Honoring Pulldown Flags

[unclescoob]

My original source is NTSC Telecine 29.97fps - DGIndex d2v project.

I IVTC'ed back to 23.97fps with Avisynth, did my restoration work, and saved the AVI.

My goal is to transcode to MP4 with Handbrake.

Here's the problem: Handbrake does not have an option to add pulldown flags (soft telecine).

If I start over and save my d2v with the "honor pulldown flags" option in DG Index, will the flags remain in my clip, even after I IVTC with Avisynth and re-encode as-is with Handbrake?

Thanks

[davexnet]

Do you really need pulldown? Modern media players handle it as-is, as far as I'm aware.

[jagabo]

You don't need pulldown in an MP4 file.

If you use "honor pulldown flags" in DgIndex you don't have flags anymore, you have hard pulldown.

[unclescoob]

Interesting. So how does the new MP4 (H.264) file play then? Does the speed adjust to the 23.97 fps material in order to sync with the remuxed audio?

It's 100% synced when played in my computer, that's for sure. I just want to make sure it plays that way on my PS3 and other media players.

[jagabo]

The running time is not changed by pulldown flags.

[unclescoob]

I understand, but since those extra frames are not being duplicated during playback, how does the progressive material now play in the MP4 to sync with the audio?

[unclescoob]

Maybe that question requires a farfetched answer, but in a nutshell

[jagabo]

I understand, but since those extra frames are not being duplicated during playback, how does the progressive material now play in the MP4 to sync with the audio?

They are being duplicated during playback. Unless you are feeding them to a 23.976 fps device. In which case they are displayed for 1/23.976 second each.

[unclescoob]

MP4 automatically duplicates frames during playback, is what you're saying?

[jagabo]

No, the device playing the MP4 will automatically duplicate frames. The reason for pulldown flags (or hard pulldown) on DVD was that DVD players were originally dumb devices. They weren't expected to know how to perform frame (field) rate conversions themselves. So flags were added to the video stream to tell the players how to perform the conversion from 23.976 (or any rate from 19.98 to 29.97) progressive frames to 59.94 fields per second NTSC video. Any device smart enough to play MP4 files is smart enough to perform the frame rate conversion for output.

[unclescoob]

Beautiful. Thank you very much, this clears alot of headaches and saves me alot of aggravation.