A1 HDV footage to SD DVD workflow ( FCP )

[David Chia]

Hi all,

After reading so many forums and different section of this forum . I came out with bit and piece taken from everywhere.The result I think is pretty good . Only down fall is harddrive space.

But first I got to let everyone know what system I'm having, so the time varies with you system:
Power Mac dual 1.25, 2 Gig ram, Ati 9600 64mb,FCP studio (FCP5.1.4)
Yes it an oldie, but it still works for HDV editing. Note, I'm working in PAL land.

1 ) After editing your HDV sequence in FCP.

2) Export your sequence with "quicktime conversion" to an uncompressed 8-bit or 10-bit quicktime file.

Some of you might say there is no reason to transcode to SD 8 or 10 bit. Compressor will convert your HDV timeline straight to an SD mpeg2 file.

Yes you are right , but doing it that way will render your transitions/fx in FCP as HDV and add artifacts, While doing it uncompressed for the downconversion keeps that from happening.

This is the advice given straight from a fcp plugin developer who also works on the "RED" team.

You could alternatively change the sequence codec from HDV to uncompressed 8 or 10-bit or ProRes before you export (trash your hdv renders first also) as well.

3)set the parameters for 768 x 576 SD and check the box labeled "maintain aspect ratio 16:9"

4) then compress the 8 bit or 10 bit file in compressor with whatever the best setting you can do (based on how long it is) ,

But I skip this step, because DVD Studio Pro takes this file too.( whichever is your liking, I found that both ways add up to the same rendering time, convert to Mpeg2 in compressor first or convert to Meg2 in DVD SP later)

You will end up with a Gorgeous downconverted SD version that looks every bit as good as the best hardware downconverters can do.

Someone did a test with a professional Sony SDI CRT monitor had compressor set for the highest quality downsizing settings and claims that it still does not look as good as doing it through quicktime conversion where HD to SD is concerned.( Which I too agree . You can test it yourself)

5) Load the resulting assets into DVD Studio Pro, and make sure you set the track type to 16:9 to match the anamorphic footage.

If you want the footage side cropped when played on a 4:3 TV, choose 16:9 Pan-Scan, it will fill the screen, but loose the sides.

If you want the footage letterboxed when played on a 4:3 TV, choose 16:9 Letterbox.

If you want both, just click both option at the bottom.

Burn and test on a real TV with a real DVD player.

I hope it helps,

There are a few ways to do what I'm doing. It a matter of personal choice. But the result speaks of itself .

[Juni Zhao]

sorry to ask an off-track question:
Is a dual 1.25 GHz CPU equivalent to a P4 2.5 GHz single chip CPU?

[David Chia]

I'm not really sure about that, But I think it add up to be the same.

[Ger Griffin]

thanks for that david, it is helpful to me , just starting with HD.

[David Chia]

No worries, I'm gald it is of help to you .

[Steve Yager]

Originally Posted by Juni Zhao

sorry to ask an off-track question:
Is a dual 1.25 GHz CPU equivalent to a P4 2.5 GHz single chip CPU?

No, a pc runs about half as fast as the equivalent speed of a mac.

[David Chia]

I forgot to add this in,

This here is between steps 4 & 5 .Just remember to keep the bitrate below 9.2 in total (Video + Audio + subtitle), Why? because not all DVD player can handle high bit rate.And if it is too hight, DVD SP won't be able to burn the DVD.For more info on Bitrate go here and read this : http://dvdcreation.digitalmedianet.c...e.jsp?id=31809

[Katrina Spires]

This may be just the answer I'm looking for. I spent last Saturday shooting seven hours of HD footage on my Canon XH-A1, and most of this week trying to find the best way to downconvert it (not all of it, just a 30-minute section) to burn on an SD DVD in 16:9 letterbox. I ended up exporting in QuickTime from FCP, creating an MPEG-2 in Compressor, then burning that to DVD. I'm not happy with how it looks when I play the DVD on my computer screen, but it does look pretty good on an ordinary TV.

I did have problems, the first time I tried my process, with a lot of interlace problems, so I ran a deinterlace filter in FCP, and the results looked better (definitely better on the TV, still not so great on the computer screen). I'm curious, David, if you deinterlace anywhere in your process?

[David Chia]

You can do the deinterlace in DVD SP at the end or in FCP . Yes it looks better on TV then the computer screen.

[Ryan Szulczewski]

Anyone have a similar process for the CS3 collection?

[Kuentos San Miguel]

David can you elaborate on your FCP settings for "Audio/Video Settings". My plan is to shoot HDV, capture and edit as HDV then export as SD into a quicktime file using "Quicktime Conversion" H.264, Compressor Quality-Best,.. though I'm not sure what should I set for the "Export Size Setting".


Currently in FCP 6.0 i have..
SEQUENCE PRESET- HDV-1080i60
CAPTURE PRESET- HDV
DEVICE CONTROL PRESET- HDV Firewire Basic
VIDEO PLAYBACK-None
AUDIO PLAYBACK-Default

Thanks,.

[David Chia]

I tried afew , It seems to me that with a size of 640 x 360 you get a good 16:9 quicktime movie that you can show on the net with out it being strech or squash looking. You can set to any ration you want as long as it is 16:9 .
meaning that 720 x 405 or 752 x 423 will also work.

But chose the normal SD size if you want to have it for DVD SP and make it a SD DVD, Just change your time line to 16:9 in DVD SP and the normal SD size footage will look 16:9 instead of squash like in Quicktime

[Hugh Walton]

Originally Posted by David Chia

3)set the parameters for 768 x 576 SD and check the box labeled "maintain aspect ratio 16:9"

I am using Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 and have had no luck getting my HDV sequence properly converted to an "Uncompressed 10 bit 4:2:2" .mov file using "Quicktime Conversion". I have tried every possible combination of settings and everything I export is squished and no longer 16:9. In your instructions you say to "set the parameters for 768 x 576 SD and check the box labeled "maintain aspect ratio 16:9". I assume that since you are using PAL then my dimensions will be different (720x480 NTSC), but in Final Cut 5.1.4 there is no "check the box labeled "maintain aspect ratio 16:9". Are you using Final Cut 6? There is only a check box labeled "preserve aspect ratio using: letterbox, crop, or fit within dimensions". I have selected "preserve aspect ratio using: letterbox" and the result is not 16:9, but squished. I have opened the 10 bit file in Compressor and DVD SP (16:9 SD project) and the footage remains distorted.

Any suggestions?
Hugh

[Hugh Walton]

I have found a way around the trouble I was having. By exporting my HDV sequence to Compressor and then converting to "Uncompressed 10 bit 4:2:2" has worked. In Compressor's Inspector window there is an easy way to preserve the 16:9 aspect ratio. Once converted to "Uncompressed 10 bit 4:2:2" I can re-import the .mov file into Compressor and encode to Mpeg-2. I still don't understand how you get 16:9 directly out of FCP using "Quicktime Conversion".

Hugh

[David Chia]

When you use quicktime conversion, a window comes up. You click the option tab. then you click the setting tab to set 8bit or 10 bit. click o.k when you are done ,you'll come back to the window that allows you to choose the size tab. Click the size tab , and a window opens up. Click the Dimentions tab . And you can choose what size you want. Set the parameters for 768 x 576 SD and check the box labeled "maintain aspect ratio 16:9"

Maybe you are right about the NTSC part but you can still set the dimension manaully.

BTW I'm using FCP 5.1.4

Anyway the movie will come out not 16:9 if you view it in Quicktime, But once you put it in a 16:9 timline in DVD SP it will be fine.