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Making 7D look good in standard def.
My footage from the 7D looks pretty darn good in HD, but when I make a DVD and play it on an “old fashioned” tube TV set, it looks pretty bad. The video is jerky and looks kinda blocky/pixely/too sharp edged. It looks decent on an LCD TV, but tube TV is bad.
I notice that on TV shows like Deadliest Catch, and the finale for House (all shot on 5D), the footage looks really good on my HDTV, but it also looks good in standard def. on my tube TV.
So I’m wondering if people are doing anything different to make it look good in standard def. I’m using FCP studio 2 and sometimes go directly from the 7D files to MPEG2-DVD using the presets in Compressor.
Thanks!
Casey -
6 Replies
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[Casey Petersen] ” are doing anything different “
I’m sure they are, but since you have give zero info on what you are doing there is no way of helping you.Help us to help you, give detailed steps and specs of what you are doing.
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Well, I’m seeing this on every bit of video I’ve ever shot with the 7D…you know, if you plug the camera in to a TV using the composite video cables, you get a “low res” version of the video…that’s basically what I’m seeing with everything. I see this whether or not I transcode from h264 to ProRes (or any other format), and then go from ProRes to DVD, or if I’m going straight off the camera files into DVD.
It looks like it’s resolution overload on the tube TVs. The video never looks as sharp and smooth like footage from my JVC GY-500.
Is it a progressive vs. interlaced issue? Is that why the footage looks crappy on a standard interlaced TV? Is there a method people are using…like using Compressor to convert the footage to interlaced so it looks okay?
Thanks!
Casey -
You never convert progressive to interlace, that would screw up playback everywhere else and the DVD player interlaces the video to tube TVs. Once again you have not settings list.
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I find Compressor doesn’t do a great job of simultaneously downconverting and compressing to MPEG2. So I first export to 16:9 ProRes NTSC out of FCP, then drop that into Compressor for MPEG2. Try that…
Noah
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I’ll try that, Noah.
What settings would you like, Michael? As far as the camera settings, it varies all across the map (ISO, shutter, aperture)…nothing has looked that spectacular in standard def. It looks a little blocky.
As far as the settings in Compressor, I am just using the preset for DVD Best Quality 90 minutes.
Thanks!
Casey -
only answer that can be stated without being there is shutter, for 24p you what 50fps, can bump it to 60 or down to 40 to help but the others will balance out your exposure. Lower ISO will give your better color and less noise. Aperture balances the exposure out but also gives you the control over the looks (the amount of depth of field.)
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