I'm talking about the final authored DVD product (not the source material with or without pulldown).

By NTSC I mean interlaced (a TV or NTSC Monitor). NTSC is intelaced by nature isn't it? I guess what I'm asking is there any benefit in making a progressive scan DVD if it will only be viewed on a standard television? Won't both a progressive scan DVD and an NTSC DVD look exactly the same on a NTSC monitor? How will the look of them differ?

Or better yet, will a progressive scan DVD play correctly on an NTSC monitor? And vice versa?


Maybe I'm getting this all wrong. Is it possible to make a progressive scan DVD? The presets in DVDA are only NTSC. Can I make a DVD solely for a progressive scan DVD player and progressive scan television set?

The progressive scan presets in Vegas are all 23.976fps. Are there any monitors, TV, HDTV's that play 23.976 without first converting it to 29.97?

Also, what is the point of 720 60p (59.94fps)?

you are getting it all wrong -- but thats ok ... :)

its a simple thing really:

1. all NTSC dvd's are 29.97 (i or p) but play 29.97i output from the composite or s-video and 29.97i from the component if the player can not output progressive (like the pioneer 7400) or there is no pulldown (some exceptions here)..

2. a 'progressive' dvd is still 29.97 on the dvd (the mpeg2 on the disk) .
But the source was origin film source at 24fps, which is slowed to 23.976P and pulldown is added to the mpeg file (or to the avi file) to make it 29.97i.

The pulldown is removed by a progressive scan player and it outputs 23.976 P from the component (or DVI) connection . your monitor has to support this also.

Also -- even if you dont have a progressive scan dvd player and your source was film based (a la 24P) but you DO have any number of monitors or video projectors that will also remove the pulldown and they are displaying progressive 24P (23.976P) information anyway.

3. in essense a progressive scan dvd and a non progressive scan dvd will look the same - except if you notice the cadance of the pulldown and the source interlaced 29.97 dvd may look a bit sharper.
.. both are playing (in your example of a "normal" NTSC monitor) as 29.97i .

a LOT of complaints with dvds is the "jerky" motion - often this is due to improper use of progressive and interlaced (as well as field order) or incorrect de-interlacing or time changes..
Interlaced source material becomes a big issue if you are resizing it (bigger) .. to be correct -- in that case you should de-interlace it into fields and resize the fields and re-combine it ....



"The progressive scan presets in Vegas are all 23.976fps"

vegas will add the pulldown automatic if you are rendering to dvd or avi (in most cases) unless you tell it not to. does a good job at it also ...

DVDA doesnt support all the standard dvd resolutions (who knows why) , only a small subset of them -- many of these though are not interlaced no mater the frame rate.


"Are there any monitors, TV, HDTV's that play 23.976 without first converting it to 29.97?"

yes there is -- HDTV's , video projectors , HDTV "ready" (some of these though ONLY playback at 1080i - not P, they convert everything) , etc .....

"Also, what is the point of 720 60p (59.94fps)?"

It is a HDTV res. - not dvd (yet) ...

there are exceptions to some of the above -- but what i said is the common acceptable practises and such

Well what is broadcast going to be...1080i? 720p? I'm trying to position myself for HDV both in knowledge and in gear and product output, but I'm not sure what I need and/or will need to purchase and/or how I will have to do things.

Any suggestions?

... what is broadcast going to be...1080i? 720p?

That is the question! We go through this every time a new technology is introduced. Remember the introduction of DVD? They've been debating the HD format for years! That's why I'm in no hurry to go out and invest in a technology that hasn't landed yet. When the powers that be make up their minds, then I might invest in HD equipment (if my clients have the need!).

My advice would be to wait.

By-the-way, what's your rush?

J--

It's not what broadcast is going to be, it's what it already is. There are 18 approved formats for digital television, some of them are standard definition, like 720x480i, and some are high definition, like 1280x720p and 1920x1080i. The "powers that be" have already made up their minds.

As far as, "what's your rush" once you seen 1920x1080i, then good, old 720x480i simply doesn't cut it. By the way, the upcoming Sony HDV camcorder records at 1440x1080i using 3 chips and the current JVC HDV camcorder records at 1280x720p using 1 chip.

I have a Sony XBR910 34" 16x9 TV and a MyHD card, I have become a complete and total HiDef snob. The 910 is simply the best looking TV I have ever seen. I can barely stand to watch standard definition television anymore.

On another note, the DVD consortium has recommended, but hasn't yet approved, Microsoft's Windows Media 9 as the HiDef codec for HD DVD's. However, that's the format I'm pulling for.

John