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HDCAM to Standard Def
Hello,
I am looking to compress my HDCAM file to a mpeg 2 dvd format. As a DVD submaster. When using compressor directly from FCP 5.0.3, I will be encoding it to a Mpeg2 Best 90min, altering the maximum bit rate to 8 bit, with a 2pass VBR. Is this an optimal setting if I have to be careful of motion jitter and fine detail as well as color reproduction? I also heard that one of the best ways to go from HDCAM to standard def video and preserve the look of HD is to do 2 steps. Convert your HDCAM to a DVCpro file and compress that into an mpeg 2. Has any heard this and tried it out. Is this true? It’s an extra step, ultimately, I will have to make 2 new submasters from my HDCAM – Standard Def DVCAM and DVD.
Thanks in advance
Lili
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4 Replies
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I would never take an HD master sequence, drop it to SD and then make a DVD. Use the HDCAM timeline and make it from there. I do that with DVCPro HD timelines and it yields outstanding results. I use the 16:9 widescreen setting in Compressor so that if the DVD plays on a 16:9 TV, it fills the frame. On a 4:3 TV, it goes letterbox.
I have just been using the default Best Quality 90 min setting and it looks great.
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I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear – I meant putting it from a Blackmagic 8 bit Uncompressed 1920 X 1080 sequence to a DVCpro HD sequence then compressing it to DVD… I heard the DVCpro Codec is much closer to native SD than the HDCAM 8 bit uncompressed directly to SD. Is this true?
And I would need to spit it out to DVCAM, so the options are either
a: doing it in FCP timeline and re-rendering it to a SD sequence for layoff
b: using the HDCAM master and run it through a terenex and make a dub to SD DVCAM.It’s obviously easy for me to run it through the teranex, but I want to achieve the best representation of original HD on SD…
thanks,
lili -
I have gone straight from uncompressed 10bit HD to SD MPEG with Compressor. No need to transcode it to any other format. One step – simple. Looks great. I modified the 60 min best settings (2 pass VBR) from memory.
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[Lili Lab] “‘m sorry, I wasn’t clear – I meant putting it from a Blackmagic 8 bit Uncompressed 1920 X 1080 sequence to a DVCpro HD sequence then compressing it to DVD… I heard the DVCpro Codec is much closer to native SD than the HDCAM 8 bit uncompressed directly to SD. Is this true?”
I assure you that you heard wrong. Two things:
1) Converting it to DVCPro first will degrade your DVD’s picture quality, not improve it. I don’t know who told you this was a good idea, because it isn’t. You’re being fed bad information based on voodoo science and supersitition. Yes, DVCProHD and widescreen DVDs do have something in common, they both cheat 16:9 by using anamorphic 4:3 resolutions. But this means absolutely nothing in regards to what we’re talking about. It’s about as significant as the fact that both formats start with the letter “D”. If you do this, it will add an additional level of lossy compression to the workflow. The DVD will look worse, I promise.
2) Even if you did render it on a DVCPro HD timeline, Compressor and Final Cut will reference the original media. So what you’re proposing would not accomplish what you want to (but shouldn’t want to) do.
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