Video Handbook 2015

2015
Video Handbook
version 2.2.0

DVD Video vs DVD-ROM
2
2015 Video Handbook
Matt Stephens | Production Project Manager | ELT | Cambridge University Press 2
Introduction
2
This 2015 handbook has been designed as a thorough update to the 2012 DVD Handbook and also something
of an expansion, adding in whole new chapters on file size, video quality and a thorough description of the
program Handbrake, which can be used to compress video in order to make it compatible with the various
video inclusive produce such as eBooks we create.
The handbook will be updated periodically as the business needs require either with new content
and chapters or by expanding on existing content. Suggestions and requests for inclusion can be sent to
mstephens@cambridge.org
The 2015 handbook
The Quantel Digital Fact Book, which remains the definitive guide in the field of digital video. It’s a free
resource and the latest edition is a searchable web-based version.
http://digitalfactbook.tv
Alternatively a PDF of the 2008 version can be found here:
ELT PC Share/OPERATIONS TEAM/PRODUCTION UNIT/STAFF FOLDERS/Matt/Documents/Video/PDF/
Quantel Digital Fact Book.pdf

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2015 Video Handbook
Introduction 2
Video Basics
Video Standards 5
Aspect Ratios (Introduction) 6
DVD
DVD Video vs DVD-ROM 8
Region Encoding 9
Copy Protection 10
DVD Disc Capacity 11
DVD Authoring (Introduction) 13
DVD Navigation 15
DVD Copyright 17
DVD Menu Creation 18

Size and Working Area 18
Anamorphic Compression 18
Safe Area 19
Fonts 19
Broadcast Safe 20
Buttons and Sub Pics 20
Menu Button Navigation 21
DVD Video Chaptering 23
DVD Testing 24
DVD Final Assets 25
Outputs: Introduction 25
DVD-R 25
Table of Contents
3
DDP as a successor to DLT 25
DDP Format and Structure 26
Outputs in CAMS 26
DDP 26
UDF 26
Burning a disc from a DDP 27
Source Files: Introduction 28
Source Files in relation to DVD 28
High-Definition Source Files 29
Delivery of Source Files 30
Source Files out of scope 30
Source Files in CAMS 31
Subtitles
Subtitles: Introduction 32
Anti Aliasing 33
Timecode 34
Subtitle Formatting 35
Spruce Technologies Subtitle (STL) 36
Header 36
Indivdual Subtitles 37
Subtitles for other product types 39
VTT Subtitles for Presenation Plus 39
Timecode conversion 41
Resources 41
Digtial Video
Digtal Video (Introduction) 42
Video Codecs 44
A new video standard 44
LaserDisc/Analogue 44
VCD/MPEG-1 44
DVD/MPEG-2 45
H.264/MPEG-4 45

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Video Compression 46
Frame Rate 46
GOP Pattern 46
Picture Size 47
Data Rate 47
Bitrate Calculating 48

How to estimate video file size 48
Video quality 49
Sample video specifactions 50
Handbrake
Handbrake (Introduction) 51
What is Handbrake? 51
Upgadring to the latest version 51
Handbrake: Main Interface 52
Source 53
From DVD-Video 53
Single file 53
Video 54
Audio 55
Subtitles and Chapters 56
Picture Settings 56

Handbrake Presets 57
The 5 presets 57
Settings for other aspect ratios 58

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Video Standards
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There is no one set of video specifications used across the world. For various reasons, different countries
have amended and adapted a set of similar but very different standards.
A system called PAL is used in UK, Europe, Africa, South America the East and Australia. An alternative system,
NTSC, is used in the USA, Canada and Japan. Finally SECAM is used in France and the remaining territories
(though this is now being phased out).
Prior to the introduction of Plasma/LCD/LED televisions, TVs were constructed around a cathode ray tube
(CRT) and displayed a picture that was made up from a series of horizontal lines. A PAL signal is comprised of
625 lines, whereas NTSC only contains 525, leading to historic assumptions that NTSC was of a lesser quality
(though in reality video quality is determined by a great number of factors, not least of all the quality of the
source material, and not so easily labelled in terms of ‘best’ and ‘worst’).
NTSC equipment is traditionally limited by generally not being able to play a PAL or SECAM signal (whereas
PAL can, as a rule, play NTSC). Although then, whilst PAL is the dominant video standard in the world in terms
of number of televisions/territories that use PAL, ironically it makes more sense to adopt NTSC, as NTSC TV
sets will be able to natively play NTSC and PAL TV sets can easily convert an NTSC signal.
An example of this reasoning can be seen with music DVDs which are very often sold in the UK despite
being an NTSC picture (often consumers would not even realise).
NTSC PAL or PAL/SECAM SECAM
All DVDs produced by Cambridge University Press should therefore be in the NTSC television standard to
ensure maximum global compatibility. It is important to note that this needs to be specified to suppliers at
the start of a project as whilst modern video equipment can be easily converted to film in either standard,
once video has been shot, converting one video standard to another can be expensive.

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Aspect Ratios: Introduction
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Aspect Ratio refers not to the size of a video image, but rather to it’s proportions. At its most basic, it’s an
expression of width vs height with both represented as a number separated by a colon. A picture that is
completely square would therefore be 1:1 and a picture that is twice as wide as it is tall would be 2:1. Video
can be produced in any number of aspect ratios (most commonly seen at the cinema where films come in
many different aspect ratios). For our purposes however, we will limit the discussion to two only.
4:3 is the original aspect ratio and as old as the history
of cinema itself. 4:3 is something of an incorrect
term as the actual proportions are 1.37:1 as officially
approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences (who annually host the Oscar awards) and
this ratio is known in the industry as Academy.
This aspect ratio was for many years the standard
used on television sets and therefore it is a very
common, though now somewhat dated ratio. Archive
footage will often be in this ratio.
Driven by the desire of fans to see films as they were
shown in the cinema, rather than cropped at the
edges to fit a 4:3 television, a change began in the
late 1980s.
Videos began to be released in new ‘widescreen’
formats with black bars added to the top and bottom
of the picture in order to achieve the desired effect (a
process known as letterboxing).
As widescreen became more popular, television
manufacturers looked to change the shape of
television screens to match this new content. As
discussed above, there is no single standard for
aspect ratios: 2.4:1, 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 1.66:1 are all
common cinema sizes (the curtains hide this by not
opening the same amount for every film).
A compromise was reached by creating a new
standard of 16:9 which would accommodate many
of the smaller widescreen sizes without problems
(though larger sizes would still require black bars at
the top and bottom of the screen.
All video produced for Cambridge University Press should be shot/rendered at 16:9 ratio as standard.

2015 Video Handbook
1.85:1 Flat
Letterbox
1.33:1
Academy Standard 4.3
16:9 Widescreen
Letterbox
2.35:1 Scope
Letterbox
4.3 Aspect ratios
1.33:1 is the standard that was
used in early feature films and
was the standard in television
throughout the 20th century.
16:9 Letterbox presents a 16:9
picture in the 4:3 frame by
using black bars to mask the top
and bottom of the picture.
1.85:1 Flat is the standard
aspect ratio for many feature
films. Again, this is masked to
fit the 4.3 frame.
2:35:1 Cinemascope is the wider
cinema format for many feature
films. Again, this is masked to
fit the 4.3 frame.
As the image is smaller than the
widescreen frame, black bars need to
be added to the edge to‘pillarbox’the
image. As the image is not resized, no
quality loss should occur.
16:9 Widescreen
Pillarbox
1.85:1 Flat 2.35:1 Scope
16:9 Widescreen 1.85:1 Flat
Widescreen
2.35:1 Scope
Widescreen
As the image was already set to the
correct aspect ratio removing the bars
and zooming the picture will fit a 16:9
frame. As the image is zoomed, some
quality loss will occur
As the image was already set to a wide aspect ratio the amount it needs
to be zoomed is reduced. As the image was wider than 16:9 some black bars at
the top and bottom will be necessary.
As the image is zoomed, some quality loss will occur
DVD only supports a 4:3 aspect ratio, however, by compressing a 16:9 image
horizontally, the entire image can fit into the necessary shape. The DVD player
then expands out this image to fit a 16:9 television. The advantage of this process is
to allow the entirety of the 4:3 frame to be used with the minimum of black bar
letterboxing. video presented in this manner is said to be“anamorphically enhanced”,
or“enhanced for 16:9”.
16:9 Anamorphic
Widescreen
16:9 Widescreen
16:9 Widescreen 1.85:1 Flat
Widescreen
2.35:1 Scope
Widescreen
No conversion necessary As the image was already set to a wide aspect ratio the amount it needs
to be resized is reduced. As the image was wider than 16:9 some black bars at
the top and bottom will be necessary.
As the image is shrunk, no quality loss should occur
Widescreen Aspect ratios
DVD video has a 4:3 picture aspect ratio, the same proportions as pre-widescreen televisions. One way
of creating an image that is wider would be to add black bars to the top and bottom of the frame. However
would mean that the video is not making full use of the frame (the black bars are essentially dead space). A
more effective way to achieve a 16:9 ratio is to anamorphically enhance the image. Simply put, the image is
squashed horizontally, making it appear quite tall and thin. This allows an image to be stored that is wider
than the frame it’s set in. During playback by a DVD player the image is then stretched back out to the 16:9
widescreen format, restoring the image to its correct proportions and removing the distortion. None of this
process will be visible to the end user.
All DVDs shall use a widescreen picture that has been enhanced for widescreen televisions. As the source
footage may have been created in a number of different aspect ratios, the chart below demonstrates how
these will translate into one single picture size.

