Integrating DV Source Footage into HDV Projects, Part 2

This month, I take on the daunting task of scaling DV footage to HDV for inclusion in high definition projects. In our last edition, I described what you need to know to produce high-quality results; in this edition, I share the results obtained with Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro scaling without third-party filters and those from three plug-ins: Digital Anarchy ReSizer2, Red Giant InstantHD, and Algolith AlgoSuite.

Just to let you know, at press time, I learned that Algolith had decided to take AlgoSuite off the market to focus on the company's realtime hardware products. Bummer. If you have it, keep it, because it''s the best. If you don''t, I''m leaving references in this article just so you know that.

I used a nine-scene, 60-second interlaced 4:3 DV file with a horror show of high motion, sharp lines, and jagged edges. I scaled this file up to 1080i resolution and then rendered a file in HDV 1080i resolution and aspect ratio using Apple ProRes when producing on the Mac and the Apple Animation codec on Windows.

I produced separate files to these parameters in Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro without the third-party filters, then tested ReSizer2 in Premiere Pro and AlgoSuite and InstantHD in Adobe After Effects. Then I exported frames from the respective files in Premiere Pro without de-interlacing and compared them in Ulead PhotoImpact. These composite files are those you''ll see at the end of the review. I also rendered each video file to 1080i resolution in H.264 format in Sorenson Squeeze to see if any motion related artifacts crept in. All files played normally.

I produced the file in Premiere Pro using a DV preset and outputting using the Make Movie function rather than the Adobe Media Encoder. I checked with Adobe representatives, who said that:

• The preset didn''t matter, although they said producing with the HDV preset was a bit more straightforward
• The same scaling algorithms are used whether you export using the Make Movie or Adobe Media Encoder function
• That the same scaling algorithms are used in Premiere Pro and After Effects, so the results produced by the programs should be identical.

I produced the file in Final Cut Pro using an HDV preset and rendering through Compressor. In this scenario, Compressor''s scaling algorithms don''t come into play because Final Cut is handing Compressor a file that''s already scaled. I tried producing the file with a DV preset and scaling in Compressor with the highest-quality scaling option selected, which produced equivalent quality. Because mileage may vary based upon source footage, you should try both of these alternatives to produce the best quality.

Figure 1. I found Digital Anarchy ReSizer2''s controls the easiest to use, but you do need some technical knowledge.
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Digital Anarchy ReSizer 2 costs $149 direct, and it works on both the Mac and Windows with After Effects (v5.5-CS3), Final Cut Pro (v4-v6, Mac-only), Premiere Pro (v2-CS3), and Motion (v2-v3). I tested in both Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro Windows. Options are clearly presented and generally simple, although you will have to know details such as field order in your target output format. Performance was good, with Premiere Pro rendering my 1-minute test file in 3:49 on a 3.0GHz IntelCore 2 Duo-based Dell Precision 390 workstation.

Figure 2. Watch the online tutorial in Red Giant''s support page for InstantHD and you''ll see how 1440x1080 (1620x1080) equals HDV.
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Red Giant Software InstantHD costs $99, and is available for Adobe After Effects (Mac/Windows), Premiere Pro (Mac/Windows), and Apple Final Cut Pro. If you buy the program, there''s a great tutorial online that helps you through the workflow, although it erroneously states that InstantHD must work with progressive video, a vestigial limitation addressed in a recent release. If you watch the tutorial, you''ll find the interface fairly easy to use; if not, you''ll be unnecessarily confused when choosing the output size. InstantHD was about twice as fast as ReSizer2, producing the one-minute test clip in 1:49 on my Dell Precision 390.

With ReSizer2 and InstantHD, I used one setting for the entire test clip, which was the one recommended in their respective tutorials or help files. After experiencing some blurriness in ReSizer2, I experimented with the sharpness settings, which didn''t improve the result. Both companies offer trial versions, which you should definitely check out before buying.

Figure 3. Algolith AlgoSuite has a highly technical and often confusing interface.
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For those who may still have Algolith AlgoSuite, I produced my test file in After Effects 7.0. AlgoSuite''s workflow is complex, and I succeeded more from luck, trial and error, and perseverance than by reading the manual or relying upon the intuitiveness of the controls. In part, that''s because the Content Adaptive Scaling algorithm only works with progressive footage, so when you apply the Format Converter Filter, you have to convert first to progressive, then scale, and then convert back to interlaced.

Figure 4. AlgoSuite error message. This makes no sense and didn''t work in my tests.
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The controls are all in one place, but also confusing matters are seemingly random error messages that tell you that all pixel aspect ratios need to match, which makes no sense when producing HDV footage, which has an aspect ratio of 1.33, from 4:3 DV footage with a .9 aspect ratio. I finally succeeded with the following settings:

• Interpret Footage: Separate fields off (for interlaced video?) and square pixel aspect ratio (for .9 aspect ratio video?)
• Composition settings of HDV 1.33
• Content Application Scaling Controls of .9 Input Pixel Aspect Ratio and Square Pixel Output (see Figure 3).

Along the way, I needed to know that DV video was lower field first, and HDV video the reverse. Overall, it''s a highly technical interface that will take some time to master. It will also take some time to render, with AlgoSuite producing the test file in 31:15 (min:sec) on my Dell Precision 390.

Full. Click here for a larger image

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I''ve included comparative screen shots from five of the scenes I tested (shown in order from top to bottom, left to right, starting in the upper left corner with results from Instant HD, Final Cut Pro, AlgoSuite, Premiere Pro, and Resizer 2). When looking at the clips, remember that these are exported interlaced frames, so don''t confuse slight interlacing lines with artifacts. Also discount slight color differences, which often occur when processing the same file in four programs over two different operating systems.

Guitar. Click here for a larger image

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Here are my findings:

Guitar: This was a close-up of a guitar during a bluegrass concert. Algosuite showed significant improvement in the guitar strings; otherwise, InstantHD and ReSizer 2 were very close to Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Machine. Click here for a larger image

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Machine: This clip of a CPU wafer processing machine is the toughest and most revealing test clip, with lots of diagonal lines, sharp edges, and angles. Here, both ReSizer2 and Instant HD delivered noticeable improvements over Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, although ReSizer2 produced slight blurriness as well. Note that I tested ReSizer2 with maximum sharpness, which didn''t reduce the blurriness. AlgoSuite costs 12 times more than either solution, but it proved worthy in this clip, with the smoothest lines and most accurate detail.

Play. Click here for a larger image

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Full: This was a shot of a full golf swing in a jaggie-attracting striped shirt. This clip showed very little difference between the editors and inexpensive scalers, with AlgoSuite again showing significantly cleaner lines.

Play: this was a shot from a dinner theater with a rattan background, actor with glasses, and a diagonal, white collar. Here, Final Cut Pro showed some raggedy lines that both inexpensive scalers would have improved upon. Premiere Pro was quite good, almost matching AlgoSuite in terms of quality. Interestingly, AlgoSuite had trouble with the rattan background, producing some blocky artifacts that the other solutions avoided.

Skate: this is a frame of a skateboarder with lots of detail in the back fence and rails. Here, neither inexpensive scaler would have improved the results of either Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, and ReSizer2 showed lots of blurriness. AlgoSuite produced the sharpest, clearest result.

Skate. Click here for a larger image

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AlgoSuite is as close to a panacea as you''ll find, although unfortunately, it's no longer available. I found InstantHD a bit more universally helpful than ReSizer2, but mileage will vary by source clip and setting. If you have DV footage that exhibits jaggies or other scaling artifacts after upsizing to HDV, download both and give them a try.