HD/SD fields problem

[lotrfan]

I know that HDV is upper field first, and I know that DV is lower field first. But then how is that supposed to work? I downconverted HDV to DV using VirtualDub and now the fields are all mixed up. However I don't get this problem downconverting from my HV20 because it seems like it automatically fixes it. But since I recorded directly to disk, I can't downconvert through the camera. So my question is, if I import it into Premiere Pro and simply reverse the fields so that the DV footage is also upper field first, then would it still be able to play correctly on a DVD? Are DVDs upper or lower field first, or either?

[racer-x]

You can setup a DV project in Premiere with TFF. Edit as usual, then encode to DVD - spec Mpeg-2 with TFF.

DVDs can be BFF, TFF, or Progressive. You just have to make sure the field order is correct throughout the workflow.

[lotrfan]

Oh, I see... thanks racer! One last question tough, if were to use progressive encoding for DVD for a future project, can most DVD players play that? Or does it have to be labeled specifically "Progressive Scan" ? I remember reading about an article somewhere a while ago that mentioned some DVDs have true 24p on the disk, and then depending on the player, it will automatically add pulldown or play true 24p. Am I crazy, or is there actually something like that?

[racer-x]

You can create a 30p / 24p (NTSC) or 25p (PAL) dvd depending on your tv format.

Assuming you are in NTSC land, 30p is perfectly legal DVD standard. 24p is legal, but you'll need to apply 3:2 pulldown flags in your encoder or DVD Authoring app. The pulldown flags need to be in the mpeg header for it to be legal NTSC dvd when using 24p. This will give a 29.97 fps playback rate for Interlaced TVs.
You can also create a 30p DVD with no such issues.