Fix for DV to Mpeg-2 levels problem?

vx2000b wrote on 10/1/2002, 8:03 AM

I'm just wondering if you're still working on a fix with MainConcept regarding the
16-235 vs 0-255 levels issue.
Using the levels fixes the issue, but forces you to recompress your whole DV.

The level fix using the levels filter (use on whole project when making DVD):
input start: 0.063
input end: 0.922
output start: 0
output end: 1
gamma: 1

I now understand how you derived this:
16/255 =~ .062
235/255 =~ .922

Thanks, Steve

Comments

SonyEPM wrote on 10/1/2002, 9:01 AM

Vegas 3.0a fixed this. Render DV as MPEG-2 with no filters or anything else and you'll get very accurate color/level matching.

RBrandt wrote on 10/1/2002, 9:22 AM

Please respond with more information. Vegas 3.0a fixed what? Are you saying the MC encoder does the level shifting automatically? What do you mean by "accurate color/level matching" with no filters? Thanks.

vx2000b wrote on 10/1/2002, 10:32 AM

Have you verified this?
I am using version 3.0c..

When I view the DV direct by hooking the video camera (Sony VX2000) direct using
s-video to my monitor (TV), it looks great.

Now, if I burn a DVD using VV3 MainConcept highest quality setting (31), CBR set to 8000, the DVD looks washed out (the whites are not bright white, and the darks are somewhat gray). This (I believe) makes the low lighting in the footage display noise/compression artifacts when viewed on my set top player/16x9 TV. These artifacts are not there when viewing the DV direct to TV.

Now, i'm starting to wonder what's going on? Yesterday, after applying the old levels fix I mentioned above, if I view the mpeg-2 file using WM, the video has to much contrast?

I should mention, I have a 16x9 home television properly calibrated. I used video essentials. All normal store bought DVDs look awesome on it.

Also on a different note, I'm using PowerDVD that came with my Pioneer A04. Oddly, the DVDs I burn look horrible on it (lots of compression artifacts). When I use my set top DVD player hooked to my TV, it looks much better (with the exception of what I just wrote about). Has anyone seen this problem before. This does not makes sense to me. I thought since it's digital, the video quality should be the same on any DVD player.

I can understand, if I DVD player has problems playing at an encoded bitrate, but I would think it would show up as a stutter, not as compression artifacts. I don't see these artifacts when viewing with WM, only PowerDVD?
Thanks,
Steve

SonyEPM wrote on 10/1/2002, 10:40 AM

Among quite a few other tests, here's one I confirm with every release: Color bars rendered to DV and fed to a DV>analog converter, through a Tektroniks scope to a Sony PVM monitor are extremely close in hsl (like +/- 1 unit) to color bars rendered using the DVD MPEG-2 template, burned to DVD and played through a Sony DVPNS400D, passing through the identical hardware.

One think we have found (and you obviously see it too): the output of MPEG decoders, whether hardware or software, varies considerably.