help with PAL

I have some mpeg2 I will be converting from ntsc to pal and they will be distributed so I need pretty high quality although it's non profit so the money is likely not there. I'm trying to guage whether I am able to do it myself or if I could do it if I ponyed up some cash or if I just have to leave it to some one with experience.
FCP 4

You need to get it out of MPEG2 and MPEG Streamclip will do that. Free from Apple.

I think the only converter you have available to you will be Nattresses' Standards Converter and I don't know if it will run in Final Cut 4. Nattress.com

The killer will be the PAL MPEG2 compression. That's not popular in the US. We use a tool on a PC when we have to do that for a show--usually in Europe. Look up ffmpeg. You might be able to use that.

Koz

Nattress will run on FCP4.

so your starting with NTSC MPeg, and need to finish with PAL MPeg?
or some other form of PAL?


nick

Thanks to both of you.
I have trie getting ffmpeg for pc in the past and I've had trouble doing it. I may not be tech enough for the other setup you need or it could be this inpenatrable filter on the office computers that keep me from getting stuff done...
anyway, I need to change some in-house dvd's to pal for our Australia office. I think they want some DVD's consolidated so I wanted to make them Mpeg2 first because I couldn't just copy disks.

<<<I need to change some in-house dvd's to pal for our Australia office. >>>

It would be good to say that at the beginning.

Streamclip will be happy to "reverse" your DVDs to, say, Photo JPEG at high quality. Drop that on a timeline and apply Nattress. That you have to pay for. Well worth the bux in my view.

Then, use your standard way to create DVDs except load it all in PAL instead of NTSC. Walk away--done.

You are double compressing, so you will take a quality hit there. You are also going through a television standards conversion, so you will take a hit there, too.

If you have insanely complicated DVDs with lots of clickies, pathways, and selections, you will be there a while reconstructing them. There's no magic way to suddenly make a finished DVD be PAL.

Are you sure you need to go through all that? Most PAL setups are multi-standard, unlike in the US. Worth a phone call.

Koz

I live and work in Australia,
and just so you know,
there hasn't been a DVD player or TV set sold here in the last 5 years (at least) that DOESN'T play NTSC.

you may well be safe just producing an NTSC DVD

some more thoughts / ideas:

- there is an app called DVD2one.
[www.dvd2one.com]
it;s mainly for compressing larger then 4.5G DVD rips to less than 4.5 gigs for burning to 4.5G disks.
but lat time i used it, (few yrs ago) it ALSO has some editing features.
you can edit a chapter from *this* DVD together with a chapter from *that* DVD, for instance.

- with MPeg Streamclip you can easily mark in/out points on your MPeg stream.
you can also set up batches, so you can specify multiple sections for converting

- if they've goe and put some sort of copy protection on the in-house DVDs, you will need to use Mac the Ripper to first copy the contemts of the DVD to you system.
it'll still be MPeg, but it'll be convert-able with MPegStreamclip

- for best quality avoid converting the MPeg to DV
Photo JPEg at 75% is good. 100% would be better

- you might have to do the downloads at home if your office system has too many firewalls, etc

probably best workflow:
1- Mac the Riper (if you need it)
2- MPegStreamclip to convert section to PhotoJpeg@100%
3- Edit in FCP
4- make NTSC DVD
or
5- Convert to PAL (if quality is an issue, use Nattress)
6- make PAL DVD

if you use Nattress, there *may* be slippage of Chapter markers, if you've added them, (And if Nattress can carry them?)
so bring the new file back into FCP to check/re-do chapter markers


cheers,
nick

I'm also in Australia and I agree with Nick - especially if you are non-profit - you probably don't need to go down the path at all. Send an NTSC version to your Aussie office and get them to test it, if they are sceptical. I have bought and played NTSC DVDs here for years.

I really appreciate everyone's help. Does anyone have experience with India? Are they as NTSC friendly as Australia? (We have an office there too)

India is pretty tech savvy - they are becoming a bit of a force as far as computing (and *&$%^# spam phone calls) is concerned. I would imagine that most of their gear comes from a similar region to ours, but best to send them a test copy if you're concerned.

This is all to save money, of course. If you don't want to save money you can definitely do it in FCP with plug-ins, or have a post house do it for you.

Last time we bought a mult television standard DVD player, we just got our office in Mumbai, India to send us one.

Koz