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Activity Forums Blackmagic Design Very low downconversion quality on Decklink HD Pro

  • Very low downconversion quality on Decklink HD Pro

    Posted by Kai Whittaker on October 14, 2005 at 2:28 pm

    Why is the quality of the downconverter on My decklink Pro so terrible? What I am digitizing looks worse than any of the DV footage or even Hi8 stuff I’ve digitized before. Worse than VHS quality… I’d post a picture of it here but I don’t know how…

    I have my system prefs set to downconvert 1080i to SD Anamorphic. When I digitize in FCP, it looks horrible. Like a 320×240 MPEG1 movie stretched to 720×486. I have awesome aerial footage of Lake Powell in HD and it looks like we sent out a guy with a Hi8 camera once it’s in FCP… HELP!

    G5 dual 2.5 GHz
    Decklink HD Pro (Single Link)
    Sony J-H3
    Decklink Drivers 5.1.1
    OS X 10.4.2
    Final Cut Pro HD 5

    Tony Partam replied 20 years, 8 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Leo Ticheli

    October 14, 2005 at 7:12 pm

    I’m not sure if this is your problem, but I believe you need the 4:4:4 card to do hardware down-conversion.

    Read this: https://www.blackmagic-design.com/support/detail.asp?techID=103#tiger_dc

    Best regards,

    Leo
    Director/Cinematographer
    Southeast USA

  • Kai Whittaker

    October 15, 2005 at 7:28 pm

    I don;t think that’s the problem.

    Even if i only have software based down conversion it shouldn;t look like hi8 footage on a card that costs $1000.

    It’s terrible.

  • Luke Maslen

    October 17, 2005 at 6:13 am

    Hi Kai,

    That’s very strange. Could you please post a frame of the HD video and also a frame of the down converted video in a directory of your web site. You can then post the links here in the format:
    <img src="URL">

    Just replace the URL with the path name through to your image file.

    Regards,

    Luke Maslen
    Blackmagic Design

  • Tony Partam

    October 17, 2005 at 2:51 pm

    Had the same issue…Try to choose a 50i project and not a progressive one even if your footage is progressive.
    I had a project done on HDCAM 25P …looked like VHS on a progressive project downconversion…when i chose the interlaced one suddenly the SD is not that bad anymore.

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