Best EX1 setting for multi-format delivery

[Paul Joy]

Hi All. I'm about to shoot my first production that will be released as both NTSC & PAL DVD's and potentially on Blue-Ray too.

I'm shooting in the UK so I'll be using either 1080p/25 or 1080i/50 so as not to suffer any frequency issues with studio lighting. I guess I could also shoot 720/50p if there's an advantage to that when it comes to conversion.

I wondered if anybody had done anything similar and had any recommendations as to which format would be best for later deliver on all three formats?

Many thanks

Paul.

[Alister Chapman]

Whenever I do anything for US (NTSC) DVD I shoot and master at either 60i or 30P. With an EX I would almost certainly shoot at 720P60. NTSC DVD'S will play fine on the vast majority of PAL DVD players so you only need to produce one master. Shooting 60P in the UK should not be an issue if you use the flicker reduce function. You only get strobing under discharge lightning, the worst culprits being sodium street lights. Any Studio fluorescent lighting should be using HF ballasts so there should not be any flicker. If you still uncomfortable shoot 720P30 with a 1/50th shutter.

[Paul Joy]

Thanks Alister.

I won't be able to test under the studio lights until Monday, but certainly under my household lighting flicker reduction doesn't seem to have much effect at all.

Shooting 720/60 looks the worst, especially with the shutter at 180 degrees. 1080/30 slows the banding down but it's still very visible both with and without flicker reduction. If I set 1080/30p though and set the shutter to 50 I don't notice any flicker at all, maybe that's the key.

Just out of interest why would you choose to shoot 720/60? Does the additional data in the extra frames come in useful during the export to NTSC DVD?

Thanks for your help

Best regards

Paul.

[Vincent Oliver]

If shooting 30P or 60i in the UK then set your shutter speed to 1/50 or 1/100 (I pressume these speeds are available on the EX1)

[Paul Joy]

Thanks Vincent, yes they certainly are.

Unless there's another advantage to shooting 720/60 @ 1/100th it looks like 1080/30 @ 1/50th is the way forward.

[Alister Chapman]

If you shoot at 60P then each frame becomes a field when you convert to 60i giving smooth motion and minimal artifacts. Converting 1080 60i down to SD 60i can be very hit or miss.