[Alessio Gemma]

Hello Floh, I’m glad you answered me.

First, I wrote to David C (Dave) about HDV support on Media 100: so, I made my first step 😉

About the workflow for Producer/HDV, I always use Apple ProRes as codec.
I made three different workflows, starting from HDV tapes: my final target is still, for now, a SD DVD.

1) Digitize through HDMI with FCP at 1080i, exporting a self-contained and then edit it in Producer as an HD project;

2) Digitize through Firewire in HDV and edit directly in FCP;

3) Downconvert from HDV to DVCAM/DV, digitize in FCP/Producer and edit in FCP/Producer;

Once edited, I export a self-contained and I use COmpressor to obtain my SD MPEG2 for DVDs.
Well, the quality is very good for all the three workflows, but the best one seems to come from the second one. Any ideas?
Anyway, I’d like to follow workflow number 1,: so, I can save the project in HD and maybe it could be useful one day.

The last thing I don’t understand is the difference between Apple ProRes and Apple ProRes HQ: they are both 4:2:2 and 10bit depth.. but the first near 150 Mbps and the other over 200 Mbps… I’d like to know wich is the best choice for my workflow.

Regards,
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Hello Dave,
I saw that Media 100 is working a lot in these months to update Producer. It’s a good software, expecially for people, like me, who cames from Media 100i experience.
The only thing I’d like to know it’s… when a support for HDV?
Regards,
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Ok, I tried your settings and.. wow! It works!
You were right, now the quality of the FLV clips it’s very good.
Just one thing: I saw th “encode alpha channel” option in the Flash 8 compressor video settings.
I know that you use alpha channel in a video clip when the colour depth is 32bit.. so, when I have to check/uncheck it?
Anyway, I really thank you Danny.
Best regards,
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Thanks Danny for your reply.
Well, I start from a timeline, PAL CCIR 601 720×576 25fps 4:3 and I export in a self-contained movie with Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec.
Then I add the exported clip in the Flash 8 Encoder and I apply the settings I wrote in the first post.
Well, I used 480×384 because I need a width of 480px to perfectly fit a dedicated space in a web space: when I reduce from 720 to 480 (and the “mantain aspect ratio” box is checked) it automatically set the height to 384px….
I set a bitrate of 800Kbps and a keyframe every 12 frame (the clip has very fast changements).. but I obtain an awful clip!! Instead, doing the same with H.264 encoder, I obtain a very good clip.
This’s the issue…
Regards,
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Yeah, you’re right… I always do the upscaling in After Effects, starting from a 720×576 composition: I hoped there was an easier way to do the same and I thought that Apple Compressor could do it. You’ve to add more processing if you use AE for this porpouse.
Anyway, I’m agree it’s the best solution I found for this issue.
Thanks a lot Floh, I’ll try the new compression settings and the BitVice encoder.
Best Regards from Italy,
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Wow Floh! You were right about the clip settings: I never did it before additing the Compressor settings.
I’ll try this afternoon and I’ll post the results: maybe it can help other people.
Just other things: have you an idea beacuse if I crop the movie than I obtain a very poor mpeg2? Maybe have I to set the crop to mantain the proportionality between height and width and both divisible by 8?
I visited BitVice website and I want to try that coder: but I’ve a MacPro Intel Xeon based, I didn’t see any support for this computer.
Regards and thank you very much!
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Excuse me, I miss something in the Compressor settings:

** Encoder **
File format: SD-DVD

– Frame Controls: none

– Filters: None

– Geometry: None

– Actions: None

Regards

[Alessio Gemma]

Ok, I use the last version, Apple Compressor 3, coming with FinalCut Studio 2.
I export from M100 Producer in SFM and I obtain a ProRes 422 encoded clip: then I drag it in Compressor and I add a a setting structured as follow:

File format: MPEG 2
Extension: m2v (allow job segmenting checked)
Video format: PAL 25fps 4:3 top-First
Quality (it depends, VBR 2pass or CBR): maximum bitrate NOT over 7,7 Mbps.. I use a target of 6,5 Mbps: motion estimation is always setted to best
GOP: IBBP (closed checked), GOP size 12, pattern IBBPBBPBBPBP
Extras: no extras

I hope these info can tell you something.
Regards

[Alessio Gemma]

Hello Floh,
thanks for your quick reply.
Well, my clips flicker a lot when there’s a rallenty or there’re fast changment on the scene: in add, it seems like an aliasing effect on the objects border… when the camcorder is fixed, the scene is good but when the camcorder moves I can see an aliasing and, sometimes, a flicker effect.
I don’t use any crop, because I found that additing a crop in a MPEG2 compression can add a lot of flicker.
Well, I see my final DVD on Computer LCD, CRT TV and LCT TV… but the worste case id on CRT TV, where the flicker effect is stronger.
In Compressor, I always set the field dominance to “top-first” even if it should do it automatically when you choose MPEG2 PAL.
Maybe, have I to set a shorter GOP? Now, GOP is setted to IBBP structure anf the GOP size is 12.
Regards,
Alessio

[Alessio Gemma]

Wow, incredible!
You’re right, SoftHarbor… I removed the black clips (inserted with command-b in the program) and I replaced them with a PICT black image: I exported in SCM and now, in the MOV properties, the video coded is identified correctly: Apple ProRes 422.
I really thank you a lot!
Best regards,
Alessio