Progressive dvd or not progressive

[David Bass]

I can't make my mind up on this one.I will try to explain using a Wedding as my example.
I will shoot a wedding with an ex3 and a ex1,we also bring in a Canon 5d mkii on a glidetrack for a few cine style shots but ignore the canon for the moment.
So we can record 1920x1080 50i edit in Edius and downconvert with virtualdub or T4[tmgenc4] take the converted file into Encore and job done with a very pleasing final dvd.BUT .....I have tried a couple of times to shoot progressive first of all 1280x720 50p [videoish plus loose a stop or so of light] when this footage is taken through the edit and downconversion we end up with a videoish lower light interlaced dvd.
You can't make a true progressive dvd so I am told.Ive now started to experiment with 1920x 1080 25p and 1280x720 25p but although the shutter is set at 50 and I am obeying the rules in shooting 25p there is still a lot of strobing going on even with slight movement as would be used on a wedding?
So what are your workflows for 25p/50p recording a wedding for output to DVD?

[Chad Johnson]

I always shoot progressive. When it get's put on an interlaced DVD nothing about the look changes. I'm in NTSC land, so 24P is the closest thing I shoot on, but I think it's too stroby too. I love 30P.

[Vincent Oliver]

David I am also shooting Progressive for DVD, I use 720 24p as this gives great results when it's down converted to SD.

Most blockbuster movies are shot at 24 fps and I haven't noticed any strobbing on my copy of Titanic.

Check your shutter speed, it should be set to 1/25 or 1/50 any faster and you are only capturing a smaller portion of the shot. eg at 25p each exposure has a duration of 1/25 sec - 25 exposures make up 1 second. Now if you use 1/500 shutter speed then each frame will only be exposed for 1/500 sec leaving a shortfall of 1/499 per frame. In effect it is skipping in time, hence the stutter look.

I too am in PAL land but I shoot with 24p or 30p so my productions can be sold in the US.

[Markus Klatt]

I have a question concerning progressive DVDs - my DVDs go to a broad unknown group of people, not to a single client. So I seek maximum compatibility.

@Vincent
You say, most blockbusters are shot in 24p. Does this imply, that most commercial Hollywood DVDs are produced with progressive streams? Are most standalone players used today capable of interpreting progressive material from DVD and, if needed, interlace it, if it goes via RGB-Scart or S-Video connection to a CRT-TV? Are there any researches which prove yes or no?

And, say most standalone players would be able to do so, does this mean in 24p only? I do always shoot in 1920x1080/50i (PAL country, standard for Blu-ray, I film motion and cannot use 24p) and the converted 25p is more "native" then 24p. If producing progressive DVDs I would prefer in 25p.

Thanks for any hint,
Markus

[Robert Young]

I believe, for NTSC anyway, commercial DVDs are actually 60i.
If the source was 24p, its converted to 30 fps with pull down, then interlaced.
If 30p, then just interlaced to 60i.
The interlacing simply splits each single frame into fields, so it still looks progressive when viewed.
You can author a DVD as progressive m2v, but not all DVD players can play it.

[Vincent Oliver]

I was actually referring to movie film which is shot at 24 fps. I now shoot almost all my footage at either 720 - 24p or 1920x1080 24p. I like the filmic look of 720 24p, it also converts well to SD DVD