Convert 23.976/3:2 pulldown AVID master file to TRUE 24p

[Michael Phillips]

I think what you’re saying is you have a 59.94 master with pulldown. Cadence may be continuous throughout, or it may not? And now you need to deliver a native 23.976 or native 24.000? If 24.000 you will also need to sample rate convert audio to maintain sync and 48kHz.

Please clarify the above questions and we can proceed.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Adam Schreck]

Hi Michael.

Currently the project is 23.976 and needs to be delivered in 24.00. And you’re right, audio sync is going to slip.

This is because, as I’m told, Netflix now (as of Jan 3, 2011) requires true 24.00 (whereas before it could take 23.976) for their video streaming submissions.

[Michael Phillips]

Interesting… must be drafting off the DCI spec then for deliverables.

Can I assume your 23.976 master is native? Meaning no pulldown?

One method if it is, is to output to HDCAM or similar 23.976 capable deck as 23.976 from your original native 23.976 timeline. Then switch deck to 24.000 and recapture as 24.000 in Media Composer and deliver your file based deliverables from there. That’s what I did for the 25fps deliverables on a feature I produced a few years back.

If you have no deck, and the 23.976 is native with no pulldown do:

Video only QT export same as source.
Audio only WAV

Create a 1080p/24.000 project and:

Video: enter “ignoreqtrate true” in console. Import QT reference. This will now play frame for frame at 24.000fps (.1% faster).

Audio: Open WAV file in WaveAgent (free from https://www.sounddevices.com) and change sample rate from 48kHz to 48.048. I know it sound backwards but for this workflow, it is what’s needed. Set audio import settings to do a pull-up/down. And import. Audio should now be running .1% faster to be in sync with your frame for frame speed up on video.

Export/encode as needed for output.

I don’t know if Sorenson or other encoders can do a “pullup” frame for frame conversion in this scenario as part of the encode process. That would certainly eliminate a few steps – but the above is relatively fast since there is no transcode to picture or audio.

If your sequence has pulldown in it – then that is a different scenario. Let me know where we stand now.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Adam Schreck]

I’m actually shepherding this for a friend; I’ve passed along your email and will let you know how it shakes out.

Thanks so much for the response and advice!

[Michael Phillips]

Also, can you point me to any documentation on the 24.000 requirement for Netflix?

Thanks –

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Adam Schreck]

From “the guy.”

————————
The distro didn’t give me that information.

It’s a “no interlace” rule rather than 24fps. They’re nottakuing anything with interlacing artifacts which is my problem.

We shot 1080-24p with a 3-2 pulldown. Every 3rd and 5th frame is interlaced, the rest are progressive.

It’s a mess.

[Michael Phillips]

Ah – I thought that might be it, and not 23.976 versus 24.00. iTunes has a similar request; progressive over interlace.

With that being the case, open your 59.94 sequence in a 1080p/23.976 project. The Media Composer will automatically provide frame rate conversion as well as interlace or 2:3 removal on the cuts creating 23.976p. Transcode/render entire sequence, then export QT reference and encode per specs as needed, or go out to an HD deck as 1080p/23.976 native.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Adam Schreck]

This is very, very promising. Thanks again for all your input Michael, we’ll let you know how it shakes out but thanks to your great guidance I think we’re finally on track!

[Lonnie Martin]

Hi Michael. I’m the guy Schreck was asking about this for. Thanks for your input. Can I pick your brain a bit more?

While doing additional research into my issue, I found this thread:
https://community.avid.com/forums/p/75444/423405.aspx

I’m currently using Media Composer 4.0.2, but am updating to 4.0.5 as we speak.

If I’m reading correctly, I think I’m going to have to go in clip by clip and change the field motion from “interlaced” to “2:3 film.” Is this correct? I’m not wanting to pay the $500 for the upgrade to MC5 as I just upgraded to MC4 about eight months ago. I was hoping the update to 4.0.5 would have a patch, but I can’t find any documentation on it.

Any clarification would be much appreciated.

[Aaron Shirley]

I’m also trying to help Lonnie Martin on this issue, and I wanted to post the new developments. Using Avid MC 4.0.5, Lonnie brought the 1080-30i sequence with 1080-24p-60i-pulldown footage, into a 23.976p timeline and did the conversion. Most shots and scenes were moved around on the time line by a few frames (ranging on average from 1 to 8), leaving gaps here and there, but Lonnie went in and fixed the edit gaps and sent the result to the audio mixer to resync all of the sound clips.

Then, we discovered that Avid did not properly remove the pulldown cadence. Now in every shot we’ve checked, every 4th frame looks like it has twice the motion blur that all of the others have, as if two sequential frames were cross dissolved to get every 4th frame. It looks a lot better than it did with the pulldown, but we have strong doubts as to whether Netflix will accept it that way.

One possible solution is that Avid fixed that problem in MC5, which Lonnie could upgrade to and start the above process over. Does anyone know if this would help? Another possible solution is to send the pulldown version of the film to a post house and let them run it through a Snell&Wilcox Ukon which is supposed to remove “about 99% of pulldown” in real time, but that will cost almost 3 times as much as the Avid MC5 upgrade, which we have no reason so far to believe will work at all.