1080i vs 720p for downconversion to DVD at DVinfo.net

John Meeks · June 5th, 2010, 06:23 PM

I'm going to be shooting something in high-def that will initially be distributed on DVD, and I've seen a lot of posts about how it's difficult to convert from HD to SD.

My thinking is that it's easier to down-convert 720p because you don't have to de-interlace anything, which is an inexact and lossy process.

So, does 720p convert better to SD, and is the higher resolution of 1080i worth the interlacing?

David Stoneburner · June 7th, 2010, 08:52 AM

Here's my 2 cents. The 1080i footage that I've been shooting has down converted to SD DVD really nicely. I don't deinterlace because I never know what type of set-up the customer is playing back on. Also I've read that for DVD playback it's best to keep the video in the same format that it was shot in, so if you shoot interlaced make an interlaced DVD, if you shoot progressive make a progressive DVD. Let the DVD player decide and take care of the playback to the monitor it is hooked up to. Overall the best thing to do is test both formats and pick the one you like the best.

June 5th, 2010, 06:23 PM	#1
John Meeks Regular Crew Join Date: May 2010 Location: Middletown, NY, USA Posts: 106	1080i vs 720p for downconversion to DVD I'm going to be shooting something in high-def that will initially be distributed on DVD, and I've seen a lot of posts about how it's difficult to convert from HD to SD. My thinking is that it's easier to down-convert 720p because you don't have to de-interlace anything, which is an inexact and lossy process. So, does 720p convert better to SD, and is the higher resolution of 1080i worth the interlacing?

June 7th, 2010, 08:52 AM	#2
David Stoneburner Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 494	Here's my 2 cents. The 1080i footage that I've been shooting has down converted to SD DVD really nicely. I don't deinterlace because I never know what type of set-up the customer is playing back on. Also I've read that for DVD playback it's best to keep the video in the same format that it was shot in, so if you shoot interlaced make an interlaced DVD, if you shoot progressive make a progressive DVD. Let the DVD player decide and take care of the playback to the monitor it is hooked up to. Overall the best thing to do is test both formats and pick the one you like the best.