10-bit FCP to DVD problem

[Walter Biscardi]

[Michael Colin] “1) Offline project cut in DV, export from FCP to Compressor, use 90-min Best preset for DVD, make DVD in DVDSP, DVD looks fine on any ole TV.

2) Same project, onlined in 10-bit uncompressed, same export and compression path to DVD, DVD looks darker and a little oversaturated.”

Did you re-color correct the 10bit material? You need to color correct each differently.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[David Roth weiss]

[Michael Colin] “Same project, onlined in 10-bit uncompressed”

Michael,

Online on what system and what platform???

DRW

[Michael Colin]

The offline DV cut was not color-corrected and looked fine as is. The 10-bit cut was color-corrected by one of the best PBS post houses in the country. Looks perfect on scopes and a set-up broadcast monitor. Things fall apart somewhere between FCP–>Compressor–>DVDSP.

First thought it was a pedestal problem, but most DVD players add setup, right? So now I’m thinking gamma correction in Compressor….

Thanks.

Michael Colin

[Michael Colin]

Don’t laugh at me, this workflow was NOT my idea:

1) DV project sent as QT file to post house
2) post house pulled QT file into AVID
3) output from AVID to DigiBeta for tape-to-tape color correction
4) color-corrected tape dedig’d to AVID, output as 10-bit QT file using AJA codec
5) corrected file from post house pulled into FCP as 10-bit 4:2:2 uncompressed. Looks great on scopes and broadcast monitor. Looks crappy on DVD.

Thanks.

Michael Colin

[David Roth weiss]

Michael,

It would seem to me that if the tape from the online facility is perfect, then your recapture from the tape must somehow be imperfect, or settings in Compressor have been changed from the standard preset. Those are about the only two variables I can see. Compressor doesn’t make changes to 10-bit in my system.

DRW

[Michael Colin]

David—

That’s what makes the problem so vexing. If I have a 10-bit sequence that looks and scopes correctly, WHY, oh, WHY, would it not compress well for DVD? The problem’s the same whether I export out of FCP directly or use a reference movie and launch Compressor in the BG. I’m wondering if it’s some issue with the weird workflow: 4:1:1 DV to Digibeta to 4:2:2 (AVID 1:1) to 4:2:2 (AJA/Apple). Dunno.

Anyway, thanks for head-scratching with me. I’m going to try some gamma tests on Monday.

Best,

Michael Colin

[David Roth weiss]

Michael,

Vexing is a good choice of words for times when science seems to become illogical. Let me know when you figure out whats going on, I have an insatiable thirst for solutions to these kinds of issues.

DRW

[Michael Colin]

Here is what guru Adam Wilt has to say on the subject:

“Apple in its infinite wisdom applies gamma correction in various codecs (including the DV and uncompressed families) when converting between YUV and RGB domains, to translate between the Mac’s default display gamma of 1.8 and video’s default display gamma of 2.2. Depending on how the chain of causality works, you can get darkened or lightened pix. Try applying a gamma correction of 1.8/2.2, or 0.818, to your timeline, and see if that fixes things.”

So I know what I’m gonna be doing first thing at the office tomorrow….

[Mantrafilm]

… or if you can afford it get the Bitvice encoder by Innobit (with built in gamma correction). This one creates way better m2v-files then Compressor can.

https://www.innobits.se/