Mixed formats/creating 1080p or 1080i sequence.

In one FCP7 project, I'm mixing footage in these three formats:

HDV 1080p30
HDV 1080i60
H.264

Questions:

1. Should I set up my sequence(s) in 1080p or 1080i? Which is better?
2. Do I need to (or, should I) convert the other formats before dropping them into the timeline, or should I just render them? They seem to render okay, but I'm not experienced enough to understand the implications, so I'd appreciate some advice and explanations.

Thanks.

Quote
mbeckelhimer1
...1080p or 1080i? Which is better?

This is an aesthetic question you must answer for yourself (assuming there is no overriding commercial constraint).

Quote
mbeckelhimer1
...should I...convert the other formats before dropping them into the timeline, or should I just render them?

Either choice you make, 30p or 60i, preconversion using Compressor will give much better quality than rendering in FCP7.

If you decide to convert your 60i material to 30p, deinterlace using Compressor's "best" setting.
(FCP7 render throws half the fields away!)

If you decide to convert your 30p material to 60i, make these two steps.
First, use Compressor to slow the clip to 50% speed. In Encoder>Video Settings under Motion set frame rate to 30 fps; in the Frame Controls pane, turned ON, set Rate Conversion to BEST and set Duration to 200% of source. (You could also use Apple Motion's optical flow to do this.)
Second, use Compressor to convert the slowed 30p to normal speed 60i. In Encoder>Video Settings under Motion set frame rate to 30 fps and under Compressor check Interlaced (Top or Bottom field first as appropriate); in the Frame Controls pane, turned ON, set Rate Conversion to FAST, set Output Fields to Top or Bottom first as appropriate, and set Duration to 50% of source.
(Attempting this in a single Compressor step produces poor results. Simple FCP render makes a pathetic 60i.)

In either case, shift the codec to ProRes 422 or ProRes HQ to reduce recompression losses.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany

Thank you! Sorry for the late gratitude but I didn't know that you had replied until just now. I will make a decision on 30p or 60i.

Do you think it makes sense to edit the rough cut with mixed formats, and then, later, convert only the footage that I decide to use?

And I will do my research, but do you have an opinion on the aesthetic differences between 30p and 60i?

Thanks again.

mbeckelhimer1: I'm in PAL territory and always shoot 50p in preference to 25p and 50i. There are many different preferences on this subject in this forum.

You face a large obstacle to judging the aesthetic differences between 30p and 60i: the display of 60i is uncertain.
On a CRT each field is flashed for much less than 1/60 sec. On an LCD "broadcast monitor" each field is on for a full 1/60 sec. On all other displays the fields aren't on independently at all. Some variant of deinterlacing is used. These are so various -- from the draconian to the intelligent -- that the display of 60i can range from a vertically blurred 30p to a sharp semblance of 60p. QuickTime offers three different modes of viewing interlaced video, all bad. By what display method will your most perceptive audiences view your video? That's the display method on which to make your judgement.

Others in here might know tricks for avoiding the repeat editorial labor on the converted footage after you rough edit in mixed formats. It's an important question worth a new strand.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany