I am desperate... Artefacts on 16:9 anamorphic...

S

saputnik

Member
Dear all,

I am new in the documentary field and I have a huge problem that I cannot solve...

I shot a 52-minute documentary that now some TV are willing to buy. I shot with DVX100b in 16:9 anamorphic and progressive and I completed all editing. Next week I am gonna put the doc on digibeta and send it to the TVs that wanted to buy it.

But two days ago (yes, so late...) I unfortunately discovered a strange issues on my footage. Please take a look here:http://www.saputnik.net/pictures/still.png

There is a light vertical shadow on the left of the image and a sort of white line on the right. I think it's quite seenable on the image I've posted. On TV it's almost invisible, but on computer it's not.

I checked my tapes, and the problem is at the origin, already on tape.

I have no clue how to solve it. I tried to crop the image (0.4 left and right) and zoom it to 101%, but then the image becomes out of focus.

I would appreciate every kind of suggestion. I am becoming really desperate because I am - or at least I tought to be - at the end of the project and now I am facing something that it's probably gonna to destroy all my efforts...

I am waiting for some tips (if there are...)
 
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Some thoughts...

First of all: DON'T PANIC. It'll be okay, one way or the other.

Now, from what you write, and what I saw in the picture, I assume the artifacts are in the leftmost and rightmost vertical lines. If that is indeed the case, I wouldn't worry too much about it, most TV sets don't show those lines anyway since they are underscanning (or overscanning, I can never keep those two apart).

Furthermore, if you shouldn't find a good solution to the problem, you can always just replace those two outer vertical lines with two black lines. Most people, even out of those that will actually see them, won't notice that the frame is two lines too narrow.

Is this a good solution? Is the problem solved? No, of course not. But I would be surprised if it isn't good enough. And I'd be shocked if it's bad enough to be a deal breaker with the TV company. Heck, if you didn't tell them, I'm not even sure they'd notice...

So, relax and breath deeply, all your efforts aren't for nothing, even if you, or anyone else, can't find a good solution to the problem.

Good luck!
 
Sorry I cant seem to read this morning and missed your link.

Yeah I wouldn't worry about those artifacts either. You'll lose 10% when it goes to TV. I think its underscanning, but yeah I get them mixed up too :)

To be honest it took me a while to find what you are talking about. When you play this back on a TV (burn a dvd to test) it doesnt show the lines right?
 
Actually I see those things (it's a kind of yellow shadow on the left and a with line on the right) only on my computers and not on tv.

I know that I am maybe annoying with those small (?) details, but do you think a crop left and right and a zoom (101%) would be a solution?

PS: i am just scared because I think that when the TVs will receive the Digibeta tape will maybe send it back, because of those lines....

Anyway, thank you a LOT for replying so quickly :)
 
greenlighted said:
Furthermore, if you shouldn't find a good solution to the problem, you can always just replace those two outer vertical lines with two black lines. Most people, even out of those that will actually see them, won't notice that the frame is two lines too narrow.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Do you mean just cropping those lines without zooming? I think that this way I will loose the right 16:9 format, or maybe I am wrong....


Thank you also for answering, I hope you're right with TVs not noticing those problems :)
 
Call the station and ask them if some minor artifacting outside of video safe will be a problem. Tell them its the leftmost and rightmost pixel column and see what they say.

Cropping the artifacts out or replacing with black will not effect your 16:9 aspect ratio. Whatever you output from your NLE will be 16:9 if you are in a 16:9 timeline.
 
I think it's a good idea... I didn't think that those artefacts are outside the video safe area...


Sorry for bothering you, but I have a last question, maybe with the same answers as above. One TV asked for a 4:3 letterbox versions. I did it from my 16:9 anamorphic original sequence following these instructions http://www.helerab.fi/widescreen/index2.html.

In the 4:3 letterbox I have now, apart from those artifacts L and R, also two gray lines up and down. Is this a bigger problem?

Thank you again for all this help :)
 
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No bother at all - this is what these forums are for.

