Export to uncompressed AVI

[vasudev71]

Hi,

I'm trying to retain my original NTSC DV AVI when I export from any NLE software (say for example Premiere Pro or Pinnacle Liquid). My target is DVD. I know I can frameserve from Premiere Pro to CCE/ProCoder using PluginPac Frameserver (www.debugmode.com), but the author of the pluginpac admitted there is indeed loss of quality when frameserving from Premiere Pro to CCE/ProCoder since it involves AYUV (Premiere Pro) to YUY2 (CCE) conversion.

So, what I thought is as Arky was mentioned in the Best NLE Editor thread, that we can export to uncompressed AVI from the NLE timeline (with transistions, effects, filters etc) and then input the uncompressed AVI into CCE/ProCoder and render it as MPEG2 for DVD.

Arky..Can you explain me how good is uncompressed AVI? Does it have the identical quality as the source?.
Arky...You were also mentioning that Liquid 6 can export to uncompressed AVI. As you know, Premiere Pro also has a option to export to uncompressed AVI by selecting no codec during export.

Now, which is the best?

Frameserving or Export to uncompressed AVI and then render the standalone uncompressed AVI as DVD compliant MPEG2?
Frameserving does involves loss of quality when converting from AYUV to YUY2 (for CCE) as the author admits.

Also, when going thru uncompressed AVI route, which should be selected - Microsoft AVI or Microsoft DV AVI?

Appreciate feedback.

- VS

[Arky]

Originally posted by vasudev71
Arky...You were also mentioning that Liquid 6 can export to uncompressed AVI.


Yes, I said the following:

Originally posted by Arky
With the forthcoming release of Liquid 6, uncompressed editing will become an option (hardware capabilities allowing). I have, in the past, converted DV-captured footage to Uncompressed, using FCP on the Mac, deinteraced and motion blurred, and then encoded to MPEG (using BitVice). The results were very nice. I am undecided as yet, but I may investigate the possiblity of doing some of my work in the uncompressed domain, with Liquid 6. I guess I'll just have to try and see how it performs on my hardware.

What I meant by this is that if I had stayed in the compressed domain, in FCP, and added motion blur while using the standard DV codec, then I would have experienced a generational quality loss during the recompression with the DV codec. Going immediately to uncompressed before adding the motion blur meant that I would not experience such a severe generational quality loss. Equally, any transitions or effects used in the NLE timeline would be better used in the uncompressed domain, to avoid recompression.

I did not mean to imply that this is a perfect workflow - I simply meant that it may be preferable to doing everything in the DV-compressed domain (although if you are only cutting and joining clips, then there is no benefit to converting DV files to uncompressed).

There is little point in rendering a FINISHED DV-codec timeline to uncompressed, simply in order to convert it again to MPEG - the benefit of working in the uncompressed domain is only experienced when you render all your effects and motion blurs etc. in uncompressed, right from the outset.


Regards,

Arky ;o)

[vasudev71]

Hi Arky,

Thanks for your reply.

If you can explain me in detail on my other questions that I asked for, it will be awesome.

Leaving aside Liquid, can you reply wrt to Premiere Pro exporting to uncompressed AVI and on the video quality when compared to frameserving to CCE/ProCoder?

Also, in my last para, I have asked you which route is the best?
Appreciate if you would also reply me on that.

Rgds,

VS

[mic]

a virgin is only a virgin the first time.

Any time you do anything to video, other then a direct stream copy, you will suffer some quality loss. Any time the frame has to be re-drawn, recompressed, or undergo a color conversion, there will be a quality hit. I think that going from DV to MPG2 you're likely to suffer a bit of a hit from color conversions no matter which route you take.

The best workflow is going to be the one where the finished project looks best to your eyes, so run a few test files through different routes and see what you like best.

As for uncompressed, if rewording it a bit helps at all... When you have video, alter it, then save it uncompressed, you don't take the hit from compression -- YET. Eventually you will, but if you're going to alter it more then once, why compress it and compress it and so on...