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DVD, or Digital Versatile Disc, is a type of optical media measuring 12cm across, the surface of which is
marked with millions of pits that are read by a laser, just as a needle reads a groove on a vinyl record. In this
regard, it performs and functions (and looks) like a compact disc. Where DVD varies is in capacity - a standard
DVD can hold roughly six times more information - and in the applications for which it can be used. For the
purposes of this document, we will deal specifically with DVD Video, which is a disc that contains specifically
formatted video files that can be read by a set-top DVD player and viewed on a television.
This is a key distinction as other types of disc may work in a computer only and not function in a set-top DVD
player. These discs are know as DVD-ROMs and may contain any manner of files including video, though if
the video has not been correctly encoded and authored, it will not be compatible with a set-top player.
The distinction between the two types of disc is expressed with the two different symbols that will need to
be placed on the on-body label and also any related packaging:
The DVD video logo should be used on every
disc that can be played in a set-top DVD player
regardless of whatever other content may feature
on the disc. The symbol acts to inform the customer
that this is a video disc.
WILL play on a set-top DVD player.
WILL play in a computer DVD drive.
WON’T play in an Audio CD player.
MIGHT contain files a computer can read.
WILL contain video and audio.
The DVD-ROM logo should be used on discs that are
designed to play in computers ONLY. The symbol
should therefore be used to specify that the disc
would not play in a set-top player, even if it in fact
contains video files.
MIGHT play on a set-top DVD player.
WILL play in a computer DVD drive.
WON’T play in an Audio CD player.
WILL contain files a computer can read.
MIGHT contain video and audio.
If a disc is a DVD Video and also contains ROM content, it is acceptable to use both symbols to emphasize
this fact and highlight a potential sales feature, however the disc must always be referred to in the first
instance as a DVD Video and not a DVD ROM.
It is important to follow these conventions correctly in order to both be understood by your DVD supplier
and also in order to correctly identify your disc to the customer.

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Region Encoding
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This feature was introduced at the request of the film studios, so that they could limit which discs could be
sold and played in different parts of the world. The map was broken into 6 distinct regions (territories) as
illustrated below (an additional two regions, 7 and 8, are reserved for pre-releases and international venues
such as cruise ships). This process of territories can be seen as largely redundant, as many DVD players are
designated and sold as region free, that is to say they will play discs from all 6 regions. Unless the content
of one of our discs was subject to a licensing agreement that explicitly forbade us from selling in other
countries, we should request that our discs be set without region encoding as standard.
DVD Regions 1 2 3 4 5 6
A similar system has been incorporated into Blu-Ray discs. The regions have now been simplified down to
only three territories, A, B and C. As with DVD, we should create Blu-Ray discs without region encoding.
Blu Ray Regions A B C

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Copy Protection
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DVD has two forms of copy protection that are available. The first is Content Scrambling System, or CSS. The
purpose of this type of protection is to prevent a user from copying the contents of a DVD to their computer
hard drive, the first step necessary in order to copy a disc. Attempting to do so will simply create a deliberate
error when copying and result in incomplete files that will not work correctly.
A DVD authoring house cannot usually produce discs themselves that have this feature but rather set a flag
on the DVD that will instruct the replicating facility to include CSS when manufacturing the disc. This does
mean that any DVDs written on recordable discs will not contain the CSS protection, only those manufactured
(eg created by SONY).
This type of protection is free from any licencing arrangements and can be added by the DVD author when
creating the final disc. Although imperfect and easy to bypass with the correct software it does give the
impression of a quality product and that we have done what we can to protect the intellectual content. The
resultant disc may be described as Copy Protected. Therefore we should still request this to be added to our
DVDs as standard.
The second form of protection is Macrovision (now owned by Rovi), a patented solution that prevents a user
from copying the television output signal of a DVD to a video or DVD recorder. This is somewhat dated and
has a very limited benefit as if someone were to copy a DVD, they would most certainly use a computer to
duplicate the disc as detailed above. Additionally, there is a licencing fee which is payable to Macrovision for
every disc manufactured featuring this protection. We should therefore not use Macrovision protection on
our discs.

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DVD Disc Capacity
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12cm DVDs come in four capacity sizes. A standard DVD-5 can hold roughly 2 hours of high quality video and
is both cheap and easy to manufacture. This should be our preferred format wherever possible. A DVD-9 is a
dual-layer disc; it has two separate layers sandwiched together and glued one on top of the other, which the
laser can read individually (the laser is able to penetrate Layer Zero to read Layer One). DVDs 10 and 18 are
double-sided versions of 5 and 9. They are expensive to manufacture and require the user to turn the disc
over in order to read the other side of the disc. Due to both sides of the disc being read by a DVD player, it is
not possible to have an on-body label. These discs should generally be avoided.
Layer Zero
DVD-5
Single-sided, single -layer disc
Capacity: 4.75 GB
Layer One
Layer Zero
DVD-9
Single-sided, dual-layer disc
Capacity: 8.54 GB
Layer Zero
Layer Zero
DVD-10
Double-sided, dual-layer disc
Capacity: 9.4 GB (2 x 4.75 GB)
Layer Zero
Layer One
Layer One
Layer Zero
DVD-18
Double-sided, dual-layer disc
Capacity: 17 GB (2 x 8.54 GB)
The above diagram shows how the different capacity DVD discs store information. It is important to remember
that the more data a disc holds, the higher the manufacturing cost will be.

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A common mistake with DVD video is to think of the discs as having a set length in the same way a video
cassette did. As such, a DVD video does not literally hold two hours of video, but rather has an unspecified
length that will be determined by the overall file size of the video. The higher the data rate of the video (the
more information the file contains each second it plays), the fewer minutes will fit on a disc. For simplicity we
may say a DVD-5 will hold two hours, but this is not an absolute and your DVD authoring house will be able
to easily increase this length, though it will be at the expense of the quality of the video.
The above table gives an overview of the approximate length of video that can be fitted on a DVD disc
assuming an average level of quality.
The capacities listed above are assuming a video data rate of approximately 5 Mb/s
2 hours x 60 (there are 60 minutes in every hour) ) = 120 minutes.
120 minutes x 60 (there are 60 seconds in every minute) = 7200 seconds (s).
7200 seconds x 5 (5 Mb/s is the sample data rate) = 36,000 Megabits (Mb)
36,000 Megabits ÷ 8 (there are 8 bits (b) to 1 byte (B)) = 4500 MegaBytes (MB)
4500 MegaBytes ÷ 1024 (A Gigabyte contains 1024 Megabytes) = 4.39 Gigabytes (GB).
Although this works out slightly under for size, we must remember that audio, menus and the DVD file
structure will all take up disc space.

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DVD Authoring (introduction)
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Unlike videotape, where duplication of the physical units is the only cost to bear, DVD also bears a cost for
Authoring, the process whereby video, audio, subtitles and menus are organized together in a very specific
way. It is not a case of placing videos onto a disc, but rather a set prescriptive process where only compliant
video and audio are added into a rigid structure. All of this is necessary to create a DVD.
During this process the disc navigation is also established; the rules that determine which how the up/
down/left/right DVD remote buttons arrows relate to each other and also the destination of each button. In
additional to this, navigation information about what happens when each movie ends, or when the menu
button on the remote control is pressed is all carefully added. Chapter markers can be positioned in each
video track and added and subtitles are correctly prepared and synchronized to the video.
A few basic limitations as to the number of movies and menus per disc exist and these are as follows:
The video and audio tracks in a movie exist separately, even though they will play together as one. This is
because DVD supports more than one audio track per movie, as well as multiple subtitle tracks.

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The video, audio, subtitles and chapter markers are arranged in the authoring software in a similar manner
to that illustrated below. All the assets on a DVD are governed by timecode – a coded reference to hours/
minutes/seconds/frames. This code is embedded in the video and it is this that allows the audio and subtitles
to synchronize perfectly to it.
An example of how tracks are laid out in DVD authoring software. Each audio and video track is displayed
as a long block, with subtitles forming smaller, individual blocks for each title card that appears on screen.
Chapter markers appear as vertical lines, running through the tracks.

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DVD Navigation
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Although content will vary from project to project, there are some basic rules that should govern all discs we
create. A common way of DVD authoring is to begin with a wireframe diagram that details how each menu
and each movie interact with each other. This is crucial as it will ensure navigation works in the way you
want it to and it also acts as a checklist that all menu buttons are accounted for and the user experience is
documented.
Every DVD must have an opening action for when it is placed in a DVD player and that will usually be playing
a copyright. Starting with the presentation of the copyright and Cambridge video sting, the below chart
demonstrates how a simple two-film disc might be constructed.
Copyright Warning
Static graphic
anamorphic 16x9
user actions disabled
copyright warning
Cambridge University Press sting
anamorphic video: 16x9
user actions disabled
Languge Menu (if applicable)
Static graphic
anamorphic 16x9
Main Menu
Static graphic
anamorphic 16x9
Play all
Chapter Menu 1
Static graphic
anamorphic 16x9
Chapter names TBC
Video Title Set 1
anamorphic 16x9
Chapter stops TBC
Chapter Menu 2
Static graphic
anamorphic 16x9
Chapter names TBC
Video Title Set 2
anamorphic 16x9
Chapter stops TBC

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User Navigation Assumptions
• The disc first play must be the copyright screen. This should have all user commands disabled (remote
control buttons).
• This should lead automatically into the Cambridge University Press video sting. This should also have
all user commands disabled.
• This should lead into a language selection screen (if applicable).
• This in turn leads to the main menu. Branching off from this will be
1. An option to Play All video content.
2. A button linking to Chapter Menu 1.
3. A button linking to Chapter Menu 2 (if applicable).
4. Buttons linking to further Chapter Menus (if applicable).
5. A button linking back to the Language Menu (if applicable).
• Each Chapter Menu should have buttons linking to the respective chapters as well as a Play All option.
They also all link back to the Main Menu.
A well designed DVD will allow the user to navigate the entire disc contents without ever having to press
anything other than enter.
• Oninsertingthediscintheplayer,theusergetsdirectedtothemainmenuwiththefirstbuttonhighlighted.
• Pressing enter leads to the first sub-menu with the first button highlighted.
• Pressing enter leads to the first movie which, when it ends, takes users back to the first sub-menu with
the second button highlighted.
• Pressing enter leads to the second movie which, when it ends, takes users back to the first sub-menu with
the third button highlighted.
• This continues through all the buttons on the first sub-menu until the final button which should lead users
back to the main menu with the second button highlighted.
• Pressing enter leads to the second sub-menu with the first button highlighted.
• Pressing enter leads to the first movie which, when it ends, takes users back to the second sub-menu with
the second button highlighted.
• And so on ...

