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Converting .tod files fullscreen
Hi,
I’m having trouble, because the .tod files for my project all converted into widescreen/letterboxed mode. I’d like to keep the files entirely fullscreen, but my conversion softerware (iOrgsoft Tod Converter) seems to only convert to letterbox. Is there something I’m missing that I can fix in FCP (which I’m using)? Or do I need to completely re-convert all my files in another software?
Thanks,
Birdman -
13 Replies
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Hi Noah,
Which are your export setting?
What are you getting in the Info Window (Com-I) when you open the “.mov” files in QT?
rafael -
My export settings when I click “use Quicktime conversion” read that I’m using H.264 compression, the quality is high and the dimensions are 476×362
The info on these files before I put them in FCP (after they’ve been converted from .tod files) reads that they’re MPEG-4 files with dimensions 640×480.
I can change the export dimensions, but the problem is that my files are already letterboxed (and maybe altered in other ways) before I put them in Final Cut. I’m wondering if FC has any way to change them to fullscreen dimensions and retain quality if I need to enlarge any images
or if my .tod converter is no good.. -
[Noah Rodman] “H.264 compression”
That’s wrong, that is not an editing codec, you need to be going to ProRes[Noah Rodman] “476×362”
That’s wrong, SD Video is always 720×480, then the pixel aspect is anamorphic 1.2.But if your video was shot Letterbox you have to crop out the center and enlarge and stretch the image. You would have to export the video as 720×480 4:3 (or 3:2) and then in Compressor do a center crop. Take the Exported movie into Compressor and drop a ProRes preset jump to the Geometry Tab,
> In the Source Inset set, Top and Bottom to 60
> In the Dimensions set, Frame Size 720×480, Pixel Aspect: NTSC CCIR 601/DV (16:9) and you will have SD anamorphic footage. -
Hi Noah,
I’ve been searching a bit and it seems that MPGStreamclip can read “.tod” files.
So use that application and transcode your footage. Keep all the original setting (size, field order, time base), and set Prores as the export codec.
rafael -
Hi again,
I’ve been trying to work on the problem myself for a while, and have had limited luck. First of all, I was able to convert my .tod files with MPEG Streamclip at an acceptable size that doesn’t have letterboxing in FC. My sequence settings are 720 x 486, CCIR 601 NTSC (40:27), Anamorphic 16:9.
Actually, the clip does not perfectly eliminate letterboxing. There’s a slight band of black on the top and bottom.
On top of that, these clips are taking a long time to render (26 minutes for 26 seconds), and a very long time to convert to mp4 as well.I really appreciate your help with these problems. I just wanted to make sure I was using an appropriate aspect ratio and settings, and if I can do something about this render time issue at least.
Also, if Prores is something that could help, I have yet been unable to find it. Any suggestions? -
[Noah Rodman] “Actually, the clip does not perfectly eliminate letterboxing. There’s a slight band of black on the top and bottom.”
Open the “Clip Properties” (Com-J) > Video track > Visual Setting.
Have a look to the values on “Scaled Size”. You may need to uncheck “Preserve Aspect Ratio”.
You need to put again the clip on the time-line to see if its fits.
rafael -
Hi Rafael,
The clip properties state that the file was 1920 x 1080 pixels. I scaled it down to 720 x 480 and it seems to fit. But is there anything else I should check? This clip is still taking somewhat long to render (7 minutes for 10 seconds). Is my file too large to begin with? Or am I all set for editing and exporting?
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Ok, so here’s what I’m doing:
-converting .tod files at 50% in MPEG Streamclip, keeping 1920×1080 size
-placing them in sequence with 720×486 CCIR 601 NTSC (40:27) settings,
pixel aspect ratio ‘PAL-CCIR 601 (720×576), Anamorphic 16:9
-some files are taking up the screen, others are not. might have changed settings at some point
-files taking too long to render (10 minutes for a 10 second clip)Wondering if the files are too big, and where in the steps I should fix things. Also want to feel confident in my clip settings so I can convert the rest of them and get editing
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Convert the .tod files to Prores.
Be careful with the field order.
[Noah Rodman] “pixel aspect ratio ‘PAL-CCIR 601 (720×576), Anamorphic 16:9”
That makes no sense.
Go to “Easy setups” and open a DV NTSC Anamorphic 48Khz sequence and drop your HD stuff there.
rafael -
Ok, I used that preset and imported a new clip with 1920 x 1080 dimensions, converted to a mp4 with an H.264 codec. The clip fits the frame perfectly and seems to be rendering at a faster speed, though I’m not sure why.
Now my only problem is quality. The image quality is worsening from .tod to mp4 (a little), mp4 into sequence and export with quicktime.
Your improved the quality a bit in the sequence, but I still have a quality problem overall. Do you have any last suggestions so I can commence converting the rest of my files?
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