HDV to SD downconverted footage is squeezed at DVinfo.net

Brad Wallace · May 23rd, 2009, 03:15 PM

I have shot a bunch of footage on my XL-H1 at 1080i/60i and wish to downconvert the footage via Firewire into an SD project in Avid Xpress Pro. Unfortunately, all the downconverted footage is squeezed to fit into 4:3 SD. I shot all footage centered in the frame to allow for the change in aspect ratio, so is there a way to preserve this and avoid the squeeze? Thanks--

Tony Davies-Patrick · May 24th, 2009, 05:30 AM

"shot all footage in centered in frame" ?

You shouldn't need to bother with centering in frame if you are shooting originally in 16:9 format. Simply shoot in HDV 16:9 ratio and then keep it as 16:9 when down-converting to SD (Unless you actually shot the original footage in 4:3). If the AX-pro settings are correct then it should remain in 16:9 after downloading through the Firewire.

Brad Wallace · May 24th, 2009, 09:26 PM

Thanks for your instruction...I was shooting Standard 8mm films centered in frame just in case there was a "center-punch" option when downconverting from the XL-H1. (I understand this to mean a left and right cropping of a 16x9 frame.)

I am confused, though, about your suggestion that I keep the AX Pro project in 16x9 even though it is an SD project. (Probably that's an issue for the Avid users' forum. I thought my project settings restricted me to a 4x3 SD project or a 16x9 HDV project...I must be wrong on that.) Thanks for your help.

May 23rd, 2009, 03:15 PM	#1
Brad Wallace Tourist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 4	HDV to SD downconverted footage is squeezed I have shot a bunch of footage on my XL-H1 at 1080i/60i and wish to downconvert the footage via Firewire into an SD project in Avid Xpress Pro. Unfortunately, all the downconverted footage is squeezed to fit into 4:3 SD. I shot all footage centered in the frame to allow for the change in aspect ratio, so is there a way to preserve this and avoid the squeeze? Thanks--

May 24th, 2009, 05:30 AM	#2
Tony Davies-Patrick Trustee Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worldwide Posts: 1,589	"shot all footage in centered in frame" ? You shouldn't need to bother with centering in frame if you are shooting originally in 16:9 format. Simply shoot in HDV 16:9 ratio and then keep it as 16:9 when down-converting to SD (Unless you actually shot the original footage in 4:3). If the AX-pro settings are correct then it should remain in 16:9 after downloading through the Firewire. __________________ www.WILDCARP.com www.NIKON.me.uk

May 24th, 2009, 09:26 PM	#3
Brad Wallace Tourist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 4	Thanks for your instruction...I was shooting Standard 8mm films centered in frame just in case there was a "center-punch" option when downconverting from the XL-H1. (I understand this to mean a left and right cropping of a 16x9 frame.) I am confused, though, about your suggestion that I keep the AX Pro project in 16x9 even though it is an SD project. (Probably that's an issue for the Avid users' forum. I thought my project settings restricted me to a 4x3 SD project or a 16x9 HDV project...I must be wrong on that.) Thanks for your help.