2048x1024 ProRes HQ squeezed in DVD studio pro

This may be a DVDSP post, but I don't think so...

I'm working on a 7 minute short film with footage created on the RED Camera. I cut with the "M Proxies" and then I did Export, QT Movie, which created a beautiful QT with the following settings: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), 2048x1024.

But when I bring this file into DVDSP, it comes out just slightly squeezed (everyone's a little too tall and skinny).

I tried bringing the FC QT into Compressor and doing outputs, one to ProRes HQ, and one to the preset of DVD best quality 90 mins, but got the same results, though even more so with the m2v.

I'm sure it's something simple to get it sized correctly, but I'm stumped. Any thoughts would be very very appreciated.

Thanks!

Tom

Oh. Working w/FCS 2. Did the cut on a MacBook Pro, 2GHz Intel Core Duo, 2GB memory. OSX Leopard 10.5.4. That's a computer rented for the job and I'm trying DVD SP on both that and on my Desktop, G5 PowerPC.

you have to set Compressor to crop the image to a 16:9 aspect ratio.

What he said, mostly. The 2K 2:1 format is, as the name implies, a 2:1 aspect ratio, not 16:9. Anamorphic DVDs assume the raster is 16:9, which is why 2.4:1 movies on DVD are still letterboxed. They're just letterboxed less than they would be if they were meant to be played inside a 4:3 picture tube.

The best way to handle this would be to letterbox the 2K footage inside a 16:9 raster first, then tell Compressor to turn it into anamorphic SD.

Thank you both.

I set Compressor to crop the image to a 16:9 aspect ratio and came up with a DVD SP project that looked great in the DVDSP viewer as well as in the Simulator. But when I watch the DVD on my TV (SD) the edges are cropped. My titles are up to the edge of title safe, but on the DVD, the last letter is completely cut out.

Also, Jeff, forgive my density, but I was a little confused by:

"The best way to handle this would be to letterbox the 2K footage inside a 16:9 raster first, then tell Compressor to turn it into anamorphic SD."

Are you suggesting I do something beyond just setting Compressor to crop the image? If so, I'm not clear exactly what...

Thanks again,
Tom

Yes, I am. You can crop your 2:1 footage to 16:9 if you want to. If you intention was to shoot 16:9 safe inside 2:1 (to get better frame rates on your Red, for instance) then that's fine. But if your intention was to shoot 2:1 full aperture, then cropping your footage to 16:9 for dailies or whatever probably isn't the best option. You're not seeing the whole frame.

If your intention is to keep your film 2:1, you're better off letterboxing it inside a 16:9 frame for viewing on DVD. Your TV will have a slight letterbox on it.

The reason your picture is cut off when you view the 2:1-to-16:9 crop is almost certainly because it's, well, cropped. If you're looking at the safe areas inside Final Cut, you're looking at the 2:1 safe areas, not the safe areas that would apply to a 16:9 center cut from your 2:1 frame.

Okay. Now I understand you. This makes good sense. I need the full 2:1 frame.

Two things I'm not clear about. One is more for my edification, the other is to actually get this done. . First, why is it that the QT file looks fine, both when played in QT and when previewed in DVDSP, but not once the DVD is burned?

And two, more importantly--and I'm sorry to be so slow--when you say I should letterbox it inside a 16x9 frame, I'm not sure how I would go about doing that. Is that too dumb of a question?

Thanks so much.

Tom

Overscan. The reason TVs have safe areas is because a tube television doesn't line up the edge of the picture precisely with the edge of the screen.

And your question isn't a dumb one. I just can't talk you through it because I'm not near my system right now. Search the Compressor manual for the word "letterbox."

Urrrgh.

First, thank you, Jeff. I feel like I'm getting there. Second, I'm not there yet. I tried clicking "add letterbox" effect ,16x9, and keeping crop image on, thinking that would accomplish the goal. I did look at the manual but that led me to do what I did. Which yielded the exact same result as before.

So if you, Jeff, or anyone else, has a moment to take me through it step by step, I'll I don't know, buy you steak?

Thanks,
Tom

try nesting you're 2:1 sequence into a 16:9 sequence in FCP and export from that... FCP should letterbox it properly and that'll translate over to Compressor as well.

-Bryan