Burning a DVD for HD TV presentation

[David White]

I have been trying for weeks to make a DVD of a .pte slide show presentation.

My first attempt, using video builder, produced tiny images of very poor quality. I thought the problem might be because I had set up the menu template wrongly – so I decided to burn an ISO Image from the “File” menu without using it. I then discovered that you can’t burn more than one track on a write only DVD. I therefore bought a re-writable DVD so I didn’t keep wasting DVDs but when I tried to burn it I got the message: “Runtime error – This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way. Please contact the application support team fro more information”. At this point the progamme locks and I have to exit using CTRL-ALT-DEL!!!

Surely it can’t be this difficult to make a DVD.

I have made all the images 1920x1080px and I think I have got all the rest of the show compatible.

I have read (and re-read) the Help file but all it says is

“It is important to note, that ISO image is a special file, which is used to run the project, which you burn on the disc, without this disc.”

Not very helpful!

I have tried to understand how one creates a disc using the Create menu and the template as described on pages 71 et seq. I am sorry to say that most of it is beyond me. For a start I do not understand why I need a template or what its purpose is.

Why can’t I just make a DVD - can someone give me a step-by-step procedure that will simply make a DVD from my .pte file that will give me an HD image on my TV please?

[Lin Evans]

Hi David,

First you need to understand that a "DVD" is of low resolution. There are two major standards - PAL and NTSC. Neither of these are greater than super VGA resolution (800x600).

To make an HD DVD you need to have either an HD burner or a Blueray burner. PTE doesn't burn HD DVD's or Blueray DVD with Video Builder, just regular PAL or NTSC DVD's.

To burn an HD DVD or Bluray DVD you first create an MP4 video at the resolution you want such as 1920 x 1080 then you use software which burns preferably Bluray and a Bluray burner (drive). The other way you can see your shows in high definition on your tv is to play the executable directly via a computer with a video output (video card) which has HDMI output.

There are a number of software packages which can burn HD or Bluray. You normally use Bluray or HD media, but some (Pinnacle Studio 12 for one) can also burn HD or Bluray to standard DVD media, but with reduced capacity of course. Then to play these on your tv in HD you must have a Bluray or HD player.

Hope this clears up some of your confusion.

Best regards,

Lin

[nobeefstu]

DaveOR,

I thought the problem might be because I had set up the menu template wrongly

The Menu Template aspect ratio setting only affects the Menu display (if selected) ... it has no effect on the DVD Video build, aspect ratio, or resoultion. You have the option to use or not to use a Menu when burning your DVD Video to disc by using the Create Menu checkbox.

I then discovered that you can’t burn more than one track on a write only DVD

Burning a DVD Video Disc in VideoBuilder only provides a single-session finalized disc. It does not provide multi-session/not finalized disc functions you may be accustomed to in full build/burn programs. For multi-session burns you need to use your own third party burn software. For multiple shows in VideoBuilder you need to add all your additional projects to the bottom Project Window to be included for the single-session burn.

I have made all the images 1920x1080px and I think I have got all the rest of the show compatible.

You do have the correct size images to produce HD 1080. However the issue here is VideoBuilder does not burn video in HD DVD format 720/1080 @ 50/60 fps to HD or Standard Discs. VideoBuilder currently only burns 480/576 @ 25/30 in Standard DVD format to Standard DVD discs. To create true HD content on DVD ... you need HD equipment and HD discs.

Note:

Some users opt to Create AVI in a video file using HD 1080 format. However you must then export that to be processed in some other third party burn software that can actually produce HD DVD Video to disc.

[David White]

Thanks guys this answers why I have had so many problems!

It looks like the DVD burner I bought was a waste of money!

I also tried the route using my laptop but discovered it didn’t have an HDMI output!

To summarise my new understanding:

1) If I want an HD slide show from DVD I need to buy a Bluray (or HD) Burner which presumably comes with its own software and also a Bluray/HD DVD player.

2) I then produce my slide show at 1920x1080 resolution and create an MP4 video file. However I can’t see how this is done – it doesn’t seem to be mentioned in the Help file or appear on the video builder screen – but maybe I just missed it.

3) I then burn my Bluray/HD disc – presumably with the software that comes with the DVD writer.

4) With any luck I then play it on the Bluray/HD player and all will be well.

I shall probably take this route if it is not too expensive but I have also been considering an alternative.

A company called Climax digital produces a piece of kit called a VGA+audio/YpbPr+audio to HDMI converter which they claim will convert my simple laptop output and give me a genuine HD presentation on my TV. Does anyone have any experience of this as it appears to be a neat and not very expensive option.

Climax digital can be found at

http://www.climaxdigital.co.uk/epages/BT3449.sf

Regards

Dave

[Ken Cox]

if you buy an "up" divx type dvd player and connect it to your hd tv via the hdmi cable -- make the required settings on tv and player, the dvd player will play at 1080i

so if you make an avi - convert it to divx burn it and play it

voila!

ken

[nobeefstu]

Dave,

A company called Climax digital produces a piece of kit called a VGA+audio/YpbPr+audio to HDMI converter which they claim will convert my simple laptop output and give me a genuine HD presentation on my TV. Does anyone have any experience of this as it appears to be a neat and not very expensive option.

