FCP HDV Looks bad, IF I could play it at DVinfo.net

Aric Mannion · December 8th, 2006, 03:11 PM

Does anyone else notice the warped lines that go through HDV footage from Sony hdr-fx1? Is this due to the "upper field dominance" that Final Cut forces you to capture through? I called Sony and they don't see it, but I do. Slow pans and zooms look totaly warped. And you can't do compositing if all the layers are warping out of sync. Is there someway that this works for people? Do people pretend not to notice because it's so expensive?
Also I can't seem to play FCP videos unless I shot them with my camera. I made an After Effects HDV 1080i60 .mov and it will only play for 2 seconds, and drops frames or freezes. So I exported it out of Final Cut and imported it again, now it is an FCP movie like any other and still can't play it.
I have a powerbook, but apple swore I could do HDV with this setup, and that doesn't explain how warped HDV looks. Anyone know anything about this?
please

ps. I have FCP 5.0.4 AE 5.5 -I don't think that matters though

Nate Weaver · December 8th, 2006, 05:42 PM

Describe in detail your "warping" problem, or provide a screencap.

Sounds to me like, if I had to guess, you're seeing interlace lines. This is not a fault, it's a byproduct of how computers have to display interlaced material on a computer screen sometimes. Some applications like FCP effectively hide interlacing from you. AE will not.

If you're having problems playing back HD movies made in other apps, then likely you're making them wrong.

In addition, some lower-end machines will have problems playing back HDV-based files UNLESS it's in FCP...has to do with video card/bus bandwidth. FCP often will have the offending video only playing back say, 1/5th screen, which helps keep the framerates up if this is the problem.

Chuck Fadely · December 10th, 2006, 11:31 AM

I can edit HDV on a Powerbook G4 with no problems.

I have noticed that playback looks different depending on screen resolution. Try playback when your monitor is set to 800x600 and see if it looks better.

Aric Mannion · December 11th, 2006, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate Weaver

Describe in detail your "warping" problem, or provide a screencap.

I'll provide a still if I need to, but it's more apparent in motion. What it looks like is one horizontal line slowly moving from the top of the screen to the bottom during pans. Sometimes half of the screen shifts a bit then the other half, so only half the screen at a time will move. Remember, these are all slightly slow pans and zooms. If I have a shot of clouds they seem to sit in the same spot for a second then jump forward, instead of moving continuosly. I checked the same movies on quicktime and in camera, sometimes they have the same problem and sometimes the warping is in different spots, so I'm confused.

December 8th, 2006, 03:11 PM	#1
Aric Mannion Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 616	FCP HDV Looks bad, IF I could play it Does anyone else notice the warped lines that go through HDV footage from Sony hdr-fx1? Is this due to the "upper field dominance" that Final Cut forces you to capture through? I called Sony and they don't see it, but I do. Slow pans and zooms look totaly warped. And you can't do compositing if all the layers are warping out of sync. Is there someway that this works for people? Do people pretend not to notice because it's so expensive? Also I can't seem to play FCP videos unless I shot them with my camera. I made an After Effects HDV 1080i60 .mov and it will only play for 2 seconds, and drops frames or freezes. So I exported it out of Final Cut and imported it again, now it is an FCP movie like any other and still can't play it. I have a powerbook, but apple swore I could do HDV with this setup, and that doesn't explain how warped HDV looks. Anyone know anything about this? please ps. I have FCP 5.0.4 AE 5.5 -I don't think that matters though

December 8th, 2006, 05:42 PM	#2
Nate Weaver Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,100	Describe in detail your "warping" problem, or provide a screencap. Sounds to me like, if I had to guess, you're seeing interlace lines. This is not a fault, it's a byproduct of how computers have to display interlaced material on a computer screen sometimes. Some applications like FCP effectively hide interlacing from you. AE will not. If you're having problems playing back HD movies made in other apps, then likely you're making them wrong. In addition, some lower-end machines will have problems playing back HDV-based files UNLESS it's in FCP...has to do with video card/bus bandwidth. FCP often will have the offending video only playing back say, 1/5th screen, which helps keep the framerates up if this is the problem. __________________ My Work: nateweaver.net

December 10th, 2006, 11:31 AM	#3
Chuck Fadely Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: United States Posts: 306	I can edit HDV on a Powerbook G4 with no problems. I have noticed that playback looks different depending on screen resolution. Try playback when your monitor is set to 800x600 and see if it looks better.