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Adjusting Title safe range – per DG FastChannel Request
Strange question, even our resident final cut certified training center didn’t have an answer… i’m not confident there is a solution.
We’ve been delivering through DG for some time now, and they want to move us to a new system. Upon trying to pass inspection, they are bouncing me on a title safe issue. Basically, my system shows the title within the bounds, but at DG dallas, its just outside the range. after submitting a screen shot to them, they said my ranges were set to 85% and they have there range set to 80%.
This doesn’t help a whole lot as no one seems to know where i can make this adjustment in Final Cut Pro. Does anyone know if there is a preference file i can edit, or a terminal command i can use to adjust the title safe overlay?
Could it be a format issue? were using ProRez HQ 4:2:2 progressive in 720 x 486 CCIR 601 40:27 , and then squeeze the output to DG specs: MPEG-2 single pass CBR in 720 x 512, Top Field, 4:2:2.
I’ve always though there scale conversion was strange but its what DG requires. Could this be causing the difference in title safe? Would you guys recommend we just edit in 720 x 512?
Strange, as i said before, we’ve been sending through them for a while, and this just became an issue today.
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7 Replies
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Are your problems with the edges or the top/bottom title safe? As the horizontal pixel aspect is changing, that might be causing the problem.
You might have to make a custom title safe tif or png which you drop over the text to check. I don’t know how you might change the FCP built in guides or indeed if it is possible. Either that or ask DG to send you a png that sits correctly over your timeline. FCP is usually best when using standard frame sizes so it might not work to change you pixel settings to custom.
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No don’t edit in 512. What program do you use to make your DG encodes in? That blanking should happen in the encode and it’s not something that you should add yourself.
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Yes, its a vertical height issue i’m sure, it was the top super that was causing the problem. I could see how increasing the vertical lines to 512 would kick my graphics out of safe on there end. DG is dragging there feet on giving me a ping or some screen shot to make my own title safe overlays. I’m going to just make my own and move the lines in 5% more.
I’m using Sorenson Squeeze to prep the MPEG for them, it also re-stretches to there odd scale request, i didn’t think editing in 720 x 512 would be a good ideal. Not sure why the DG DropBox system is more picky than there typical dallas delivery FTP. Maybe we got grandfathered in due to our volume, we do around 100 spots a week through them.
Thanks for your recommendations guys!
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[Robert Davis] “I’m using Sorenson Squeeze to prep the MPEG for them”
I use Episode and it works a treat. If you’re doing 100 spots a week, the cost should be well worth it.
The 720×512 shouldn’t stretch, it should simply be a blank video black space. This seems to me perhaps your setting is not quite right somewhere.
I haven’t used squeeze in forever, but maybe there’s a similar option. I keep the frame size to 720×480 and then in the advanced options there’s a checkbox to ‘add empty VBI space’. This creates the necessary padding, keeping the aspect ratio of the spot together and adding the the blanking. Once encoding is done, the active area of the image is oriented towards the bottom of the screen (not centered like you might think). Hope that helps somehow.
Jeremy
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I see, they didn’t specify padding. I can do that easily in squeeze. There is a ” lock aspect ” switch in the codec. I’ll give my eg rep a call and see if that’s the problem.
You guys are great! I’ve used the cow for a number of years but this was my first post. What a great community, thanks again!
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Dg got the overlays to me, their safe range is indeed tighter than final cut’s preset. My black padding was fine. If anyone needs there overlays pleas let me know. Right now I only have the 4×3 versions but I’ve requested 16×9 versions too.
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Instead of using a picture that you’d need to overlay to check your titles, you could use DH_Guides which are free and another great product from Digital Heaven
here: https://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/dh_guides
hope this helps,
Patrice
Patrice Freymond
Senior editor
FCP Certified Trainer
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