rending problems

George B wrote on 7/22/2009, 3:05 PM
I recorded video at 24p using my canon hfs-100 and converted to cineform avi. The cineform video looks great.

I then opened in vegas movies studio platinum using project properties 23.97 fps, progressive scan, no interlacing. For height/width I've tried both 1440x1080 and 1920 x 1080.

I edit, and then render to mainconcept mpg-2 NTSC Widescreen video stream because I want to create a DVD.

When I watch the rendered video on my monitor it looks really bad. I realize that there is a loss of quality going from HD to SD, but most of the detail is lost and there is blurring around the edges when there is movement of any person or thing. Also the rendered video is brighter than the cineform avi (although this appears to be the case immediately upon importing into VEgas.

Any thoughts as to what I am doing wrong. Thanks.

Comments

Eugenia wrote on 7/22/2009, 3:25 PM
Your workflow is wrong, in two levels.

1. If all you wanted to do was to create a DVD, then you should have never put it through Cineform's tools. Canon's consumer cameras record in PF24, not in real 24p. Therefore, since PF24 is nothing but 24p with pulldown added wrapped in a 60i stream, you just edit them AS IS. You edit them in a 60i timeline, and you export as such. The pulldown will be preserved.

2. Since you already did the transformation to Cineform though (and I ASSUME you have removed pulldown using Cineform's tools):

>mainconcept mpg-2 NTSC Widescreen video stream because I want to create a DVD.

Export in a lossless codec, and do the mpeg2 conversion inside DVD ARchitect instead of creating the mpeg2 file on Vegas. You see, DVDA has an option to preserve the 24p with pulldown (adding it back that is) when creating DVDs, while Vegas Platinum doesn't (the Pro version does I think). So, export back to a lossless codec, and set that 24p option on DVDA.

However, in the future, only do that second way if you want to export both for the web/PC and DVD/BDs. If you only care about DVD/BDs, never use Cineform or remove pulldown, but simply edit as 60i. The PF24 cinematic motion will be preserved.

Regarding the gamma shift, it's normal. Different players/codecs/encoders have their own mind about that stuff, most of the time you will see gamma shifts than not. Just learn to live with that I am afraid.
George B wrote on 7/23/2009, 3:29 PM
You mention rendering in a lossless codec. Which lossless codec do you recommend I use when rendering in Vegas?
Eugenia wrote on 7/23/2009, 5:11 PM
I blogged about it 2 days ago:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2009/07/22/exporting-to-an-intermediate-codec/