ProRes HQ to mpeg

Compression Techniques

ProRes HQ to mpeg

Posted by Robert Craghead on August 17, 2009 at 2:25 am

I have a project that was cut in DVCProHD 720p, sent to Apple Color, and returned to FCP in a ProRes HQ sequence. In the ProRes sequence, all looks great on the preview on CPU as well as monitor.

The problem is when I try to make into a D1 mpeg for standard DVD. I output the movie from FCP in the ProRes codec as a self contained movie. And put that into Compressor in its standard 90 minute high res setting. Results are less than stellar. The image has a jitter problem on the image. Could be a field thing, but looks very different than that.

Would this be an HD to D1 issue? We have done this several times before with the native DVCProHD codec with no issues. Am i missing something? Should I look into the Cinema Tools down converter?

Mac OS
Apple FCP

All specs (software versions, etc) to come soon when I get to the CPU.

Thanks in advance!

Rob

Daniel Low replied 16 years, 9 months ago 2 Members · 8 Replies
8 Replies

Daniel Low
August 17, 2009 at 8:00 am

Get your workflow to follow the following when going from HD to SD.

https://www.produxion.net/2008/04/08/hd-to-sd-conversion-the-holy-grail/

__________________________________________________________________
“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”

Steve Ballmer To USA Today
Robert Craghead
August 17, 2009 at 3:54 pm

Thanks for the info. Trying the method, but isn’t working too well. I think this is due to the HDV precept in the document. I am working with progressive ProRes 720p

My exported movie should be full progressive movie, as it is 1280×720 ProResHQ exported. The mpeg conversion should just add interlacing? Or is the issue it trying to show progressive while utilizing fields?

FYI
Apple V 10.5.7
2 x 3.2 GHz Quad-Core
10 GB RAM
FCP V 6.0.3
Compressor 3.0.3
DVD SP 4.2.1
QT 7.6.2 Pro
Daniel Low
August 17, 2009 at 4:00 pm

[robert craghead] “The mpeg conversion should just add interlacing? Or is the issue it trying to show progressive while utilizing fields?”

Why are you interlacing it?

Leave it as progressive if the source is progressive.

__________________________________________________________________
“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”

Steve Ballmer To USA Today
Robert Craghead
August 17, 2009 at 4:43 pm

That what I thought. Progressive all the way. In doing tests, it seems that somewhere down the line (compressor. DVD studio pro) it is interlacing the footage. in SD DVD it is a 720 480i, so is that the disconnect, showing an interlaced video when it is progressive?

Thanks for the help.
Robert Craghead
August 17, 2009 at 5:04 pm

weird.

Best results have been when I take the ProRes seq into a lower field first sequence. Render out of there natively (with lower fields first) and then mpeg it.

I think the problem has been the the progressive mpeg. The DVD player is seeing it as lower field first and screwing it all up.

Compresser and/or DVD studio pro are not seeing things properly. Would this make sense.

Thanks again for your help.
Daniel Low
August 17, 2009 at 5:54 pm

If you are sure your source is progressive, then change the field dominance settings on compressor to progressive, I think it defaults to TFF.

Only a completely crap DVD player will not pick up a progressive flag.

__________________________________________________________________
“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”

Steve Ballmer To USA Today
Robert Craghead
August 21, 2009 at 5:04 pm

Thanks Daniel for the help.

In the end is wasn’t an interlace issue. All had to do with progressive flicker in the image. We used a hardware compressor and seemed to reduce quite a bit. Not too sure about compressor. May invest in another Mpeg creator.

Anyway, thanks for your time!

Rob
Daniel Low
August 21, 2009 at 5:24 pm

compressor is one of the best software transcoders out there (ignoring Quicktime’s H.264 implementation). The only other one to look at is Episode, or for the ultimate in MPEG-2 output look at cinemacraft for compressor.

Expensive but a justified cost as it produces ‘hollywood’ quality output

https://www.omni-cinemacraft.com/products_cinemacraft_encodermp.shtml

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/cinema_craft_encoder.html

__________________________________________________________________
“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”

Steve Ballmer To USA Today

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up

Creative Communities of the World Forums