HD to DVD workflow

[Joel Perkins]

I'm trying to find a good workflow from HD shooting, to DVD output. So far this is what it looks like:

Shoot on Canon 60D, 1920x1080, 23.976 fps
Convert to AVI with CineForm NeoScene
Edit in Sony Vegas 7
Render As DebugmodeFrameServer, YUY2
Avisynth with Dan Isaac's hd2sd filter
Avisynth Script:
AviSource("filename.avi")
hd2sd(Interlaced=false,OutputColorSpace="YUY2")
Open filename.avs in VirtualDub, fast recompress, Lagarith Lossless Codec YUY2
Save as AVI
Add that AVI file as my media in DVD Architect 4.0

the problem i'm having with this workflow is the aspect ratio. the final AVI file out of VirtualDub has a storage aspect ratio of 1.5, a pixel aspect ratio of 1, and a display aspect ratio of 1.5. i have DVD architect properties set to NTSC widescreen 720x480, but when i put the AVI file in--it appears fullscreen, not widescreen. i assume that this is because the display aspect ratio in the AVI file is 1.5, and that's messing it up somehow. i'm pretty new at this, so i really don't know. anyway, i'd like to be able to use Avisynth with the hd2sd filter, because when i play the AVI file it seems to give excellent results, but i'm thinking maybe i need to use something other than VirtualDub to get the file for the DVD. maybe a program that encodes in a dvd format, where i can change the aspect ratio to what i need. i tried messing with HCEncoder, but i can't figure out how to use it.

so here's my question--in question form:

What do I need to do to get either
a) an AVI file with the correct aspect ratio that I can put into DVD architect, or
b) a DVD compatible file with the correct aspect ratio that DVD architect won't have to re-encode?

thanks

[Seth Bloombaum]

Joel, have you reviewed this thread?
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-hap...d-quality.html

You'll probably do better with these workflow questions over in the vegas forum.

[Perrone Ford]

I prepped my DVD files in Virtualdub for years with great results, and no pixel shape issues. Maybe you need to try to examine that avisynth script for your answers.

Coming from HD, everything should stay square pixel all the way through the workflow. Even if you dropped the native .mov out of the Canon camera itself into DVDA, it would come out right. So it's something in your workflow that's causing you a problem.

[John Gerard]

Hi all,
I have a simular question but my workflow is a little different. I also have the Canon 60D and a Sony Fx-7 video camera. It took me a long time but with the help on this forum I got a pretty great workflow worked out using my Sony Fx7. At the time I purchased my Sony camera I was using Adobe Premiere pro cs3. I now am using Cs5. In Cs3 and the Sony this was basically my workflow....
I'd capture footage with HDSplit, Premiere Pro CS3 would not work with my Sony camera to capture footage. I then imported the HDV footage into PP. ;did my editing then I would output sequence footage using Debugmode Frameserver into VirtualDub .I think I outputted my footage as progressive widescreen format. I used the filters Deinterlace, resize 1440x1080 to 720x480 using Licos3 option, and sharpen by 10. Then edited in Encore. This gave very very high quality results. Jaggies,diagonals filming a tennis court was a big problem a first but with this workflow the diagonals were reduced to a minimum very nice. In Adobe PP CS5 I could capture footage directly in PP and I would output my footage in media coder as Mpeg2 DVD. This also gave very good results. Streamlining my workflow even more.
Now, since I got my Canon 60d I have to lean a new workflow all over again. I just recently finished filming and editing HD 1280x720p 60FPS footage. What's the best workflow for encoding the project ? I tried using media coder and mpeg2dvd. I really have a lot of Jaggies/ diagonals which is just like when I started using my Sony camera. Is there any encoding process/program that will reduce this effect? I thought that using VirtualDub to encode the project might produce better results. Debugmode Frameserver does not work with VirtualDub x64 versions do to a missing Codec. So I have tried exporting a test sequence as Uncompressed Mocrosoft AVI and then opening that file in VirtualDub. I also do not see the sharpen filter in VirtualDub anymore. I have also tried using the video compressor FFDSHOW in VirtualDub to see if that makes any quality difference. VirtualDub does create a output file that is at least acceptable. I would still like to decress the Jaggies if pvossible. I am not really sure what setting in VirtualDub I should be using. I am just guessing at this point.
The other issue which is more on topic here is what aspect ratio does the 60d use. And what aspect ratio should I be encoding to in PP. PP says the footage is square pixels. But if I export this footage as Square pixels I don't get the Full widescreen image? I tried using dv widescreen and that at least gives me a widescreen image but not a full widescreen image, black on the sides. It looks like it just doesn't fill up the complete screen size on my HD tv.

Thanks,
John Gerard

[John Gerard]

I found so far using Premiere Pro CS5 that the best workflow for Canon 60D footage is exporting in Media Coder as Mpeg2DVD output. I select 29.97 as the Frame Rate. Probably PP would automaticly sellect 29.97 but I am not sure. I then unselect blending option, check highest Quality setting . And a bit rate of 2.5 min, 5 target, and 7 max. If I go over 7 I get glitches, start/stops on the final DVD. And (non) progressive. There might be one other option I missed. But these are basically my setting. PP cs5 seems to do a good job at converting the 59.94 frame rate to 29.97, well. The slow motion and the parts of my video running a normal speed both look great. I did a Quality test between using only Media Coder and outputting from Media coder as a Uncompressed AVI file and then converting the 59.94 file into 720x480 29.97 AVI file. Basically the Avi files look good except for to much Jaggies/ diagonals, using both methods. But it is when I went to play the one from VirtualDub on my Blu-ray play after converted fthe file rom AVI to Mpeg2 in Encore that I did not like the end result. The lines on the tennis court wher much worse when converted in Adobe Encore. Adobe is know for not performing great Quality conversions. I think that is the reason. Also, when I first import the VirtualDub AVI file into Encore. It looked horrible but when I interpret the footage as SD Widescreen it look good except for Diaginals as stated above in Encore untill I transcode the AVI footage. Then it look bad again.
So far this is the best I have come up with. It for be sweet if I could find a way to reduce the Diaginals, if anyone has a suggestion.

John Gerard