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Output from HD anamorphic to DV NTSC w. letterbox
Hi there. I’ve just finished a show- 23.98 rough cut on HD- apple pro res 422 hq; I have to output a Standard Def to DVD for approvals. I’m trying to get a letterbox version of this to send. But as far as I can tell; to do this quickly I’m exporting a non-self contained quicktime movie- it only takes an hour to render (using the show/cuts as a reference). Problem is- apple only seems to have Anamorphic for 29.97 NTSC outputs, but not for 23.98 outputs; when I tried outputting the show to DV 29.97 anamorphic- I got my letterbox on the DV timeline (by selecting no when the question comes up about converting it); only problem- was I got a black frame between every cut.
So I’ve now output DV 23.98 NTSC, 4:3; which means it’s kind of cutting off/squeezing the original HD anamorphic aspect ratio.
Does anyone know if there’s a way to output a 23.98 onto DV- so I can send a DVD out- and still get a letterbox image?
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7 Replies
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export your HD sequence, NOT self contained. Drop into DVD Studio Pro. In the info tab for the track you create, under “display mode” make sure it says 16×9 anamorphic.
It’ll make a nice, 23.98, SD letterbox DVD for you automagically
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oh, also in DVDSP preferences, set SD encoding to 16:9
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Thanks that sounds like a great way to go. So just to confirm- it will convert my 23.98 into a 29.97 for DVD- and letterbox? I”ve avoided the DVD software- because I thought it would take even longer to “cook” in the system- then say- laying a quicktime file onto the sequence and outputting via firewire deck- into a DVD recorder; I do have to output TC burn as well.
Peter
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Hi Peter,
Aaron’s method works well – I’ve done it that way. Another option is to export a reference QT from FCP, using ‘current settings’ to keep it hd, and then use Compressor to create mv2 files which you can drag into DVDSP. That’s my preferred way to work, I have been cutting a feature doc in DVCProHD, 720p24, and delivering standard-def dvds for approval. In Compressor I use Apple’s preset under DVD, “Best Quality 90 minutes”. if your material is longer, use the 120 minute preset or whatever. I haven’t had to make any special adjustments to keep the 16×9 letterboxing. I think that compressor might be flagging its output files correctly so that DVDSP knows its 16×9.There’s no real difference between the two techniques, I’m just more familar with Compressor than DVDSP, so I’m more comfortable mucking about with it than DVDSP.
BTW, in case you’re not familiar with what to do in DVDSP to make quick-and-dirty dvd screener (no menus, etc) once you’ve dragged the mv2 file into DVDSP, delete the default menu and track. Then right-click on your file and choose ‘first play’. That will make it play automatically upon insertion. Hit “burn” and you’re off and running.
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You don’t have to worry about the 23.98/29.97 frame rate when using DVDSP alone or together with Compressor. The dvd specification accomodates 24p material; dvd players will automatically add pulldown during playback. If you need BITC, I recommend nesting your sequence and applying a TCR filter. This way the tc burnin will be 23.98, and refer directly to your sequence time code.
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Cool…that’s a very detailed and helpful answer; I will definitely give either or both of these methods a test run- thanks.
Just curious- how long do find it’s taking to actually burn a one hour DVD- from the HD quicktime-
thanksPeter
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Depends on your box.
On a Dual G5: maybe 6 hours for a 1.5 hour film
On a newer MacPro: realtime or faster
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