The chase

Encoding tthe HDV has been giving me a lot of problems. I'm not getting a good version for the web. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Should one leave HDV as is when encoding for the web? Or convert it to SD? Should one use Compressor in FCP or just a QuickTime .mov right out of FCP?

My trailers don't look that good, not as good as other trailers. And what's this of HD online? Is the HD only for the people who have plazma or LCD screens?
 
I finally found a workflow that gave me good results: exporting a PNG .mov version and then dumping it in DVKitchen for an encode. It came out as 6.5 MBs and clean.
 
How do I convert this NTSC HDV .mov into PAL so I can encode PAL DVDs? I have an order for the movie. Thanks for the help.
 
filmman said:
How do I convert this NTSC HDV .mov into PAL so I can encode PAL DVDs? I have an order for the movie. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

I looked for a tutorial on this using something like After Effects. Don't know if you have it or not... but anyway, a couple of sites had some 'hints', but a couple more indicated that a tool like:

http://www.dvfilm.com/atlantis/

was better. Don't know anything about this tool, other than seeing it referenced several times.

The AE hints suggested the quality of out put was not all that great. But the idea was put a 30 (29.97) fps NTSC clip into a 25 fps PAL time line, turn on frame blending and render (with perhaps some other futzing for aspect ratio, and centering the 480x720 NTSC in the PAL frame, and stretching to 576x768 pixels.
 
Thanks. I read the product description. It's a lot more complicated than I was led to believe on another user group. I only have the FCP 5.04 Studio, so I can't use the product recommended by the article.

I'm going to experiment with Compressor and FCP export options. So far I tried and failed with one process. I'm going to describe it just in case it gives you some info.

1) I exported from a native HDV timeline a feature shot on the 1080i 60i HDV format.
2) I placed the .mov file into Compressor and produced a 25 fps MPEG2 PAL file and 3ac stereo audio file.
3) I imported them into a DVD SP PAL DVD project and played the movie in simulator. It played fine.
4) DVD SP failed to encode a PAL DVD twice.
 
filmman said:
Thanks. I read the product description. It's a lot more complicated than I was led to believe on another user group. I only have the FCP 5.04 Studio, so I can't use the product recommended by the article.

I'm going to experiment with Compressor and FCP export options. So far I tried and failed with one process. I'm going to describe it just in case it gives you some info.

1) I exported from a native HDV timeline a feature shot on the 1080i 60i HDV format.
2) I placed the .mov file into Compressor and produced a 25 fps MPEG2 PAL file and 3ac stereo audio file.
3) I imported them into a DVD SP PAL DVD project and played the movie in simulator. It played fine.
4) DVD SP failed to encode a PAL DVD twice.
Click to expand...

The question is... do you have a PAL TV to verify any output on, once you do complete the burn process???

I haven't had much luck in burning DVDs for 'strange' media of late... not that PAL is that strange, just in the US not easy to verify a good burn... in my case it was AVCHD that 'should have worked', with appropriate futzing around...

As a note I play PAL DVD's on my laptop, using the Videolan VLC program to get around region code bullshi*, and have 'no problem' but then a computer is not a real PAL or even NTSC device anyway... so that can't be used to verify a good PAL DVD... or NTSC either...

Also, when you say you started with 1080i60 material, I presume it got to PAL SD of 576x768 in the MPEG2 output. Also, as a note, did you make sure that the MPEG2 bit rate didn't exceed the 10 or so Mb/s max DVD data rate? I don't think PAL DVD's are different in that regard. I've seen some posts on DVD creation where some MPEG2 encoders will pop up above 10 Mb/s, even fore a 'moment', and will result in some DVD players cacking...
 
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I don't have a PAL TV. So I just want to make an extra DVD in PAL and send it along with my NTSC DVD -- just in case they can use the PAL DVD. But it looks like I'll just have to send them an NTSC DVD. They can play it in their laptops -- which as I understand all the laptops play any DVDs.

The DVD SP allows for PAL DVD production though, so I'm sure there is a way to encode the movies before importing them into DVD SP that will work.

Next I'm going to try and do an uncompressed version of the NTSC movie and then import that into DVD SP.

Also, I'm thinking of attempting the process again after I do a conversion in Cinema Tools -- conform to 25 fps.

Thanks for comparing notes.
 
I've been offered a buy-out ... but I have to put in action flashbacks. I don't like flashbacks.... Is there a way to use flashbacks without revealing the ending?
 
Here it is finally http://www.CreateSpace.com/270456
THE CHASE is a psychological thriller available for purchase from CreateSpace.com Soon it will be available on Amazon as well. You'll be able to rent it or download it.

Thanks everyone for all the help you have given me on this movie. Now you can finally see it completed :-)
 
Do you think if I posted the whole movie that more people would buy the DVD from Amazon? Or do you think it would kill it?
 
Trailer. Definately. Posting the whole movie will kill it. I can't see how it won't unless you have a really strong fanbase that is willing to buy your stuff for commentary.
 
That's what I was afraid of :-) But when a movie is exhibited online to the whole world, some benefit will come to the filmmaker. I will still have all the rights to the movie. Sometimes by selling a movie or giving it to a distributor who doesn't pay much or next to nothing, it would have been best to show it to the whole world myself and keep all the rights.
 
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