Can I monitor 720p24N on MBP?

M

mindlikethesky

Member
I do a lot of on-location shoots where the clients need NTSC DVD's burned of our 720p footage. I know my footage is properly exposed, and it looks GREAT on the MacBook Pro, but low end of the bars, whether shot on camera or from the FCP Video Generator, are too dark. The MBP is already set for max brightness and I can't get the bars looking right. And the DVD's I'm burning are too blown out. So I have 2 questions.

1. I know I need an external HD monitor to truly see the full image. I'm planning to get the Matrox MXO and an HD monitor. But in situations where I can't bring a monitor, how can I best set up my MacBook Pro? It's currently set to "Color LCD Calibrated" - is there another Display Profile which will let me do an approximate color timing before outputting footage to DVD?

2. Are there any exposure latitude problems when exporting DVCProHD to NTSC? Are there different black levels like 7.5 vs. 0 that I should be aware of? How are people getting best results outputting via software-based solutions? I have been using Compressor to export at 90 min. DVD Best Quality 90 Minutes 16:9 One Pass VBR Best, 7.9 Max Bit Rate. (fairly short programs, don't need Two Pass)

www.FreakTheFrame.com
 
I don't believe the bars go through any processing, they are meant to align your monitor with the camera's output. If you have a bad alignment and you have adjusted your cameras settings for a pleasing look, then you would get something else entirely.

The "Setup" menu in the camera should be set to 0 for all digital recording (Black Level). If that doesn't help, look at your master pedistal.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top