Poor DV quality

[orbital]

Hi

I am on the verge of upgrading to DVD.

I have Win 2K NTFS system with 120GB, Duel processors and matrox G400TV and Fire wire for importing DV footage from my Canon XL1s.

Using the G400 to import the footage via the S_VHS cable (704X 576), the videos look perfect. However, when importing the same footage via the 1394 connection (to have a 720X576 resolution), the pictures look less vivid and playback of moving objects look jerky.

I need the 720X576 res. to export to DVD (.MPG) faster.

I am not blaming the XL1s because the footage looks perfect even via the phono connection!!

Has anyone encountered this problem?? Could it be that the Matrox G400 is not capable of playing the 720 X 576 format?

Thanks
Orbital

[Dr Mordrid]

Open up MediaPlayer and go to the Tools/Performance menu. Now kick up the DV quality setting all the way, turn the hardware acceleration all the way up and check the full screen box.

With the default settings the video gets downscaled to 320x240 by DirectShow, which makes DV footage render, encode and play to the vidout crappy.

Dr. Mordrid

[wkulecz]

Also make sure DirectX 8.1 is installed.

--wally.

[orbital]

Thanks for both replies.

Unfortunately, I had already done all that - including the Direct X 8.1.

I am now blaming the matrox drivers. I have installed the latest drivers but older footage in (704X576) still does not play as good as it was in Win 98. I cannot use Win 98 now cos it does not recognise a duel processor system!! and matrox do not intend to write drivers for Win Xp either!

I am now hoping that I will be able to do decent VHS copies of my footage from my own DVD (when it arrives)

Thanks
Orbital

[wkulecz]

Not sure I understand the full situation, but do you have "Feild Based Scaling" enabled in your G400 DVDmax options?

Interlaced DV played on a progressive computer monitor is always inferiour to DV sent over the 1394 port and displayed on the camcorders analog output.

--wally.

[orbital]

Yes it actually is. I am sending my output to my S-VHS recorder to make VHS copies of my footage. I do not mind the quality on my computer monitor.

Yesterday I also noted that my DVD footage looks fairly well through the current set-up, using Power DVD to play DVD from HD. (since my Pioneer AO4 is still on the way)

But the same footage cannot record on to a VHS tape! It looks like the copywrited sort of thing they use on Walt Disney Original tapes - if you know what I mean. I suppose that I shall not be able to make a DVD master after all.

Best regards
Orbital

[Dr Mordrid]

You're running into Macrovision, which is forced on hardware makers by the MPAA and the DVD consortium....may they rot in hell

I've seen Macrovision kick in on non-protected footage on several devices, not just Matrox's. It's a tricky thing to get right, and I'm not sure you can 100% of the time. One source quality and MV kicks in

There are patches for various Video Tools here;

http://www.murc.ws/Utils.html

Dr. Mordrid

[orbital]

Thanks for those links. Never been there before!!

hey now this is interesting.
I used to think that Macrovision was there to protect Hollywood.

Does this mean that if I do not apply the macrovision patch, my clients buying my DVDs will not be able to pirate copy my videos???

If so, it will be worth buying a second computer,
set it up with Win 98 SE (I know that my G400 will behave itself there!) and do VHS copies with it. I will still be able to edit and burn DVDs with my current set-up! or am missing something???

Secondaly, there were some patches for older versions of video tools. Why would anyone still be running with the old versions? I always upgrade to new versions as soon as they are issued!

Orbital
will not

[Pace]

No

You want to stop people copying your stuff with Macrovision now? Don't