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upconverting old analogue SP to HD
I am about to start a project on FCP which will be 1080i25 using the ProRes HQ codec. The source material is varied and includes HD-XDcam, HDcam, HDV and file sequences from photron cameras. All this is fine and should look great as it is native 1080i, just running at various frame speeds with different codecs.
My biggest problem is that as it is an archive based piece much of the material is coming off 4:3 (PAL) analogue SP tapes. Much of this we will pre-cut and shoot off a monitor as a stylised way of displaying the old video without an obvious loss of quality, but some will need to be up-converted in FCP.
I notice plugins such as Magic Bullet HD. Has anyone had experience with this type of plugin? DO the algorithms used actually make the picture noticeably better than if I were to just scale it up. Obviously scaling it is going to look very soft and horrible, so I am looking for the best solution.with them.
Thanks in advance.
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2 Replies
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Thanks for the fast reply Dave.
Good advice on the codec choice.
The shooting off a monitor idea is totally about the look. It is a doco with fresh HD interviews talking about things that occurred years ago. The only archive stuff we have is very old and would never cut seamlessly with new HD stuff, so we thought it would look interesting to shoot it in an old 4:3 monitor. I would never consider shooting a monitor as a technique for up-converting anything.
I am still interested to hear more from anyone who may have used HD up-converting plugins. I accept that creating pixels is never going to be good as acquiring them from source (much like using optical flow compared with a high speed camera) but I guess I am wondering if it is worth using the plugin as opposed to just scaling them up. Is it worth the money for that “little” difference, or is it just a gimmick?
Thanks again…
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I see where you are coming from with the pillarboxing. However many of the programmes I work on are for foreign sales and need to be made 16:9 but with 4:3 safe areas. Some of the countries the programmes are distributed to actually just centre cut the show and send it out 4:3. So if we use pillarboxing to the 4:3 viewers they will just experience a sudden and extreme change of quality.
I know it is a subjective thing but many of my clients in London detest the use of pillarboxing, which I find odd as it was acceptable in Australia. I think in London they would actually prefer to massively soften the image and blow it up rather than have black bars. I don’t agree but sometimes one has to give and do as one is told!
Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts. It is always good to get another’s professional opinion.
Jason
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