Just make sure you closely read all the product specs and details in what its providing. Do the input formats supported meet/convert to your expected HD 1080 output resolution and fps. Some of these gadgets can only provide a HD simulation.

[davegee]

Dave,

Having an HDMI output is not imperative - however it is the best way and gives the ultimate quality.

You could also use the vga output of your computer to connect to a suitably equipped LCD TV (with separate audio lead). You might, however, find that your LCD TV will not perform at full HD when connecting at anything other than HDMI. My TV defaults to 1280x768 when used with a VGA connection.

Ken has also mentioned using sVHS (or was it sVideo?).

If you are making 1920x1080 resolution shows it would benefit you to look into one of these methods rather than pursue the DVD/Bluray route IMHO.

DaveG

[David White]

I am now getting a better idea of what is involved in getting an HD presentation on my Panasonic 50inch plasma TV. The size warrants getting the best definition I can. I have done some research on Bluray and have come to the conclusion that it would be a very expensive option and would also involve a fairly complicated series of conversions to get the best possible picture.

Ken’s suggestion, which involves making an avi, file would also involve getting a divx player and special software and, apart from the expense, would – I am told – only give the best definition if the avi file remained uncompressed. Apparently this would generate enormous files which might be unwieldy.

I am coming to the conclusion that the best solution would be to get a new laptop which will handle the 1920x1080 format and have an HDMI output.

Question: If I produce a normal exe file, assuming all the content is 16x9 aspect, and connect it to my TV via an HDMI interface from an appropriate laptop will I get full HD?

Note: I often insert images with higher definition than is necessary so that I can zoom in without loss of detail – will this be compromised in any way?

Thanks for all your interesting and informative comments.

Dave

North Devon

UK

[Ken Cox]

I am now getting a better idea of what is involved in getting an HD presentation on my Panasonic 50inch plasma TV. The size warrants getting the best definition I can. I have done some research on Bluray and have come to the conclusion that it would be a very expensive option and would also involve a fairly complicated series of conversions to get the best possible picture.

Ken's suggestion, which involves making an avi, file would also involve getting a divx player and special software and, apart from the expense, would – I am told – only give the best definition if the avi file remained uncompressed. Apparently this would generate enormous files which might be unwieldy.

I am coming to the conclusion that the best solution would be to get a new laptop which will handle the 1920x1080 format and have an HDMI output.

Question: If I produce a normal exe file, assuming all the content is 16x9 aspect, and connect it to my TV via an HDMI interface from an appropriate laptop will I get full HD?

Note: I often insert images with higher definition than is necessary so that I can zoom in without loss of detail – will this be compromised in any way?

Thanks for all your interesting and informative comments.

Dave

North Devon

UK

Dave a 2 hr divx movie = +- 700 mb

my samsung 1080i dvd player $70 at wal mart

http://www.samsung.com/ca/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=audiovideo&type=dvdplayers&subtype=hidefconversion&model_cd=DVD-1080P9/XAC

6 ft hdmi cable $20

i think you just want a laptop

ken

[davegee]

Question: If I produce a normal exe file, assuming all the content is 16x9 aspect, and connect it to my TV via an HDMI interface from an appropriate laptop will I get full HD?

Note: I often insert images with higher definition than is necessary so that I can zoom in without loss of detail – will this be compromised in any way?

Thanks for all your interesting and informative comments.

Dave,

If you make your project 1920x1080 (16x9) and your HD TV is also 1920x1080 you will have EXACTLY what you want.

Check that your TV actually is 1920x1080 because smaller TVs (around 26") can sometimes be 1366x768.

If you need to zoom into any of your images at, for instance, 200% you will need images of 3840x2160.

Take special note of the resolution of the new laptop's monitor. If it is 16x10 and a lower res than 1920x1080 then you will not be able to see the monitor screen and the TV at the same time, but it is not a huge problem.

My laptop is 1280x800 and my TV is (at present) 1366x768 - I get no problems using HDMI.

DaveG

[Rickl]

I am now getting a better idea of what is involved in getting an HD presentation on my Panasonic 50inch plasma TV. The size warrants getting the best definition I can.

I am coming to the conclusion that the best solution would be to get a new laptop which will handle the 1920x1080 format and have an HDMI output.

Question: If I produce a normal exe file, assuming all the content is 16x9 aspect, and connect it to my TV via an HDMI interface from an appropriate laptop will I get full HD?

Yes. But I don't think you need 1920X1080 resolution on the laptop screen.

That is what I do with my Dell XPS 1530 laptop. I don't know if the format is indeed HD 'quality' per se, but the image quality on my 37" LCD is stunning. My XPS's resolution is only 1280X800, but to keep to the 3:2 aspect ratio of my camera, I resize my images to 1280X851 pixels. Because the image aspect ration is 3:2 rather than the standard HD 16:9, I set my slide size to 95% to provide a border (black) all around the images regardless of what aspect ratio display the slide show runs. So it looks fine on my 16:10 laptop as well as my 16:9 TV. And now with PTE5.7.x, I can easily attach a 2 pixel white border on each image dressing up the image nicely without extensive PP work.

