after effects and HDV

i'm posting here as well at the cow after effects forum as it fits both. well, after effects, but everyone here uses it so i figured it was worth a shot.

basically the problem is straightforward. i have an HDV1080i project in FCP. i wanted to do some title treaments and fix/create some graphic elements in AE. for the titles i export a self contained fcp movie in native (hdv) format.

i've read all these posts (at cow and here) about how AE seems to interpret HDV 'wrong'. i have AE 7 and it is giving it the 1920x1080 aspect. shouldn't it be 1440?

so my comp settings (when i drag the media onto create new comp auto thing) creates a 'custom' setting with an HDV pixel aspect ratio.

it looks right though. if i change the comp setting to hdv from custom or type in the aspect ratio it goes 4:3 but does not 'squish' the media. it creates something closer to a 4:3 mask.

ALSO - when i render out from what AE wants the comp to be with upper field first and in HDV codec here's another wierd thing - it stutters and drops frames on playback in FCP. even though when i cut it into the hdv timeline it does NOT want a render - meaning to me - that the media 'matches' the seq settings. it's not the hard drive struggling as i have a 3 drive sata array.

i'm utterly lost.

thanks for any insights and help
fp

G5 2.5 Dual (2004)
2gig ram 1tb sata raid array
decklink SP / Sony PVM-1954Q

this is another reason that i gave up on the HDV format - it handles graphic overlays like ass!

i NEVER got a decent looking AE alpha overlay to play back smoothly in an HDV sequence

My Comp Settings:
1920x1080 preset (HDTV 1920x1080/29.97/Square Pixels)

Ftg Interpolation:
HDV 1080/DVCPRO HD 720 (1.33)

As far as HDV handling overlays like "ass" - I don't see that...ever. HDV & Magic Bullet out of AE 7 Pro from my machine looks flat-out like film and everyone of my clients can't get enough of it (even occasionally from my little HDR-HC1 single CMOS chip HDVcam). I have no issues in a FCP Timeline probably because my Kona2 accelerates HDV. It's good for what it's good for

- Joey

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

yeah that's my setting....

damn. i was hoping for a magic - 'oh yeah, just do this' fix. i have a decklink sp so no acceleration on my end i guess.

wondering if i would fare better in animation codec or photo jpeg. my array can take it


thanks so much
fp

Joey, if you read this, i understand that you're getting a boost from you kona card, but i get dropped frames ONLY on the ae media. otherwise i can do realtime etc with all my hdv. the ae movie media IS matching the seq setting as it does not need render aka i cannot render it because it's 'good' for the timeline, but still chokes.

all other fcp created graphics, either realtime or those that need render play fine.

this is where i really get stumped and am at a standstill. any thoughts would be appreciated.
thanks
fp

Frankie,

I'm sorry, bro...I am not seeing nor can I recreate your issue. I decided to try (from scratch) to recreate your problem so I digitized 1 minute of HDV ftg right from my camera (HDR-HC1) via FireWire and brought it into AE (Comp & Interpolation Settings below), Magic Bulleted it (blows me away everytime...FILM-LOOK in 3 clicks...amazing), rendered a 3 second piece at 1920x1080i (Upper Fields) and the clip imports straight into FCP and plays in the timeline without a glitch or dropped frame.

It is either in your AE Render Settings or your FCP Sequence is off. Try this - from the beginning:

Final Cut Pro:

All Sequence Settings:
Frame Size: 1440x1080 (HD 1440x1080 / 16:9)
PAR: HD (1440x1080)
Field Dominance: Upper (Odd)
Frame Rate: 29.97
Compressor: HDV 1080i60 / 100%
Audio: 48k / 16-Bit
Unlimited RT / Scrub High Quality / Playback Quality: High / Playback Frame Rate: Full / Record To Tape: Full Quality

After Effects:

My Comp Settings:
1920x1080 preset (HDTV 1920x1080/29.97/Square Pixels)

Ftg Interpolation:
HDV 1080/DVCPRO HD 720 (1.33)
Separate Fields: Upper Field First

Render Queue:
Render Settings:
Best / Full / 1920x1080 (Comp Size)
Upper Field First
Frame Rate: 29.97

Output Module:
Quicktime Movie / HDV 1080i60 (codec) / Audio 48k-16Bit-Stereo
Final Size: 1920x1080

I bet it's your codec or your Sequence. Are you rendering 1080i60 or 1080i50? The camera I am using (HDR-HC1) is HDV 1080i60 so I keep the AE & FCP projects that way. Let me know what you find...it could help someone else

- Joey

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

i'm doing EXACTLY what you have above. i chose, in the end - to go QT intermediate codec.

the graphics are short, the render time minimal and by default (as i have to fully render) they render 'correctly' or as FCP wants them. and then it plays down fine. i can live with it at the moment.

maybe that kona card is giving you that extra kick...

seriously, i'm lost on this.

thanks so so much for your time and help
fp

Frankie,

FWIW...I did all that troubleshooting Saturday and those settings above on my freelance studio box. I don't have a capture card in that unit so it's not the Kona card. My freelance unit is a PPC Quad Core G5 / 4.5 GB RAM / OS 10.4.5 / QT 7.0.4. You may be having quicktime conflicts with your Decklink drivers. Pull them out of your ~/Library/Quicktime directory to the desktop & try to play your timeline out.

It's always something

Good luck.

- Joey

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.