I have recently set up my digital camcorder to act as a to-TV play-through bridge with Firewire so I can periodically check on how I am doing in terms of eventual TV output. I'm using NTFS but not HD in or out and I am still not sure whether to go 720x480 with a letterbox crop to 16:9 it, or work in a higher resolution.
I know that standard TV is non-square pixel but confused about what to set the project to, and that TV format is much is lesser "bandwidth." All I know is that pre/viewing it on the TV looks bad. Allow me to be more specific:
For example, I have subtle effects such as sparkles/stars coming through a window (like faerie dust, if you will). For now, I'm creating these effects manually via alpha stills in which star or dust particles are usually only 1 pixel in size. Then I use pan/crop, 3D Alpha, etc. to animate them in layers.
But at some point I will be using a 3D particle generator such as ParticleIllusion -- in which things will be that more subtle. But as of now, this is what happens:
A) OK: In Vegas and/or rendered and watched on computer it looks as intended, i.e. a round "star point" looks round and with feathered subtleties, etc.
B) Not-OK: Viewed on TV screen, they turn to boxy pixels and even rectangular ones = the subtleties are gone and it looks more like tiny Pez candy in flight than faerie dust :)
______________________
>>> Q-1: Will it look like that in final render and prepared for TV viewing also, or is there a way to preserve what I create to look as I wish it to on TV also?
>>> Q-2: If so, what should I keep in mind and set (File and/or Media Properties, etc.) so this can be avoided and/or minimized? I.e. If I stick to 720x, should it be 720x480 DV or 720x786 Standard?
>>> Q-3: Since I will also have to make a DVD version eventually, what elements of answers to Q-2 would be best for the most broad output compatibility (i.e. TV and DVD)?
Feel free to be specific but not uber-techie. I'm still on a learning curve and the more I learn in a way I can understand, the better :)
Thanks.
I know that standard TV is non-square pixel but confused about what to set the project to, and that TV format is much is lesser "bandwidth." All I know is that pre/viewing it on the TV looks bad. Allow me to be more specific:
For example, I have subtle effects such as sparkles/stars coming through a window (like faerie dust, if you will). For now, I'm creating these effects manually via alpha stills in which star or dust particles are usually only 1 pixel in size. Then I use pan/crop, 3D Alpha, etc. to animate them in layers.
But at some point I will be using a 3D particle generator such as ParticleIllusion -- in which things will be that more subtle. But as of now, this is what happens:
A) OK: In Vegas and/or rendered and watched on computer it looks as intended, i.e. a round "star point" looks round and with feathered subtleties, etc.
B) Not-OK: Viewed on TV screen, they turn to boxy pixels and even rectangular ones = the subtleties are gone and it looks more like tiny Pez candy in flight than faerie dust :)
______________________
>>> Q-1: Will it look like that in final render and prepared for TV viewing also, or is there a way to preserve what I create to look as I wish it to on TV also?
>>> Q-2: If so, what should I keep in mind and set (File and/or Media Properties, etc.) so this can be avoided and/or minimized? I.e. If I stick to 720x, should it be 720x480 DV or 720x786 Standard?
>>> Q-3: Since I will also have to make a DVD version eventually, what elements of answers to Q-2 would be best for the most broad output compatibility (i.e. TV and DVD)?
Feel free to be specific but not uber-techie. I'm still on a learning curve and the more I learn in a way I can understand, the better :)
Thanks.