Are you talking about the gray vertical lines at each edge? I wouldnt worry about that at all. Any way you could send the still to the station and have them check it? If it were me I'd just print to tape and take it to them. If it were me I probably wouldnt have ever noticed the lines either - I should get some glasses...

Sounds like your conversion to 4:3 is the way to go. I cant wait til 16:9 is the norm and stations wont take 4:3. Someday... Someday...
 
jdajda said:
No bother at all - this is what these forums are for.

Are you talking about the gray vertical lines at each edge? I wouldnt worry about that at all. Any way you could send the still to the station and have them check it? If it were me I'd just print to tape and take it to them. If it were me I probably wouldnt have ever noticed the lines either - I should get some glasses...

Sounds like your conversion to 4:3 is the way to go. I cant wait til 16:9 is the norm and stations wont take 4:3. Someday... Someday...
Click to expand...

:)

I think I will just print on Digibeta and send them. I am sure that they will notice if it's a problem for them...


And no, you don't need glasses ;) I saw first those lines when I was exporting the 16:9 version into the letterbox one, and then i got "desperate". But probably you're right, just me noticed that (I was checking the video at 800% in FC...)... and maybe I am so much concerned because this is my first documentary and I tried to make everything as much good as I could... (imagine, I have studied human rights, it was hard to switch from that to video making :D)

Anyway, thank you a lot for everthing...
 
oh at 800% you're going to see all sorts of crap :) I understand being nervous being your first doc and its finally done! Thats awesome! The more concerned you are about the details the better. With as many "filmmakers" that are out there you need to make you're stuff look as good as possible so it will stand out.

Whats the doc about anyways? I'm always curious what gets picked up for distribution or tv.
 
Thank you :)

The documentary a 52-minute about the failure of UN in protecting Kosovo minorities during the eight years of international administration... I interviewed the highest UN servants in Kosovo and some of the Internally Displaced Persons (only 15.000 out of 250.000) that have returned in the past years...


If you want to take a look, there is a demo version (just 7.30") here: http://www.saputnik.net/demo


PS: Anyway I am still thinking how to solve the problems with lines :Drogar-Dum(DBG):
 
Sounds like a cool doc - I'll have to check it out later when I'm back on real bandwidth.

Put some masking tape up on the screen maybe and then you wont see them :) I would be interested to hear if this is normal or not though and what causes it. Anyone know?
 
if you had not mentioned them ,,, I would not have seen them

but I applaud your desire to produce top notch work
I may be a nubee but the image problem seems to be quite well away from your action-safe boundry lines..

joe
 
eofeapr said:
if you had not mentioned them ,,, I would not have seen them

but I applaud your desire to produce top notch work
I may be a nubee but the image problem seems to be quite well away from your action-safe boundry lines..

joe
Click to expand...

It's just that I have invested literally everything in this project and I like so much this job that I am "inventing" for myself that I am scared from every possible detail that could negatively affect it...
 
Crap. I just noticed the same problem, the rightmost vertical line is distinctly brighter (almost white), on my new DVX100BE. The footage was shot 25p squeeze. I've got some vague memory of seeing something similar on some other footage but can't say for sure right now. Will check later.

Does anyone have any kind of explanation to what this could be?
 
greenlighted said:
Crap. I just noticed the same problem, the rightmost vertical line is distinctly brighter (almost white), on my new DVX100BE. The footage was shot 25p squeeze. I've got some vague memory of seeing something similar on some other footage but can't say for sure right now. Will check later.

Does anyone have any kind of explanation to what this could be?
Click to expand...

I am almost sure that the issue is connected with shooting at 25p squeezed. I thnik other people had the same problem: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=96345

Yellow shadow on the L and white line on the R...

Crap...
 
I have the too bright rightside vertical line in all 25p modes -- squeeze, letterbox and normal. Can someone explain this? Is it a camera defect? Anyone? Please...
 
Guys, remember the days of analog camcorders, like 8mm? If you ever captured that footage you'd see that most of the overscan area was totally messed up and unusable. One pixel on each side isn't such a big deal. It'll never show on TV. Even if you got a film print and projected it, no one would notice.
 
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