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DVD Copyright
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The following copyright notice was forwarded to us by one of our video vendors (Silversun) and has been
agreed to by the Legal department. This should be placed on screen for no less than 10 second as the ‘first
play’ on every DVD video we create.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
THE COPYRIGHT PROPRIETORS HAVE LICENCED THE MATERIAL IN THIS DVD/VIDEOGRAM
FOR PRIVATE AND DOMESTIC USE ONLY. ANY OTHER USE OF THE WHOLE OR ANY PART OF
THE MATERIAL (INCLUDING ADAPTING, COPYING, ISSUING COPIES, RENTING, LENDING,
PERFORMING, BROADCASTING INCLUDING IN A CABLE/TELEPHONY SERVICE OR MAKING
THE SAME AVAILABLE TO OR VIA THE INTERNET OR ANY AUTHORIZING ANY OF THE
FOREGOING) IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
This is how the copyright
appeared on the DVD for
Prepare, levels 1-7.
This copyright notice should be directly followed by the Cambridge University Press sting (animated logo).
Note that there are two different versions, one with and one without mention of Cambridge English Language
Assessment.
Both the copyright notice and the sting should have all actions disabled, that is to say the end user cannot
skip, pause, fast-forward or otherwise avoid watching them.

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DVD Menu Guidelines
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Size and Working Area
Any menu designed for NTSC video must be 720 pixels across (as is the case for all standard definition video)
and 480 pixels high (as is the case for NTSC video only). The resolution must be 72dpi (the same as the
resolution of televisions and video monitors). Any deviation from these will produce an unworkable menu.
The final file format should be an uncompressed TIFF and never a JPG or PSD.
In the above example, a menu has been created in Photoshop with the working dimensions of 534x480. This
enables all content to be laid out in such a way as to fill a widescreen image. The menu has then been resized
with unconstrained proportions to 720x480 which compresses the image vertically.
Anamorphic Compression
As previously discussed in the section on aspect ratios, in order to accommodate the wider aspect ratio of
modern televisions in a picture that can only be a 4:3 aspect ratio size (in the cast of DVD, 720 pixels wide),
the image must be compressed to fit the frame and uncompressed back by the DVD player.
Menus therefore need to be created in a widescreen format and then squashed, or anamorphically
compressed, in order to display correctly on a widescreen television.
The purpose of anamorphic is really to optimise the screen resolution. If the width of a DVD image is 720
pixels, but a widescreen television displays 1024, then in order to fit the 16:9 image in the DVD frame size, you
would need to add black bars at the top and bottom of the image to preserve the aspect ratio. Anamorphic
removes this need to stretching the picture to fit the frame and then allowing the television to un-stretch it
back to fit. This means that every single pixel in the picture is actually used and not wasted on black bars. This
also means the image will not need to be zoomed in on the television, further improving the picture quality.
Anamorphic video is often described as being optimised for 16:9 televisions.

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Fonts
As DVD has a low resolution of 72dpi what we may normally consider to be a large font size (eg 16) will
actually be too small for DVD. All text on DVD menus should use a minimum size of 20 point, ideally using a
san-serif font so as to avoid thin lines. Any
time a line appears on screen finer than
two pixels it runs the risk of flickering
or pulsing, so pick your fonts and font
size with this firmly in mind. Cambridge
University Press only holds the license of
certain fonts for digital products. Please
refer to Content Service’s Fonts for
e-product.doc for further details.
Any DVD menu should be tested on a
television and never solely on print or on
a computer monitor. The high quality of a
printer or monitor will give a misleading
impression of the quality of the menu.
The first 5% at
the edge of the
screen should be
assumed to be
invisible to end
users. Although
you see it on a
computer, you
must not assume
it will be visible
on a television.
The next 5% is
known as Action
Safe. Although
this should be
visible, it is not
advisable to
place buttons,
subtitles or any
other important
information here.
5% Invisible Area
5% Action Safe Area
80% Title Safe Area
Safe Area
With all television sets, the only way manufacturers can ensure that the picture extends exactly out to the
border of the screen is to allow the image to extend slightly beyond the border, effectively chopping off
the very edge of the image. This is known as overscan. As different television manufacturers produce sets
slightly differently, so the amount of overscan varies from set to set. Unlike video games, where overscan can
effectively be ‘tuned’ to fit your TV, DVD video cannot and therefore the menus must be configured by the
designer to take this into account.
This then leaves the inner 80% of the screen which is known as Title Safe. This is where
the content of menus should be placed.

2015 Video Handbook
In order to keep menus
broadcast safe, output
levels need to be altered
from 0-255 to 15-240 (no
absolute black or white).
A Gaussian Blur of 0.2
should be applied to
menus in order to soften
the image for television
screens.
Broadcast Safe
Unlike a computer monitor, a television cannot display extremes in black and white. A pure white (a value of
255 red, 255 green, 255 blue on an 8-bit scale of 0-255) and pure black (a value of 0 red, 0 green, 0 blue on
an 8-bit scale of 0-255) contains more contrast than the television can effectively handle. We must strip back
some of the dynamic range in the levels.
A thorough explanation of the broadcast safe process can be found here:
http://www.adhishyajnik.com/broadcast-709-levels-and-rgb-levels.html
Buttons and Sub Pics
In addition to each menu, it is necessary to create a sub-menu that details the size and shape of the button
highlights. These need to be exactly the same size and shape of the menus, though are limited to four colours
only (0/0/0 black; 255/255/255 white; 255/0/0 red; 0/0/255 blue). As you will need to reserve one of these
for the area outside of the buttons (the transparency) this leaves you only 3 colours to define any button
shape. As this for the button, the previous discussion of broadcast legal will not apply.
A common and easy way to create a sub-pic is to use the text from your menu in white against a plain black
background (see above).

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Plain white text on a black background can be improved and made to look less harsh by using the red and
blue to map the grey areas surround the text.
The DVD author can use
the 4 colours or black,
white, red and blue and
use these to define the
button highlight areas.
Each of these colours can
be converted in the DVD
authoring software to any
RGB colour the author
wishesandsettoanopacity
rating of 0-15.
Converting the sub-pic image to indexed colours allows us to remove variations in shading down to a
maximum of 4 (one of these will need to be reserved for the transparent background).
Using the Colour Table we can then manipulate the grey edges of the text into solid red and blue. Although
this looks strange, it allow the DVD author to create a softer, more detailed button highlight.
An example of the completed menu with subpic
visible (the white text has been turned to a red
sing the DVD authoring software.

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The navigation for buttons should be based around a logical, intuitive pattern that advances the user forwards
and backwards through the buttons in a progressive cycle. On a chapter menu, the vertical navigation should
rotate through the buttons top-to-bottom. On horizontal navigation, the buttons should cycle left to right,
row by row across the entire screen (see diagram below).
1 2 3
4 5 6
previous main next
Shown above is an example of chapter menu button navigation. The chapter buttons are laid in an obvious
sequence, spread over two rows and rising numerically from left to right. On the completed menu, these
would have screen-grabs if the respective chapters. Beneath these are options for next and previous (if ap-
plicable) and a return to main menu option.
Button
primary
direction
primary
direction
primary
direction
primary
direction
alternative
direction
alternative
direction
alternative
direction
alternative
direction
The desired button navigation can be
expressed in the form of a simple diagram
(see left).
For each direction, the ideal button
direction is show as the primary direction.
Should a button not be located in that
direction, an alternative direction is also
illustrated.
Menu Button Navigation

23
2015 Video Handbook
DVD chapter points
23
Cambridge University Press will provide a list of DVD chapter points using the standard SMTPE timecode.
When we receive test footage from video producers, they always add burnt-in timecode (BITC) on screen
so that we can reference what they have shot. We can then use this to establish our chapter points. Only
in-points are necessary as the next chapter provides the corresponding out-point. This will be accompanied
with the chapter title and a brief description of the corresponding image. A sample log is listed below:
The number of chapters should practical and appropriate to the source video. Too many chapters can make
playback cumbersome and navigation confusing. It is better to keep it simple (i.e., a chapter introducing
each topic or unit of work).
The in-point of a chapter should ideally be set a second or two after a scene change if possible as when
skipping chapters on a DVD, often the chapter will engage half a second early which can show as a flash-frame
of the previous scene. This occurs due to the nature of compressed video (as discussed in a later chapter) and
is therefore unavoidable.

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2015 Video Handbook
DVD Testing
24
Any DVD needs to be tested on a standalone DVD player
and a television. Relying on computer playback is not
an adequate test as the differences in screen size and
resolution and even the distance you sit from the screen
will not make for a representative experience. Just as
something designed for print would need to be seen on a
page, a DVD needs to be seen on a television.
The connectors used to transmit the picture between the
television and DVD player will have a considerable impact
on the picture quality. The lowest quality connections
would be RCA Composite Video (all video channels
combined into one connector); S-Video (separates out the
black and white and colour signals); Component Video
(separates the brightness or luminance and the variations
in the red and blue channels) and the highest quality
would be digital HDMI (transmits the picture and sound as
a digital signal directly to the television).
We can never assume that the end user will watch a DVD on high-end computer and should instead test a
DVD on the type of equipment that it is essentially designed for. Issues surrounding font size and underscan
(as previously discussed) may look much worse on a DVD player and television and it is important to know
this so that problems can be overcome prior to design sign-off. Ideally the person testing will sit sufficiently
back from the television screen so as to get a model viewing experience.
Model LNS2651D MB382LL/A
Date May 13, 2006 October 14, 2008
Screen 26” LCD 24”, glossy glass covered screen, LCD
Pixels 1366 x 768 1920 × 1200, with LED backlighting
Aspect Ratio 16:9 16:10
Contrast Ratio 4000:1 1000:1
Response Time 8 ms 14 ms
Brightness 500 cd/m2 330 cd/m2
Colours 12.8 billion 16.7 million True Colour
Pixel Density (in pixels per inch) 94.3
The above comparison demonstrates how almost every measurement may vary considerably between a
computer monitor (in this case an Apple Cinema Display) and a typical television (the same spec as the
Samsung model in the testing area). The computer monitor actually has a different aspect ratio to the DVD
video (16:10 instead of 16:9) and has a much greater number of pixels in the display.

