HDV to SD DVD workflow issues

[Mark Mcfarlane]

Please ignore my question: 2) What do I do differently to get a normal TV to show black bands above and below the picture, instead of stretching it, while HD TV also display an unstretched image by default.

It appears my playback problem on a 4:3 CRT was the result of a really crummy DVD player. I tested with a better DVD player and I get the black bars at the top and bottom.

[David Roth weiss]

[Mark McFarlane] “The workflow I used over the weekend for my first production was

1) Capture in FCP as HDV 1440*720, 24P
2) Simple edits with dissolves in FCP
3) Export as Quicktime Conversion – HDV, 24P
4) Compress in Compressor to the SD DVD mpeg2 default, 24P
5) Build the DVD in DVD Studio Pro (where DVDSP somehow seems to have converted my footage to 29.97 fps according to the Asset pane)”

Your workflow is close, but not perfect. The following two changes should probably fix your issues…

3) NO – Should always be Export — Quicktime Movie — Current Settings. This creates a QT that precisely matches your timeline in every way. Using QT Conversion can create numerous issues such as: unnecessary compression, inferior compression, accidental framerate and/aspect ratio changes.

4) Drag and drop one of the Best DVD presets – once the audio and video opens settings are applied and open, highlight the video setting (the one that says M2v) and check the Inspector window that opens over toward the right — the click the second icon i.e. the Encoder settings and set the frame rate to 24 and the Aspect Ratio to 16×9.

BTW, for future reference, setting the Aspect Ratio to 16×9 sets a flag in the MPEG2 encode that is readable by all authoring programs, and will make your DVD display 16×9 on widescreen monitors and TVs and letterboxed on 4×3 TVs.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

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A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Don Greening]

[Mark McFarlane] “It appears my playback problem on a 4:3 CRT was the result of a really crummy DVD player.”

All set top DVD players have an internal set up menu. Even the “crummy” ones. DVD players have to know what kind of TV they’re hooked up to so the player can display full screen and widescreen media at the proper aspect ratio without distorting everything. Even my 12 year old DVD player has a menu, which still works, BTW.

– Don

[Mark Mcfarlane]

Thanks David.

So my revised workflow looks like:

1) Capture in FCP as HDV 1440*720, 24P

2) Simple edits with dissolves in FCP

3) Export — Quicktime Movie — Current Settings. This creates a QT that precisely matches your timeline in every way.

4) Drag and drop one of the Best DVD presets in Compressor – once the audio and video opens settings are applied and open, highlight the video setting (the one that says M2v) and check the Inspector window that opens over toward the right — the click the second icon i.e. the Encoder settings and set the frame rate to 24 and the Aspect Ratio to 16×9.

BTW, for future reference, setting the Aspect Ratio to 16×9 sets a flag in the MPEG2 encode that is readable by all authoring programs, and will make your DVD display 16×9 on widescreen monitors and TVs and letterboxed on 4×3 TVs.

5) Build the DVD in DVD Studio Pro (where DVDSP somehow seems to have converted my footage to 29.97 fps according to the Asset pane)”

Actually, I did do an Export Quicktime Movie Current Settings – I wrote it down wrong, I’m typing from a different computer.

Also, 24fps and 16:9 were both selected in Compressor. I double checked and they are the defaults for my clips. and are disabled by default, you have to enable the control to change it so I am sure I didn’t change them last time.

If I want to do color work I have read here that I should convert the clips (or the timeline) from HDV to Pro422 or something similar, before running Color. Then use Compressor again to go to a Best DVD preset.

[Mark Mcfarlane]

Thanks Don,

My aspect ratio problem appeared only on the first DVD player I tried, which only plays in monochrome and it seems I have misplaced the remote control, so I can’t change the setup (its a miracle the player has buttons for eject and play, those are the only buttons on it)… I’ll keep looking for the remote or buy a new DVD player for my studio.