Progressive or Interlace

[helloagain]

I am trying to convert my home video to DVD using TMPGEnc. How can I tell whether the source is progressive or interlace? I am using the Sony DCR-PC5 camcorder.

Thanks

[MOVIEGEEK]

A camcorder(composite line) outputs an interlaced signal.If you want to watch on a PC or HDTV(progressive scan) then you want progressive.When you load a video in TMPGEnc and use the wizard it will show the videos' properties on the first menu.

[helloagain]

SO when I encode it, I should encode it as Progressive even though the source is interlace?

[malducci]

If you're going to view it on a computer monitor or HDTV, then can deinterlace the video if the captured resolution is XXX x 480(576 PAL). If you have a normal NTSC or PAL TV set, then keep the source interlaced. This is all assuming that the video is from a cam or true interlaced. Unless your cam cost more than $5000 with frame or proscan mode, then your source is definitely interlaced.

[FulciLives]

In my opinion it is not worth the sacriface in quality to deinterlace a video unless you will only be viewing it on a progressive only display, such as a computer monitor. I believe that all or nearly all HDTV systems supports progressive as well as interlaced playback.

So don't deinterlace unless you really really have too!

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[helloagain]

So deinterlaced it will reduce the quality of the video? I have HDTV and progressive scan DVD player....(but I also want to share the DVD to my parents who have normal TV)

Bascially, what I want to do is to convert all my mini DV tapes to DVD in the best possible quality so that in case my mini DV camcorder fails I still have the video of my kids. I already had the bad experience that my Hi8 camcorder failed and I have over 100 hrs in HI8 tapes only. I have to buy a new Hi8 camcorder just to convert them to DVD......

BTW, any other suggestion to what to do with my home video apart from converting them to DVD?

Thanks

[FulciLives]

So deinterlaced it will reduce the quality of the video? I have HDTV and progressive scan DVD player....(but I also want to share the DVD to my parents who have normal TV)

Bascially, what I want to do is to convert all my mini DV tapes to DVD in the best possible quality so that in case my mini DV camcorder fails I still have the video of my kids. I already had the bad experience that my Hi8 camcorder failed and I have over 100 hrs in HI8 tapes only. I have to buy a new Hi8 camcorder just to convert them to DVD......

BTW, any other suggestion to what to do with my home video apart from converting them to DVD?

Thanks

If all you plan on doing is creating DVD to be viewed on a normal TV and/or a HDTV then DO NOT deinterlace the video.

Also why did you buy a DV cam when you have so many Hi8 videos? You should have bought a Digital8 cam that could have played your Hi8 videos and converted them to DV for computer import.

Well for the DV cam use FireWire DV input into computer and edit with your program of choice and then encode to DVD using a mpeg2 encoder such as TMPGEnc. Some authoring programs will do the DV to mpeg2 conversion for you but you are better off using TMPGEnc as it will almost always give you better quality.

For the Hi8 tapes you should get a Digital8 camcorder ... I think all models (but double check) have a built-in feature that will play back Hi8 tapes but then convert to DV for FireWire input into the computer. So in other words get the cheapest Digital8 camcorder with this feature. Should cost you somewhere around $400 to $500 assuming you are in the USA

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

- John "FulciLives" Coleman