HDV to DV down convert - when ?
 

To produce a DVD from an HDV tape, is it better to down convert at the start, from the camera & edit in DV or capture & edit in Hi Def and then down convert at the final DVD render/conversion ? Of course accepting the extra time involved for achieving a higher quality output if there is a difference.

Ron Cooper.

As a general rule, you want to stay at the highest resolution possible until the last generation. In other words, stay HDV on your timeline and then downconvert straight to MPEG, (do not create a DV intermediary like so many do), and you'll have the greatest quality. Some NLE's have better encoders than others, still others require you to go out to third party apps, but the highest resolution you can feed to any encoder will yield the best result.

HDV Downconvert
 

Thanks Douglas. I thought this would be the case. I am using DVD Architect 4, so I should get the best result.

Ron Cooper

But what if the final delivery is SD tape?

I tried converting from HDV to SD. First step (all in Vegas7D), render to Min Concept MPG2 with DVD Architect PAL template (but I did not burn to DVD, straightaway preview to MPG footage on PC) and convert straight to CFHD 2.91 (but DV size, this is the codec listed in Vegas). Did a comparison and I really couldn't tell the difference between the 2. Previewed on a 24Acer LCD full screen.

I also shot the same footage on SD 4:3 native and capture using Vegas. The downconverted footages look better. Its like the SD footages had some kind of thin muslin over them.

ps. Interesting, the differences was not so big when played back on my Bravia 42 inch hdtv. I burned to DVD using Sony Architect 4. In fact the DV footage holds up but there was something a bit different about it which makes it looks not as refined as the downconverted footage. On my LCD, the DV footage was significantly noisier. It was the same for footages that were both under and overexposed. I had DVX footage for comparison and it wasn't AS noisy but its still there.