[Jeff Greenberg]

When you’re dropping it into DVDSP – depending on the version, it’s using compressor underneath.

Yes, despite the way it looks, it should be fine on a 4:30 tv.

You can actually ‘build’ a DVD to your local hard drive (no wasted disc) and use apple’s dvd player software to test the ACTUAL VIDEO TS/Vob structure.

For computers and online streaming?
It’s time to update your tools – but for the record, don’t monkey with your video in FCP; keep everything pristine and let compression software do it’s job.

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
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Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
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[Jeff Greenberg]

Here’s the deal: if you’re VBR, it’s stealing data from somewhere else to handle the hard edges in the graphics.
But CBR? It can’t deal with the data.

Now, for a serious question: are we just academically trying to drill down to an answer?

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
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[Jeff Greenberg]

You’re going to need a utility – I’d actually have it strip everything and then add everything back

Adobe Bridge and Name Mangler should be able to do this for you.

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
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Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

[Jeff Greenberg]

Jeff,

Graphics card: You by any chance aren’t using FCP 4.5 and compressor 2?
https://kb.ucla.edu/articles/final-cut-pro-fcp-45-and-compressor-agp-error

Now, more important stuff:

[Jeff Cunningham] “When I Export Quicktime Movie, I use Current Settings and check “Make Movie Self-Contained”.

The final product is 720×480, but now looks stretched to my eye. If I change the sequence settings to 640×480 and then export, it’s as if the aspect hasn’t changed, the edges have just been lopped off.
“

You’re worried about how QuickTime is displaying your pixels. DV files are 720×480, nonsquare pixels. When it comes out of the DVD, it’ll be fine. Don’t change the sequence settings – you’re mucking with the way FCP is handling your data.

[Jeff Cunningham] “1. I am assuming that if you shoot 24p, ideally you want to edit 23.98. Given that the footage was already ingested and edited without being prepared for this, is there any way to go back now, or am I stuck editing at 29.97?
“
Not that I know of. I do know there’s a way for you to remove the pulldown, but you have to do it before you edit, and only if you’ve correctly shot with the Advanced Pulldown.

[Jeff Cunningham] “2. Given the settings described above, how should I be exporting? For DVD versus for Web? (The film is about 25 minutes long so a huge export won’t fit on DVD, and I will definitely need to compress for web.) What type of compression should I be using?
“

DVDs cannot have QuickTime files on them for playback on conventional DVD players – we’re not talking about a DVD as storage mechanism, right? We’re talking about a DVD that you want to playback on a TV.
DVDs must be authored -that’s where we use DVD Studio Pro (or iDVD), the resulting video will be a multiplexed MPEG-2 stream as a Video Object (or VOB).

Look, basically, you edit in FCP, give the video to compressor – make MPEG-2 Video and AC3 audio (yes, there will be two separate files – and then give those files to DVD Studio Pro, which will author the DVD for you.

Let me know if any that helps…

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
Come See me speak at NAB!
Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

Posts by filmgeek

[Jeff Greenberg]

What player are you using that has keyboard shortcuts – QuickTime 7 player doesn’t (as far as I can tell.)

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
Come See me speak at NAB!
Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

[Jeff Greenberg]

Frame numbers ARE NOT correct.

001
002
003
etc
010
011
012
etc
100

Fill out all 3 digits.

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
Come See me speak at NAB!
Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

[Jeff Greenberg]

Mike,

1. Basic: Is the Mac Pro 8 core truly a work horse with a good history for running well? Is there a better basic machine?
Yup, it’s great. It’s a Pro Machine though – an iMac is a ‘basic’ machine (although I know a number of people who cut on iMacs)

2. Does anyone have experience buying a Mac computer on eBay or Craigslist without being scammed? How do you know? My thinking is you can’t.
Nope, there’s always a potential of being scammed. Perhaps, if this is your business/career, that these aren’t the best choices to buy reliable equipment.

3. What things can I do, questions I can ask, things I should look for, etc., when looking to buy a used computer and when you go to buy it?
Someone who will give you a warranty, perhaps?

4. Any other things I should consider before buying?
Yeah, don’t go this route.
———-

Soapbox moment:
You’re trying to save $1k that is causing you how much of your time (and later worry)? It’s not worth the cost.
Here’s the way I see it:
Buy new – and have a year guarantee.
Buy refurbished from apple – save about 10-15%- but spend that on Applecare (3 year warranty)
Buy used from someone reputable – not ebay or craigslist; sure, you can get a deal on craigslist or ebay, but you’re rolling the dice. There are business that resell used macintoshes – like Powermx, Macofalltrades, usedmac, macattic that all will certify and give you at least a 30 day warranty.

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
Come See me speak at NAB!
Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

[Jeff Greenberg]

Best format? The raw format it was captured/created in.

Need more details to give you a more detailed answer; particularly WHICH SD formats and WHICH HD formats. Are you talking the finished sequences or the raw clips?

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
Come See me speak at NAB!
Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

[Jeff Greenberg]

When you have even a SINGLE Clip in the timeline, FCP won’t let you change the timebase.

If you haven’t animated the clips, select a clip (and later all the clips) and choose “Conform to sequence” – this should correctly adjust the clips.

In the future – you did right – converted the video; but you needed to create a sequence that matched your footage. The first clip in will give you the option for FCP to switch the sequence to match the clip – you should say yes.

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
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Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website

[Jeff Greenberg]

Jeff,

I’ll give these a shot.

1. To adjust for this issue, should I be changing the sequence dimensions, pixel aspect, or both?

Neither, all the data is there. In QuickTime it’s reading the data in the file.

2. Complicating the issue somewhat, many of my sequences are within other sequences. Do ALL the sequences need to adjusted accordingly, or only the final combined sequence?

It’s the exported sequence which dictates how the other clips will display.

3. Does how the footage was initially imported matter?

Shouldn’t.

4. When Exporting Using Quicktime Conversion what compressor should I be using. In the timeline, the footage doesn’t look interlaced, but after exporting using H.264 (without checking “deinterlace source video”) I get those jaggy lines in the final product. If I do check “deinterlace source video” the final product appears blurry.

Ok, don’t use QuickTime conversion. Use Compressor. You should deinterlace everything that goes to a computer – it’s blurry because you’ve just thrown out 1/2 the information (or blended fields 1 and 2 together.)

Most of this? Can I please suggest using the “Send to Compressor” rather than QuickTime conversion?

Best,

Jeff G

Apple Master Trainer | Avid Cert. Instructor DS/MC | Adobe Cert. Instructor
————
You should follow me (filmgeek) on twitter. I promise to be nice.
Come See me speak at NAB!
Compressor Essentials from Lynda.com
(older but still good) Marquee, Media Composer (3.5) and Basic/Advanced Color DVDs (1.0) from Vasst.com
Contact me through my Website