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Help.Need to make vhs from Apple ProRes 422 sequence
I have a 3 min. project, shot in hdv (sony Z1U), captured and edited as an 8bit ProRes 422 seq. I made a std. def. DVD, but also need to make a VHS which will be viewed on a HD t.v., actually DTV.
This is my first request for a vhs since I’ve been shooting in hdv. My available equipment is a Sony DSR-20 dv/dvcam deck which i use to play thru to my vhs deck to make vhs copies. I don’t have any hardware conversion card etc.
But now I’m baffled about what to do with the format of this current Pro Res 422 seq. in order to output on vhs in the best possible quality.
PowerMac G5, OSX.4.11, FCP2, Compressor 3.0.3.
I know I’ll need to drop my timline into a new sequence and re-render, but I’m lost re: what settings. I’m getting ready to try …in AV settings, Seq. set to DV NTSC 48kHz. In FCP seq. settings window…I’m lost trying to figure out which settings are pertinent and what to use.
Need to do this today asap, so I’ll greatly appreciate any help.
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10 Replies
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Dub the DVD to a VHS deck.
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Thanks for your quick response. I’ll give that a try.
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A too-late response –
You can do File>Print to Video, with your video playback settings to Firewire and simply connect your VHS to the output of your DSR-20.
Jaap
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Not too late to try that too..my client called and wanted to postpone our meeting until Tues.
But, I can’t do print to video from a ProRes 422, because you can’t go to tape with that via firewire, maybe not via anything farz I know.
Anyone know what and the best way to convert to a format best suited for this. New sequence settings, or Compressor?
I made a vhs from the DVD, but will also try something else if it’s better.
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Perhaps the problem is not ProRes, but frame size.
Create a new sequence with the preset DV NTSC 48kHz anamorphic, and drag your original sequence from the browser into that timeline (FCP will scale it to fit).
Does that get a signal to the DSR-20?
Jaap
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Yes, that gets the signal to the dsr-20 and from there i think i should be able to have it record to my vhs deck like i used to do in the dv days. (just need to crawl around under the desk and re-cable again.)
My guess is that this should give me a better quality than the dvd dub to vhs. I’ll find out when I try this. Thanks.
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It turns out it did not get the signal or something is wrong, just won’t print to video using that method. I also tried exporting as QT DV NTSC (self-contained), re-imported and put onto dv ntsc timeline….no luck it asks if i want it to change the clip to match the seq. No, gives black screen (accept for title) on TL, if I select yes it looks ok on canvas and pretends to print to video, but does not get the signal through. i’ve re-checked all my cables etc.
at least i have the dvd dub to tape, but would still like to solve this problem.
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The DVD is many times better quality than the VHS will ever be.
The VHS dub will not be any better made from the timeline.
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Hmm… but I tried this with my DSR-11 and then it worked – and frame size was the crucial thing, not codec. Check if the sequence you are trying to print is really 720×486.
The export-to-QT-and-reimport route probably won’t work when you did not take frame size into account on export (it is the only reason I can think of why FCP would come up with the change-seq-settings-to-match-clip box). You can check this in the browser – the reimported QT should not only be NTSC but also 720×486.
Anyway – you might ask yourself indeed if it is worth all the effort to you. Indeed a VHS is lower quality than a DVD (especially sound), so a vhs copy from the dvd may look as good/bad as straight from FCP. My point of view is more academic – I am absolutely sure your problem can be solved within FCP. But I were in your position I might not bother about it – a vhs from a dvd will do…
Jaap
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Thanks, I had it set to 720 x 480. Why 486? The DV NTSC setting in fcp says 720 x 480.
If it’s not better quality I may not bother going from fcp to vhs this time, but if I get another rare request like this in the future, I guess I’ll just do whichever is easier depending on how much re-setting of cable might be necessary at the time to do a vhs.
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