interlaced/progressive

Question

Level 1

8 points

interlaced/progressive

I am recording TV with a HD/DVD recorder. After I have transferred the material to my Computer (via MPEG Streamclip), I am editing the material with Final Cut Pro. Now comes the tricky part/my question. The material from my HD/DVD recorder is interlaced, right (it’s TV after all: Kabel digital, Germany). If I want to output the material now with FRCP/Compressor I normally choose “interlaced”. Is that necessary? Because I want to store the files, in order to put them on a DVD later (with DVD Studio Pro) or export it to a Flash-File for my homepage. Isn’t it better to change the material to “progressive” as long as it’s on my machine? Because DVD Studio is changing it back to “interlaced” anyways and Flash keeps the “progressive”, which is the standard on a Computer, right? I was always wandering how I should deal with interlaced and progressive and would greatly appreciate any answers.

MacBook Pro 17", Mac OS X (10.5.4), 2.5 GHz Inel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

Posted on Jul 18, 2008 5:22 PM

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Answer 1

Olse

Level 2

210 points

Jul 18, 2008 6:03 PM in response to PeterPan007

How was the footage originally shot?
If it was shot interlaced you will lose half of the info when de-interlacing, but it will look somewhat "better" on computers. Since more and more footage is shown on computers compared to TV's, the footage should be initially shot as progressive. It's a choice you have to make early to maintain quality throughout.

Edit: Re-read your post, and saw that you did the recording from TV (ok, I'm blind 🙂 )
Point stil valid, tho.

If you want to use the footage on a DVD, you should keep it interlaced. If you want to use it in a flash-file on a webpage, then de-interlace. Two different uses, and you should use two different versions of the footage.

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Answer 2

PeterPan007 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 18, 2008 6:06 PM in response to PeterPan007

Do you mean, if it is interlaced, it should stay interlaced all the time when it's on my computer?

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Answer 3

Olse

Level 2

210 points

Jul 18, 2008 6:12 PM in response to PeterPan007

Yes, but keep track of the field-order. Always test your final DVD on an interlaced TV. There is one thing tho: If you are pretty sure that 99,9% (could be less) of the viewers will be watching the DVD on a computer (progressive screen), then de-interlace the footage no matter what. But footage which is originally interlaced will always lose quality when de-interlaced ("made" progressive).

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Answer 4

PeterPan007 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 18, 2008 6:15 PM in response to PeterPan007

What's the sense then in de-interlacing material? When should I use the de-interlacing filter? Besides: Thank you very, very much for your help.

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Answer 5

Olse

Level 2

210 points

Jul 18, 2008 6:18 PM in response to PeterPan007

De-interlacing removes one of the fields from footage originally shot interlaced. It's a video thing. If you don't know much about video and interlacing, start here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Interlacing

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