Moving text problems

kdm wrote on 2/3/2006, 11:14 AM
I've been checking forums, threads and various docs on smoothing out HDV text for DVD and nothing is curing what I am seeing.

I have HDV footage with text overlaying it - some created in ULead Cool3D and some in Vegas (just for comparison). My project is set for HDV 1080 60i 29.97 and all text and graphics are also 1440x1080. I render to DVDA's NTSC Widescreen video stream and bring into DVDA. When previewing DVDA on a small TV monitor, I the moving text has horizontal interleave mismatch (as best as I would describe it) during motion. I am guessing this might be a factor of the preview rather than the DVD.

When I burn and view the DVD, I still see some of this present in text motion. I've tried keeping field order the same all the way through (upper FF for HDV) even though, I surmise, NTSC is normally lower FF. No change either way.

I also notice that horizontal scan lines appear more prominent in this DVD than most other video in TV spots, etc (I can see the wide range of source footage). The best way I would describe this is that my video appears to be split on scan lines, where better footage (beta, film, full HD), appear to be "behind" the TV's scan lines. Granted, our local TV stations here are pretty bad, whether regular or digital cable. Obviously if I put in a quality DVD I can see the footage difference, and even there some diagonal stairstepping occurs just due to the TV and SD playback.

How do you handle moving text, and checking previews to be sure it looks clean before burning to DVD?

I assume some of this has to do with converting 1440x1080 to 720x480 and playing back on a TV with perhaps a different resolution.

The best preview option I found was running the project at HD settings (1920x1080), to preview on my second LCD panel, since 1920 and 1280 are multiples of 640, so no aliasing even if the LCD resolution is less (1280x1024). Whereas 1440x1080 (or preview 720x540) doesn't translate well to 1280x1024.

Is this just one of those trial and error situations, even with the what seems to be the correct workflow?

Many thanks in advance. I know this is old hat for most of you.

Comments

kdm wrote on 2/4/2006, 8:57 PM
Rather than keeping this one "unanswered" in case it comes up in someone else's search...

I solved what I was seeing pretty much. I was just seeing the fine virtues of interlaced finals played back on an average TV, and was torturing my tests with text steadily moving diagonally. Running down the final Mpeg2s from Vegas in progressive looked better, and Smart Deinterlacer helped too. It took a bit of searching around the forums to piece everything together, but the info is there once you associate another user's description/solution with the problem you are having.
farss wrote on 2/5/2006, 3:08 AM
Try applying the Reduce Interlace Flicker switch.
If you've got the money look into Caymangraphics.com
Bob.
kdm wrote on 2/5/2006, 7:29 AM
I have been using reduce interlace flicker - it didn't completely improve the interlace/aliasing problems on moving text, but it does help in general.

Thanks for the link to Cayman Graphics - I'll have to try the demo. Some of the other titling programs I've tried so far leave a bit to be desired, either in workflow, quality, or compatibility with a dual core AMD system. I've been able to get pretty good results with Vegas' text and Boris Graffiti LTD with a little work, but am looking for other options to expand the creative and quality options.