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DVX100A 24PA Capture Questions
Hi everyone,
I have been having a hard time getting the results I want, so I thought I would ask this question:
I have shot a bunch of footage on my DVX100A in 24PA mode (NOT SQUEEZE – just regular) and now I want to capture it to FCP. I have used the Easy Setup with Pulldown Removal and that works fine – but this is where my issue is. My footage, as captured, doesn’t look nearly as nice as the footage I see from other users and continues to degrade when I export via Compressor. Mine looks soft and grainy (and I know DV footage in 24PA will look softer – but mine is really bad) and not as ‘crisp’ as it should be.
I am using the regular NTSC DV/DVCPRO codec (in the ‘capture’ and ‘sequence’ settings) and using the same codec in Compressor on export. Most of my stuff will go onto DVD for playing on a projector with another copy being used on the web.
Is there another codec I should be using for capture/sequence/export? I have tried H.264 and ProRes and the footage looks really bad. Soft, fuzzy edges and artifacts, etc. What am I doing wrong? Am I missing something? is there a codec I should be using?
Thanks in advance.
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5 Replies
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I have a DVX100 and I totally agree with Dave, 30 p looks great and is so much easier in your workflow.
Have a wonderful day.
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[Dave LaRonde] “What kind of footage are those other people shooting, and did you see it in its raw form before editing so you can compare apples to apples? “
I am kind of going by what I have seen on the web in terms of footage coming out of DVX cameras. I have emailed users asking them if their cameras have any mods, and if they are stock i have asked what their workflow is. Typically, they follow a very similar work flow – yet my footage looks soft.
I view it on my monitor (iMac) and I actually don’t have any actual video monitors in my house (everything is LCD). I do this once in a while…not too often, so I haven’t invested in any real equipment.
I will definitely give the Animation codec a try (making a self-contained movie) – right now I am choosing EXPORT>USING COMPRESSOR and going from there. It doesn’t seem to give me the results I am after.
When I capture 30P footage – is there a specific setup I should be using? Do I just use the regular easy setup? I obviously don’t have to use the pulldown removal, do I?
Sorry for all the questions. I have had this camera for a while and had made the move into still photography – partially because I was frustrated by the subpar results I thought I was getting. But now I have some projects at church that are getting me fired up again.
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Thanks so much for that info! I am new to all of this, so stick around, I might have some more questions 🙂
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I shoot on a DVX100a in 24pA all the time and I’m not having problems. I put stuff on the web and on DVD’s. Everything looks great. My first question is:
1. You use words like soft but that’s completely subjective. What does the footage look like in the camera monitor when you play it back? Or use the RCA cables and connect to a TV. Does the footage look good or bad? Now, you can compare THAT image to the image that FCP captured and then determine if you did something wrong.
2. If you notice a big difference between the two images, then you have a setting messed up. I use the easy setups and I don’t upconvert and then downconvert. Seems like a waste. A miniDV image is highly compressed and that’s just the way it is. Using any other codec other than the one in which it was shot is useless (unless you’re talking about high end color correcting and adding graphics or effects. In which case, that’s a bigger question).Look at the settings of the sequence and the settings of the capture.
-trevor ward
Red Eye Film Co.
http://www.redeyefilmco.com
orlando, fl -
I am going to hook up an external monitor and check it on that.
If I am preparing the presentation for playback on an LCD projector or LCD television – is there something different I should do or is it business as usual?
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