25
2015 Video Handbook
DVD Final Assets
25
When it comes time to call in final files on a DVD-Video project, careful thought needs to be given over to
deciding what level of assets we call in. Although the obvious answer seems to be the DVD disc itself, as we
will see this alone would prove inadequate. Just as with a book, where calling in a PDF would enable us to
print though would provide no possibility to amend later without the Indesign file that created it, a DVD disc
has very limited use beyond being a playable disc.
Outputs: Introduction
As discussed previously in the section on Testing, it is crucial that at some
point in the projects lifespan a DVD is tested on a DVD disc on a DVD
player. It stands to reason then that the DVD-R disc could be considered
the final deliverable on a DVD project. This however is not the case for
several reasons.
Whilst DVD-R compatibility across players and computers is
excellent and there would be no real issues with duplicating several
copies of a disc on your computer, it is not considered safe enough to
manufacture (or replicate) from. Many replicators either refuse outright
to create glass master (the physical disc from which all other discs are
manufactured) from a DVD-R or require a waiver absolving them of
any responsibility should the manufactured discs later turn out to be
defective.
DVD-R
InthefirstwaveofDVDauthoring,mastersweresuppliedforreplication
on DLT tapes due to their high capacity (10 - 20 GB), relative low price
per GB storage and their ability to be verified bit-for-bit that what is
being replicated is 100% what is on the tape.
These drives were however expensive in themselves used
outdated connections to the computer (SCSI) and more recently have
been entirely replaced by using a DDP transfer. This has become
possible with vastly increased and improved internet connections.
Aspera transferring - a software/hardware system now owned by IBM
and used by Apple to upload movies to iTunes - means a process that
might have taken a day can now be carried out very quickly.
A DDP image can outputted by DVD Authoring software such
as Sonic Scenarist or DVD Studio Pro and written directly onto a hard-
drive rather than tape.
DDP as a successor to DLT

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As with Audio, DVD-Videos are now to be supplied
to manufacturing in the DDP format. The DDP
folder contains multiple files, none of which are
immediately readable by a computer without special
software. DDP offers a secure way of transferring
data as it contains a checksum - in built error-
checking software to ensure the folder contents
match 100% what was meant to be written.
The UDF (Universal Disc Format) file, which is a
single file that contains all the information that is
written to the DVD disc.
This disc image technically exists within the
DDP and by following certain steps, the UDF can be
easily viewed on a computer.
Outputs in CAMS
Outputs DVD-Video
Enfocus Dummy
DVD-Video
UDF
(virtual)
CAMS Package
CAMS Request
DDP
DDP Files
DDP UDF
The files we add into CAMS under Outputs need to reflect that
which we can manufacture from with the same relationship
to the final product as a print PDF has to a book. In this regard,
the DDP is the file that we need to hold as by holding this
asset we can manufacture discs from it with any replicator in
the world. The same cannot be said about any other form of
Output file(s).
Although the DDP itself is not playable on a computer
in the same way an ISO or UDF file would be, it can be very
easily prepared for playback (see next section).
CHECKSUM_CRC32.TXT Checksum
CONTROL.DAT Lead-in information for mastering.
http://www.dvdforum.org/DVD_Cutting_Master/CMF-DVD-6.htm
DDVID.DAT Contains the technical details of the disc.
gear.log Log file from the DDP creation software (Gear Pro).
IMAGE.DAT The entire UDF-Bridge volume for the disc.
VOBTABLE.DAT specfices the start and end sectors of the VOB files on the disc.
DDP Format and Structure
required files

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Burning a disc or playing video from a DDP
Once a DVD project is complete it will be necessary to load
both the final DVD disc and also the supporting assets
into CAMS. The disc itself will be provided by the DVD
production company in the form of an DDP file. This will
usually be transmitted to us electronically in time to pass to
manufacture, though it could even written to a dsic as a DDP
rather than a DVD-Video.
Although unreadable in itself you can easily turn this DDP
into an playable volume by following these steps:
Open the DDP folder
in Finder and find
IMAGE.DAT. This will
be the largest file and
the one that contains
the DVD-Video disc
information.
Open Toast Titanium
and go to ‘Copy’ in
the main header
section. Select ‘Image
File’ and then drop
and drag the DAT file
into Toast.
The image file is now available to either burn
to a DVD disc or mount as a virtual disc to your
hard drive. Press ‘Mount’. Double click on the disc to open it. Open the Video TS
folder and you will see all the disc contents.
The disc will appear on
your desktop with the same
appearance and properties
as an actual disc.
Double click on the disc to open it. Open the Video TS
folder and you will see all the disc contents. You should
not attempt to play any of these individual files, but rather
play the Video TS folder itself with VLC player software.

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assetswhichform
part of the DVD disc
DVD ROM
Content
DVD Project
Video Files
(M2V)
Audio Files
(AC3)
Subtitle Files
(STL)
Menu Files
(TIFF)
Sub-Picture Files
(TIFF)
Source Files in relation to DVD
Deciding what source files we need for a video project is a little more complicated
than for most other product types. There are such a wide number of files and,
as is often the case, the files that made those files and so on. If we were to call in
quite literally every file that constitutes a ‘source’ of the final DVD product, we
may well be looking at the contents of multiple computers (the computer that
edited the video; the computer that created animated content; the computer
that created the DVD menus; the computer that authored the DVD disc etc.) and
would ultimately lead to hard drives full of assets that we don’t necessarily need, do not have the software to
open and modify and also don’t have the knowledge of how to manipulate. Clearly then, care must be taken
to differentiate between assets that are worth holding on to at this end and those that are best left with the
post-production house in case of future editions and changes.
Source Files: Introduction
Having designated the DDP of the DVD as the output, the logical first place to start is all the assets that are
gathered together for the process of DVD authoring. As the authoring process irrevocably changes the files
that are the building blocks of the DVD (static menus are converted from single uncompressed images to
compressed movie files), it would make perfect sense to have a copy of every asset file that goes into the DVD
authoring software and the DVD project file that links them all together. If such a set of files were available to
us, then we would have the ability to open the disc project, add or remove any individual elements such as
movie tracks, menus or subtitles and then create a new compile of the disc and therefore a new gold master
disc that could be manufactured from.
Even without the DVD authoring
software necessary to open and
modify the DVD project file, we would
have the oppertunity to approach a
vendor who did have this software
and make the requested changes
through them.
One particualr benefit would be
for adaptations where the video is
unchanged, but perhaps a new audio
langauge, menu langauge or subtitle
language could be added.
Item File Type
DVD Project The DVD authoring
software project file.
Video Files video only
Audio Files corresponding audio
track(s)
Subtitles STL, SRT
Menu Files both static and
motion menus.
Sub-Picture The button highlight
on menus.
DVD ROM
Content
Various
assetswhichform
DVD ROM
Content
DVD Project
Video Files
(M2V)
Audio Files
(AC3)
Subtitle Files
(STL)
Menu Files
(TIFF)
Sub-Picture Files
(TIFF)
High-Definition
Output from
Edit Suite
Subtitle
Transcript
Menu
Source Files
(PSD)
Sub-Picture
Source Files
(PSD)
required
assets which
do not
form part of
the DVD disc
required files

2015 Video Handbook
Complete hi-resolution outputs of each finalised video track in either of the following formats:
Edit Suite Export Format
AVID DNxHR HQX
if edited on AVID
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNxHD_codec
APPLE HD PRO-RES 4-2-2 HD
if edited on Apple Final Cut Pro (FCP)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_ProRes
Which format we receive will depend entirely on the edit suite used by the post production house.
High-Definition Source Files
assetswhichform
DVD ROM
Content
DVD Project
Video Files
(M2V)
Audio Files
(AC3)
Subtitle Files
(STL)
Menu Files
(TIFF)
Sub-Picture Files
(TIFF)
High-Definition
Output from
Edit Suite
Subtitle
Transcript
Menu
Source Files
(PSD)
Sub-Picture
Source Files
(PSD)
required
assets which
do not
form part of
the DVD disc
The video used in the DVD authoring, whilst
important, is a medium quality highly-compressed
version, supplied out of necessity for DVD in a format
that does not lend itself particualrly well to editing or
conversion. As all new video projects are now shot
and edited in high-definition, this compressed DVD
MPEG-2 video represents a fraction of the potential
video quality.
What is needed is a high-definition output of each
movie file in the project as exported from the edit
suite. The exceptionally high quality of this file would
allow any amount of conversion to other quality
settings and formats, giving us an unprecedented
ability to future-proof each video we create.

