Changing the transcoder settings
DVDit Pro’s built-in transcoder lets you use “non-compliant” video and audio in your projects. When you burn a disc or write to DVD volume, disc image or DLT, DVDit Pro transcodes all non-compliant files using the values specified in the Project Settings dialog box.
You can also force DVDit Pro to re-encode DVD-compliant files. You might want to do this if the project contains DVD-compliant files and is too large to fit on a disc; this option lets you re-encode the files at lower bit-rates so that they will fit. However, we do not recommend doing this, as re-encoding degrades the video quality.
To view or change the current transcoder settings:
- Choose File > Project Settings. The Project Settings dialog box appears.
- Click the Transcode tab.
- Change the settings as desired. See Choosing bit-rates for video and audio for help:
- Encode Set: DVDit Pro comes with several sets of predefined transcoder settings. You can choose a predefined set or change the Video and Audio settings yourself.
Video settings:
- Encode Style: To fit a lot of video on the disc without losing too much quality, choose VBR (variable bit-rate). CBR (constant bit-rate) is suitable only for shorter durations.
- Min, Target, and Max Bit-rate: These set the quality level for all non-compliant video (including motion menus).
Audio settings:
- Type: Generally you should choose Dolby Digital, especially if your movies have multiple audio tracks. DVDit Pro’s transcoder creates stereo Dolby audio only.
Select PCM if audio quality is more important than video quality.
- Bit-rate: The normal Dolby stereo bit-rate is 192 kbps; you can choose higher or lower rates depending on the desired sound quality. The PCM audio bit-rate cannot be changed.
- Select the Convert all compliant video and audio files checkbox only if you need to re-encode DVD-compliant files as well as non-compliant files.
Note: DVDit Pro does not re-encode multi-channel Dolby Digital audio even if you select the Convert all compliant video and audio files checkbox.
- Click the OK button.