Down Convert Questions

Hey gang,
So, I'v noticed quite a few complaints people have been having with compressing HD footage for SD DVD using the latest version of Compressor. Unfortunately, I have recently discovered similar issues and was just hoping to get some input on the best way to work around the poor quality exports from Compressor.
Currently, I'm working on a 20 minute short film that was shot on a Panasonic HVX200 in 1080i. I much prefer using 720p when shooting on the HVX, but I wasn't the DP in this scenario. Just to clarify, the footage is 1920x1080 and 23.98 fps. We edited in FCP, color corrected (and de-interlaced) in color, and have been attempting to export to DVD.
The compressions we've done so far look pretty terrible. Not noticing too much aliasing, but there's some sort of awful looking moire/artifacting going on in the very deep blacks. This is a black and white film, so that really becomes distracting. In doing my research here, it looks this is just an unavoidable result of using the new Compressor, so I'm trying to narrow down my options.
It seems that the first solution is to try adjusting the frame controls to achieve better quality while resizing, although I see that while this drastically increases compression time, the improvement may be marginal at best. I'm wondering if it would possibly be better for me to nest the sequence in FCP and resize it there before I compress it for DVD? Is that the dumbest idea ever?
The other possible solution I had would be to export a full-res QT of the film (I don't even want to think about how long that will take), and then compress that with an older version of Compressor that I have access to. I would like to just export a reference QT ( i.e. a version that is not self-contained) of the film, but I wasn't sure if an older version of Compressor (the version that came with FCS2) would be able to work with a reference QT exported from the newer version of FCP. Do reference QTs follow the same backwards compatibility restrictions as FC files? This is a process that I would like to avoid, but if the results are much better it might be worth it.
I know you guys are probably sick of dealing with this question over and over, but any input you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

MrMadCow13 wrote:
Currently, I'm working on a 20 minute short film that was shot on a Panasonic HVX200 in 1080i. I much prefer using 720p when shooting on the HVX, but I wasn't the DP in this scenario. Just to clarify, the footage is 1920x1080 and 23.98 fps. We edited in FCP, color corrected (and de-interlaced) in color, and have been attempting to export to DVD.
Why De-interlace a progressive sequence?
Do reference QTs follow the same backwards compatibility restrictions as FC files?
Not if your opening then with some other program. The backward compatibility issue is form Final Cut (newer) to Final Cut (older).
o| TOnyTOny |o

Similar Messages

*** Question for down-converting Z1U or FX1 users

I am importing some HDV material that I am down-converting in the camera into DV into a sequence that is 720x480 anamorphic.
I want to guarantee that when people view the 16:9 footage on their square tv that it automatically is shown as letter-boxed and not stretched vertically. Currently, I am having problems because when I preview my 16:9 footage on a square tv, unless I set the tv to 16:9, it stretches the image. If the wrong client who doesn't know any better does this and it stretches it will look horrible. Is there any way to bring in down-converted footage and guarantee that it will be properly framed on a square tv.
Currently I am bringing in the footage and down-converting with the "squeeze" setting. Should I be using this, or the "letter box" setting? My understanding is that using the letter box setting will actually crop off the top/bottom of my 16:9 footage which ISN'T what I'm looking for.
Any assistance that anyone could give would be much appreciated!

