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Encoding & Downscaling in Compressor for DVD
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[Sascha Engel] “Is there an encoder that does a better job, when wanting to encode HD Material for SD Video?
What’s with Episode? It’s better'”
BitVice does a much better job (use open GOPs by default) and has a very good downscaling filter.
Making good MPEG-2 is not just about giving high data rate (I would never make a CBR even if is at the top data rate), but also about the GOPs structure. You should experiment a bit with Short and Open GOPs. And always with VBR.[Jessica Muth] “You will get artifacting via software going from HD to SD. The best conversion is hardware down conversion, via Teranex.”
This is very arguable.
There is no reason for hardware downscaling to be better than software downscaling. First because it doesn’t really exist such “hardware downscaling”: any piece of hardware is just applying software.
Second because a software downscaling don’t need to be done in RT, so the system has all the necessary time to do a perfect job.
The only question is to find the proper software solution.
Compressor is pure shit, but give a try to SHAKE.[Sascha Engel] “Interesting. Thanx. So actually it means, that all tape based recorded cameras write the information Interlaced to the tape, even though it is shot progressive?”
Right.
That’s called “PSF”: Progressive Segmented Frame. Is the way camcorders can use all the mechanic developed for interlacing to record progressive. Developing a full progressive system would have been more expensive.
But don’t worry, your stuff still being progressive. Just need to be interpreted as progressive by any application on importing.
rafael -
[Rafael Amador] “Compressor is pure shit, but give a try to SHAKE.”
From what I understand, Apple made Shake and discontinued the software. Is there a way to download Shake now?
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[Miriam Lefkowitz] “From what I understand, Apple made Shake and discontinued the software. Is there a way to download Shake now?”
I don’t think Apple still selling it (although after FCs EOL they have been selling it out of the Apple Store), but I think you should be able to buy it through eBay or so.
Ine terms of up/downscaling SHAKE has the best algorithms ever designed and haven’t been much development on this field since SHAKE was released.
rafael -
Wow, that is interesting news. Thanx Raphael. But I assume the learning curve of Shake is rather steep. I know how to work with AE, but Shake? Might be time extensive to dive into, no?
Sascha
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As usual, Raphael, great information – thanx! I will give BitVice a shot.
Usually with encoding for H.264s I am quiet happy with Compressor, but not with HD to SD.
What about downscaling in AE? How are those Algorithms?
Does AE do a good job?Greetings,
Sascha
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About BitVice:
1. When you download it, there is a paid and a free version – what are the differences?
2. What are the settings, that work best for you in it? There is a lot of parameters, I don’t know what to set, such as Color, Matrix, Transfer, IntraDC, Spatio?
Thanx.
Sascha
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[Sascha Engel] ” But I assume the learning curve of Shake is rather steep. “
Not for such simple task. Is just like applying a filter and setting the size you want.About BitVice, let me have a look to the newest version.
The truth is that I don’t use it since more than one year ago that i made my last DVD.
I had no idea there is a free version.
I’ll post again.
rafael -
[Rafael Amador] “BitVice does a much better job (use open GOPs by default) and has a very good downscaling filter.”
Here I made a mistake about the downscaling capability of BitVice.
Sorry, I had in mind “Video Purifier” (from the same company), that is a de-noiser and re-scaler.
Purifier is integrated in BitVice for de-noising, but not for rescaling, as far as I know.However I stand for what I said about making much better MPEG-2 than Compressor.
[Sascha Engel] “1. When you download it, there is a paid and a free version – what are the differences?”
There is a demo but I can’t tell you if is watermarked or time limited. Out of that has no differences with the licensed version.[Sascha Engel] “2. What are the settings, that work best for you in it? There is a lot of parameters, I don’t know what to set, such as Color, Matrix, Transfer, IntraDC, Spatio?”
Most of the parameters get set automatically when you import your movie (color, matrix. transfer,..).
– Check the Purifier window and set 1 if your video has little noise, or 3 if it has a lot of noise. For a very noise video, use a better de-noiser (NeatVideo in FC) before the MPEG-2 compression.
– The IntraDC is to allow the app to work in 9 or 10b. The guys of BitVice say that they put the option just because sis possible to do it, but you don’t really gonna see much difference on setting it other than 8b.BTW, MOTION has a good downscaling filter inherited from SHAKE. Is call “Lanczos”. In the Image Units > Geometry adjustments.
Bit tricky to use it.
rafael -
Thanx Raphael. Learned a lot again, but unfortunately, purchasing a new software is not an option for me right now.
So, I just need to know, which option is the best one for now:1.) Export as HD from FCP and then doing the downscaling in compressor in the same run than encoding it to MPEG2.
2.) Same as one, but doing Downsizing, Encoding to MPEG 2 in 2 different steps in Compressor.
3.) Export HD film from FCP, importing it again into FCP and exporting it from out a PAL SD Timeline and then encoding the SD Film in Compressor.
4.) Downscaling in After Effects, and then encoding SD result from AE in Compressor to MPEG2.
Will it help to use some smooth and blur settings in Compressor, to smoothen the downscaling?
Greetings,
Sascha
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Anybody ever tried Katis free B-Spline Scaler:
https://sites.google.com/site/katisvideotoolbox/smooth-bspline-scaler
If yes, how did it work for you to downscale?
Sascha
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