For professional post-production houses, the editing
software will either be one of the products developed
by Avid (such as Media Composer) or Apple’s Final
Cut Pro. Both will output a movie that conforms
to the high-def standard of 1920x1080 pixels and
typically a bit-rate of around 20 - 28 Mb/s and a 10-
bit sample depth.
required files

2015 Video Handbook
The below diagram also makes reference to the source files that created the menus themselves. Whilst this
would in an ideal world be desirable, in theory this could lead to a particulalry large number of files, with
Photoshop files, stock images, After Effects projects and more.
With any video project, there will be hours, or even days worth of footage that is shot but not used in
the final edit. These are known as the rushes and may consist or alternate or unusable takes or even dropped
scenes that were filmed but that did not make it to the final edit. The combined size of these files would be
substantial and it’s also worth remembering that each of these shots would have been dropped from the
final edit for a reason. It is not therefore recommended that we ask videos producers to supply rushes to
us.
Source Files out of scope
assetswhichform
DVD ROM
Content
DVD Project
Video Files
(M2V)
Audio Files
(AC3)
Subtitle Files
(STL)
Menu Files
(TIFF)
Sub-Picture Files
(TIFF)
High-Definition
Output from
Edit Suite
Subtitle
Transcript
Menu
Source Files
(PSD)
Sub-Picture
Source Files
(PSD)
required
assets which
do not
form part of
the DVD disc
The assets discussed will require a hard-drive to transport
to us due to the sheer size of data involved. High definition
video alone equates to roughly 150-210 megabytes (MB)
per minute. It would be impracticle to receive video source
files through any other method. Additionally, the hard drive
itself will allow for easy access to the files once we have
them without the need for lengthy CAMS downloading, and
for supply to third parties if conversion work etc is needed.
Delivery of Source Files

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DVD-Video
Project
Source DVD-Video MPEG-2 VideoCAMS Package
CAMS Request
Source Files in CAMS
Menus
Dolby AC3 Audio
Movies
TIFF Files
RAW
Final edited video
Subtitles
STL Files
Once obtained, these assets can then
be added to CAMS. The diagram
to the right is a suggestion of how
assets might be loaded based on
a file structure that would relate
closely to the way the assets should
be assembled by the DVD author
when creating the disc. It separates
the files that actually intended for the
DVD from those used to create those
assets.
In addition to the final MPEG-2
compressed video file (which is stated
earlier is a lossy format) we might
have a high-definition copy of the
final edit of the video which would
allow us to easily repurpose the video
for anything requiring a higher level
of quality than that of DVD.
Movies
Stock Images
Images
MPEG-2 Video Dolby AC3 Audio
It is suggested that this same asset structure is used on the hard drive provided by the video producer
which will create a consistent approach to assets and greater ease when adding packages to CAMS. I would
also suggest that the hard drive from the supplier also contain the DDP images of the DVD-Videos so that
everything is together in one place.
A policy on where the hard drive will be kept once we have it has yet to be agreed upon but my
suggestion would be a locked cabinet in Content Services and a system whereby anyone wanting access to
one of the drives would have to sign it out for a limited period of time.

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Subtitles
32
Atthemostbasicdescription,subtitlesinvolvesuperimposingalayerofimageoverthevideotrack.Commonly
this image takes the form of words that match what is heard on the audio track. You will find a lot of issues
discussed below will look very similar to the chapter on DVD menus. This is because on a DVD menu, the
button highlight is in fact technically a subtitle file itself and therefore has exactly the same features and the
same limitations. Before reading further, it would be a good idea to take a quick look here at the previous
section. It would also make sense at this point to introduce a few key features of subtitles ahead of the
detailed discussion of the subtitle file itself.
Subtitles: Introduction
This is a very different scenario from subtitles on videotape, where the subtitle had to be permanently
recorded (or burnt in) to the image, making it unremovable. Subtitles on a digital product, are stored in
the Alpha Channel, a separate element of the video stream used solely to contain transparent images. This
channel can be made visible or invisible thereby turning the subtitles on and off.
Subtitle
Subtitle
Alpha Channel
Video track with Alpha channel enabled
Video track

2015 Video Handbook
Anti-Aliasing
Like any video image, a subtitle is made up of tiny squares (pixels). However as subtitles consist of words
(usually in white) against a transparent background, the thickness of the words can cause an issue. Televisions
struggle with anything less than a few pixels in width and especially so if this is combined with extreme light
and dark areas such as black and white. As a result, the edges of the words will tend to appear very stark and
blocky. At worst, this can appear very flickery and render the text harder to read.
The first picture shows the letter ‘A’ against a
plain black background (on a subtitle, this black
would be transparent). On the second picture,
enlarging the ‘A’ reveals the jagged edge where
the image has no alternative to being either
black or white. On a diagonal line this leads
to a stepped, jagged appearance. However, by
blurring the edges, we create areas of grey that
hide the absolute distinction between black and
white. Ironically it is this blurring that will allow
the image to display sharper on a monitor.
If a subtitle were simply displayed as either plain white or pure transparent (thereby using two colours
white=white; black=transparent) then the edges of the subtitles would appear quite sharp and jagged. By
using the red and blue channels (subtitles can use these four colours: red, blue, black, white) we can define
the edges of the letters in red and blue, which the DVD player can then display in shades of grey, thereby
softening the edges of the letters - see the step-by-step below:
Plain white subtitles against a black background. Using the colour table in Photoshop, 2 shades of
anti-aliasing have been added in blue and red.
Superimposing the subtitle over an image, the anti-
aliasing can be seen, first displaying in blue and red.
The anti-aliasing converted to shades of grey,
producing a softer subtitle font that will be less
prone to the aliasing effects of a television/monitor.

2015 Video Handbook
Timecode
Timecode is inherently linked to the video file and because digital video is measured in frames, so therefore
must subtitles be. Timecode is a clock measured in hours/minutes/seconds/frames that underlies all subtitle
files and is used primarily to determine when a subtitle should begin and end. There are two types of
timecode in relation to subtitles: zero-based and asset-based. Zero-based is so-called as it assumes every
movie file starts at time zero: zero hours, zero minutes, zero seconds and zero frames (00:00:00:00). Asset-
based timecode looks instead to the video file which can contain an embedded timecode that is taken from
the edit-suite file or from a tape source. For the purposes of this chapter we will assume that all projects are
utilising zero-based timecode.
Would you classify that as a design problem
or a launch problem?
If, for example, we wanted the subtitles to appear at one minute and thirty seconds into the video and stay
on screen for four and a half seconds, we would express the timecode values thus:
00:01:30:00 , 00:01:34:15
Looking at the above example, the start time skips the hour value (leaving it at zero); starts at one minute
(01); thirty seconds (30); and no frames (00) making it at the thirty second mark exactly. The end point if four
seconds (34) and half a second (15) later. In this example I am assuming the video to be in NTSC which runs
at just under 30 frames per second, therefore half a second would be 15 frames.

2015 Video Handbook
Subtitles can be created in a number of formats and there is no one right or wrong way to create them. It is
true to say that no single file will fulfil every purpose, especially as technologies change and evolve. It is true
to say however, that whilst different, the various subtitle files have key characteristics in common. At its most
basic, a subtitle must consist of at the very least, the following information:
the subtitle start time (in point) , the words of the subtitle , the subtitle end time (end point)
If we look again then at the previous example and add words to the subtitle, we should see a clearly defined
in-point, out-point and the wording of the subtitle:
Subtitle Formatting
00:01:30:00 , 00:01:34:15 , Would you classify that as a design problem or a launch problem?
The issue remaining is that whilst we have specified what should be displayed and when it should be displayed
we have as yet not defined how it should be displayed. The example above contains characters in italic and
also a line break in a specific place. It also has the subtitles appearing as is customary at the bottom of the
screen. How a computer or DVD player would know these things also needs to be defined.
It can be said then, that as long as we have this key information, the rest is a matter of using the
correct syntax. DVD as an established format is unable to adapt or change as this would render older players
incapable of playing newer discs and therefore offers something of an refreshing change by having a set of
fixed conventions that must always be adhered to for the lifetime of the format. DVD also represents the
main way we provide video to market; it both the highest quality video we provide and also the only way we
provide video as a standalone product. It makes sense then if subtitles are written initially with DVD syntax
in mind.

2015 Video Handbook
The following information constutes the file header information that globally affects all the subttiles.
FontCommands
The font commands set all commonly used font properties.
$FontName: Sets the name of the font the subtitles use.
Use the family name as it appears in the Fonts window, which
can be opened by clicking ‘Show Fonts’ in the toolbar or choosing
Format>Fonts>ShowFonts.
$FontSize: Sets the size of the font.
$Bold: Selects the bold version of the font (if available).
Enter ‘True’ to select the bold version and ‘False’ to disable it.
$Italic: Selects the italic version of the font (if available).
Enter ‘True’ to select the bold version and ‘False’ to disable it.
$Underlined: Adds an underline to the subtitle text.
Enter ‘True’ to turn on the underline and ‘False’ to turn it off.
Colour Commands
The color commands choose the colours from the default subtitle Colour Palette to apply to the subtitle.
The values range from 0 to 15.
$ColorIndex1: Chooses the text colour.
$ColorIndex2: Chooses the text’s outline1 colour.
$ColorIndex3: Chooses the text’s outline2 colour.
$ColorIndex4: Chooses the background colour.
Contrast Commands
The contrast commands set the opacity of the colours assigned to the subtitle.The values range from 0
(transparent) to 15 (opaque).
$TextContrast: Sets the opacity of the text colour.
$Outline1Contrast: Sets the opacity of the text’s outline1 colour.
$Outline2Contrast: Sets the opacity of the text’s outline2 colour.
$BackgroundContrast:Sets the opacity of the background colour.
This is usually set to 0, unless you are using a graphic that does not use white
as the background colour.
The Spruce Technologies subtitle file is still very much industry standard despite the sale of Spruce to Apple
some 15 years ago. Like all subtitle formats that exist for DVD video, an STL is centred around frame based
timecode - time is measured in increments of hours/minutes/seconds/frames - with a frame being the
smallest measure of a second and a rate dictated by the video standard (PAL has 25 frames per second; NTSC
has 29.97). STL can be written either using specialist subtitling software or even by using Textedit or Notepad.
Unlike other subtitle files for other products, a DVD subtitle file also contains information regarding the fonts
used and the positioning of the subtitle on screen.
As Spruce was bought by Apple in order to redesign their DVD Studio Pro software, the manual for
that package details the formatting of STL files in considerable detail. Listed below is a complete guide to the
syntax necessary in the creation of STL.
Spruce Technologies Subtitle (STL) File
Header