Well, it's usually a bad idea to use 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox because it depends on how your client has set the TV Shape setting on their DVD player.
If the DVD player is connect to a 16:9 TV (and therefore the TV Shape setting is 16:9), there is no issue - the anamorphic image fills the screen.
However, for 4:3 users, the TV Shape setting provides two choices: 4:3 Pan-Scan (sometimes labeled at 4:3 Normal) and 4:3 Letterbox. When you use the 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox display mode in DVDSP, your footage will have the edges cropped off if the player is set to 4:3 Pan-Scan. The edges will be cropped off because you cannot specify Pan-Scan vectors in DVDSP or Compressor (Pan-Scan vectors being an element of the DVD spec that companies have been unable to implement). As you might be able to guess, if the player is set to 4:3 Letterbox, your footage gets letterboxed.
Now, this wouldn't be a problem except for 2 factors:
Most of the time, cropping the edges of your video is not what you intended (it makes you look bad when something important is cut off)
Because most commercial DVDs use the 16:9 Letterbox display mode - where it doesn't matter which 4:3 TV Shape setting is used, the 16:9 image is letterboxed - most users don't know the difference between the two 4:3 settings. This can lead to unexpected results when you send them a disc encoded as 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox. (And let's just say that most users are really confused by the setup menus on DVD players)
Of course, I preface all of this by saying usually. If it's worked for you in the past - or you compose your shots in such a way that cropping off the edges is no big thing - don't let me cramp your style.

Down-Converting 1080p to 720p

I shoot AVCHD 1080p form a verity of different cameras - but 99% of all my final projects are for the Web or DVD - no big screen and no blue-ray. I want to shoot what I can in 1080p for future use or projects. My question is what is the best solution (free or nominal fee) for down-converting my footage to 720p for storage and editing?

Can I ask a related question here? (maybe in the "dumb question department) ...
I'm also shooting with a brand new NX5U -- which lets me shoot 1080 and 720 simultaneously (one to chip, the other to a flash drive). My projects also end up on the web and non-blueray DVDs.
So is the quality going to be better if I work in 1080 timelines and then import the final into a 720 timeline? Or is it going to look the same if I work in 720 right from the start?
I haven't run any tests to judge rendering time, etc. I'm assuming higher rez means longer processing time. But maybe it's worth it for better quality.
Anyone have any advice about this?
Thanks in advance!

Down convert or wait?

Hi, I'm just about to capture fotage HDV the end project is to be a dvd.
So i.m not sure which way to go for the best result.
1. do I capture HDV edit in hdv and then let compressor take care of the down convert to dv
or
2. with my new HVR-M15 let it convert to the fotage to dv from hdv
all the best
yes it's hot indoors today.

> Also I would squeeze it
(and edge clip),well my new deck will do that i ask
I don't quite understand what you're trying to achieve and where you want to start from. If you want to edit in HDV, then yes, you can use the hardware downconvert to achieve the aspect ratio you want.
Try this topic for some excellent advice particularly from Hanumang:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=514970&tstart=0
> what would
the diffrence be if I conv to dvcam or sd again I
think dvcam would be best and that also works in the
dv-pal seq.
From what I gather , there's little or no difference between DV and DVCAM once it's Captured. I could be wrong but I think DVCAM is a slightly more reliable tape format (less dropped frames for one) than DV.
Andy
G5 Quad. 8 GB. 250 & 500 GB Int'l Drives. G-Tech G-Raid 1 TB. FCP 5.0.4 (Studio) Mac OS X (10.4.6) Sony HVR-Z1E . . . I mark my questions Solved or Helpful - and I LOVE FCP.

IPhoto converts AVCHD to MOV files - is it down converting?

I just bought a new camera yesterday. It is a Sony Cybershot WX150 which records HD video (1080i) in AVCHD format. When I import the files into iPhoto - which are then later exported as "originals" they are very small .MOV files. I am wondering if my AVCHD files are actually down converting or if they are just small MOV files because the AVCHD files are already compressed? Basically I want to make sure I'm not losing quality on import. Ultimately I would prefer that I had the original file instead. Does anyone have any input on this? Thank you.

The resolution that iPhoto of the exported photo from iPhoto is 1080 but that does not mean that it hasn't compressed or down converted. I know the resolution i am shooting at is 1080i. I would just like to know in the conversion process of AVCHD -> MOV if it is just re-wrapping or if it is actually converting. I am ok with a small MOV file like it gives but I do not want the original quality adjusted at all.
Unfortunately comparing the two on a computer screen may not tell the whole story and might look ok even if it is compressed.

FM down converter in LabView. How?

