DV footage in HDV project

Here's one:
I have a doc with hundreds of hours of HDV footage and a couple crucial tapes shot on SD Mini DV. How do I incorporate this DV footage. Obviously I can't downconvert the project to SD.



Thanks to all the responses to yesterday's problem. I'll be careful with Capture Now.

Why obviously. Where are you going with this? What's your delivery format?

We want to maintain the best quality throughout. I'm still researching delivery options but the producers are pushing for theatrical release. I'm open to advice concerning workflows through delivery. There are maybe 1 or 2 tapes out of 300 in SD so it doesn't seem to make sense to compromise the quality of the HD stuff.

do we have this in the FAQ? if not, we SHOULD. weve addressed this subject a half dozen times now...

search the forum - you'll find it (look for terms like upres, up rez, convert sd)

or it may be faster to do an author search. look for myself or shane ross. we've each been involved in this topic a few times...

Hey, Jay, do a Quick Time Conversion and convert the SD tapes to HDV.

Then re-import them into the HDV project. You might have to render.

That might work for you. Let me know how it turns out.

uh... no. thats a really, REALLY BAD idea vic. why would you do that? youre converting one crap format to another crap format and benefiting from the weaknesses of both. if you simply convert one to another, youre missing a handful of steps that minimize the quality loss

we have already covered at least two proven, reasonably successful methods for this situation.

dont confuse the guy with ludicrous suggestions!

I've never tried it actually, but I was wondering if it will work for just a few scenes ...

if the whole project is HDV, he has to deal with converting HDV eventually to some other format for DVD release, for example.

The question is how to include SD video in an HDV project, however. I don't think this aspect has been dealt with.

What if HDV was improved or there was a breakthrough in the technology? Such a question would have more validity then, no?

Or is it just wishful thinking on my part?

for the love of God vic! reasoning with you is like trying to cut timber with a q-tip!!!

Jay, you might want to take a look at this older thread. While the original question in the thread was about frame rates (24p vs. 24pA), Shane Ross listed some leads on upresing SD to HD.

[www.lafcpug.org]

I agree with Wayne -- HDV is a very unfriendly format for editing and mastering.


www.derekmok.com

Sorry...I should have posted sooner. Dunno how i missed this thread.

Dunno if my options work for HDV...I am used to DCPRO HD and HDCAM.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

I don't have access to a "real" HD set up. I work in HDV to future proof the things I'm working on I work for a non-profit with no money. When I finish a project, look at it on a 42" dlp hdtv it looks good, not as good as Planet Earth on Discovery, but good.

That being said I have used 25 year old 3/4" footage that has been up rezed using compressor in some shows I have worked on. Everyone watching expects it to be not as good, I include a subtitle saying "so and so from 1979". I cringe everytime I see the footage, no one in the audience has ever said anything. They get it.

So what does that mean in reference to what your doing? It can be done, is it pretty? If I had my way I wouldn't do it. But we deal with the hand we're dealt. You may have to find a way to make it "artsy" to keep the audience from saying how awful that footage was but it can be done.

My 2¢

Kevin

CBS2 - even NBC4 and ABC7 - is placing SD video on an HD background - a 640x480 video centered on a HD static or animated graphic... making for left and right sidebars as opposed to more traditional top and bottom letterbox bars.

Not uprezing or converting, just putting the 640x480 box on top of a 1080i graphic - and having static or animatic borders on the left and right.

I addressed this in a post last week, and was told by someone that my comments didn't pertain to FCP apps.

But I guess it did!