Interlacing problem (ish) with dvd lab pro

[inspector-71]

A bit of a vague one this so please bear with me

I am filming dv video which is PAL, interlaced bottom field first.
I have edited in Premiere.
I have encoded this in both CCE 2.7 (without any avisynth etc) and canopus procoder with these settings in mind.
I have then created a simple dvd in dvdlab pro (PAL 720x576 only) with some motion menus.

When I play the dvd back I notice, particularly in fast scenes, it is quite jerky and there are some interlaced artifacts. These are not seen in the uncompressed avi. These are there when the source is the canopus encode and the cce. I checked this on dvd players and then in nero media player. I did this by setting a jump to time to an appropriate scene where the effect is bad.

However, when I compared the m2v files with the vob from dvd lab the scenes vs time were different. i.e When I try to view the scene at 10 mins 30 secs I get the same action with the m2v's but the vob shows action much earlier. They all start at the same point and I have not edited the movie in any way in dvd lab (I have created motion menus though)

Anyone got any ideas on this?

I will try and author the dvd with something else later on just be be sure dvd lab is causing it.

[mic]

DVD authoring software will only effect the video when it encodes (compresses) it -- DVD Lab doesn't. When you create chapt. points, be careful to use the arrow that advances to I or key frames -- at each chapter, it should look like the video in the preview window.

As far as the video goes, it sounds as if the field order *might* be wrong. Don't know if it's being changed in Prem., CCE, or procoder. Could double check settings -- make sure you get everything field related in Prem. It would be easy enough to encode a couple of test files with order reversed in either encoder or Prem... Or it could just be the effects of compression to mpg2...

If you see the prob on TV, you probably won't on your PC monitor, which isn't interlaced.

[Mug Funky]

premiere is the weakest link in that chain... often i find it best to simply edit as progressive just to be sure premiere isn't messing with field-order unduly.

but if you're editing as a DV project, bottom-first, it should be fine so long as export settings reflect this.

just make sure all the way you're keeping field-order bottom first (CCE will encode bottom-first as top-first by shifting it up a pixel... but the stream should be flagged as top-first, so there shouldn't be a playback problem).

a quick way to fix this is to load your m2v files in "ReStream" (available on doom9's software page) and set the field-order checkbox to the opposite of whatever it was, then re-import it into DVDlab or whatever your favourite tool is.

[inspector-71]

checked export settings and they are compressor DV PAL, d1/dv 16:9 (camcorder records true 16:9), 25fps lower field first and deinterlace box unchecked

i have edited down to 60 secs of some clips were it is noticeable and will try different encodes.

as an aside is there any software where i can load two clips side by side and play at the same time to compare?

[inspector-71]

[QUOTE=Mug Funky]premiere is the weakest link in that chain... often i find it best to simply edit as progressive just to be sure premiere isn't messing with field-order unduly.

how do i do that? it's worth checking out.
Also, what are the similar dv editing programs that offer the depth of premiere

[Corion]

It sounds like one or more of the software you're using defaults to upper field first in it's "default PAL" setting.

As far as the counter clock on your DVD goes...When you have a title containing more than one PGC, the counter won't be accurate. I don't know whether DVD-lab gives you much control over this.

[inspector-71]

I've encoded a shortened clip in a few different ways and it seems that the original encode that I did in cce by just importing the avi was defaulting to the wrong field order as has been suggested. Changing it to top first solve the problem (at least on my laptop, not seen it on the tv yet)

Where I was getting it wrong and thinking it was dvd lab was that I couldn't see the problem in the mpeg before authoring. I have discovered that this was because I was viewing the dvd with win dvd and the mpeg in nero, When I view the m2v stream in win dvd I get the same problem.

I also thought I had the same problem with the canopus encode but I can't see this even when i play the m2v in windvd. I originally checked the canopus encode in the dvd by swapping it with the cce encode in the folder and renaming it. i then recompiled with dvd lab, my thought being that I wouldnt need to mess with my chapter points, menus etc. Is it possible dvd lab was still using some settings from the old cce file?

will check the test dvd on the tv when i get home tonight but it's looking good.

[mic]

If you're getting interlace effects from field order prob., it shouldn't matter a lot which encoder you use, and might not show up in all software players, as they'll try to minimize any interlacing by blending fields before display.

"will check the test dvd on the tv when i get home tonight but it's looking good."

That's the best way :) ...

If it helps at all, I check field order by advancing frame by frame and watching the motion. V/Dub works well, and you can set preview for either order or progressive. Do this with video straight from your cam.

Not expert in Prem., if I remember correctly you can set fields when interpreting after import, in prog. menus for clip, and in outputting movie. All should agree normally, or as Mug Funky suggests (and it is a good point), set everything progressive so your output matches what went in. Reason I mention it at all, you could be losing a little bit if Prem is converting to top first from lower.

DVD Lab will retain chapter settings I think unless you import as a new movie rather then replace. ANd while there are several NLEs out there, I think Prem Pro, Vegas, & Xpress are the most popular at the Prem level. Ulead makes a good one also, but mental block... can't remember the name. :confused:

[inspector-71]

thanks. watching on the tv last nigh confirmed what I saw on the laptop with windvd.