[Chris Babbitt]

As I mentioned in my post in your original thread, there are a multitude of factors that can seriously degrade your DVD image: DVD player settings, monitor settings such as aspect ratio, screen resolution, contrast, picture settings such as zoom, etc., and type of output and cables used. Most of these AV companies pay no attention to all this, and most likely the settings will be left at wherever the last user set them, whether or not he knew what he was doing. In my case, I have found that unless I get in there and check everything out ahead of time, my stuff can look like crap.

After the last fiasco, I sent my client a detailed memo for next year’s event, outlining everything to check out with the AV person, in case I am not there to see that it’s done right.

[Chris Babbitt]

Yep, still running Tiger, however, I’m running Leopard on my MacBook Pro. I’ll try that.

[Chris Babbitt]

Have you tried MPEG2 compression? Should be considerably shorter.

[Chris Babbitt]

I’m using Compressor, and I agree that a constant bit-rate in this case would make sense, but Compressor doesn’t seem to allow anything except variable in it’s Mp2 settings. Few of my masters exceed 20 gigs in size, so it seems to be that the best course is to just max out my settings for everything. I just need to know what the limits are.

[Chris Babbitt]

Thanks Daniel. So, if I have a 5-minute piece with a bit-rate of 35 mbs, my best setting would be 35mbs (max) and about 28mbs (avg)? Or, do I want 35mbs (avg)?

[Chris Babbitt]

Sorry. Mp2

I don’t know if it matters, but bit-rate on master file is 35mbs. Some of my stuff is at 25mbs.

[Chris Babbitt]

Thanks Raphael. Finally, that clears up a lot of stuff. Didn’t you say in an earlier post that just removing the shift fields filter solves the problem?

I have found another solution, I think, to the slo-mo problem. Just export the original HD sequence to a full-rez self-contained movie, and bring that back into your project and drop that into an SD sequence, render, and export. That seems to work as well.

[Chris Babbitt]

“For the SD sequence just open a NTSC DV and change the codec to ProRes. Don’t forget to set Anamorphic.”

So, under Quicktime Video Settings: Compressor, I change to Apple Pro-Res?
What about the Advanced Tab? If I am working with 1080 60i, do I leave the frame rate at 29.94 or do I change it to 59.94? Do I check the Interlaced box? Enable 4:4:4 filtering? Should I change to Top Field First, or does it matter?

“When you drop your EX-1/Upper-first in a Lower-first sequence (ie DV) you get the Shift-filter on”

This is the part I really don’t get. When I drop my XDCAM sequence into the SD sequence, it nests, so I have one continuous clip and there is no shift-field filter applied. If I go back to the parent sequence, there is no shift field filter there either. Are you copying & pasting your timeline or are you dragging your HD sequence into the SD timeline?

[Chris Babbitt]

Thanks for piping-in on this, Rafael. I’ve been trying your method, but I just can’t seem to get it right. Would you please explain how you set up your Prores sequence. Right now, I’m working with an EX 1080 60i project. What settings would you use for your ProRes SD sequence? What about slo-mo? How is that going to be affected? Is this method better than just exporting the XDCAM sequence directly to ProRes?

As I understand it, High Precision only applies to graphics, and by my experience that appears to be correct.

[Chris Babbitt]

Mick,

Why not just export your original XDCAM sequence to an SD Prores file? It seems to me that you are getting the same result without the extra step of the DV sequence.