Downconverting from P2 to DV...

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ffelix

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Hi all--thanks for this great resource.

I've read that you can shoot HD to the P2 cards on the HVX200 then downconvert to DV tape, ending up with SD that is richer in color & detail than it would be had you shot directly to DV tape. Sounds like a nice way to make the HD transition...

Does anyone know what this workflow is? Is it in camera or in editting software? Is it really a practical suggestion?

Thanks for the help.
 
It´s very easy...a very simple process. Give a look in the manual in page 86 "Dubbing the contents of P2 onto a tape". I believe the main advantage in this kind of dubbin' is when you use variable frame rates on 720HD....I don't think that downconvert HD to miniDV give to you richer colors or better quality....The downconverted movie will be very similar (if not equal) if you shotted that (originally in miniDV format.....I guiess
 
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Correct, when you go to DV, you are converting to either 4:1:1 or 4:2:0 color sampling, depending on whether you use a NTSC or PAL camera. Even if you didn't change the resolution at all, the color sampling and overall image quality would degrade at this point.
 
Thanks for the help. FYI, here's one of the quotes I read that suggested that downconverting may yield a better image than a DV origination. I think I also read similar things regarding the DVCPRO format, but I can't find a link for that:

"Even if your final viewing destination isn't an HD compatible device, down-converted HDV will, in most cases, look superior to video shot on consumer grade DV cameras. An HDV camera captures more than four times the amount of data that a standard DV camera does. Unless you're competing with a high-end pro DV cam, your down-sampled HDV will be clearer." -- http://www.videomaker.com/article/12871

I guess it all boils down to what they consider a "high-end pro DV cam"...
 
You're originating from a higher quality source so yes, the image will look better though the technical specifications are limited to that of mini DV. Just as if you we're to shoot 35mm and have it transfered to mini-dv it would look better than if it came from a mini-dv source.
Alot of the limiting is actaully in the chipset of the CCDs, which you end up bypassing or if you down convert after the fact. For the best quality from the HVX in SD you can shoot HD and then batch convert the clips digitally in Final Cut to SD with a varity of choices of codecs to suit your own workflow.
 
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my 2 cents worth...

I also believe that the highest quality original camera source will produce better DV (mini dv).

I can confirm that 35mm telecined and transfered to mini DV tape looks better through out the dv editing process. This would prove that the mini dv tape has more quality capability than can be provided by DV origination (1/3 CCD etc)
 
And now for my 2 cents or at least 1.5 cents. I think in oder to get a great image in down converting from hd you really have to use the right settings when you shooting on HD and have a great picture to begin with. otherwise you're going to lose a lot of image quality in the conversion. I' ve seen better image quality in just shooting in dv or dvc pro than some hd conversion just because the hd footage wan't prepped as well as it could be. I guess you can say the devil's in the details.
 
ffelix said:
Hi all--thanks for this great resource.

I've read that you can shoot HD to the P2 cards on the HVX200 then downconvert to DV tape, ending up with SD that is richer in color & detail than it would be had you shot directly to DV tape. Sounds like a nice way to make the HD transition...

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...


Actually, in the case of the HVX, this assumption is incorrect. Unless you are talking frame rates other than 24 or 30, you will see no real difference between dubbing and recording straight to DV. The HVX acquires everything at the full rez so even when you are recording DV you ARE downconverting, on the fly if you will. I suspect this has something to do with the jaked 60i recording in DV mode...




ash =o)
 
Somedays ago we made our first job with the camera. It was also our first time with P2, P2 store... To be "maximum safe", before transferring the P2 cards to the P2 store, and formatting them to use them again, we were downconverting the images to DV.

Now we have all the material in both ways, but the settings were appropiate for HD and not SD. The DV looks two soft, without detail. If we edit the HD material, and downconvert it at the end to DV, it looks better.

At the same job we were using a DVX100A. The DV material from this camera looks better than the directly downconverted one, but not as good as the HD edited.

So, as CineDreams said, the settings are really important.
 
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