High Definition or Standard Definition Timeline?

Question

High Definition or Standard Definition Timeline?

When editing a program for cable TV playback that will be shown in standard definition 4 x 3 aspect ratio, MPEG2, 720 x 480, what settings should be used for the timeline? It seems to me that it should be some sort of standard definition timeline 720 x 480 non-square pixel. I would like to see in my client monitor what the home viewer will see. Is there any reason to use a high definition timeline, then convert it? There will be no reuse of the program on the web or in future reruns. No fancy animations or pans and zooms. Source material will be mixed. It seems to me that graphics made on a high definition timeline will also look bad when converted for standard definition playback.

Would DVCPRO50 be the best choice, can ProRes be set up for this, or something else?

Final Cut Pro 7

Posted on Jul 1, 2012 3:47 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jul 2, 2012 4:44 AM in response to Twentyfourseven

If it is for 4:3 standard definition output you need to shoot that size and edit it into that type of sequence.

ProRes is only used for highly compressed formats such as AVCHD and maybe HDV.

I don't know what DVDCPRO50 is from a spec point of view.

Reply

Answer 2

Jim Cookman

Level 7

23,447 points

Jul 2, 2012 8:31 AM in response to Twentyfourseven

I'm of the opposite school from Ian. I like to keep my footage as pristine as possible until it is absolutely necessary to compress it for delivery. The reasons for this are:

1. if you dumb it down right from the get go, you've compromised your quality at the very start, and exporting and converting AGAIN for final delivery will bring you further losses.

2. If it looks like cr*p in your final export, all you have to do is work on the export settings, not reinvent the wheel and go back to examine the first conversion.

EDIT: and you certainly use a prores timeline-- it's just a codec, you can make it any pixel dimensions you like.

Message was edited by: Jim Cookman

Reply

Answer 3

darbypsnm

Level 3

730 points

Jul 2, 2012 2:51 PM in response to Twentyfourseven

If we shoot HD then we edit in HD and we prefer PR422 to most alternatives most of the time.
I would edit in whatever you have the most of. DVCPro50 and PR422 are both codecs. It is one or the other.

What do you have the most of? codec? HD? SD?

We prefer to convert any and all source footage that isn't PR422 to PR422 when working in PR422. I wouldn't bother with DVCPro50 unless that is what most of your footage is. Is this on tape/card? How are you getting the footage into FC? DVCPro50 is a SD codec while PR422 can be either. If most of your footage is HD you will have to render all HD footage that you are adding into a SD timeline.

Converting HD to SD is not a guaranteed quality hit.

Setting all the frame controls to best in Compressor will usually solve most conversion/quality issues but depending on the length of your show this can take a lot of time compared to good or better(and the results are never as good).

An alternative:

We have had success with exporting our HD sequence(self-contained or reference)/reimporting into FC and then adding it to a 16x9 or 4x3 SD sequence and rendering. Export your new SD master and then compress for your final deliverable.

Keep in mind that HD is rectangular while SD can be rectangular(16x9) or square(4x3). When you down-convert to your SD deliverable you will have to letterbox your HD or 16x9 footage into a 4x3 SD window(unless you plan to render and/or scale all of the footage as you add it into a 4x3 sequence).

Reply