Beware of Adobe Media Encoder with your progressive footage

[GrahamH]

I've been using Adode Media Encoder CS4.2 to convert 720P AVCHD footage from my HMC40 into 720P Cineform avis, and have run into two problems.

1) The raw footage is 59.94 fps, the converted files come out as 60.00 (even though framerate in the AME dialog box was set to 59.94).

2) AME introduces a nasty chroma interlace artifact. Compare the diagonal red line in the midde of the boy's red pack in these 3X magnified framegrabs of AVCHD clips converted to avi using AME (left) and Cineform's HDLink (right). By the way the effect is more evident, and concerning, when a series of frames is being played....

 

[PDR]

We discussed this in the other thread (the compare other models vs. HMC40 thread); the Adobe interlaced chroma bug. It affects PP, AE, AME, everything Adobe.

Native decoding of all AVCHD and h.264 formats is b0rked, even 24pN. Since the decoding is broken, it passes on the error to everything it exports.

Didn't you confirm the fps shift was only with cineform? I.e. doesn't affect exporting other formats like uncompressed AVI ?

 

[GrahamH]

OK, I see - I had thought that earlier discussion was restricted to problems with progressive-in-interlaced footage (24P-in-60i and 30P-in-60i). That's bad of Adobe to b0rk native progressive (like this 60P) as well - yikes!

 

[PDR]

Yes it's really bad,. Even from other cameras, even native (retail) blu-ray, bascially everything h.264 ....

They only way around it is to use a different decoder

I couldn't replicate your fps issues, but I don't have cineform installed on my PC that has CS4 installed. I tried other formats and they were all 59.94 fps in/out