This must have been asked many times!
I have finished a project for a friend and made the DVD. I have a request for a NTSC version. It was shot on Hi8.
I have Prem. Pro 1.5, Pro Coder Express and DVD Architect Studio 4.5.
Searching the forums, there are many users of FCP, but so far no pc users.
Anyone give me an idea of work-flow please. I have the PAL edited timeline, and o/p to PCE to make the m2p file. It will make a 720x480 NTSC file, but will it look as good?
Hi John,
Your friend can watch the PAL version on a PC/laptop/mac over the pond (even though likely non capatible with set top dvd player and telly).
In PP1.5 isn't there an export option for say avi with NTSC settings?
Resulting file could be imported to new NTSC project (presumably 4:3) to burn to DVD or done via other encoder.
Having said that, although asked many items, I haven't to date had to do this myself as most are happy with 'play on pc' option for low volume needs.
HTH
Hi John
Edit the Hi8 version in PAL. Export a movie as an AVI file from the Premiere timeline. Import this AVI into Procoder and convert to a NTSC format. Import the NTSC AVI file into a new project in your DVD authoring programme and create a DVD as normal.
Made about 30 NTSC projects for the USA market over the past few years and so far no problems. There will be a drop in quality (obvious from the 720 *576 to 720*480)
Harry
Thanks Dave and Harry.
Pro will o/p as DV NTSC. Can I export the timeline straight into PCE to produce the NTSC m2p file saving time, or would it be better as Harry says. Convert the PAL AVI to NTSC AVI in PCE, and let DVD-A do the rest?
This was shot in not very good lighting, so I expect a drop in quality, but hope to avoid too much loss in conversion.
Personally I don't use DVD-A and PCE, I do most within adobe suite, encore etc, as this reduces chances of incompatibility between vendors.
As Harry has done this before many times without negative stateside feedback, his approach seems favorite.
Hi John
I have found that the best method was to create an AVI file first then convert to NTSC. I use Encore and I set the chapter points in that prog. and let Encore transcode to DVD format. I also think the rather than a loss of quality there seems to be an increase. Maybe it is due to being played via the DVD rather than the VCR.
Harry
This must have been asked many times!
I have finished a project for a friend and made the DVD. I have a request for a NTSC version. It was shot on Hi8.
I have Prem. Pro 1.5, Pro Coder Express and DVD Architect Studio 4.5.
Searching the forums, there are many users of FCP, but so far no pc users.Anyone give me an idea of work-flow please. I have the PAL edited timeline, and o/p to PCE to make the m2p file. It will make a 720x480 NTSC file, but will it look as good?
Nothing wrong with that workflow.
Thanks folks. I`ll give both ways a try.
Gavin. In theory it looks ok. But, often in practice it doesn`t work. So a tried and tested method is more trustworth.
procoders PAL>NTSC conversion is much better than Premier's - it is worth using uncompressed AVI output from premiere if you have the diskspace as going to DV first will cause an extra level of compression.
Best practice would be
HI8 > Uncompressed PAL AVI Capture
Edit
Output uncompressed PAL AVI
Compress PAL AVI to NTSC mpeg2 in procoder
Author disk using NTSC Mpeg2 files from procoder.
Thanks sleepytom, I have an AVI poised ready.
I use the debugmode frameserver to output from Premiere CS3 to Procoder. The advantage of this is that you don't need to export the uncompressed AVI from Premiere, so there's one step less for the same quality, and one heckofalot less time and HDD space needed.
I imagine that you can do the same with Premiere Pro 1.5 and Procoder Express...
http://www.debugmode.com/frameserver/
HTH
Mark
Thanks for your help folks, tried both the NTSC AVI and making the DVD in DVD-A, and PAL AVI to PCE converting to m2p.
The TV is switchable. Neither played in colour in PAL mode, but both in NTSC 3.58.
The DVD player was in auto, so I assume it will work in the USA.
Mark M.
Never tried to do that, but another possibility thanks.