Digital Anarchy Resizer Question

[Paul Ramsbottom]

Hello there,

I'd be grateful if anyone has some feedback on this. I am almost 100% certain that I am doing something really stupid but perhaps not. I have also sent this question to Digital Anarchy.

To make this easier, I have placed some example files and screenshots in my Apple .Mac iDisk public folder (Go>iDisk>other users public folder). My .Mac name is pramsbottom, if anyone cares to get them.

I'm running Mac OS X v 10.4.8 with all available updates on a dual G5 2.7ghz with 5GB of RAM. I use FCP Studio v1.2. I have Norton Anti-Virus v10, Apple Shake v4.1 and iLife '06 installed as well as the Resizer demo but no other apps or plugins of any kind. I have not altered the default settings of the Resizer demo from first install (other than trying the 'fill frame' and 'fit in frame' modes).

I am about to begin a large HDV editing project, and typically shoot 1080/60i HDV on a Sony HDR-FX1 and a HVR-A1U. However I also have a lot of 720x480 and 720x486 widescreen format SD footage from a variety of cameras and other sources (converted VOB files and VHS tape captures).

I am trying to decide-on and buy all the tools I will need for this project. Specifically I am trying to decide whether I should edit the project in the native 1080/60i HDV (as the majority of my content comes from my two Sonys in that format) deinterlacing the 1080 material and using an up-rezzer such as Resizer to bring my SD clips into the main project.

Alternatively I am considering assembling the FCP project as 720/24P (using down-sampled 1080i footage created with another plugin, probably Natress, and up-rezzing my SD material with Resizer to 720P instead of 1080). I'm thinking it must be better to up-rez from SD to 720P, rather than up to 1080 and then back to 720P when the project is complete.

So... after that lengthy pre-ample, my question:

1. I'm gotten Resizer to work great taking some 720x486 progressive clips to 1080 (snap shots in my iDisk called 'before' and 'after'. It really is a great solution. However, when I try to do the same with a 720P FCP project it acts really oddly.

2. When I am working in a 1080 project and have Resizer set to 'fit in frame' everything works great. However, when using a 720P project (the FCP project setting from the 'easy set-up' menu), the up rezzing seems to just zoom into a central portion of the image, and crops the rest.

Please see the screenshots on my iDisk:

"Image cropped in 720P project (enlarge to fill frame).png" is what I get when I select 'enlarge to fill frame'.

"Image cropped in 720P (fit in frame).png" is what I get when I select 'fit in frame'.

Both times my image gets cropped. I've tried messing with the scaling control in the motion tab but this just enlarges the cropped image.

I am sure I am doing something stupid but I cannot for the life of me work it out (and I have spent all weekend trying).

I get exactly what I expect with 1080 projects, it's just the 720 settings that have got me stumped.

I've even uploaded my FCP demo project if you want to take a look.

Thanks,

Paul.