General 1080i questions/converting

[David Cavallo]

(Apologies if my questions have been answered elsewhere, but my search of other threads didn't yield the info I'm looking for. I'm slowly working my way through The HVX Book, but time is running out!)

I'm shooting a spec TV pilot this weekend, and as of right now, we're planning on shooting 1080i (the network shows their HD content at this resolution) 24P, but the director wants to keep his options open for shopping it to other channels who may broadcast in 720p. Our editor will be cutting on Avid Xpress Pro, which I believe supports all sorts of formats and conversions. Does anyone know if it can covert 1080i to 720p, or will we need to go to a post house? Will it be pricey and/or time-consuming?

Also, does anyone know if Avid can "down-convert" from 1080i 24P to SD 29.97 for an SD master/DVD?

Finally, if we were to abandon 1080i and shoot 24PN (a possibility depending on whether or not the FS-100s we're renting are upgraded to v.3.0 and support the native mode) can a 1080i master be made from 24PN 720p footage (and the 24 frame timeline) in Avid Express Pro? A down-converted SD master?

Thanks so much for any help anyone can provide with this--these are some tough questions and our editor, talented as he is, is not much of a techie and does not have answers for me.

--David

[cre8tive]

You can transcode within Avid from 1800 to 720. Changing from "i" to "p" will require the use of Avid Fluid Motion. It's included with Xpress Pro. Read about how to do it here:

http://www.24p.com/conversion.htm

IMO, if this is intended for broadcast, you will need to go to a post house to get the quality you are after. That would be using the Terranex converter, and, yes it's pricey, but the quality is as good as you can get. While this box is pretty much "anything in/anything out," the rule of thumb is to acquire in 1080p (not with our camera, huh) and everything else can be Terranex-ed just fine. Going 1080i to 720p should look OK, however. You don't really want to go from 720 to 1080. You won't be as happy with the results.

Have your editor read the articles and tips on 24p.com. They are very helpful.

Regards,

Cre8tive