Here is my quick background and question. Just picked up the i-mac with 17-inch screen and 10.2. Love it so far. To import analogue video, I'm using the wonderful Canopus ADVC-100 digital media converter, to download video (camcorder, tv tuner, satellite, etc.) into i-movie 2. This setup works real well in getting the images into the computer. My question involves the playback picture on the i-mac screen. For a large viewing picture, I'm aware of the function and use of the "play full-screen button." But this results in a just a blow-up, grainy version of the smaller editing monitor window. Is there a way to enjoy a more pristine, full-resolution, full-screen version of the playback picture? Thanks for any suggestions.
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I-movie playback picture
- Thread starter Chaser
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If you can hook a TV upto the Canopus ADVC and select "pass through to TV" (I think that's what it's called) option in one of iMovie's menus. That way you can watch what you are editing on the TV (which is good 'cause video looks different on a TV than it does on a monitor).
I don't think it's possible to play the movie full screen at full res and not drop any frames.
Lethal
I don't think it's possible to play the movie full screen at full res and not drop any frames.
Lethal
Your problem is that your importing analog video at a low resolution. The only way around this is to use a digital video camera. Even then depending on your screen size it will not look the best at maximum size.
It's about the resolution
The screen on your monitor is much higher resolution than a television. Therefore if you run the video in full-screen mode, it may not be as clear as you think it should be.
Especially on LCDs, because of their clarity and brightness, you'll notice far more artifacts than on a regular TV screen. It's trying to enlarge pixels by spreading it across 2 maybe 3 pixels.
Good luck!!
Quark
The screen on your monitor is much higher resolution than a television. Therefore if you run the video in full-screen mode, it may not be as clear as you think it should be.
Especially on LCDs, because of their clarity and brightness, you'll notice far more artifacts than on a regular TV screen. It's trying to enlarge pixels by spreading it across 2 maybe 3 pixels.
Good luck!!
Quark
MacBandit I understand your point. An imported dvd picture vs an imported vhs or s-vhs picture does look better. But my point is that my manual (Pogue's iMovie 2, The Missing Manual) says that all of the enlarged views using the "play full-screen button", is "in fact little more than a blown-up version of what you see in the Monitor window while editing your movie." So, I'm looking for a bit more native resolution rather than a "blow-up" version. And, wouldn't it be great to watch a real-time telvision tuner picture going into the i-mac with full screen resolution? Still stumped and looking for solutions.
There is no solution. As stated the screen resolution on your iMac LCD is much higher than that of an ordinary tv (HD screens are about the same res) this is why you can't get TV input of that size. Standard TV is a resolution of about 500 by 400. Currently there is no consumer level HD quality video recorders or else you could make your own HD video.
Re: It's about the resolution
No insult intended but the part about LCDs is totally incorrect. CRTs have nearly double the brightness and are much sharper too. The difference between a CRT and a LCD is a CRT is able to actually change the number of pixels on screen. Where as an LCD is fixed at a set number so if you want to use different resolutions it has to effectivel use a ration of several pixels to the one it was using before. This ratio doesn't always work out correctly and therfore you end up with fuzzy displays.
Also at this state of developement LCDs, Plasma what have have a much lower pixel count/inch then is capable on a CRT. Think about this a Cinema HD display which is a 23" is capable of a max or native resolution of 1920x1200. Where as a high quality 19" CRT is capable of a max resolution of 1800x1440 which is a higher resolution. You tell me which has the higher pixel density and therefore sharper image.
The simple fact is CRTs are a mature technology with years of R&D and exceed current LCDs abilities in every way. LCDs are a fairly immature technology that has the potential to greatly exceed todays CRTs but they just haven't yet.
No insult intended but the part about LCDs is totally incorrect. CRTs have nearly double the brightness and are much sharper too. The difference between a CRT and a LCD is a CRT is able to actually change the number of pixels on screen. Where as an LCD is fixed at a set number so if you want to use different resolutions it has to effectivel use a ration of several pixels to the one it was using before. This ratio doesn't always work out correctly and therfore you end up with fuzzy displays.
Also at this state of developement LCDs, Plasma what have have a much lower pixel count/inch then is capable on a CRT. Think about this a Cinema HD display which is a 23" is capable of a max or native resolution of 1920x1200. Where as a high quality 19" CRT is capable of a max resolution of 1800x1440 which is a higher resolution. You tell me which has the higher pixel density and therefore sharper image.
The simple fact is CRTs are a mature technology with years of R&D and exceed current LCDs abilities in every way. LCDs are a fairly immature technology that has the potential to greatly exceed todays CRTs but they just haven't yet.
Macbandit is correct. What you are trying to do is make a 640*480 image fill a 1440*900 screen. Have you tried exporting the movie as a QT file and opening it w/QT? You'll have a bit more control over the viewing window size and maybe you can find a size that you like.
Lethal
Thanks, Lethal. I will try your "QT" suggestion for looking at a recorded file. Also, as I mentioned earlier, is there any way (other than the small i-movie "monitor window") to enjoy a larger display within the 17 inch monitor of say a feed of a television tuner using an s-video output? In other words, using the computer display as a television monitor?
Really the best way to view a smaller movie at full screen is to reduce the resolution of the monitor effectively bringing it down to close to that of a regular tv set. 640x480 would be the smallest and 800x600 would certainly be good enough.
Just a disclaimer though. If you have an LCD monitor this won't really work. As with an LCD monitor when you reduce the screen size you are basically telling the computer to spread what was once contained on one pixel over 4 or more pixels. This obviously doesn't look very good. This works very similar on a CRT but it works a little differently due to the fact that a CRT can actually change refresh rates and tube projection size to effectively reduce the screen resolution.
Just a disclaimer though. If you have an LCD monitor this won't really work. As with an LCD monitor when you reduce the screen size you are basically telling the computer to spread what was once contained on one pixel over 4 or more pixels. This obviously doesn't look very good. This works very similar on a CRT but it works a little differently due to the fact that a CRT can actually change refresh rates and tube projection size to effectively reduce the screen resolution.
TV Tuner...
I use a MyTV Tuner (http://www.eskapelabs.com), which plugs in via USB. From there, I can import TV at a resolution of 640x480. Since there are approx. 650 TV lines resolution anyway in PAL (and 550 TV lines in NTSC), there is no discernable loss in quality (price @ £100).
Formac make a TV tuner built into its Studio Pro unit (analog<->digital converter), which is FireWire-based, and a lot faster. It also has a "monitor out" function, to view your work externally (price @ £250).
My other option is to connect my DV camcorder's analogue input/output port to a monitor/TV, and loop through it's FireWire connection to the computer. That works fine, too.
I use a MyTV Tuner (http://www.eskapelabs.com), which plugs in via USB. From there, I can import TV at a resolution of 640x480. Since there are approx. 650 TV lines resolution anyway in PAL (and 550 TV lines in NTSC), there is no discernable loss in quality (price @ £100).
Formac make a TV tuner built into its Studio Pro unit (analog<->digital converter), which is FireWire-based, and a lot faster. It also has a "monitor out" function, to view your work externally (price @ £250).
My other option is to connect my DV camcorder's analogue input/output port to a monitor/TV, and loop through it's FireWire connection to the computer. That works fine, too.
Re: TV Tuner...
The only format today that can actually fill even the smaller 550 lines of NTSC is a DVD player. Everything else is less then 500 with a good VHS somewhere around 480.
The only format today that can actually fill even the smaller 550 lines of NTSC is a DVD player. Everything else is less then 500 with a good VHS somewhere around 480.