Using 24 fps Video
Often the video content for a DVD project originates from film shot at 24 frames per
second (for NTSC this is actually 23.976 fps, which is more commonly referred to as
23.98 fps). The DVD specification allows you to include 24 fps MPEG-2 assets as long as
they are properly flagged so the DVD player can decode them by either using a 3:2
pulldown (for NTSC DVD players) or playing them 4% faster (for PAL DVD players). The
video resolution also must match those allowed for the intended video standard. See
Choosing a Video Resolution
for details on supported video resolutions.
This means that there are NTSC and PAL versions of 24 fps MPEG-2 assets, and you can
only use NTSC 24 fps assets in NTSC projects and PAL 24 fps assets in PAL projects.
Encoding video that originates with a 24 fps rate as a 24 fps MPEG asset has two primary
advantages:
• Less time is spent on the encoding process.
• Smaller files are produced.
These advantages are due to fewer frames being encoded, especially when compared
to NTSC frame rates.
Important:
MPEG-2 assets that include 23.98 frames to play at 29.97 fps show as 29.97 fps
assets in QuickTime, Compressor, and DVD Studio Pro.