Down-converting focus problems? at DVinfo.net

Simon Antoniou · May 4th, 2006, 10:09 AM

I have read that if you down-covert HDV to DV, there could be some focus problems, as what is in focus for HDV may not be the case when down-converting for DVD.

Has anybody had any problems with this and how would you get around it?

Thanks

Nate Weaver · May 4th, 2006, 10:23 AM

It's more the other way around. Focus problems when shooting in HDV that are apparent on a good HD display can go away when downconverted. It just depends how badly out of focus you were.

Put another way...focus is critical and easy to mess up when shooting in HD because of how much detail HD can resolve. Upon downconversion, much of that detail is lost, so if there were small errors in focus, often they get "covered up".

Make sense?

Simon Antoniou · May 4th, 2006, 10:45 AM

Thanks Nate, I guess you just have to make sure your focus is exemplary, which is critical when shooting HD anyway.

Nate Weaver · May 4th, 2006, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Antoniou

Thanks Nate, I guess you just have to make sure your focus is exemplary, which is critical when shooting HD anyway.

...unless you're downconverting to SD for your end product. Then you have a little room for error.

Earl Thurston · May 4th, 2006, 12:18 PM

One other thing to keep in mind is that some editing applications do not do a very good job down-scaling HDV to DV resolution. Premiere Pro 1.5 is one of them. I've tried downscaling HDV footage within an NTSC DV project and the results were very soft. The same procedure done in After Effects was significantly sharper. Likewise, using Premiere Pro to export a HDV project directly to DVD (without going to DV first) seemed to work well too. (It may be relying on the Main Concept scaling algorithm rather than its own.)

It's a good idea to test all the options available to you to see which procedure produces the best results.

Nate Weaver · May 4th, 2006, 12:25 PM

Right. I went on a rant on that subject in: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=63494

Brian Luce · May 25th, 2006, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl Thurston

One other thing to keep in mind is that some editing applications do not do a very good job down-scaling HDV to DV resolution. Premiere Pro 1.5 is one of them.

I've never seen this point made before. So which PC programs ARE good for downconverting to SD? (aside from Abobe AE) Vegas? Avid?

May 4th, 2006, 10:09 AM	#1
Simon Antoniou Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 73	Down-converting focus problems? I have read that if you down-covert HDV to DV, there could be some focus problems, as what is in focus for HDV may not be the case when down-converting for DVD. Has anybody had any problems with this and how would you get around it? Thanks

May 4th, 2006, 10:23 AM	#2
Nate Weaver Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,100	It's more the other way around. Focus problems when shooting in HDV that are apparent on a good HD display can go away when downconverted. It just depends how badly out of focus you were. Put another way...focus is critical and easy to mess up when shooting in HD because of how much detail HD can resolve. Upon downconversion, much of that detail is lost, so if there were small errors in focus, often they get "covered up". Make sense? __________________ My Work: nateweaver.net

May 4th, 2006, 12:18 PM	#5
Earl Thurston Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Burnaby & Maple Ridge BC Posts: 289	One other thing to keep in mind is that some editing applications do not do a very good job down-scaling HDV to DV resolution. Premiere Pro 1.5 is one of them. I've tried downscaling HDV footage within an NTSC DV project and the results were very soft. The same procedure done in After Effects was significantly sharper. Likewise, using Premiere Pro to export a HDV project directly to DVD (without going to DV first) seemed to work well too. (It may be relying on the Main Concept scaling algorithm rather than its own.) It's a good idea to test all the options available to you to see which procedure produces the best results. __________________ Earl R. Thurston, Stargate Connections Inc. Made with GY-HD100: The Container Adventures: The Rescue

May 4th, 2006, 12:25 PM	#6
Nate Weaver Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,100	Right. I went on a rant on that subject in: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=63494 __________________ My Work: nateweaver.net

May 4th, 2006, 10:45 AM	#3
Simon Antoniou Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 73	Thanks Nate, I guess you just have to make sure your focus is exemplary, which is critical when shooting HD anyway.