[Tom Brooks]

Thanks for both responses. Those perspectives are helpful. I’m integrating a Betacam-SP path to the Kona LHe in a new room and looking for the best way to either free up the existing component cables or create another from SDI and a converter.

[Tom Brooks]

I don’t work in HDV, but to make a DVD simply, go back to your initial HDV timeline and export straight from the timeline using Export Using Compressor. Select one of the standard 16:9 presets. The software should automatically set everything correctly. I use DVCProHD, which is also an anamorphic codec, and it works fine with the automatic settings.

Use DVD Studio PRo to make the DVD if you can. The two key settings are the “First Play” for the disk and “16:9 Letterbox” for the display mode of the track.

Best playback to the LCD would be from a standalone DVD player rather than the PC DVD software. The DVD should be 16:9 on the LCD. If played on a 4:3 display, it will be letterboxed.

If that doesn’t satisfy, there are Quicktime and Windows Media options.

[Tom Brooks]

Ok. That’s a sweet setup with the LA. I like the sound of this AJA Hi5 to the Panasonic HDMI, but it almost sounds too good to be true. Both HD and SD and that cheap terminal board on the Panny?

Have you had any occasion whatsoever to put SD into the HDMI input of the plasma?

Thanks.

[Tom Brooks]

Walter,
Do you also edit some SD stuff? Do you use DA’s to distribute the component to the Sony CRTs alongside the plasmas? Do you use SDI for any monitoring at all or just for mastering to VTRs? Thanks.
BTW-Enjoyed the blog about Bob Zelin’s work at your facility. Looks like a quality job.
-Tom

[Tom Brooks]

Have you seen the posts lately about Quicktime exports from DVCProHD being exported with the full HD raster size and not the non-square native DVCProHD sizes? Maybe this is the same problem? It’s thought to be caused by certain clips in the sequence which, for unknown reasons, cause the export to go out as the full square-pixel size. Check to see whether your Quicktime file is 1280×720 or 960×720.

[Tom Brooks]

[JeremyG] “Will HDMI do SD?”

Jeremy,
Thanks for the response.
Not sure about that. Can a cheap little HDMI board flexibly drive the plasma with 525i29.97,720p59.94, as well as several 1080 flavors?

The reason I want to employ the SDI output from the Kona is that it can then be programmed separately by the Kona control panel. In other words, I can edit HD, monitoring via HD-SDI and simultaneously downconvert to 525i29.97 on the component cables.

Trouble is, I also want that plasma to function (albeit as a compromise) for SD edits. The Hi5 converter is dual rate – HD and SD. But is the HDMI board for the plasma going to be happy with both? The AJA rep seemed to think it would be.
-Tom

[Tom Brooks]

Were you using the FCP scopes when this happened?

[Tom Brooks]

I did the quick title test and I see what you’re talking about on the downconvert.

FCP 5.1.4, QT7.2, Kona LHe, Kona Control Panel V3.4

[Tom Brooks]

Sorry, I meant to refer to Jerry, not Gary.

[Tom Brooks]

It’s always pretty tough to diagnose these problems over the internet without much info to go on. If you could fill in a bit, it might help. I assume you are working with DV footage because you’re on a Macbook Pro, but that could be wrong. How was it shot-525i29.97, 30P, 24P? What is your sequence setting? Also, what do you mean by horizontal tearing? Is it a horizontal “comb” edge on moving objects in the footage (typical of interlaced video on a progressive display)?

The obvious assumption is that what you are seeing is interlace artifacts on your progressive display as Gary already said. Why is this not visible on the exported Quicktime? It depends on the format of the quicktime and how it was compressed. Many exports will result in deinterlacing, which would get rid of the artifact.

Why was it not visible in previous projects? I have a theory on that. Perhaps the newer Macbook has a larger screen and allows you to use your canvas window at 100%. The Canvas will display interlacing ONLY when it’s set to 100%.

Why does it not show up on the 32? The 32 could be automatically deinterlacing.

But without all the details, we can’t know for sure.