Deinterlacing question

R

roro20

Well-known member
If I am shooting just standard 480i footage with the intent to deliver on DVD, do I need to choose the option to "Deinterlace" when exporting my final project. The reason I ask is because when I play the clip back on my computer I get the jagged interlacing lines- is this just because I am watching interlaced footage on a progressive monitor? However it seems that when I choose "Deinterlace" when I export the project, the picture gets "softer". Am I losing resolution by deinterlacing?
 
No, you don't need to deinterlace to go to DVD. If the original footage is interlaced, it's better if you don't. And yes, the problem with the combing effect on your computer is because the video display is progressive.

Choosing the deinterlace option is also usually a bad idea if the footage is interlaced. There are different techniques for deinterlacing but the worse and probably the most common is to simply take one of the two fields in the interlaced frame and double the lines. So you automatically loose half your vertical resolution. Other techniques may use some form of field blending but the image tends to go soft there too.

The best technique I've found for deinterlacing involves and analyzing pixel motion but you'll have to buy an add-on plugin to get that.

-Dan
 
Yes, de-interlacing throws away up to half of your resolution. De-interlacing = de-stroying your footage.

Try viewing your clips on an interlaced television.
 
Thanks for your help. That's what I thought. Now here's another for ya... what about if you watch that same DVD back on a computer. Would you then see the "interlacing" lines again?
 
Yes, although it should only be an issue if you stop the playback and look at a single frame. If the combing is still real severe, you might have the field order reversed. I don't know if it's an established standard, but all the DV footage I work with has the lower field first.

-Dan
 
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