Resolve: interlaced delivery, field order, titles and scaling

Output is still progressive: check the Deliver control and version

The Resolve 20 New Features Guide, April 2025, p. 101 introduces Interlaced rendering for frame-based sources such as image sequences. The 20.3 manual, p. 4067 documents the checkbox and Field Order selection, top or bottom field first. These instructions apply to the documented version; do not assume the same control is available in Resolve 18.0.1.

In your project copy, record the version/build and Free/Studio edition. Under Video in Render Settings, record Format, Codec and Type and check which controls appear. If you are using the documented frame-based source workflow and need interlaced output, check Interlaced rendering and select the field order requested by the recipient. If it is absent, record the combination and verify support before applying instructions from another platform. You do not need to update the workstation to complete this check.

Processing fields and creating interlaced output are separate decisions

Project Settings, p. 144 explains that Enable interlace processing performs operations using separate fields to maintain their integrity in interlaced material. It recommends this when retaining interlacing and applying operations that may mix pixels between fields, such as blur, sharpening, OpenFX or resizing. For color and contrast adjustments alone, without filtering or resizing, it says this processing is unnecessary.

Field rendering, p. 4067 refers to processing each field of an interlaced source before recombining it into the output frame. On the same page, Interlaced rendering allows frame-based sources to be written as interlaced output with a selected field order. Record the complete control names and settings; enabling internal processing does not establish what was written into the file.

Before comparing a variant, save the project and Deliver settings. If you have scaled or filtered interlaced sources, check that path using a range with motion. For progressive sources, do not credit a checkbox with temporal detail you have not observed in the output. Inspect the file and record the source content and the recipient’s requirements.

The file has duplicate fields: trace them back to the source

For the source, Clip Attributes > Field Dominance, p. 457 defaults to Auto and allows Upper or Lower if detection is incorrect. Ask for the field order documented during capture or export from the editor; record interpretation on import into Resolve. This is separate from output Field Order. Do not reverse every clip because one excerpt looks smoother without verifying its origin.

Compare the original shot, the file received from the editor and the exported sample over the same range, with processing recorded. Choose a pan or moving object as well as a static shot. If the change is already present in the interchange file, record that stage; if it appears only after rendering, compare that output’s controls. Without those samples, identical fields cannot be attributed to a codec or Resolve fault.

Also record the monitoring path: p. 145 describes Use 1080PsF as progressive output in a 1080i format for older televisions. Do not confuse the interface format with verification of temporal content or the rendered file. Record the interface, display and mode before interpreting what you see.

When scaling UHD to HD, check framing and titles as well as interlacing

The 20.3 manual, p. 4067 allows Resolution in Deliver to be set independently of Timeline Resolution. Output Scaling, p. 151 applies when render resolution differs from the timeline. Record both resolutions, Match timeline settings and the handling of mismatched resolutions. An HD file alone does not establish the crop or scaling applied.

Resize Filter, p. 150 offers interpolation methods for resizing. Review a sample containing fine text, a logo, diagonals and movement across the stage, keeping the source and other settings unchanged. Compare framing, edges and readability in the file, not just the timeline. If you change the filter to examine an edge, identify that variant and do not change field order at the same time.

If delivery converts progressive UHD credits to interlaced HD, record that stage and the recipient’s requirements. The levels and Broadcast Safe guide helps separate range from processing. Combining Resolve and Avid requires the versions and documentation for both applications.

For progressive output, check deinterlacing as a separate path

Enable Deinterlacing, p. 457 is documented as a Studio feature. It uses Deinterlace quality in Image Scaling and requires field processing to be disabled. Page 144 calls the project control Enable interlace processing; the deinterlacing explanation on p. 457 still uses Enable video field processing. If the name differs on your system, record the version and capture the panel before assuming other options are equivalent.

This prepares progressive delivery from interlaced sources; it is not the setting for preserving interlacing requested by another recipient. Keep a separate project copy for each requirement. Check motion, titles and edges in the sample, and record the edition and available control. A player applying its own deinterlacing is not an isolated test of the file’s processing.

