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Activity Forums Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy DVD to mpeg conversion

  • DVD to mpeg conversion

    Posted by Tom Morrow on March 24, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    I am producing a public info channel for cable. We produce and “air” everything in 16×9 from a Princeton server.

    I have recently got some DVDs from the state and permission to run them. I am trying to get mpeg from the dvd. seems like the only way so far is to convert with streamclip to DV, take that file to FCP process it with compressor to MPEG2 to go to the server.

    Streamclip does not seem to want to let me convert directly to Mpeg2.
    I am testing to even see if this works. I am afraid the custom mpeg2 process out of compressor is going to give me a funky 9×16 conversion from this 3×4 show

    Michael Sacci replied 17 years, 1 month ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Michael Sacci

    March 24, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    Well if you have to convert 4:3 footage to 16:9 there is a lot of scaling that has to take place, there is a big hit on quality. To convert this you would have to rip the DVD to an editing codec. DV is never a good idea, ProRes or DVCPro50 are much better choices. Then you bring this into FCP place the footage in an anamorphic sequence and go to the motion tab and scale the footage 133% and Distort: Aspect Ratio 33. May need to go a bit higher on the scale to crop out black edges. Then you export With Compressor to make your 16:9 mpeg2 program stream.

    I don’t know of a one step process since you are changing aspect ratio.

  • Tom Morrow

    March 24, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    I test aired it. I just took it in FCP and processed it out. It came out filling the screen and cutting off the bottom and top. This is not the worst it could do but i would rather it go on with black sides.
    I will try some more.

  • Tom Morrow

    March 24, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    I do not know if my broadcast server knows the difference. I would not need to change the aspect if the server would deliver it to the cable system the same as it receives it. If I give it a 3×4 mpeg2 it should play a 3×4 and likewise with the 16×9? Is this correct or is it most likely that my broadcast server is set up for a 16×9 feed?

    I have several of these DVDs and I would like to do as little to them as posible to get them on the “air”

  • Michael Sacci

    March 24, 2009 at 10:55 pm

    Yes, if you are going from 4:3 to 16:9 you have to lose a lot of the image, top and bottom, no way around that.

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