Workflow for Pro Res 29.97 to Mpeg 2 50i for Russian broadcast.

Hello Saviors!

Thank you in advance for your help!

I am converting quite a number of 22.5 min episodes of a series I am doing that will be broadcast in Russia.

Here are the current specs of the shows:

Pro Res 422
29.97
Field Dominance: Upper
HD 1440x1080
Audio: 48khz, 16 bit

I am running:
OSX 10.5.8
FCP 6.06
MBP 2.5 ghz
4gb Ram

Here are the specs of what is needed for delivery:

Video:
Frame size: 1920x1080 pixels
Frame rate: 50i
Stream type: MPEG2 Video Stream (Main Profile @ High Level)
Field dominance (interlacing): Upper Field First
Bitrate: 40000kbps
Chroma format: 4:2:0

Audio:
Stream type: WAV, MPEG1 layer 2
Channels: 5.1 or Stereo
Stream format: 48KHz, 16bit
Audio bitrate: 384 kbps or greater


File system:
NTFS (compatible with Windows)


Container Format:
MPEG2 Elementary Stream (separate Audio and Video streams).

Main:
Aspect picture ratio (OAR) must be greater than 1.78:1 but not higher 2.35:1 for all materials.
HD material must be recorded on external drive without errors.

Here is how I have it set up in compressor. Is this right? Or there something missing or a better way?

Summary:

Name: Elementary Stream
Description: MPEG-2 Elementary Stream, 15 Mbps. Settings based off the source resolution and frame-rate.
File Extension: m2t
Estimated file size: unknown
Time remapping:
source frames play at 25.000 fps
Type: MPEG-2 transport stream
Video Encoder
Format: M2V
Width: 1920
Height: 1080
Pixel aspect ratio: Square
Crop: None
Padding: None
Frame rate: 25
Frame Controls On:
Retiming: (Best) High quality Motion Compensated
Resize Filter: Statistical Prediction
Deinterlace Filter: Best (Motion Compensated)
Adaptive Details: On
Antialias: 0
Detail Level: 0
Field Output: Top Field First
Start timecode from source
Aspect ratio: Automatic
Selected 16:9
Field dominance: Top first
Average data rate: 34 (Mbps)
2 Pass VBR enabled
Maximum data rate: 40 (Mbps)
High quality
Best motion estimation
Closed GOP Size: 1/2 second, Structure: IBBP
Audio Encoder
Format: MPEG
Sample Rate: 48.000kHz
Channels: 2
Bits Per Sample: 16


Thank you for being there guys! I appreciate your knowledge. Any confirmation that I am taking the right course of action or screwing this up is very much appreciated.

As a token of my thanks, [url=

]Click this link[/url] if you like seeing bikini models getting nailed by Pacific Ocean waves.

Barry Rosenberg

I don't use compressor. I export movies right out of Quicktime Pro.

...and thanks for the laugh Barry - that clip is hysterical...I needed that right now...

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Joey, my pleasure on the clip. When we shoot these things, inevitably there is always something that happens (usually things popping out that shouldn't), but never as classic as a gal getting nailed. I had no choice but to put it in the show. Share that clip with all those that would appreciate it.

Anyway, I never thought of using Quicktime Pro for the conversion.

For those that care. The ever popular Alan Smithee is credited in our show as being responsible for sound. The idea of wanting credit for a piece of string and two paper cups used for recording audio was worthy of an Alan Smithee credit.

Yeah man...I actually used Quicktime Pro for all conversions...most recently to convert a 1280x720 ProRes file to a 1920x1080 ProResHQ file that was sent to Filmcore in LA for HDCAM layoff )aired on CBS HD on Saturday night during the MMA fight). It really does a nice job and is really fast on the 8-Core.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Joey, What would be the proper setting in QTPro that would follow my clients specs?
MPEG IMX 625/50 @ 40 or 50 mb/s?

QT pro doesn't do Mpeg2 encoding. Mpeg IMX is not Mpeg2. You will be able to get elementary streams from Compressor, but the specs does look like you would need further clarification from the other end (eg. elementary stream would mean the audio is encoded as a separate file).



www.strypesinpost.com

I was assuming that, but was holding out some hope.

So Strypes, what would you recommend as a proper workflow assuming the audio and video will be separated?

I am debating going with Converting in Compressor:

From:
Pro Res 422
29.97
Field Dominance: Upper
HD 1440x1080
Audio: 48khz, 16 bit

To

Pro Res 422
50i
Field Dominance: Upper
HD 1440x1080
Audio: 48khz, 16 bit

Then Converting the 50i Pro Res to Mpeg 2, elementary stream.
Frame Controls set to better etc.

Thanks for your insight!

Barry

also QTPro isn't too good if you have to do "quite a number" of conversions.

Compressor is good for batch conversions,
as is MPeg Stream clip.


nick