To prepare the documented progressive path, record the edition/build and save a project copy. Check field processing before opening Clip Attributes for the interlaced clip; in Studio, review Enable Deinterlacing and interpreted field order. If the checkbox is absent or remains grayed out, record the panel and available settings before proceeding. An enabled control with a different name does not confirm that this deinterlacing is being applied. Agree on the delivery rate with the recipient and check it in the sample: enabling deinterlacing alone does not guarantee 50p output from a 50i source.

Prepare a sample that lets you compare each stage

Use a range with continuous motion, a cut, a static shot, a title and a logo. Keep the source, editor interchange file and render in identified folders. Before exporting, record resolution, rate, field order and scaling/processing settings. Change one variable per sample and use the same frames for comparison.

Read metadata and record the application displaying it, but also inspect the sequence through a path suitable for the agreed format. For interlaced material, Align Clips to Frame Boundaries, p. 145 distinguishes stepping through full frames when checked from stepping through fields when unchecked. Record the initial setting and perform the review in the copy: follow the moving object’s position between steps and compare source, interchange file and render. A static shot cannot resolve a question about temporal motion.

If a stage changes motion or title edges, identify the file and steps where it happens before re-exporting everything.

Complete the fields and scaling worksheet with actual observations as you test. The export guide covers frame rate, effects and audio controls, and the delivery guide identifies the file and ranges accepted by the recipient.

Normal playback alone cannot compare High and Neural Engine

Deinterlace quality, manual 20.3, pp. 150–151 offers Normal, High and DaVinci Neural Engine. Normal is used automatically during playback. High may improve some shots at the cost of longer render times; Neural Engine analyzes motion between fields to reconstruct the frame and requires more processing. No method name proves that your edges or motion have improved.

The Cut Inspector, p. 615, and Edit Inspector, p. 799, also document Deinterlace Quality for individual interlaced clips. Record the project and clip values where available. Before comparing, identify which one you changed and preserve the other setting; the cited sections are not used here to claim universal precedence between those controls.

Render a short range containing a person walking, a pan, a diagonal edge and event text. Prepare identified Normal, High and Neural Engine samples, where available in your edition, changing only the method being evaluated. Keep format, rate, resolution and processing unchanged. Open the renders through the same path and compare the same frames as well as motion during playback.

If a diagonal edge changes but walking motion develops double outlines, record both observations. If the samples do not differ, check settings and source media before concluding that the method was applied. Render time helps plan workstation use; it does not demonstrate output quality.

HXR-NX70E: progressive capture for new shots and existing interlaced files

The HXR-NX70E/NX70P Operating Guide, edition 4-273-940-13(1), pp. 56–57 separates Frame Rate from REC Mode: it documents 50i, 50p and 25p, and FX/FH for 1920×1080 at 50i or 25p. The manual suggests 50i for standard recording; progressive delivery requires agreement on that alternative format. FX alone does not identify the scan type: record the full format before choosing it for a presentation or concert.

In the base manual’s menu layout, open MENU > Rec/Media SET > Frame Rate, choose the rate, select Next and choose the recording mode. The Sony supplement 4-428-092-01(1), GB p. 2, PDF p. 5 documents an update that combines Frame Rate and Rec Mode into HD: Rec Format and includes 1080/25p FX for NX70E/NX70P/NX70C. Record the firmware and the menu actually shown. Do not assume that update is installed; this guide does not require installing it.

For new shots, first agree on the event format and record a moving sample in the chosen mode. Check the file through the intended editing and delivery path before adopting the setting for the whole session. If material has already been recorded at 50i, keep those originals and prepare a separate deinterlacing path; changing the camera does not alter existing files.

The deinterlacing and capture worksheet provides fields for version, method, rate, camera menu and each sample result. It is blank. Link its observations to the delivery guide to identify files and ranges still awaiting checks.