
Mhafner,if you have to pick top 5 American DVD's what will be your choices?,for me Criterion issues of Armageddon,The Rock,Robocop,DeadRingers and New lines platinum release of Seven make the grade. Also, For me Criterions CAV LD's of Dr.No, From Russia with love,Goldfinger & Halloween still look amazing and sound better than DVD releases. For me personally Lasers with Dolby Digital & DTS sound better than DVD's.

I still consider Indian DVD's to be in their infancy stage and until some of the companies put their act together and put greed aside it will be a long time before we will see anything decent. Columbia's release of Lagaan although lacking somewhat in video quality is step in a right direction & it appears it will a company like Columbia to release a decent indian DVD which will be a slap on the faces of companies like DEI & YRF which still have to learn ABC of putting out a quality DVD.


lakeshore



Edited By lakeshore on Feb. 12 2002 at 02:17

I think the most important part of dvd making is that the actual source used should be the best to preserve the film on dvd. This automatically reduces the option of using edge enhancement and noise reduction greatly. Nevertheless high bit rate should be used. I don't care about "making ofs" and chapter stops for songs actually.

Also I think DEi shoould read this topic since they are remastering a lot of old films and they are guilty of this:

I quote from michel hafner
. Use high quality digital restoration
methods if film defects are too annoying otherwise, but
not a real time general purpose noise reducer. Be aware
that edge enhancement and noise reduction is often per
default built into and active in telecines and MPEG
encoders alike and may actually be active while you are
not aware of it.

I have not yet seen a DVD that fully uses the possibility
of the format. But some come close.
Some excellent DVDs:
- Tarzan (Disney Animation)
- Dracula (Superbit version) (other superbits seem to be
excellent as well, have not yet seen them)
- Toy Story 1+2 (despite non optimal compression)
- The Pledge (WB)
- Shakespeare in Love (PAL)
Michel Hafner