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Position Commands
These commands control the subtitle’s position.
$HorzAlign: Sets the subtitle’s horizontal alignment. You can enter ‘left’, ‘center’, or ‘right’.
$VertAlign: Sets the subtitle’s vertical alignment. You can enter ‘top’, ‘center’, or ‘bottom’.
$XOffset: Allows you to modify the subtitle’s horizontal position from where the horizontal alignment
placed it. The values you enter are in pixels, with positive values moving the subtitle to the
right and negative values moving it to the left.
$YOffset: Allows you to modify the subtitle’s vertical position from where the vertical alignment
placed it. The values you enter are in pixels, with positive values moving the subtitle up and
negative values moving it down.
Display Commands
These commands control how a subtitle displays.
$ForceDisplay: Forces the subtitle to display regardless of whether subtitles are turned on by the DVD
player. You can enter ‘True’ (subtitles are forced to display) or ‘False’ (subtitle display is
controlled by the DVD player).
$FadeIn: Sets the fade time used to gradually dissolve the subtitles on. Enter a value in frames.
$FadeOut: Sets the fade time used to gradually dissolve the subtitles off. Enter a value in frames.
Graphics File Command
Use this command if this subtitle file uses graphics files in addition to, or in place of, text entries.
$SetFilePathToken: Sets a token that you use on any subtitle entries that contain a graphics filename
instead of subtitle text. The entry must be such that it never appears in normal text
or filenames. Thenormal convention is to surround the text with dual anglebrackets,
making it easier to locate within an STL file. For example, you could use ‘_Graphic_’.
Timeline Command
By default, the timecode values in an STL file are in reference to the videostream’s zero-based time,
which starts at 00:00:00:00. You can use this command to reference the file’s timecode values to the
videostream’s asset-based timecode.
$TapeOffset: Controls how the timecode values in the STL file are referenced to the videostream. You can
enter ‘False’ to reference them to the stream’s zero-based timecode (which begins at
00:00:00:00), or ‘True’ (the default setting) to reference them to the asset-based timecode.
Note: When referenced to the asset-based timecode, the Track Inspector’s Track Offset
settingis ignored—only the actual asset’s timecode is used.
Individual Subtitles
Controls Embedded in the Subtitle Text
You can embed several controls in the text part of the entries. These controls can force a linebreak and turn
on and off the bold and italic font versions.
Line Breaks
Subtitle text does not automatically wrap at the edges of the screen. To make it fit you must either reduce
the font size or break it into multiple lines by inserting line breaks. To insert a line break, add the vertical
pipe character (|) to the text.
00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are the bullies | of the wild.
In the above example, the text will appear as two lines.

2015 Video Handbook
00:01:30:00 , 00:01:34:15 , Would you classify that as a ÎdesignÎ problem | or a Îlaunch problemÎ?
Bold, Italic, and Underlined Characters
You can embed controls that change the state of the bold and italic attributes within the text part of an
entry.
To change the state of the bold setting, insert an up arrow followed by the letter “B” (^B).
00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are ^Bbullies^B.
In the above example, the bold status changes for the word “bullies” only. If the bold attribute had not
already been activated, “bullies” would change to bold. If the bold attribute had already been activated,
“bullies” would not be bold.

To change the state of the italic setting, insert an up arrow followed by the letter “I” (Î). You can also use
bold and italic together.
00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are ^BÎbullies^BÎ.
In the above example, the word “bullies” has both the bold and italic attributes change.
To add an underline to portions of the text, insert an up arrow followed by the letter “U” (Û). You can use
the underline along with the bold and italic settings.
Referencing Graphics Files in STL Subtitle Files
An STL subtitle file can contain a mix of text subtitle entries and references to graphics files. You must use
the $SetFilePathToken command in the file before any lines that reference a graphics file.
$SetFilePathToken = _Graphic_
00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , _Graphic_RabidLemur.tif
00:00:16:14 , 00:00:19:08 , _Graphic_MooseLemur.tif
Important: Do not add spaces between the token (_Graphic_inthisexample)andthefilename. The
STL subtitle file and the graphics it references must be in the same folder. And, just like the other assets
that you import into your project, the graphics files must not be moved, renamed, or deleted until after you
build your project.
This is the example subtitle, this time with the correct syntax added to produce the italics and the linebreak.

2015 Video Handbook
Subtitles for other product types
As discussed previously, no single subtitle file will be suitable for all product types. However, with a little
reworking, the STL files provides an excellent starting point for other formats. As it contains the in-point, out-
point and wording of the subtitle, all that is required is to adapt this information to suit the different product
type.
VTT Subtitles for Presentation Plus
As discussed previously, no single subtitle file will be suitable for all product types. However, with a little
reworking, the STL files provides an excellent starting point for other formats. As it contains the in-point, out-
point and wording of the subtitle, all that is required is to adapt this information to suit the different product
type.
The above shows the same subtitles as both an STL file (left) and VTT file - the current format used on
Presentation Plus (right). Although the wording of the subtitles is exactly the same, the STL contains a header
describing global attributes such as font, position, colour and outlines. It also displays the timecode in NTSC,
so each second is broken into increments of 29.97. The VTT contains no such header, uses quite different
syntax to describe the italic text and crucially each second is split into thousandths of a second.

2015 Video Handbook
• The STL file begins with some basic fomatting
information (font, font size, position) predeeded
by a string ($).
• Each subtitle contains an in and out point. The
time measurement is seperated by colons.
• Timecode is expressed as hours/minutes/
seconds/frames.
• The in-point, out-point and the wording of the
subtitle are all seperated by commas.
WEBVTT
0:01:41.862 --> 0:01:44.320
Here, the men respect the tigers.
0:01:44.434 --> 0:01:45.680
The tigers are safe.
0:01:47.028 --> 0:01:49.760
They would prefer to see the tigers in the wild…
0:01:49.931 --> 0:01:51.314
...but it’s too dangerous.
0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.880
”So basically, what your monastery does is, when a tiger is
sick,
0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:01.405
and someone has a tiger they bring it to the monastery?”
0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:02.057
”Yeah.”
0:02:02.050 --> 0:02:03.497
”And How many tigers do you have now?”
0:02:03.490 --> 0:02:04.982
”Ah, we have ten now.”
0:02:04.980 --> 0:02:06.788
”Ten tigers. Are they a lot of work?”
0:02:06.845 --> 0:02:09.840
”Yeah. Every day they eat a lot!”
0:02:10.228 --> 0:02:12.422
But the tigers are not pets.
//Font select and font size
$FontName = Arial
$FontSize = 50
//Character attributes (global)
$Bold = FALSE
$UnderLined = FALSE
$Italic = FALSE
//Colors
$ColorIndex1 = 0
$ColorIndex2 = 1
$ColorIndex3 = 2
$ColorIndex4 = 3
//Contrast Control
$TextContrast = 15
$Outline1Contrast = 15
$Outline2Contrast = 7
$BackgroundContrast = 0
//Position Control
$HorzAlign = Center
$VertAlign = Bottom
$XOffset = 0
$YOffset = 100
//Subtitles
00:01:41.26 , 00:01:44:10 , Here, the men respect the tigers.
00:01:44:13 , 00:01:45:20 , The tigers are safe.
00:01:47:01 , 00:01:49:23 , They would prefer to see the tigers in the wild…
00:01:49:28 , 00:01:51:09 , …but it’s too dangerous.
00:01:55.06 , 00:01:58:26 , Î”So basically, what your monastery does is, when a
tiger is sick,Î
00:01:58:26 , 00:02:01:12 , Îand someone has a tiger they bring it to the
monastery?”Î
00:02:01:12 , 00:02:02:02 , Î”Yeah.”Î
00:02:02:01 , 00:02:03:15 , Î”And How many tigers do you have now?”Î
00:02:03:15 , 00:02:04:29 , Î”Ah, we have ten now.”Î
00:02:04:29 , 00:02:06:24 , Î”Ten tigers. Are they a lot of work?”Î
00:02:06:25 , 00:02:09:25 , Î”Yeah. Every day they eat a lot!”Î
00:02:10:07 , 00:02:12:13 , But the tigers are not pets.
DVD Subtitle (STL File) Presentation Plus Subtitle (VTT File)
• The VTT file beings with a header indentifying
the file type (WEBVTT).
• Each subtitle contains an in and out point. The
time measurement is seperated by periods.
• Timecode is expressed as hours/minutes/
seconds/thousandths of a second.
• The in-point, out-point of the subtitle are
seperated by two hypens and a square bracket,
forming an arrow. The wording of the subtitle
appears on the next line.
All that be required to change the formats would be to remove the header information from the STL file
and reformat the reminder. The arrows could easily be copied and pasted over the commas separating the
timecode. The formatting indicator for Italics would also be very easy to change in Word using a simple find
and replace action.

2015 Video Handbook
In consultation with one of our video suppliers, it has been confimred by an STL file can be converted to a VTT
file by using Word macros to handle the chnage in formatting and the conversion from frames per seond to
thousandths of a second.
The main difficulty would be in reformatting the timecode from frames into thousandths of seconds. The
hour/minute/second measurements would all be unchanged as it isn’t the time that is being altered, only the
increments that make up each second. Ultimately a second is still a second.
Listed below are the forulae to convert between the two measurement systems for the 3 most common
frame rates (24fps, 25fps and 29.97 fps).
Convert 24 fps to 1000/s
(1000 ÷ 24 = 41.666) therefore multiply the nunber of frames by 41.666
Convert 25 fps to 1000/s
(1000 ÷ 25 = 40) therefore multiply the nunber of frames by 40
Convert 29.97 fps to 1000/s
(1000 ÷ 29.97 = 33.666) therefore multiply the nunber of frames by 33.666
Convert 1000/s to 24 fps
(a ÷ 1000 x 24 = b) divide thousandths by 1000 then multiply by number of frames
Convert 1000/s to 25 fps
(a ÷ 1000 x 25 = b) divide thousandths by 1000 then multiply by number of frames
Convert 1000/s to 29.97 fps
(a ÷ 1000 x 29.97 = b) divide thousandths by 1000 then multiply by number of frames
STL to VTT
VTT to STL
Resources
For an in-depth analysis of the STL file format, please refer to page 467 of the Apple DVD Studio Pro 4 User
Guide.
smb://groupshares/ELT PC Share/OPERATIONS TEAM/PRODUCTION UNIT/STAFF FOLDERS/Matt/Documents/
Video/PDF/DVD_Studio_Pro_4_User_Manual.pdf
http://www.bodenzord.com/archives/79
https://documentation.apple.com/en/dvdstudiopro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=19%26section=13%26t
asks=true
Timecode conversion