Hello NI Developers!
I have Frequency Modulated (FM) Signal, with carrier frequency 1000Hz and message signal frequency 20Hz. I want to downconvert FM signal frequency to 200Hz. I searched through the forum and google and didn't find anything where would be at least algorithms or Math equations. How to downconvert FM signal?
The aim is down convert signal to low frequencies where it is easier to filter from noise.
Thank you in advance!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hello,
You could try using the Scale Delta t VI (Functions >> Programming >> Waveform). As the help says, "Multiplies the delta t component of the waveform by the specified scale
factor. Generally, this lengthens or shortens the sample rate of the
waveform."
You could also take a look at the Resample Waveforms (continuous) VI (Functions >> Signal Processing >> Waveform Conditioning.
I hope this helps.
Vivek Nath
National Instruments
Applications Engineer
Machine Vision

I need to down convert MXF files so I can use Premiere 11. Any suggestions?

I need to down convert MXF files so I can use Premiere 11. Any Suggestions?

https://www.google.com/#q=convert+mxf+to+avi

1920x1080 to 1440x1080 Down Converting

Hi,
I shot a wedding with my Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon HDV30. The 5D Mark II is 1920x1080 and the HDV is 1440x1080 and I want to edit both on the same time line. I'm pretty sure I have to down convert the 1920x1080 footage to match the 1440x1080 footage but I don't really see where I can do this in compressor. Sorry I'm new to all this and can't figure it out on my own.

I think I figured it out here http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/compressor_h-264_moviesfcp.html
I'm going to change the dimensions to 1440x1080 and see what happens. If anyone else has any tips let me know. thanks.

Premiere CS4 Cineform HDV to SD down convert

Has anyone tried http://cineform.blogspot.com/2008/12/mastering-24p-dvds-from-hd-using.html using Premiere CS4 and Cineform Neo Scene? In my tests the down converted Cineform SD file was corrupt. The clip only plays the first few frames and the preview goes black. Anyone had success with Cineform HDV to SD down converts with Premiere CS4?

Maybe you'll be so kind as to point me where on Cineform's site they say any of there products are CS4 compatible?
Everywhere I see they say CS4 coming "late January" or "by Febuary".
http://www.cineform.com/products/NeoScene.htm
"* CS2 and CS3 are currently supported. CS4 support will be available in February 2009"
and this
http://www.cineform.com/products/Prospect.htm
"Until the time we release Prospect HD for CS4 (around the end of January 2009), all Aspect HD customers may upgrade to Prospect HD for $199 at our online store. All upgrades prior to our release for CS4 will be to Prospect HD v3. All PHD v3 upgrades will also come with a free upgrade to Prospect HD v4 (late January) that will support CS4."

How To Down Convert FCPRO7 project to FCPRO6 project

A friend of mine is having some problems with FCPRO7 and he needs to finish a job ASAP.
Is there any way to use a FCPRO7 project in a FCPRO6?
down convert it? or export the timeline contents and use in a new FCPRO6 project?
Thanks in advance.

Use the Media Manager (in the File menu) to copy all the media to a single folder on an external drive.
This will also create a project file linked to the copied media.
Use that to generate an XML Version 4 file: Export > XML.
Connect the external drive to the FCP 6 system.
Import the XML into FCP 6, double click the Sequence in the Browser and follow the on screen instructions.

How to down convert iMovie HD imported in Full 1920x1080 to Large 960x540

I have a Canon HD camcorder which captures video in 1080i format. I have been downloading my movies in iMovie using the Full - 1920x1080 option instead of the Large - 960x540 option.
But now I am running out of space!!! Also I don't see a big difference in quality between the two formats.
I want to down convert all my downloaded movies to Large - 960x540 format ... Can someone tell me how to do that in iMovie. I have already deleted the movies in my camcorder. Help!

