Does DV Type 1 AVI to DV Type 1 AVI cause quality loss?

[canada_habs2004]

I'm asking this question because I'm working with lengthy bluescreen files, and I need to constantly re-render files and I don't have enough hardrive space for uncompressed AVI.

If I capture DV ENCODER TYPE 1 (AVI) from my camera, and then edit/change the file and resave as DV ENCODER TYPE 1 (AVI) again, then open that up and change and re-render as same format....etc

I just want to know if there is much quality loss here. Is there any at all, or such a tiny loss it doesn't matter, of is this a for sure DON"T do, find a way to stick with uncompressed.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out with this question.

[edDV]

It depends on the type of processing. Filters that change all pixels (e.g. unmasked levels, sharpen, color correction , etc.) will result in a full recode each time you save the intermediate to DV. Backgrounds that don't get filtered will tollerate more generations.

DV will take several recode generations but for best results, I'd design a process with minimal recodes. Try to do more in each pass.

For complicated multigeneration work you may want to edit uncompressed and store intermediates to HDD uncompressed.

Test the process alternatives using the same material and filter steps. Compare the end result and see if you can live with the difference.

PS: One tip I got from the Ultimatte guy at NAB was that DV foreground shots may get better greenscreen results using analog (S-Video) capture especially for small foreground objects. The analog capture is noisier but adds softness to the object edges.