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2015 Video Handbook
This section deals specifically with the process of digitised video, how it is created and the factors affecting
it. The previous section dealt with DVD as a format, which in itself is constructed around a form of digitised
video, specifically MPEG-2. This section looks instead at the video in itself.
Digital Video Introduction
42
For a number of years, the type of video we work with
would have been shot on analogue tape. This is turn
would have been edited from one professional video
deck to another, both of which were controlled by an
elaborate control panel, these pieces forming an edit
suite. This type of editing was destructive - each edit
had to be copied from one tape to another and any
changes to the edit could only be made by erasing
the previous version. Additionally this method was
prone to quality loss as each copy was inferior to the
previous copy, with all copies subject to the potential
loss that came with a fragile, easily damaged tape
format.
Since the early 1990s this has become superseded
by editing on a computer, or Nonlinear editing (NLE).
Instead of copying tape-to-tape, editing was carried
out first by copying the tape to a computer, which then
was used to assemble footage in the correct order.
Unlike the previous method, this was nondestructive -
removing a shot from an edit did not throw it away and
it could always easily be put back. An editor could create
as many different versions as one of our editors could
create numerous Word files, and move between them
just as easily. To begin with, this was still mastered back
to tape, though by the end of the 1990s, DVD arrived.
New projects are shot directly onto digital storage media like hard-drives and memory cards so the journey
from camera to computer is simply a matter of copying files. Once digitally edited, the content will be sold
back to the public digitally in one form or another. With the advent of DVD discs replacing videotapes,
downloadable videos on the internet, CD-ROMs and even streaming videos, there is almost no video now
that doesn’t exist in a digitised form.
This chapter will cover some of the formats of digital video, covering the basic building blocks of how
it is made, before moving on to how to manipulate and change the settings of existing video.

2015 Video Handbook
As we progress into digital video, terms such as quality and compression are going to be used regularly and
it’s worth taking time now to consider some basics of quality vs functionality as all digital video makes a
compramise along these lines.
A good example of the need for efficient and clever compression can be found by looking at an MP3 player,
such as an iPod.
iPod Name Capacity (GB) Estimated Songs
iPod nano 4th Gen 8 GB, 16 GB 2000, 4000
In their sales materials, Apple gave an estimate of the number of songs you might expect to fit on an iPod.
Clearly this estimate is subject to several factors such as song length. The longer each song, the fewer songs
would fit (if each song were twice as long as Apple’s estimate, the total number you could fit on an iPod
would be halved).
Just as important however is the data rate- something that will be explored in greater detail later. For now,
we can liken this to audio quality and once again, the greater this quality, the fewer the songs that will fit.
Clearly the whole point of having an iPod was to be able to carry lots of songs around, so the idea of lowering
that number very much runs contrary to the purpose of the device. Of course, we can also argue that there’s
no point having all these songs if they all sound terrible. They key here is one of optimization - to find a
compromise whereby we are willing to sacrifice quality in favour of a gain elsewhere - such as the number of
songs that will fir on a device.

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2015 Video Handbook
Up until now this handbook has focussed largely on DVD and therefore by definition MPEG-2, the video
format upon which DVD is predicated. Digitised video has existed in a number of different formats and
qualities over the years.
The Motion Pictures Experts Group are a ‘working group for the development of international standards
of compression, decompression, processing and coded representation of moving pictures, audio and their
combination’1
Over time, they have defined the specifications for a number of digital video formats starting
with MPEG-1.
1 Quantel The Digital Fact Book. Eleventh Edition.
Video Codecs
44
A new video standard
Analogue/LaserDisc
LaserDisc was the original video on a disc format,
dating back to 1978, thereby predating both VHS
tapes and Audio CDs. A premium high-end product
based around a 12 inch disc (similar to vinyl
record) although with an analogue video track and
uncompressed audio. This specification meant only
60 minutes of video could fit on one side of a disc.
VCD/MPEG-1
MPEG-1 was designed as the format for video CDs
(also known as VCD). Unlike LaserDisc however, the
videoandaudiowasdigitisedandheavilycompressed
in order to still fit 60 minutes to one disc, although a
12cm disc rather than a 12 inch one.
In order to achieve this on a relatively small 650 MB
capacity CD-ROM, video was limited to a bitrate of
1.2 Mb/s (around a quarter of that of DVD). The
picture size was also very low with dimensions of
352x288 pixels (half of DVD). Quality was therefore
substantially lower than it’s predecessor, but hugely
more convenient.
In 1991, Philips attempted to capitalise on this new format by releasing the CD-i players, a forerunner to
the modern DVD player and video games console. These functioned as standalone VCD players, though as
a format this never really caught on and video on disc didn’t really enter the mass public market until the
introduction of DVD.

2015 Video Handbook
DVD/MPEG-2
The next generation of disc player first hit the shelves
in the late 1990s and brought with it a new type of
video compression technology. MPEG-2 would act as
the successor to MPEG-1 offering a larger frame size
(720x576 PAL / 720x480 NTSC) and a video data rate
that averaged around 5 Mb/s. The increase in quality,
coupled with a disc format that could hold roughly 8
times that of the CD brought digital video into every
home.
MPEG-2 received further exposure in the UK with the advent of Terrestrial Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-T),
or Freeview as it’s commonly marketed. Using the well established MPEG-2 compression, the picture quality
once again seemed a vast improvement on the previous analogue broadcasting.
H.264/MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is the latest incarnation of the video
compression co-created by the Motion Pictures
Experts Group and finalised in 2003. A versatile,
powerful format it can be used in many applications
for a whole range of video sizes and qualities.
At the higher end of the spectrum, Blu-Ray discs
utilize MPEG-4 Part 10 Advanced Video Coding
(AVC) for the compression of video at high data rates
(in excess of 20 Mb/s) and in a larger picture size (full
high-definition runs at 1920x1080 pixels).
The true versatility of this codec also allows for video
to also be encoded at low data rates and smaller
picture sizes and as such it now represents the bulk
of the content on video streaming sites such as
YouTube, Vimeo and the iTunes Store.
Also known as H.264, the AVC codec’s purpose
was efficiency. Although revolutionary at the time,
DVD with it’s MPEG-2 codec proved very limited at
handling video below a certain data rate and it’s flaws
could be very apparent with blockiness evident on
video with a large amount of motion, such as sports.
The next section of this handbook will be dealing
with MPEG-4 as a format and the ways in which we
can encode video into this revolutionary format.
Dive into HTML5. Chapter 5: Video on the Web
http://diveintohtml5.info/video.html
H.264 Levels and Profiles
http://blog.mediacoderhq.com/h264-profiles-and-levels/
Motion Picture Experts Group AVC/H.264 Licence Terms
http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/avc/Documents/avcweb.pdf

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Video Compression
46
A key aspect to digitised video is compression. Unlike audio where an uncompressed recording is still of
sufficient size to add to a disc or for a consumer-quality machine to play (CD audio is uncompressed), the
complexity of video information means that the file size would be far too great to work with uncompressed,
which would also be too demanding on a computer to play.
This chapter details with how video is constructed in a digital format and the key terms involved with
measuring the size and quality of that video. It also deals with how the file size of the video is reduced, which
is the key aspect to compression.
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 1
720 pixels
480pixels
1
The frame rate equals the number of images that appear per second.
Cinema plays at 24 frames-per-second (fps). PAL video plays at 25 fps and NTSC video at 29.97 fps.
Frame Rate
If every one of these frames were represented as an image, this would take up a lot of room on your computer
(like 25 JPG images for every single second of video). To reduce this size, only a few evenly-spaced frames in
this sequence are self-contained pictures. These are called Keyframes. The remaining frames in-between the
keyframes are not self-contained but instead are based on the information contained in the last keyframe
and adding only specific information relating to what has changed since that keyframe. Essentially therefore,
it is calculating change based on motion. The in-between frames are known as Intra-frames and come in two
types: Predicted frames (which estimate change based on the previous adjacent frame) and Bidirectional
frames (which estimate change based on previous and future frames).
The sequence of frames between each keyframe is know as a Group of Pictures, or GOP. The frequency of
the number of keyframes in relation to the number of frames per second is called a GOP pattern or GOP rate.
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 1
720 pixels
480pixels
1
GOP Pattern

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1 2 3 4
1 1
720 pixels
480pixels
1
Each frame of digital video, just as with a digitised still image, is comprised of a large number of tiny coloured
squares (pixels) which when seen together form the whole image. The greater the number of pixels, the
larger the picture size will be and also, potentially the more detailed the picture will be.
We measure the picture size of video in pixels, for example a DVD may be 720 pixels across by 480 pixels in
height (720x480), whereas hi-definition is 1920x1080 pixels.
Picture Size
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 1
720 pixels
480pixels
1
Although the picture size is important as it determines the size and quality of a video, of equal if not greater
importance is the data rate. This is what determines how much information is written into every second of
video.
A bigger picture size needs more information to accompany the extra pixels, otherwise we might
simply see a picture that fills the screen, but fills it with blockiness and an unwatchable image. Similarly if
the picture size is small, then increasing the data rate can’t and won’t change the fact that the image is not
constructed of many pixels and therefore cannot hold a high level of detail, and will simply make the video
bigger but not better.
There are no hard and fast rules as to how high a video data rate should be. This is due to several reasons.
Firstly, video can utilise any one of a number of different compression types (known as codecs). the
different types bring with them differing efficiencies as to how well they can process video at a given data
rate. Some are without a doubt better than others.
Secondly, video compression is always a balancing act between file size and quality. Whilst we it might
seem logical to strive to the highest quality, we have to balance this against file size which could determine
how many minutes of video can fit on a disc, or even whether a video will even play on the target device.
A video should have a quality that reflects the picture size and also the intended use. If a video is intended
for a mobile device, then the data rate needs to be low so as to reflect the limited storage capabilities of
that device. If a video is designed for streaming, you need to consider the internet connection of the person
watching that video. Once you have a quality that is fit-for-purpose, anything beyond that simply makes the
file bigger but not better.
Data Rate

