DVC PRO 50 VS DOWNCONVERTED 720p

Even though they gave you 4:3 samples, 16:9 will future proof your show. HD across the board for everyone is not too far down the road, and after everyone is forced to switch- 4:3 will seem like bad B&W content.
You can frame 4:3, and deliver that if they absolutely want it (and keep the 16:9 for future use) but I suspect that you where shown this footage because they didn't have 16:9 samples.

G.
 
Yes, you can have the HVX display 4:3 guides (DISPLAY SETUP -> SAFETY ZONE), which would help you to record a future-proof 16:9 HD version.
 
I wish we could ban the phrase "future-proof" it means nothing and it a marketing term that should be reserved for the "salespeople" at Best Buy. Compelling content that is well shot and directed will always find an audience.

To the question at hand... if you DO shoot in 720p I recommend cinelike V and very flat colors. You dump it in an uncompressed SD timeline, THEN do the color correction. All that said, DV50 holds up better for SD most the time.



ash =o)
 
AshG said:
To the question at hand... if you DO shoot in 720p I recommend cinelike V and very flat colors. You dump it in an uncompressed SD timeline, THEN do the color correction. All that said, DV50 holds up better for SD most the time.



ash =o)

Ash, I have always wondered about bringing in any of my HD material from the HVX and working in an uncompressed timeline to get better color, transisition fidelity, etc.

Have you ever done any A/B comparisons between and uncompressed timeline vs DVCPro HD timeline to see if you got more out of that work flow?

Just curious?
 
AshG said:
I wish we could ban the phrase "future-proof" it means nothing and it a marketing term that should be reserved for the "salespeople" at Best Buy.
Fair enough -- when you read my previous post, everyone please mentally substitute "less obsolete" for the offending term.
 
wow, i didnt expect this to get all philosophical and stuff - with all this talk of future proofing, free will, predestination, and what not.

seriously though - i believe i will do the smart and professional thing and offer the 720p vs pro50 choice to the network and see if they're interested in "future proofing" or "content obsolesence reduction" .

will let you know what they say
 
In Final Cut Pro, i get the best results shooting 720 and downscaling in a 720X480 Uncompressed timeline using the "best" scaling setting.

It looks a little sharper (very little) than native DVCPro50. The improvement is very subtle, but it's there...

If you dont use the "best" scaling setting, native DVCPro50 footage will look better than 720p.
 
Antoine_Fabi said:
In Final Cut Pro, i get the best results shooting 720 and downscaling in a 720X480 Uncompressed timeline using the "best" scaling setting.

It looks a little sharper (very little) than native DVCPro50. The improvement is very subtle, but it's there...

If you dont use the "best" scaling setting, native DVCPro50 footage will look better than 720p.

How do you adjust the quality of the scaling that takes place in Final Cut?
 
The more you "tweak" the footage, the more you gain in an uncompressed timeline.

As far as 720p dumped into SD being more sharp than DVCpro50 native? With images that have any red or brown, I dont agree. I actually find the DVCpro50 more crisp. Drop them both in an uncompressed timeline, color correct and hit render... then make a DVD... I think you will see what I am talking about. DV50 is a great codec. I could fool most people on this forum into thinking SDX900 DV50 footage was actually HD...




ash =o)
 
lipslide said:
How do you adjust the quality of the scaling that takes place in Final Cut?


Go in the Sequence settings, then in the video processing tab, then select "best" motion filtering quality. This ajusts (among other things) the scaling quality.
You can also select Render all YUV material in high precision YUV if you have any color correction. The rendering quality is thus better.

I personnally prefer this image over the native DVCPro50 anytime, because you have a HD archive and the flexibility to edit SD.

The only drawback is that the HVX produce a little noisier image in HD than in SD, because like Barry said, DVCPro50 is less compressed than DVCProHD, AND the HVX is a little cleaner in SD to start with (even before recording to P2).

Good luck.
 
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