Hi !

I am running: AXP 5.7.5 (mac OSX 10.4.10), QT 7.2 , Sorenson Squeeze (mac) 4.3.3 /4.5.7 .
What is the workflow and parameters to get decent elementary mpeg-files for DVD ??

My material on the timeline is multicam edited HDV. I have  transcoded to DNxHD-120-TR and made mixdowns for  video&audio (prepared for expoert having a sequence containing only the mixdowns).

Especially any movements in the picture are disturbed and the moving objects are getting wavy boarderlines behing them. It seems I am not getting interlaced mpeg2 video out of sorenson at all. I think already the Avid-exports are missing interlacing - not sure because QT playback is slowish. Is sorenson capable of handling DNxHD(TR) at all ?

I have tried installing QT mpeg2 playback component and updated the 1.8LE codecs.
I have spent nearly 2 weeks studying these being disappointed there is no clear workflow with parameters to do this kind of basic thing.

Any ideas ? - please !

sp-man
 

Maybe try doing the downconversion from HD to SD somewhere other than Sorenson. Why not export SD from the Avid?

I would cut a short sequence (from your final sequence) of movements and moving objects.
Encode it 4 times in Squeeze naming and saving each template.
1. Source field order upper field first  Target field order upper field first
2. Source field order lower field first  Target field order upper field first
3. Source field order upper field first  Target field order lower field first
4. Source field order lower field first  Target field order upper field first

Author a DVD with the 4 files with menus named so I can identify which template the movie came from.
Play to a standard TV and choose which gives me smooth motion
Delete the 3 templates that did not give me smooth motion.

Thanks for suggestions.

It does not seem to be a field order problem.

Avid export does not make mpeg2 that I need for burning a DVD. I am afraid loosing some quality/information when first exporting to Avid DV and then using Squeeze. -Actually I succeeded getting some results by changing project format from 1080iHDV to DV and then transcoding to DV, then  exporting as QTref  to Squeeze normally as  I would have done with  original SD/DV material (at least this is a way to get interlaced input material acknowledged by Squeeze - which seemed not possible using DNxHD). Wondering if this way  is  preserving the quality same way  as when  using the above export to Avid DV.

Is Squeeze really capable of handling DNxHD (which of them)?

Is someone else using successfully same SW versions that I am using ?
Are there problem related differencies in Squeeze versions? I got the Squeeze 3 with Avid SW, upgraded to 3.3 from Sorenson web site and bought also there the upgrade to 4.5.7 (the PC version seem to be 4.5.6). Where can I get the 4.5.5 which seems to be qualifield with AXP5.8. (sorensonmedia web site only has the versions I already have).

What could be another (reasonably priced/free) mpeg2 encoder (for Mac) I could use instead of  Squeeze?

OK different here that its from a PC based Squeeze 4.5.5 here but it handles 1080 50i (x hdv) as QT reference export. Squeeze recognises the source QT as having used the DNxHD codec and happily converts to SD MPEG2 of good qualty and motion.
Traditionally you had to uncheck the deinterlace fillter in Squeeze. Maybe now you need to add Squeeze's "no deinterlace" filter.
Personally I prefer ProCoder 3 but like Squeeze I have had to jump through hoops to establish Source and output field orders for PAL HD formats before getting satisfactory results.

The attached pic shows the problem I am having...

Dear sp-man, by watching the picture you posted, I finally understood you problem, because I had the same one in the beginning. The solution is simple, and it is that you just have to deselect "Unconstrained" from the aspect ratio setting in Squeeze. The problem, if I remember correctly, is that now Squeeze takes your 16/9 hd video and shrinks it into a 4/3 SD image with letterbox, so the full 16/9 raster is not preserved. It's a tiresome fucking bothering bug of Squeeze that I hope will be fixed in future versions. Unfortunately I couldn't try myself so far, since we first spoke, but will try soon. Try what I told you anyway, because that kind of artifacts in your picture appears also on other encoding settings in Squeeze from DNXHD and are all resolved by deselecting "Unconstrained" as I just told you. Take care. Bye for now.

Jedi Mark

I use MPEG Streamclip to go from a Avid DNxHD 1080i/50 quicktime ref file to 720x576 and then Sorenson Squeeze to make the mpeg2 files... that gives me very good results...

Guys, big thanks for commenting. But I still have some ?-marks left here ....

avid jedi:
unchecking "unconstrained" leaves only the option to choose "letter box or pillar" and I think with this option the DVD player then always shows letterbox even if you have 16:9 screen...  What are your settings for the other parameters if you are working successfully with this selection?

xpixel:
so you are doing the dnxhd->dv conversion before going to mpeg2 for DVD. Doesn't this loose some quality ?   Are you doing this conversion  in Avid export or  in Streamclip ?  Which codecs you are using?

Actually, selecting letterbox instead of unconstrained results to a flattened image.

Seems Sorenson is not capable to handle QT-Ref based DNxHD-120-TR and  to produce interlaced PAL MPEG2 files for DVD creation.

Could someone confirm/argument this - thanks!

Well... talking with myself here, but here is the resolution to my problem I have been digging for a month or so (and wondering why I could not find this info in Avid's documents or in this forum...)  :

Squeeze is not capable of handling DNXHD properly (I succeeded getting out some 25p though). So you need to export as losless 1:1 SD (not DV).

My successfull workflow now goes like this:

After editing in DNxHD_120TR in project format 1080i HDV, change the project format to 25i PAL --> export the video as Quicktime movie with codec "Avid packed" (select SD as option, 601/709 colour, interlaced, size 720x765 601 PAL), in export menu upper field first and native 720x725 size. Then in Sorenson (4.5) choose DVD_PAL-large,16:9 pixel format, letterbox selected, elementary, top field first, add a filter with de-interlace unchecked and modify slightly contrast&brightness if needed. --> the result is a high quality interlaced mpeg2 for burning on a DVD.

 I'm running into similar problems. I am shooting standard def native 16:9, exporting a quick time ref. file from the Adrenaline to Sorenson Squeeze to transcode to an MPEG file for DVD playback with 16:9 pixel aspect ratio with "letter box or pillar" checked on the Large File DVD setting. It plays perfectly fine on a 4:3 standard television showing the letterbox. When I play the dvd through a wide screen television with an aspect ratio of 16:9 it stretches it sideways but looks fine when I change the ratio back to 4:3 on the wide screen television. Essentially, it's doing the complete opposite of what I've compressed it to do.

Any suggestions from anyone would be great.

Thanks.