DV NTSC > PAL for DVD
by Lisa Rolley
on
Mar 13, 2009 at 4:52:57 pm
Hello Friends,
I just had a producer ask me if the edits i've been working on can be converted to PAL for DVD - Iam in NYC and never have had to do the PAL thing before but I just wanted to see what some of you might think about mywork flow for doing this.
So the sequence's i've been working on are:
DV NTSC (3:2)
CCIR 601
Lower Fields
29.97
I was going to use the natress plug converter to make the conversion to PAL and then just export the quicktime and encode in compressor for a PAL DVDsp project.
Does this seem like a good workflow and what should i be aware of or be careful of?
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Chris Poisson on Mar 13, 2009 at 5:12:15 pm
Hi Lisa,
The easiest and best way I know to do this is with Episode. It has presets for converting an NTSC movie to a PAL M2v for authoring. A couple months back I used it on a 720p project and made a DVD in PAL format for a show in Italy. It worked perfect. There are some cropping issues but pretty simple.
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Rafael Amador on Mar 13, 2009 at 6:14:36 pm
Hi Lisa,
To make a PAL DVD from an NTSC movie is a waist of time and resources.
In PAL land all the DVD players play NTSC too.
The Hollywood movies we watch here are original NTSC.
Rafael
www.nagavideo.com
(and here some clips for the friends: http://www.vimeo.com/2694745 )
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Paul Dickin on Mar 13, 2009 at 6:20:47 pm
[Rafael Amador]"In PAL land all the DVD players play NTSC too. " Hi
PAL DVD players and TVs can cope with 29.97fps fine, but often the scaling 480 to 576 is not good.
A proper conversion looks better.
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Paul Dickin on Mar 13, 2009 at 6:16:28 pm
[Lisa Rolley]" was going to use the natress plug converter to make the conversion to PAL and then just export the quicktime and encode in compressor for a PAL DVDsp project. " Hi
Yes, thats fine.
As well as NTSC to PAL I do the reverse (PAL to NTSC) often, using exactly that workflow.
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Lisa Rolley on Mar 13, 2009 at 6:38:29 pm
Hey Guys,
Reagrdless the request from the agency is for a PAL dvd and that's that. I have to deliver it in this format i dont have a choice. Apparently the client specifically wants a PAL versions for testing in Europe and we cannot deliver NTSC.
I have compressor, AE, Natress plugin, Mpeg streamclip, etc but i do not have Episode.
If you guys or anyone else can please advise me on how best to do this workflow i would really appreciate it.
Also the background menu & submenu which i use in DVDSP are 720x540 - i am nto so sure how to make this work for a pal format project in DVDSP - do i need to change the psd size in Photoshop to 720x576 and if so how best can i do this?
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Lisa Rolley on Mar 13, 2009 at 6:45:18 pm
CORRECTION: I meant to say that my PSD's for my menu's in DVDFSP are currently 720x480 - and my question is whether or not i need to make them 720x576 or something else in order to be used on the pal dvd?? ALso if so how best can i dio this in Photoshop : )
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by Alexander Kallas on Mar 14, 2009 at 4:12:38 am
[Chris Poisson]"Compressor can do a nice job, you just have to fiddle with the settings, a couple short tests will help a lot. Have a wonderful day."
....yes, using the frame controls tab in Compressor, when setting the parameters. Just be prepared for a long wait. Look at utilizing all processors, and clustering Macs.
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by walter biscardi on Mar 14, 2009 at 12:10:52 pm
[Lisa Rolley]"I was going to use the natress plug converter to make the conversion to PAL and then just export the quicktime and encode in compressor for a PAL DVDsp project. "
That filter works best on individual shots, not on an edited clip. So if you're going to use this, apply it to all the raw shots in your timeline as described in his manual. Be sure to follow his steps word for word. It does work quite well as we've used it in multiple broadcast projects destined for Europe.
If you want to spend a little money, Telestream Episode Pro does a great job of converting an NTSC SD quicktime into PAL.
As others on here have mentioned, Compressor might do a good job, but we've never used this function so I can't comment on that.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.
Re: DV NTSC > PAL for DVD by John Pale on Mar 15, 2009 at 2:19:29 am
Compressor does a great job with this...make sure you set the appropriate settings in the Frame Controls to better or best (I actually think Better is better than Best in many instances)
Be prepared for a VERY long render time, especially if you are on a G5.
The Nattress filter is convenient and does a decent job (not as good as Compressor), and works reasonably fast. The reason Walter states that it works best on individual clips, rather than an edited piece, is that due to the way it blends frames to get to the new frame rate, often it will blend frames across an edit...basically making your cuts "soft cuts". You may or may not find this objectionable ...worth a test.
