Blurred video in iMovie/Quicktime, any ideas?

[snerkler]

I've just come from PC and have been figuring out how to edit video on the Mac. My original video footage is AVCHD (.mts) from Sony products. My old camera recorded in 1080i, and my new one 1080p (50fps). After looking into different routes of converting the files to .mov for use with iMovie I decided to go the clipwrap route.

What I have noticed is that when watching the video back the image seems to blur more when panning/moving the camera. I have noticed this with both interlaced and progressive as the original file. The blurring is apparent in all viewing conditions, ie watching the 'raw' rewrapped files, the finalised video file (1080 .mov), or watching it on the PS3 (1080 .mp4).

Now it's not horrendous, but I do notice it and can sometimes make me feel very slightly nauseous watching it (strange but true). I thought initially it was the way that iMovie processed the video but then realised that it can't be as it's the same on the 'raw' rewrapped files.

Is this something others have noticed and is this normal after converting AVCHD to quicktime (.mov)?

Cheers

P.S. I've also noticed that the finalised iMovie projects are quite as good quality as the 'raw' rewrapped files, more so in that the colours aren't as vibrant and it's a touch more grainy. Is this due to the coding in iMovie, ie Apple intermediate codec, and so would you not get this with FCP X?

 

[martinX]

Couple of things:

1. digital stabilisation performed by some video cameras can make panning shots look jerky
2. you're looking (I assume) at your HD footage about 2 feet from your Mac's screen. Everything becomes a problem that close.

 

[snerkler]

Couple of things:

1. digital stabilisation performed by some video cameras can make panning shots look jerky

1. 
   Thanks. I understand this but the original .mts footage isn't as blurry.
   

   [*]you're looking (I assume) at your HD footage about 2 feet from your Mac's screen. Everything becomes a problem that close.

Yes, but also on my TV through my PS3. I'd say it looks worse on the TV actually, but this may be due to 2 things. One it's a much bigger screen, and 2 I've had to convert the files to MP4 to be able to play them in the PS3.

 

[Soulweaponry]

Is the blurriness a common thing with the files you converted or more of an anomaly? I saw something similar when i tried converting with smart converter. When the camera panned, everything blurred in this zig zag line type of fashion

 

[snerkler]

Is the blurriness a common thing with the files you converted or more of an anomaly? I saw something similar when i tried converting with smart converter. When the camera panned, everything blurred in this zig zag line type of fashion

It was on all footage, progressive and interlaced, although interlaced was much worse. However, since trying to convert the way shown on here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1308610/) I installed some new codecs. Since then footage converted with clipwrap has been absolutely fine. Unfortuantely I'm not sure what I installed that worked as I just followed advice from simsaladimbamba. Interlaced footage still doesn't look great played on the Mac, but I've transfered the files to my PS3 and the footage is actually fine played on the TV. I'm sure it's because computer monitors can't handle interlaced very well but TV's can.

 

[mBox]

..I'm sure it's because computer monitors can't handle interlaced very well but TV's can...

Most computer monitors are progressive and TV's interlace.
Thus the 1080i as oppose to 1080p.

 

[MisterMe]

... I'm sure it's because computer monitors can't handle interlaced very well but TV's can.

This is complete and utter nonsense. Monitors display pixels, period. Interlace and progressive are source formats. Most CRTs display these sources as they are received. Flat panel displays such as LCDs and plasma panels do not. All flat panels display content progressively. If the source is interlaced, then the TV buffers the first half-frame, interlaces it with the second half-frame in memory, and then displays a continuous progressive full frame. Computers must do the same thing in software.

Here is the problem--in the case of movement, there is a significant displacement between moving objects between half-frames. On an TV, you watch the motion at full-speed. Therefore, you may not notice this. On a computer, may be change frame rates or look at single frames. Couple that to the fact that most computer monitors are much sharper than TV displays, the flaws in interlaced video are more evident.