WMV on DVD player

[stanatou]

From Bob's response on another thread:
Check your DVD player specifications. I have three dvd players that will play WMV movies from a CD or DVD burned as a data disc (Toshiba, Philips, and Sony).

I don't have a TV hooked up to my workstation so to check lighting, spacing, etc. as it will appear on a TV I go thru the DVD creating process and check it on 2 or 3 TVs. If one of my DVD players will play a WMV file, will the display be close enough to DVD to evaluate the settings? Getting the brightness/contrast settings acceptable always takes several iterations and using a WMV file would certainly speed things up.

Stan

[Bob]

I just made a correction on the other thread: The Sony upscaling DVD player I just bought does not play WMV. However, my Philips (also an upscaling player) and Toshiba players do play WMV.

I'm not sure just how well a wmv file will approximate the dvd results. The codecs are definitely different and that can certainly have an effect. There are also other differences. Personally, I always test with a dvd so I'll know exactly what I will be getting and there will be no surprises. However, depending on what you are looking for, it might be close enough to get you in the ballpark. Your best best is to do some experiments and see for yourself whether it will work for you.

[Bill Hunt]

For color and density grading, the best that one can do is feed to an NTSC (or PAL) calibrated monitor.

Any play on a TV will be a compromise, based on the calibration, or lack thereof, of that TV. It might match that of a client, or it might not. The latter is the most likely.

Now, one can certainly use a set-top player and TV to test a DVD burn, but that is not what you are asking.

Next to the calibrated NTSC monitor, the various scopes in PrPro may be as close as one can get.

There are just too many variables with TV's out in the public to ever know what a client will see, when the DVD is played.

Good luck,

Hunt