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720 x 480 widescreen? Print to Tape in FCS2
Hi,
I’m working with FCS2, that is Final Cut 6 and Compressor 3.
I shot footage with an HV20, in HDV, 16:9 and 24p. My goal is to produce an SD (720 x 480) mini dv tape that looks good, not squeezed, I think I will need it to have the black bars, right?
I captured and edited as HDV, and followed the workflow by Apple (https://support.apple.com/kb/HT2410) prior to editing. Now, I have footage 24p, HDV, edited. I’ve tried to produce an SD sequence, so I applied the Bonsai method https://www3.telus.net/bonsai/Step-by-Step.html in FCP, it seems to look good.
However, I’m stuck when it comes to Print to tape. I’ve tried it but I get this squeezed image everytime. Please, I’ve trying here for hours now, searching and testing. I need an SD mini dv tape that’s not squeezed in the image. The downconvert looks just fine, it’s the squeezing I can’t get right.
Also, I remove the pulldown through Compressor but when I Print to Tape, it’s in 29.97 again! Is this normal? Does this mean I can’t have 24p on tape?
Thank you so much in advance
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5 Replies
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DV is always 29.97, umm, I think. When you shoot 24 on DV, it gets baked into a 29.97 format becaue DV is 29.97.
I don’t know why it’s squeezed unless you’re trying to print the anamorphic version or are actually trying to output the 16×9. If so, it will be scaled/squeezed.
Your 16×9 video must have been scaled down to fit into a conventional DV sequence, throwing away most of your resolution. You apply the letterbox bars, render. Now you have a terrible DV version of your lovely HDV work but it will print to tape with a simple push of a button.
Umm, stick around for a day or two, someone with a better answer will get your unsqueezed.
bogiesan
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Check the footage you have encoded for editing. Right click on a clip, scroll down to Item Properties and choose Format. Your video may be in 29.97 fps regardless of how originally recorded it. If you changed it to 24p after you encoded it, then I am not sure what to tell you at this point.
Try looking here for answers:
https://www.hv20.com/ -
Firstly standard def video on tape is 720 x 480 (NTSC) and 720 x 576 (PAL). Get your calculator out and you will find that is a 4:3 ratio. To get a 16:9 image to tape you have three choices – squeezed (usually called full height or anamorphic), centre punch (which crops the sides of the 16:9 image off) or letterbox (which adds the black bars top and bottom).
If you want a letterbox, then be aware that you are not using a lot of screen real estate and therefore resolution. Effectively you are creating a 720 x 405 signal inside your 720 x 480. The best way to deliver for broadcasters is full height. Both DVD’s and set top boxes allow the home user to set up their box to play correctly for their monitor, so it will create a 16:9 letterbox on a 4:3 TV or play full screen on a 16:9 monitor by stretching the squeezed image back into the correct aspect. This is a function of the TV.
If however you decide to supply a 4:3 letterbox, then approx 40% of a 16:9 monitor will have black bars (both top & bottom plus pillar boxing on the sides. If you want your 16:9 HD program to end up as a small image on a proper 16:9 monitor then go for the letterbox.
As this has been dealt with many times, I suggest you search the forum for the various formulas to create a letterbox in FCP. As for frame rates, I work in PAL (thankfully) but I understand NTSC DV is only available in 29.97, not true 24/ 23.976.
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[Michael Gissing] “Firstly standard def video on tape is 720 x 480 (NTSC) and 720 x 576 (PAL). Get your calculator out and you will find that is a 4:3 ratio.”
No really Michael.
Real 4×3 would be 720×540.
Real 16×9 would be 720×405.
In DV NTSC we always have 720×480 whatever is the aspect of the film: 4×3 or 16×9.
is just a matter of how to display those pixels.
Rafael -
Hola Ana, creo tener la respuesta a tu problema en caso que aun necesites ayuda!
Corazon yo tengo un problema similar pero es que se me cerro el finalcut repentinamente y se me borraron los valores del finalcut y no logro hacer print to tape!!!
Me darias una mano porfavor!! Estoy loco tratando de arreglar esto pero he perdido horas!
Mil gracias!
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