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EX1R down conversion to DVD SD
I’ve read a fair amount on the poor quality from the EX1R when down converted to DVD SD. I’ve also watched Vortex Medias training videos for the EX1R. Doug states a lot of the videos is shot with the EX1 / R. The quality of his DVD’s are outstanding. Obviously the camera can produce excellent DVD videos. Any suggestions on the best way to down convert from 1080 30p with the best possible results would be appreciated. FYI I use Final Cut for editing.
Thanks
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14 Replies
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This is a hotly debated issue.
Some say shoot 720 if your intention is to downconvert.
Doug at Vortex Media seems to edit HD in an SD timeline (probably ProRes).I’ve also had issues downconverting from 1080p30. The problems show themselves with fine lines which twitter on camera motion on SD DVD for me. Some suggest adding a very very slight blur. Others claim using very good encoding software (not Compressor) will result in good downconverts. In my observation content is a big factor. BTW the issue isn’t so much that the EX is deficient in any way. The problem really is that the EX resolves so high that the thin sharp lines tend to be problematic during downconversion.
I’d love to hear the latest round of experiences on this.
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Actually, Doug shoots in 1080p and then edits in a DV-NTSC timeline. Yes, that’s DV. I also cannot understand why the Vortex DVD looks so good.
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For DVDs I’d believe DV would still hold up. I can’t say why one would go that route (DV) when there are much better standard def codecs just as easy to edit with.
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I would thoroughly recommend BitVice for encoding
Steve Connor
Adrenalin TelevisionHave you tried “Search Posts”? Enlightenment may be there.
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The secret is not encoding to MPEG2 and downconverting HD>SD simultaneously. Try exporting an HD timeline to SD 16:9 ProRes first. Then use that as a source for your MPEG-2 file. Will look a whole lot better.
Noah
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Panasonic GH2 and Canon 7D.
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Don’t agree, Steve Connor has it right – BITVICE, I think that their downscale is the best in their current versions and also the judicious use of Purifier (in with BitVice now) also helps with the picture quality.
Unless you can do a downscale with some good hardware I think BitVice is the way to go. I now get great DVD’s from my EX 1, shot 1920 x 1080i 25 (PAL) edited in ProRes HQ 422 in Media 100, encoded and downscaled in BitVice, format in Studio Pro, burnt in Toast 10. Even better BD’s, encoded and burnt in Toast 10.
Michael Slowe
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michael will this software work with pcs or just macs?
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alister chapman, who has a blog specific to XDCAM and XDCAM EX has an interesting explanation on downconverting HD to SD.
His key points are:
• HD cams have much less sharping than SD which is very reliant on sharpening. Without adjustment HD to SD downconverts will look soft.
• HD to SD downconverts result in aliasing as well as flicker/buzz when the camera moves. This is the result of representing too much detail in too few pixels.To alleviate the issues he suggests:
Adding about 4 pixels of blur before downconverting to alleviate the aliasing.
Add sharpening or detail correction after the downconvert.My own thought is that good encoding software will take this into account when coming from HD source to SD DVD (MPEG2) encoding.
For his more detailed explanation here’s his blog posts on this
https://www.xdcam-user.com/2011/03/getting-good-sd-from-an-hd-camera/
and this specific to EX downconversion and aliasing with good picture examples.
https://www.xdcam-user.com/2009/11/getting-sd-from-hd-and-the-problems-of-oversampling/ -
Jim, I’m afraid to say that it may be confined to Macs, but have a look at the Innobits site as has been suggested.
Michael Slowe
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