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Video Quality / Bitrate Calculating
48
With many digital products, there is often a need to ensure the final size of a given file does not exceed a
certain amount. Performing a bit calculation will enable you to accurately estimate the size a of a file before
you convert it.
In order to create digital content that is suitable for purpose it is always recommended to perform a bitrate
calculation. In some instances, we may only be able to accommodate a limited amount of data (a DVD disc
will only hold 4.75 GB of data)
Making content fit size a set size
We need our file to be under 4MB.
4 MB (x8) = 32 Mb
32 Mb (x1024) = 32,768 kb
32,768 kb (÷166 seconds) = 197.39759 kb/s
Therefore in order to create a file that is under 4MB
in size it would have to be under 197 kilobits per
second (kb/s).
Measuring bitrate from an file
Our file is 320 kb/s
320 kb/s (÷8) = 40 kB/s
40 kB/s (÷1024) = 0.039 MB/s
0.039 MB/s (x 166 seconds) = 6.48 MB
In this instance, the file would be too big.
Let’s assume a video clip is 2 minutes 46 seconds long. To work out the bitrate per second, we will first need
to know how many seconds there are, which we can achieve by dividing the minutes by 60 and adding the
minutes to that number. In this example, there are 166 seconds.
1GB (one gigabyte)
Contains 1024 MB (one thousand and twenty four megabytes)
1 MB (one megabyte)
Contains 1024 kB (one thousand and twenty four kilobytes)
1 kB (one kilobyte)
Contains 1024 B (one thousand and twenty four bytes)
1 B (one byte)
Contains 8 b (eight bits)
How to estimate video file size

2015 Video Handbook
However, this needn’t be seen as a bad thing in itself. No one video file should be expected to take the place
of any other, nor should we expect one file to do every job perfectly. Each video file produced should be with
a specific purpose in mind and with the system requirements and restrictions of the delivery medium firmly
in mind. We shouldn’t want to put high definition video into an eBook anymore than we would want to use
a paper bag to carry bricks. To do so would be to fail to see the differences between the two and to fail to
understand that each has it’s uses and limitations.
The clarity of image is an obvious area we can measure quality, though not the only one we should measure.
A file that takes up too much room on a iPad or that takes too long to download should also be seen as a
failure of quality. One size does not fit all. Although someone might conceivably play an eBook through an
external display or interactive whiteboard, we need to acknowledge that we cannot prepare equally for every
eventuality with how someone might use a product. Playing back video on a large screen is why we create
a DVD disc; an eBook is created with other uses in mind. We need to accept that there will be a difference
between the quality of the video between different media, or we run the risk of creating unwieldy products
that burden devices or systems with an excessive amount of data needlessly.
Video quality
It is worth acknowledging that video has issues
intrinsically linked to it that make it somewhat
uniquely problematic among digital assets.
Audio can be adequately compressed almost
to a level that is almost indistinguishable from
the uncompressed form and graphics and
images can usually be scaled down in size by
using clever compression or a different format
that supports lower size without noticeable
problems. Video, by contrast, produces files
of a large size (25 frames of images, plus
accompanying audio every second) where
bringing the size down also noticeably reduces
the quality of its appearance.
The very nature of video compression means
creating a new file that is inferior in quality to
the file it was created from. A DVD for instance
is a poor imitation of the final edit created by
the video editor in the post-production house.
The video files on all
these products are
not interchangeable!

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Video Compact Disc (VCD)
Disc Capacity: 650-700 MB
Video Codec: MPEG-1
Picture Size: 352x288
Video Data Rate: 1141000 b/s (1.2 Mb/s approx)
Audio Codec: MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3)
Audio Bitate: 224 kb/s
Audio Sample Rate: 44.1 mHz
Digital Versatile/Video Disc (DVD)
Disc Capacity: 4.75- GB
Video Codec: MPEG-2
Picture Size: 720x576 (PAL), 720x480 (NTSC)
Video Data Rate: Variable (typical 4-6 Mb/s)
Audio Codec: MP3 / Dolby Digital AC3 / DTS / Uncompressed
Audio Bitate: Variable (typical 224 kb/s for MP3/AC3)
Audio Sample Rate: 48 mHz
Blu-Ray Disc (BVD)
Disc Capacity: 25/50 GB MB
Video Codec: MPEG-4/H.264
Picture Size: 1920x1080
Video Data Rate: Variable (typical 20-25 Mb/s)
Audio Codec: MP3 / Dolby Digital AC3 / DTS / Uncompressed
Audio Bitate: Variable (typical 224 kb/s for MP3/AC3)
Audio Sample Rate: 48 mHz
Sample video specifications for reference
Below is a list of common formats that detail the specifications of those formats. There are areas where these
are fixed, though I’ve also tried to indicate where these can be varied.

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Handbrake: Introduction
51
Handbrake is a piece of freeware introduced in its current form in 2007 and which
runs on both the PC and Mac platforms. Unlike most commercial video editing
packages that are designed to output high quality video for broadcast television,
film or video but which struggle at lower resolutions, Handbrake is specifically
designed to crunch video down to a low file size. Sample video encoding tests have
demonstrated that Adobe Media Encoder CS5.5 - the program that performs the
video encoding when exporting from both Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects
- is not suited to low data-rate encodes. The results produced are disappointing,
featuring a highly pixelated picture and unreadable on screen text.
This is extremely important as one of the constant struggles with digital video is balancing quality and
compatibility. It is all too easy to focus simply on quality, resulting in a ‘bigger is better’ view, though in reality
this is not the case. Making a file bigger does not improve the quality proportionally to size, as after a
point you are simply making the file bigger only. This can also lead to major problems, such as with internet
streaming video where a larger file may struggle to play without lots of stopping and starting (buffering).
Please refer to the section on Quality for further discussion.
Handbrake is designed to use a specific video format, MPEG-4. Following on from MPEG-2 (the format
that forms the backbone of every DVD video) MPEG-4 was designed to allow for web use rather than just
broadcast. It is also much more efficient than its predecessor, meaning that the same quality can be achieved
in a much smaller file size.
Encoding video using the proposed specifications can be surprisingly easy. This is largely due that we are
only really focusing on altering several key settings: video codec, video data-rate, picture size, audio codec,
audio sample rate and audio data rate. This chapter will examine these settings in some detail, giving an
explanation of the key terms.
The next section will then crucially also provide a series of easy-to-use presets that will produce video suitable
for Cambridge University Press products.

Full details and software download links can be found at the official website:
http://handbrake.fr/
As of the time of writing the current latest version of Handbrake for Mac
is version 0.10.1 x86_64. It would be worth checking you have this version
installed before using this guide as screenshots and settings may be different
in previous versions.
Upgrading to the latest version
What is Handbrake?

2015 Video Handbook
Source. This is used to browse for the video file you wish to
convert. Various features of the software will be locked until
you have selected a file
Start/Pause. Starts or pauses encoding of the current clip in
the main window.
Add to Queue. Enables you to park the selected video into
a queue which you can then add multiple other titles to and
then encode them together in a row.
Show Queue. This pop-up box is where items added to the
queue appear. This has its own start and pause buttons which
set the queue rendering instead of individual clips (see 2
below)
Picture Settings. Opens the Picture Settings Pop-Up
Window which gives the ability to redefine or fine-tune the
picture size (see 3 below).
Preview Window. This pop-up window gives you a preview
of how the settings you have chosen will affect the video
clip you are working on (see 4 below).
Activity Window. Displays an ongoing list of the processes
your computer is performing when encoding video. This is
not needed for everyday work (see 5 below).
Toggle Presets. Enables visibility of the Presets panel
located to the right of the main window (see 6 below).
1
2
3
4
5
6
The main interface window (see 1 below) is where you can select a clip, apply audio and video settings to
that clip and finally encode that clip. Most of the settings required will be found in this main window, though
the additional windows have their functions. The diagram below shows you the windows and the buttons
required to view them.
Handbrake: Main Interface
All of the settings detailed in this section are stored in the established presets that can be imported into
Handbrake, and it is therefore possible to use the software without ever changing any of the settings.
However, by detailing the process by which video is encoded and by which the presets were created, it is
possible to highlight the steps you would need to go through in order to create a new preset should a new
project have specific requirements that cannot be met by the existing standards.

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Handbrake can encode video either from an unprotected DVD-Video disc (see previous chapter) or from
individual video files. The process for choosing the source file is largely similar.
Source
From DVD-Video
It is recommended to first copy the
contents of the DVD-Video to your
hard drive as the process is much
slower if working directly from a disc.
Press the Source button and search
for the Video-TS folder. All of the
individual movie tracks on the disc
will be made available to copy from.
Next, choose the movie track you
wish to encode. Pressing the drop-
down menu for Title will reveal the
list of tracks. You will need to work
out which is these is the correct one,
which will be easier if you know the
length of the video. If not, you may
need to try a few. The list will include
the copyright and the DVD menus in
addition to all the video tracks.
Depending on how the DVD-Video was authored, the movie you want may either be a track in its own
right, or may exist as part of a larger movie. If this is the case, then you can use the next drop-down menu,
Chapters, to specify the start and end chapter points of the video you want to encode. If in doubt, use the
Preview Window to visually check the video track you have selected.
With any DVD video you know that the picture size will be 720 pixels across (whether PAL or NTSC)
and at around 5Mb/s video data rate. This is your starting point to compress down from.
Single file
It the clip you are encoding from is a single video file such as
an MP4 or AVI file, then the settings of this source clip could
be pretty much anything potentially. In order to reduce the
size, you must first establish what you are reducing it down
from.
First, open the video file in Quicktime Player and
Window/Show Movie Inspector (⌘-i; CTRL-i) to reveal the
properties of the file. Under Format, you will find the details
of the video codec, picture size, audio codec, audio sample
rate and audio channels. Make a notes of these settings as
you will need them in the next stages.

Video Handbook 2015

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Video Handbook 2015