FX7, how do I get a good DVD file from the footage?
 

I just videotaped a dance concert and when I transferred the video to my computer and output it to a DL DVD, the quality is nowhere near as good as a straight HDMI connection to a TV. It doesn't even look that good on the computer in Premiere elements before I output to DVD. I'm using Adobe Premiere Elements 7. I don't know if it's the project settings for the transfer, I chose HDV 1080i 30. Is Premiere Elements maybe not going to give me what I want?

thanks,
Eric

When you download your footage from your FX7 to your computer, make sure your "i.link conv" is OFF. Otherwise your footage is being downconverted to a lower resolution. See Page 70 of your operating guide.

Mike

Thanks for that, I checked and it already was off, that must be the default setting. I'm really mystified by this. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be using some other settings when I bring the footage into my computer. Wouldn't HDV 1080i 30 be the setting I should use for "project setting"? Or should I use the 720p 30 setting? I noticed that Premiere Elements makes mpeg2 files rather than AVI's like my regular DV camera came in as. I thought AVI's were less compressed than mpeg2 files so I'm wondering if I'm bringing the files into my computer wrong.

wow! i think eric you should take a deep breath, calm down, and RTFM.

that said, you simply connect camera to pc with firewire, use hd capture utility in prem. put video on t/l, make sure your project properties match what you've shot, then edit.

what you now have on your t/l is hdv ready to be rendered out as:

m2t - hdv

mpeg - optimum bit rate for project (eg. 8,000,000 max) to go to dvd

mp4 - for web

i use vegas so i can't hold you hand through the exact steps required in elements, though i'm sure someone here will (?)

but i repeat, rtfm of both the camera and elements....

leslie

How are you expecting a dvd to be any where near as good quality as the hdv footage, sorry if i am misunderstanding something.

i think martyn has a very valid point - i'm constantly amazed that a lot of my students, and even a few of my corporate clients somehow manage to think that you can get a pint into a half pint pot.

to this end i now make sure the roughs, tc dvd dubs, etc., that i send out or upload are encoded at a lesser rate than the final release dvd will be. that way they're always so much happier that the finished product looks so much better than the 'rushes'.

leslie

Thank you for responding. I have read the manual for the camera and elements, trying to figure this out but as is always the case for me, my question is never addressed.

I noticed that my DV DVD from my VX2100 looks much better than the FX7 DVD when played on a regular 4:3 TV. I'm probably an idiot and don't know that that's what happens when trying to play back HDV on a tube TV. But I don't know! When I play the FX7 DVD on a 1080i LCD it looks a little better, but the sharpness that I saw when the camera itself was connected via the HDMI cable was completely absent.

I'm sorry for being such a newb, but can you explain what this sentence means?

"use hd capture utility in prem. put video on t/l"

I don't know what t/l is and I'm figuring you mean use the right project settings in Premiere Elements i.e. HDV 1080i 30 as the project setting? If so, that's what I did. Maybe I'm getting the quality I'm going to get, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't doing it wrong.

If anyone here uses Premiere Elements and the FX7 I would be so grateful for some direction.

Thanks,
Eric

I'm sorry, I feel like a pain. I keep thinking of new questions.

Would it be better to choose 720p 30 as my project setting for viewing a DVD on a 720p/1080i TV?

Should I also be using the DV Wide project setting for DVD's that will be played on regular TV's?

I was right with Martyn when he said you can't expect a DVD (standard definition by its very nature) to look anywhere near as good as your HDV footage played into the HDTV. Then I read your reply (above) and this opened a bag of worms, as the VX sourced DVD should look no different to the FX sourced DVD except in aspect ratio.

Something's up and I'm pretty sure it's in the Elements settings. If you downconvert the HDV footage out of the FX7, then that resulting DVD should look as good as the VX's. Yes, I'm suspicious of Elements and its ultimate downconversion to MPEG2.

tom.

Eric,
You might want to double check your settings. The FX-7 shoots in 1080i meaning that it's interlaced, 60 fields or will sometimes be listed as 1080 60i. 30 may be suggesting progressive scan, which may soften the video when trying to either capture or encode the interlaced to progressive. I just received my FX-7 and I'm in the process of making a DVD right now from Vegas 6. So far it looks good. So I really think it's either your input settings or output, or possibly a little of both.
By the way t/l looks like it refers to timeline. I have Premiere Pro CS3 at work. I'll look at the capture settings and see what it has.

David, thank you very much.

I really should get a copy of Elements so I can check this, but in Pro you must make sure you are using a 60i preset, or else Premiere will do a horrible job of deinterlacing to 30p -- it simply throws away one field and kills your resolution, as David implied.

When I go straight from the Premiere timeline into Encore (using the Export to Encore function) and just slightly tweak the settings for higher quality, I get SD DVDs that are almost indistinguishable from Blu-Rays. Okay, you can see the difference, but even on a 65" HDTV screen it isn't dramatic. Maybe I'm just lucky in this regard.

I have a variety of Sony HDV cams, and I must say that my FX7s are without a doubt the sharpest and punchiest of the bunch.

Note that interlaced footage will always look bad on a PC screen, as your monitor was not designed to display interlaced material. You must view on a proper HDTV.

Thank you so much Adam. I feel like I'm getting closer. I do have Premier CS3 but am more used to Premiere Elements, but when I looked at the import settings in CS3 they looked the same as Elements and I saw no option for 60i. Can you tell me how you set that in CS3?

Thanks,
Eric

When I select New Project in CS3, I go under the Load Preset tab, expand "HDV" and select "HDV 1080i30 (60i)." There is also an "HDV 1080p30" preset and a bunch of 720s -- don't use them.

I actually use Cineform, so there is a whole other set of presets available to me, but it's expensive and may be more than you need. There's a huge and very active Cineform forum here in the Post Production area -- you might want to check it out for some ideas.

Ok, so I have been picking 1080i 30, so I guess I'm importing correctly. Hmmm