I'm switching from a FCP Self-Contained export; now saving a non-self-contained QT file, bringing it into Compressor, compressing with Top First feild dominance, importing to Encore and burning.

I've now got jagged edges. Thinking I should try Progressive Field Dominance instead, but is that it? Is my prob in Compressor, Encore or FCP (interlacing?)?

Footage is HDV output as SD. Thanks!!!

Seems like there's a lot of posts about HDV to SD, but your field dominance stands out to me as a possible problem. DV is lower right?
Even still I would de-interlace HDV before converting it to SD, and keep it as progressive. But I would de-interlace in After Effects and burn in DVD Studio Pro, which looks good even when your source is progressive.

After Effects?! LOL... I just bought Premier so I could offer Blu-Ray!

Thank you so much for the reply. I'll try it along with de-interlacing. BTW, I haven't seen better quality switching from making self-contained QT files in FCP (1 step) and creating non-self-contained files in QT, then crunching them in Compressor (2 steps). What is the difference?

I just exported a bunch of HDV to SD. Just take the final project file from FCP (mov) into Compressor and use progressive scanning. Also if you turn your anti-aliasing up to far it will make jagged lines as well.

Dana, a non-self-contained movie is just a reference file containing pointers to all of your material. A self-contained movie is a complete movie file. If you are only moving between software on the same system you only need the reference file (non-self-contained) but if you are moving between systems you'll need the contained.

As for your jagged edges, they are interlacing artifacts. It depends where/how you are viewing the movie as to where in your workflow you can best deal with the problem, if indeed there is a problem at all, but these days a progressive QT movie is usually the best way to go.

Perfect, and well said.

By choosing that progressive setting on a Blu-Ray burn, does that give me a 1080p burn?

...also, since it's just a reference file, why is it taking over an hour to render on an 8-core? That doesn't seem right.

Dana, if you've applied any effects, graphics or color treatments to any shot then FCP will have to render them before it creates the reference file.

Aaah..that explains it. You are a very wise. Yes, I like to spice things up quite a bit.

I'm about to miss a deadline. Please tell me what I'm missing. I'm getting serious jagged edges.

I export a Quicktime Movie out of FCP. I don't check Make Movie Self Contained. I don't Recompress All Frames. I used Current Settings without markers.

In Compresser I use Apple DVD: Best quality for 120 minutes customized to Progressive Field Dominance, 29.97 framerate, Mpeg-2, m2v with Allow job segmenting checked and SD DVD stream usage.
Ave. bit rate=5, Max=7.5 and motion est=best. The gop structure is IBBP closed, GOP size=15 pattern IBBPBBPBPBBPBP. I've also got Add DVD Studio Pro metadata checked.

In Encore it's listed as Don't Transcode.

It looks bad before Encore. Sometimes all these settings are fine, sometimes awful.

How long is the project? It is HDV and you are compressing to Standard Def correct?

Check make self contained movie during export and recompress all frames. Send complete movie to Compressor and use the pre-installed 90 minute DVD setting and the Dolby Digital that goes with it. That shoudl give it some smoothing since its not at an extreme high bit rate and leave all the other settings to default. Take those, and, i dont know why you are going to Encore since the whole project is in Final Cut Studio, but, whatev.....take those into encore and see what you get, or play them in QT and see what you get there. Should be GTG. HDV is a bitch to transcode since it is in a 13 frame long GOP format. It has to break that format and re-encode to a different (m2v).

Thank you Derek,

I will try those things. I use Encore because I also do Blu-Ray, and I'd rather master one program than try to keep up with two.

I've never done recompress frames. Interesting.

I usually get good results from not making the movie self-contained and only transcoding in Compressor. Going your route It will fully transcode both in FCP and Compressor. Do you recommend that as a standard? It seems like it would take forever.

Thanks again!

You shouldnt have to compress from FCP, just export a QT movie and it should be left in HDV if you are editing in a HDV timeline. Then the compression is done in Compressor.

If it's self-contained, doesn't it perform a render and create a massive file of it and take forever?

Yes it will render the complete timeline and will give you a massive file that is completely rendered. 12gb an hour for DV/NTSC. I cant remember what HDV is at. 24 or something. Then stick it into compressor.

I cant remember what HDV is at.

Should be the same as DV as both are 25mbps ASSUMING you've captured the media as HDV and not as an intermediate codec.

I just don't see why I would render it twice. When things aren't working it sounds like a good step though.

Should be the same as DV as both are 25mbps ASSUMING you've captured the media as HDV and not as an intermediate codec.

Thought so since it is recorded to MiniDV tape, just didnt want to give false info.

I just don't see why I would render it twice. When things aren't working it sounds like a good step though.

It sounded like your stuff wasnt working. Did you try it? And you are only rendering once and transcoding once. Render the completed timeline to HDV when you export and transcode to MPEG-2 in compressor.

Thanks Derek. I got it to work the way you suggested and it saved the day. I still need to do some tests to try to get better quality. Now that all the deadlines are over I'll have some time to explore it.

Not a problem. I try and stick my 2c in there when I can.