Exporting Problem - 'Field Rendering' check box removed

Posted:
Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:06 am
by Adam65
Hi,
I'm currently trying to send a completed tvc to the broadcast distributor with the same process I've been doing for the past 6 months without issue ... however I've recently updated to the Resolve 17beta and seem to have encountered a large issue. The distributor requests that the 'Field Rendering' check box be ticked when I export an MXFOP1A / XDCAM MPEG2 file as this converts my progressive timeline edit into an interlaced file which is the required TV broadcast spec within Australia. On trying the export this morning the tvc was 'quality control rejected' as it was still a progressive file ... on checking I now note that the 'Feild Rendering' option has been removed from the deliver / export settings page???? Has anyone else encountered this problem....I've been trolling through posts / forums but can't seem to find any info regarding the issue. Any help or info would be much appreciated as the TV commercial is needed for broadcast in the next few days.
Cheers
Re: Exporting Problem - 'Field Rendering' check box removed

Posted:
Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:18 am
by Tom Early
you only get that checkbox if using an interlaced timeline, which I don't recommend using unless you have to (it's fine for the most part but there's certain complications which can result in poorer quality under certain conditions that I don't have time to recount right now, though I will say that using generators is a bad idea, whereas if you just have one clip at the native resolution of the timeline and with nothing done to it, that will always be ok).
If you import a project from Resolve 16, then it will have the legacy interlaced processing, i.e. no 'interlaced processing' timelines in the way that Resolve 17 handles it, but you do get the Field Rendering checkbox in the Deliver page back with progressive timelines. So you can quickly revert back if you need to, export a blank project and use that.
OR
Render out your commercial from a native Resolve 17 project as a high quality format like ProRes 4444, progressive, then bring that back in to your project (assuming your mixed frame rate format is set to Resolve or FCP7), put it in an interlaced timeline as a single element, and export your interlaced delivery file there.
All things considered, you may as well go with the latter option, but check your render in the usual way afterwards. Good thing is, you can bring the export back into Resolve 17 and it will tell you whether it's interlaced or not in Clip Attributes, which 16 didn't do.
Re: Exporting Problem - 'Field Rendering' check box removed

Posted:
Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:17 am
by Adam65
Hi Tom,
Thanks kindly for your reply and the info it contains. I do see how both of those 'work-arounds' would be useful if required but I am left wondering why I actually can't simply edit content on a 25p or 50p progressive timeline as I used to do in Resolve 16 and simply tell the export to 'Render Fields' via tick the checkbox when I do indeed want to export an interlaced file. It's quite often the case that I will need to produce a television commercial that will need to be supplied to the client in several export formats (both progressive & interlaced) as they might be delivering the content to various social media sites, marketing portals, cinema screen, company websites and obviously television broadcast. It was so easy before to simply export the progressive files and then change over to the broadcast format required (MXF OP1A / XDCAM MPEG2) as per Australian TV broadcast guidelines .... tick the Field Rendering' box and all was done? Do I need to look at a different workflow (eg: setting up a different timeline structure) to make this process achievable with the changes in Resolve 17?.....any advice would be appreciated

Thanks again Tom
Re: Exporting Problem - 'Field Rendering' check box removed

Posted:
Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:05 am
by Tom Early
For now I'd recommend exporting a project from Resolve 16. And while you are at it, have it set to Color Managed, that way you also get the option of legacy RCM if you ever need it.
But hopefully there will be the option of field rendering from Progressive timelines to convert them to interlaced in Resolve 17 projects, because having to use a workaround is just a pain that should never have to happen.
Re: Exporting Problem - 'Field Rendering' check box removed

Posted:
Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:55 am
by Adam65
Thanks again Tom...I do really appreciate your advice. I do have projects from Resolve 16 currently on my databases so exporting a 'clear / empty' project for future use might be the only / best solution right now I guess? I must admit I still am a little bewildered why the option to export with 'field rendering' to achieve an interlaced file has even been removed in Res17...it seemed so straight-forward and time effective in it's use up until this point?? After the issues we've encountered this morning trying to get this TV commercial to the distribution facility in an interlaced format that would pass QC there seems to be some general consensus within our media company that until there is a 'reliable / efficient' way of exporting in the manner we've been doing so for the last 6 months or so that TV commercial production will be moved back to the Adobe Premiere / Media Encoder platforms as we have full confidence in their media delivery options

It was actually PremPro that saved our butt this morning ... we injested the progressive file that exported from Res17 ... put it on a timeline ... told media encoder what we wanted and bingo...within 10secs we had the interlaced file ready for upload?! Hopefully this will be resolved (no pun intended) as we really have enjoyed the last 6 months of use ... but ultimately as most editors know who have been doing this for a loooong while know, it's great to have all the new bells and whistles that come along with every new update ... but it's really efficiency and ease of the editing work flow combined with the confidence of the final media delivery that makes me sleep well at night

Thanks again for your help Tom!!!
Cheers
Re: Exporting Problem - 'Field Rendering' check box removed

Posted:
Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:59 pm
by RonHumer
So I too work in broadcast... and have adored that field rendering check box. I have large show files that need to deliver field renders in 29.97 for major national networks. Only choice is 59.94 for field work... I just did a test in which I bring my file in a 59.94 timeline... delivered/export it to 59.94 ProRes HQ and low and behold it came back in as 29.97. I also opened it in QuickTime player and it shows it as 29.97. Just wanted to alert all my fellow network editors of the new workflow.
Best, Ron