25i export

Hello,

I'm working on television and so I'm used to 25i (interlaced) I have a lot of material in 1080/50i which is 25 Frames interlaced. When I put this material (e.g. AVCHD) into an 1080i 50 Resolve-project, it plays back progressive, even when I switch the playback output to 1080i 50.
When I export an H.264 .mov it looks progressive. But H.264 in main profile should be able to render interlaced videos!

When I import this into an 1080/50p project all is fine. But I'm not able to export this in 25i!
Even export with DNxHD 1080i ...115 8bit with field rendering switched on looks progressive!!!

How can I solve this? - Because 50p files are pretty big and most of my clients wanna have 1080i 50.

Thanks

Read manual how to setup project for interlaced content. Only some formats can be exported in Resolve as interlaced. Only if you have Field Rendering box active then it can be exported as interlaced (eg. ProRes, DNxHD, some others).

Enable video field processing is on! It looks still progressive when I play 50i video ans even when I play 50p content.
On export settings Field rendering box is active.

Try the Grass Valley codecs for interlaced export.

The export is not the main problem.
All 1080 50i and 50p material looks progressive when I edit the film. There is no smooth zoom or panning. When I use 1080i 50 clips and don't activate "enable deinterlacing" in clip attributes, then I have combing and progressive look.

Here with a DNXHD 1080i 220/185175 10 bits + Audio 5.1.
(Field rendering also works with DNXHD 1080i 145/120/115 8 bit and 220/185/175 8 bit)
(see SCAN TYPE and ORDER)

Code: Select all

Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:2
Bit depth                                : 10 bits
Scan type                                : Interlaced
Scan order                               : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 3.540
Stream size                              : 69.1 MiB (100%)
Language                                 : English
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 2 s 636 ms
Duration_LastFrame                       : -9 ms
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 593 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 6 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 191 KiB (0%)
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1

Other
ID                                       : 3
Type                                     : Time code
Format                                   : QuickTime TC
Duration                                 : 2 s 636 ms
Time code of first frame                 : 01:00:17:19
Time code, striped                       : Yes
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : No


Are you are watching the output of Resolve via blackmagic output hardware?! The preview display in the resolve GUI does not display interlace properly. I reckon your exports would be fine if viewed properly on an external monitor via BM decking or similar.

I'm (almost) 100% sure that H264 does not support interlace either.

Yes, I'm watching on external TV via Intensity Pro 4K.

Wikipedia (German) says: H.264 - Interlaced Coding (PicAFF, MBAFF) possible with profile extended, main, high, high 4:4:4 and other.

Enable video field processing is on! It looks still progressive when I play 50i video ans even when I play 50p content.
On export settings Field rendering box is active.

What is your monitoring format set to (Project Settings/Master Settings/Video Monitoring tab)?

Here an example with an interlaced clip seen in Davinci Resolve with Field Rendering box = active
And you?

interlaced_pc_screen.jpg

The interlaced look is not my problem. When I switch on "Enable Deinterlacing" in clip attributes, all is fine. My problem is the progressive look, like trailing.
When I have a pan shoot showing a tree. The trunk doesn't go smooth from left to right. But I always see the trunk trailing or jumping to the next progressive picture.
This is usual for 24p movies. But not on 50i material.

What is your monitoring format set to (Project Settings/Master Settings/Video Monitoring tab)?

HD 1080i50.

It is better on an external monitor via Intensity Pro 4K, but very annoying on my PC-Monitor and when I export the movie (also with DNxHD, with Field rendering box on.)
I'm talking about movements made in the 25Frame timeline like push transition or 50p material in the 25 frame timeline.

Don't try to judge interlaced content on PC monitor (definitely without good player which can properly deinterlace it to "double fps", so 50i to 50p). Resolve GUI preview is useless for interlaced content.
If you work with interlaced sources you really need to watch/check it on TV over properly synced chain (50i or 59.94i).

50p source in 25p timeline becomes 25p (every 2nd frame is dropped), so they stop being very smooth. This is normal.

The interlaced look is not my problem. When I switch on "Enable Deinterlacing" in clip attributes, all is fine.

When yo do it then your interlaced file becomes 25p and will definitely have some motion judder. It's not anymore interlaced source.
Don't use deinterlace option (Resolve doesn't support deinterlacing 50i to 50p- it always goes to 25p) if you want to work and preserve interlaced nature of your source files. Also forget about Resolve GUI preview for interlaced files- it's just not designed to properly handle interlaced sources. Focus purely on TV preview. If your source is really 50i, Resolve project set to 50i and video monitoring also 50i then your TV preview should be fine. If it's not then there is some bug in Resolve.

Thanks Andrew,

so here my feature request: perhaps the possibility creating optimized media in 50i (meaning 50 Fields per second in a 25 Frames Timeline) so that I'm able to import 50p sources and 1080i 50 sources and all other formats to a 25 Frames Timeline and have a smooth playback on all monitors.

AND the possibility to export them e.g. to DNxHD 1080i 220/185 10 bits.
(now it is clear that this cannot work, when Resolve puts 50p material to 25p)

Thanks Andrew,

so here my feature request: perhaps the possibility creating optimized media in 50i (meaning 50 Fields per second in a 25 Frames Timeline) so that I'm able to import 50p sources and 1080i 50 sources and all other formats to a 25 Frames Timeline and have a smooth playback on all monitors.

AND the possibility to export them e.g. to DNxHD 1080i 220/185 10 bits.
(now it is clear that this cannot work, when Resolve puts 50p material to 25p)

Most NLEs behave this way, so 50p in 50i project ends up as 50i, not 25p (flagged as 50i). I didn't know Resolve can't do it, but as we know Resolve is quite limited with interlaced content.

You need to report it as bug or feature request in proper thread. Here it most likely will be never noticed.

so here my feature request: perhaps the possibility creating optimized media in 50i (meaning 50 Fields per second in a 25 Frames Timeline) so that I'm able to import 50p sources and 1080i 50 sources and all other formats to a 25 Frames Timeline and have a smooth playback on all monitors.

You 50p sources will have every other frame decimated, and thus will not look smooth.

The best solution in combining 50i and 50p sources is to deinterlace and frame double the 50i footage to 50p. Then you can combine them on a 50p timeline without any problems and everything will look smooth.

If you do not want that something's got to give!

You 50p sources will have every other frame decimated, and thus will not look smooth.

This is wrong approach!

In case of 50p source in 50i project NLE should simply take correct field out of whole frame and provide "perfect" 50i end result. This is how most NLEs behave.

You 50p sources will have every other frame decimated, and thus will not look smooth.

This is wrong approach!

In case of 50p source in 50i project NLE should simply take correct field out of whole frame and provide "perfect" 50i end result. This is how most NLEs behave.

That may be so but I think the best solution is to go to 50p and the only valid reason not to do that if it is for broadcast. The argument that "50p files are pretty big" is, in my opinion, a non-argument.

Outside of broadcast there is zero reason to stick with interlaced video.

I agree about interlaced content- time to forget it, but broadcast is still not there. They don't want to invest money for infrastructure changes.