I don't think that what you're trying to do is possible without reimporting the footage, which I understand is deleted. You can down convert to 540 on export without a problem from 1080, but you original footage will remain 1080.
The good news is external HDs are really cheap these days, so you can pick one up to store your footage with a very minor investment. Now you can switch to importing 540 as Apple recommends and you'll save a ton of space, and processing time, moving forward. As you've already seen, the quality difference is very minimal versus the space and processing cost.

Down converting HD to help workflow

Hi All
I have been given many quicktime animation files to cut into a sequence in Final Cut Pro 6. The only problem is that they are 1920 x 1280 in size and are in Blackmagic 8 bit!!!! My computer cant handle the files, they are huge.
What steps should i now take to get them into a workable file type to edit with easily, and how would I go about when finished editing the piece, getting the online back to the original 1920 x1280 qt files provided originally. The files are also animations at 24fps.
Someone has suggested converting the original QT's from black magic to photo Jpeg using quicktime pro or compressor?
Much thanks to anyone who responds!!!

Hi Andy
Thanks so much for your response, media manager eh? Ive never used that before. Ive been looking for tutorials on the net but no luck. I did a test by high lighting a clip in my bin, chose Media Manager. Then I selected Ofline and chose the file to be photo Jpeg offline HD 24 fps, then when i clicked ok it asked me to save a new project? then when i save the clip is sitting there in a new projact, but its still uncompressed 1828 x 988? I would have assumed it would down convert it to the photo jpeg codec? and when i play it on the timeline it looks really pixilated... ha
am I completly missing the point of Media Manager?
Like I said, I have no idea about it - I come from Avid

Down Converting

Hello,
I'm using a G5 with final cut studio. I have two Sony Z1u cameras and recently purchased a Canon Xl-H1. With the Z1u's, it's easy to down convert. I just filmed some footage with the Canon 24p HDV and I can't seem to down convert when capturing. It keeps capturing it 16:9. I need it in 4:3. Does anyone know how to downconvert with the Canon Xl-H1 or how i can do in in Final Cut Pro to render it as 4:3 using cropping. I am not aware of how to follow through with the technique.
Thanks

Hello there,
Down-converting refers to the format of the video (HDV -DV), not the aspect ratio... When you capture your media (down-converted) with the Z1 doesn't it also come in as 16:9/Anamorphic?
When you say... render it as 4:3 using cropping, do you mean that you want it cropped top and bottom (letterboxed, which will happen automatically when you drop your 16:9 media onto a 4:3 timeline), or do you mean that you want to scale in and lose the sides of your image (pan-and-scan)?

Hdv 1080 50i footage down-converted to PAL DV query

Hi,
I've captured a bunch of tapes down converted from the original HDV (through a Z1) to PAL. I'd now like to recapture these tapes as HDV footage. Would it be simply a case of copying the edited sequence, pasting it in an HDV 1080 sequence and reconnecting the clips to the new HDV media files after recapturing the tapes, or is it going to be more complicated than that?
Cheers,
Ant

I've never done this, but I think you're going to have some issues, depending on how you captured the DV version. If you took it as one long capture, the HDV clips won't be the same and you won't be able to relink.
You might end up having to replace all the clips one at a time. At least the timecode will match.

*** Do I choose "squeeze" or "letterbox" when down-converting HDV footage

I'm not sure which setting to choose here so I'm hoping somone can help. I have printed my HDV footage to tape and would like to bring it back into FCP down-converted. I'm working from the Sony HDV deck. I know to go to iLink and change the settings there, but do I change them to "squeeze" or "letterbox"?

What are you hoping to do with the downconverted footage?
If you'll need to make Anamorphic DVDs - or fill any type of 16:9 display, for that matter (even if it is from tape, projector or computer) - you're best off choosing "Squeeze."
You can then drop that footage into an Anamorphic timeline and be good to go.
If you choose letterbox, you'll have a 4:3 image with black bars as part of the image. I suppose that's not an issue if you're only producing material for 4:3 masters but considering how many 'how do I make my 4:3 material fit a 16:9 TV' threads we've had here in the last month, I'd personally avoid that.

Down Convert Questions

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