This IS the Avid L2: Re: [Avid-L2] Re: Blu ray recorder

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Re: [Avid-L2] Re: Blu ray recorder

1080 / 24.0p is definitely acceptable in the Blu-ray spec. Perhaps there's something happening in the viewing? Some TVs just aren't capable of handling straight 24. Most add interpolation by default - see if you can adjust your TV settings to turn off anything like "MPEG Noise Reduction", "LED Motion Mode", "MotionFlow", "CineMotion", etc. as these tend to alter your source format in unappealing ways. Conforming in Cinema Tools to 23.976p isn't a bad idea - it's a far more accepted and compatible frame rate, and you won't notice the 0.1% speed change.

Otherwise, maybe Toast's encoding isn't great. I have it, but I've always relied on Compressor for the encoding. I can set lots of variables there, including bit rate and making sure my source file is interpreted correctly. For example, there are no fields in progressive source files. It should be obvious but sometimes files are interpreted this way. It's very easy to see the instant you drop a source file into Compressor how it's being interpreted, and make the adjustment if necessary. The H.264 (AVC) encoding for Blu-rays is quite good, even on noisy/grainy sources. I've authored a bunch that have held up nicely in theatrical projection. FYI I have not authored a single Blu-ray in 24.0 fps, so I cannot tell you that you would not also get these artifacts with your playback by switching to Compressor. My experience is with 1080 / 23.976p and 1080 / 29.97p/i.

On Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 6:40 PM, <ph@cineaste.org> wrote:

Thanks guys for the feedback.

I got a BD burner for the Mac this afternoon (those are pretty cheap nowadays) and did a test. I exported my project, as QT DnxHD 115 and burnt a disc directly in Toast.
I just tried it at home and it feels very slightly jerky. I would need to test it on another system, but could it be because my project is 1080p24 and I assume BD players (and/or Toast) are more happy with 23.976fps? If it's the case, what could I do? Would Compressor help? Or should I use Cinema Tools to turn the 24fps QT into a 23.976fps QT?

Pierre