PAL DV question

[Nickrenderer]

Hi,

Im new to this forum, looks like a superb resource of information on first glance.

Im relatively experienced in using 3D apps, and animating, and now im stepping out of my comfort zone a little a outputting animation to DVD with my current project which is coming along nicely.

One question Id like to ask is about PAL DV.

Ive captured some footage using a cheap and cheerful Samsung VP-D70 home camcorder, and it plays back reasonably well.
When I import this footage into my 3D camera tracking software, the program asks me whether my footage is interlaced or not.

I already know that PAL DV is 720 x 576 resolution, but is it also interlaced? If so, what exactly does this mean?

Many thanks,

Nick

[Baldrick]

Yes, it's probably interlaced. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlace

[JohnnyMalaria]

a cheap and cheerful Samsung VP-D70 home camcorder

Then it is almost certainly interlaced. You can get non-interlaced (progressive) DV camcorders (NTSC and PAL), but there aren't the cheap and cheerful variety!

However, for animation, the odds are that even an interlaced frame will seem non-interlaced...but that's another story.