How to get the best 16:9 from DVX 100

N

Nobu

New member
I made documentaries on 16:9 with my DVX.
I red the the old very good Barry Green book and his advice was letterbok, because squeeze mode could give editing problems.
Recently I red in some forum that now you can edit squeeze materials on FCP and obtain good results without the lost of pixels connected with letterbox.
Can you give me some advice? I am starting to work in HD with others cameras (Canon 5D and Panasonic AF100) but I think that DVX 100 has stil great potential and I want use it at the best.
Thanks. Claudio
 
nobu-

i also still have my dvx100b working and look forward to those who care to share their thoughts and experience.

be well

rob
 
Been shooting my documentary on my DVX in squeeze. I am getting some noise and some "stair-casing" on jagged edges, which is really inevitable. More prevalent in the reds. The squeeze doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look the greatest. I have been told to shoot 4:3 and then crop 16:9, but I am not sure if I can if the other footage is in anamorphic.
 
I've been using squeeze and when I export it out I change the size to 874x480. I gave up on letterbox. Just another step I don't have to worry about
 
You can use the 16:9 lens adapter (the LA-7200). It can be something of a pain to shoot with, but you'll get full resolution 16:9.

Whatever you do, don't shoot in letterbox. There's absolutely NO reason to do so anymore.
 
I have been shooting mostly in squeeze mode in less than optimal lighting and noticed that what I am seeing on the LCD looks quite a bit better than what I get when I transfer the video to my computer. Where the image on the LCD looks sharp the image on the computer appears fuzzy. I realize the size difference may have something to do with it but it just seems to be too much loss of quality. I have tried shooting at 60i and 24p to see if there is any difference and don't really see any and I know opening the camera almost all the way reduces quality. I haven't tried 4:3 to see if the squeeze mode is really that less of quality and was wondering if anyone else has this problem. I do also realize low lighting will result in poorer quality but sometimes the lighting seems adequate and still less than desired images are what I end up with.
 
Shoot squeeze in progressive mode and ensure the vertical detail is set to thin. Never shoot squeeze in interlace as vertical detail will only be on thick resulting in a loss of resolution.
 
It's very easy to shoot it squeezed and edit in FCP. Just drop a (squeeze) clip into a new sequence and it will ask to use that clip's settings. If for some reason it doesn't work automatically, just go into the sequence settings and check the "Anamorphic 16:9" box next to "pixel aspect ratio". Bam. Your footage is now at the correct aspect ratio.
 
However, the problem with shooting squeezed is that the camera is actually using the letterboxed portion of the sensor and then stretching that image to fill the 4:3 frame. So you're not technically shooting anamorphic, nor are you getting extra resolution. Hence the recommendation to shoot 4:3 and then crop to a 16:9 aspect ratio. Then at least you have the benefit of reframing vertically in post.

When I owned my DVX, I almost always shot it 16:9 squeezed anyway though, because it saved time on the back end. If you want the best possible image, try each mode out on the same shot and compare them in your timeline. Whichever one you are happiest with, use it.

You will definitely get the best results shooting 4:3 with an anamorphic lens adapter (because with the adapter you will be using the entire 720x480 pixels available), then click that 16x9 box on your timeline to stretch it out. Finally, when you export, set it to 1280x720 HD and then upload that to the interwebs. In my experience, uprezzed SD footage looks much better on vimeo and youtube than the SD you shoot/edit natively. FWIW.
 
I had same problem with "staircasing" and crappy looking images in 16:9 squeeze mode recording at 24ap. I found a solution (a really good one!) for 24ap, but it doesn't apply to 60i or 30p

- Are you set on using 60i or 30p for your shoot?
- Are you using Final Cut Pro?
 
+1 for shooting in 4:3 and cropping. Squeeze gives you weird artifacts, which I hate. The best way to maintain resolution without artifacts is to shoot with a 16:9 lens. Short of that, I have found cropping to be the most effective way for me. Another benefit of shooting full is that you have some breathing room in your framing. At least in a vertical sense.
 
RE: 4:3 thanks!

RE: 4:3 thanks!

Yeah, I have noticed some artifacts on the squeeze mode, but after messing around with detail coring a bit (+3) the footage I am getting looks pretty good.

I'm going to test out 4:3 letterbox though, just to see.

Thanks!
 
lsc9x said:
I had same problem with "staircasing" and crappy looking images in 16:9 squeeze mode recording at 24ap. I found a solution (a really good one!) for 24ap, but it doesn't apply to 60i or 30p

- Are you set on using 60i or 30p for your shoot?
- Are you using Final Cut Pro?
Click to expand...


Care to share your solution with the rest of us ?
 
I have only shot 16:9 squeeze mode 24pa on my dvx and the footage I get is amazing and I have never had any of the problems you guys have mentioned at all. Take a look at my demo reel all done with a stock DVX in squeeze(and yes I have had my films shown on huge theater screens and have yet to notice any problems there either)
 
majikfraug said:
However, the problem with shooting squeezed is that the camera is actually using the letterboxed portion of the sensor and then stretching that image to fill the 4:3 frame. So you're not technically shooting anamorphic, nor are you getting extra resolution. Hence the recommendation to shoot 4:3 and then crop to a 16:9 aspect ratio. Then at least you have the benefit of reframing vertically in post.
Click to expand...

The camera does that -- but it takes the image and stretches it BEFORE processing -- before throwing away 80% of the information to compress to DV, and before sampling the color down to 4:1:1. It does it with the raw, unprocessed image from the sensor. Then, AFTER it's stretched, it does all the processing.

When you shoot 4:3 and crop in post, you're cropping and stretching out the processed image, the image that's already compressed at a 5:1 ratio and already has 3/4 of its color information taken out.

Shooting Squeeze gives you the best 16:9 without an adapter.

The stair-stepping artifact can be managed with the Vert. Detail Freq. setting -- try MID or THICK. You definitely want THIN if you're planning to uprez to HD, but if you're staying in SD, you try the other settings.
 
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