Several formats in one film

Hi,
I am at the end of a documentary film production recorded in 2 different formats (DV-PAL 4.3 (frame size 720x576), HDV 1080i50 (frame size 1440x1080). I have to deliver however on DV PAL 16.9.
Can I just set the sequence settings to 16.9 and drop the HDV material without any changes and enlarge the 4.3 to fit (which means I will lose the top and bottom)? Once I take it out on tape and play it will the TV monitor acknowledge the formats as 16.9 anamorphic?
I'm on: FCP 6.0.1
/Maria

> Once I take it out on tape and play it will the TV monitor acknowledge the formats as 16.9
> anamorphic?

As far as I know, TV monitors don't "sense" the footage -- you'll have to set it to anamorphic 16:9 yourself. Once you have media in a timeline, it doesn't matter whether the original media was anamorphic 16:9 -- it only matters what your timeline is set to. So edit in an anamorphic 16:9 timeline and stretch the non-anamorphic footage to fit, which is a kind of blowup, as you already know.

Do you have to deliver anamorphic? If I had a choice, I'd deliver letterboxed here so that the SD footage doesn't take yet another whack. What's their rationale for wanting anamorphic? Might want to talk to the director and producer(s)...while this may truly be what they want/need, some filmmakers just ask for anamorphic when it's not always in their best interest.


www.derekmok.com

I've heard good things about Mattias' "Smart Anamorphic" plug-in for stretching 4:3 out to 16:9:

[www.mattias.nu]

<Alec Baldwin voice>

Good things!

</Alec Baldwin voice>

You could do that, and it would technically work, but that is a big blowup for the 4:3 material and it would probably lose a lot of resolution in the process.

There's a tutorial here on how to mix 16:9 (1024 x 576) and 4:3 (720 x 576) footage in projects. You are pushing it even further by going to 1440 x1080, but it might be helpful.

Also, you might want to look at Shane's method for upressing via Compressor. Some mathematical adjustments will apply for 1080, and it takes a LONG time, so best used for a couple of shots only, but might be handy.