SQ, HQ, and DV Pal

ursullivision

I've always wondered, does HQ play the DV file in full resolution (not just both fields), ie 720X576, and the SQ play it a half resolution. This appears to be the behavior.

Thanks for any info,

ur,ummmmm............................eric

fubbi

Hi

Where is the HQ/SQ option you refer to? In Isadora?

fubbi

Michel

@fubbi I guess ursullivision is talking about the HQ/SQ option Isadora offers in the media window. @ursullivision The old forum is quite a good place to find answers:
http://forum.troikatronix.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=6930#6930

Best
Michel

ursullivision

@Michel,

I've read that thread before, but it doesn't really answer my question (at least not directly). Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep combing the forum for answers.

ur,ummmm............................................eric

Michel

what I found while searching the web was this answer:

_It’s not a lack of hardware that causes the softness, it’s historical reasons. When DV was the new kid on the block and Macs were way less powerful than they are today, QuickTime Player decoded DV at half res to reduce the amount of processing required. Apple did this by adding a “High Quality” playback flag to the DV video track and disabling it by default when exporting a movie from FCP.

High Quality disabled = half res
High Quality enabled = full res

Most people freaked out when they saw their videos looking soft but weren’t aware this is purely a playback issue inside QuickTime Player and isn’t connected with the quality of the export. The DV file is full res, which explains why recompressing it to another format gives the same results as Animation codec._

So it seams your feeling was right with half res and full res.

Best
Michel

ursullivision

@Michel,

Thanks so much! I should have thought of a general web search. That explains a lot. when I switch to HQ in Isadora it slows the processing down because the frame size doubles...(plus interlacing).

Thanks again,

urummmm...............................................eric

mark

Michel's answer is correct. But just to be clear, the interlacing itself doesn't affect performance. The double resolution does.

Best Wishes,

Mark