Hope this helps...

Dick

[mhwarner]

Yes. But I don't think you need 1920X1080 resolution on the laptop screen.

Dick

I would agree with this statement. I have a Dell Inspiron 6400. If I run the laptop by itself and use only its built-in monitor, the maximum resolution is something like 1680x1050. If I plug the laptop into my Samsung SyncMaster 245bw monitor via the standard 15-pin vga monitor output, I am then running on the Samsung at 1920 x 1200. I would expect, based on this article (http://blog.shutterbug.com/davidbrooks/lcd_hd_tv_for_slideshows/), to be able to plug my laptop into my new 42" Samsung HD TV and see my shows at full resolution. Unfortunately, the new HD TV is packed away and waiting for final completion of my new house, so I can't try it.

FWIW, the spec on my laptop monitor are "Liquid Crystal Display 15.4WSXGA+". I assume if you are only running a laptop with standard VGA or SGA resolution, you may not be able to achieve the full HD 1080i resolution. Following is a list of monitor resolution specs I found.

VGA 640 x 480

SVGA 800 x 600

XGA 1024 x 768

SXGA 1280 x 1024 & 1400 x 1050

UXGA 1600 x 1200

WXGA - 1280 X 800

SXGA - 1280 X 1024

WSXGA+ - 1680 X 1050 (this is what I have)

WUXGA - 1920 X 1200

QSXGA - 2560 X 2048

Another solution you might want to try which won't require the purchase of a new laptop is this: http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=681

You can purchase one for about $99 at Amazon and other places and with the cost of an HDMI cable, use any USB flash drive or portable backup drive to display slideshows which you create from PTE as "HD Video for PC and MAC" (this process creates an MPEG4 file). (Note: This device can also use standard "RCA" input cables, so you can also use it with an older TV that doesn't have an HDMI input). That saves you the step of burning to a disc and doesn't require a blueray player. This nice thing about this device is that it will also easily display standard jpg files and play music so you can create a very quick slideshow presentation (without all the nice bells and whistles provided by PTE, of course) just to view your daily shots or show some photos that you haven't had time to put into a proper slideshow. The WDTV device is very small and since I happen to have about 6 or 7 WD passport drives, it's a perfect solution for me until I get my new HDTV set up. I hope this all makes sense.

[davegee]

Dick / Mary,

May I ask with respect if you have compared a connection between your respective laptops and your TVs using firstly HDMI and then VGA?

.....and what were your conclusions?

DaveG

[mhwarner]

Dick / Mary,

May I ask with respect if you have compared a connection between your respective laptops and your TVs using firstly HDMI and then VGA?

.....and what were your conclusions?

DaveG

I don't have an HDMI output on my computer, so I cannot do a comparison.

[Rickl]

Hi DaveG

May I ask with respect if you have compared a connection between your respective laptops and your TVs using firstly HDMI and then VGA?

.....and what were your conclusions?

Never tried that before. The VGA connection is quite good actually. TV is Sony 37" Bravia XBR6, Dell XPS 1530 uses a Nvidia 8400 gs display controller.

I thought VGA was 640X480. The Nvidia control program confirmed that the Sony TV (Second monitor to the Dell) was set to 1920X1080 resolution. So somebody is upsizing... Must be the Nvidia controller? The point is when I ran the slide show via the VGA connection, the image was blown up to the maximum possible... My 3:2 images were sized to 1280X853, and of course the TV was 16:9.

The HDMI connection displayed exactly the same size, but the images were quite a bit sharper and perhaps a little more contrasty... Hard to tell actually. And of course the sound was sent to the TV also.

Lesson is the VGA connection would be quite adequate to show the slideshows... That is not the case with the s-video however... Tried that too while I was at it...

Hope this addresses your question...

Dick

[davegee]

Dick,

With regard to the "contrast" on the Sony - there is a special colour setting for use when you are using HDMI, Input 4 and a Laptop.

Check it out - I think that it will improve matters.

Also, you need to make a show at 16:9 (1920x1080) specially for this application to see true pixel for pixel representation.

That is why I asked if you had tried HDMI - it means sending a 1920x1080 show to a 1920x1080 monitor.

Then, when you have done that compare it with sending the same show via VGA connector?

DaveG

[Rickl]

Dick,

Also, you need to make a show at 16:9 (1920x1080) specially for this application to see true pixel for pixel representation.

That is why I asked if you had tried HDMI - it means sending a 1920x1080 show to a 1920x1080 monitor.

Then, when you have done that compare it with sending the same show via VGA connector?

DaveG

Hi DaveG

No real change on image quality from my last comment. Created 1920X1080 resolution images, and made a short slide show with them. Both VGA and HDMI connections worked fine, filling the HD screen very nicely. The HDMI images were crisper than the VGA ones as expected, but the VGA images were quite presentable and would look perfectly ok if you did not have the HDMI images to compare to.

Dick