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HDV and Kona 2
Hi All,
Next week, I will be color correcting, filmlooking and upresing a 2 hour concert that was shot in HDV. The footage was captured and edited with the Intermediate codec.
First off, can HDV Intermediate be played out via the Kona? On AJA’s website, they claim HDV Hardware Acceleration, but there are no HDV FCP presets to be found.
Because of this, I was considering doing the overall color correction in FCP, and then rendering the Filmlook using DVFilm to the DVCPRO-100 1080i codec. The final step is to reimport into FCP and upres the DVCPRO-100 footage out to HD-CAM via the HD-SDI cable.
It’s a lot of steps, but it’s the only way I can see to get this on to HD-CAM tape. The only other alternative is to just keep everything in the HDV Codec and play back to HD-CAM tape. I just don’t like that idea, because I heard you have to re-render everything to MPEG-2 and I’d hate to see any more artifacting introduced.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Michael -
6 Replies
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[Michael Garber] “First off, can HDV Intermediate be played out via the Kona? On AJA’s website, they claim HDV Hardware Acceleration, but there are no HDV FCP presets to be found.”
do you mean AJA HDV presets? There are no AJA presets. You just use the Apple FCP HDV presets in FCP 5.
[Michael Garber] “Because of this, I was considering doing the overall color correction in FCP, and then rendering the Filmlook using DVFilm to the DVCPRO-100 1080i codec. The final step is to reimport into FCP and upres the DVCPRO-100 footage out to HD-CAM via the HD-SDI cable.
It’s a lot of steps, but it’s the only way I can see to get this on to HD-CAM tape. The only other alternative is to just keep everything in the HDV Codec and play back to HD-CAM tape. I just don’t like that idea, because I heard you have to re-render everything to MPEG-2 and I’d hate to see any more artifacting introduced.”
Seems like way too many steps. I’d look at going Component out of your camera / deck to HD-SDI and capture directly to the DVCPro HD codec. Then perform your entire edit in that codec.
Or better yet, edit in the uncompressed codec.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
Now editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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[Walter Biscardi] “Seems like way too many steps. I’d look at going Component out of your camera / deck to HD-SDI and capture directly to the DVCPro HD codec. Then perform your entire edit in that codec.”
Hi Walter,
Thanks for the info. Should’ve mentioned that that the show has already been cut in HDV. I’m doing the finishing work. They don’t have the budget to take the time to recapture in a traditional online scenario, so I’m looking at alternatives.
Regards,
Michael -
[Michael Garber] “They don’t have the budget to take the time to recapture in a traditional online scenario, so I’m looking at alternatives”
You might want to look over those numbers again. I think what you’ve saved in not going the traditional route will end up costing you in render times. Plus the intermmediate codec is poor, so by the time you CC and filmlook this, it will look far worse than native HDV or DVCProHD.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Does anyone know of an HDV project that has been recaptured successfully. I am pretty sure that if you edit HDV natively you can not recapture it (even if your media was deleted or something like that). I think this has to do witht TC accuracy of the long GOP format that the HDV codec uses to edit to tape.
It sounds like the best thing to do here is output the finsihed show to HDV and recapture that finsihed HDV version of the show to an HD uncompressed codec SDI via the HDV deck. (if there is an HDV-SDI deck out there).
You can drop the offline version of the FCP sequence on the captured show. You do this so that you can use the razor blade to cut up the recaptured show (because it will not have any cut points assigned, it’s like “notching” in a tape to tape, only the non liniar version) so that you can apply the CC and film look fliters you want for your online.
Theoretically you can do this in any codec you want but if you go 10-bit uncompressed you won’t take the render hit that you would in HDV native.
Recap:
1. Output HDV native codec timeline with no rendering etc to HDV tape
2. Recapture that tape in 10-bit uncompressed codec.
3. Place old sequence on that sequence and cut it up with blade
4. Proceed with online and CC
5. Pray your mix lines up with your guide track!I think this is the best way to squeeze the most qaulity out of the HDV because it will almost be like onlining the camera originals (except for the fact that you have to render the final timeline before it can be output so that it can be put back in the long GOP format.
The only other solution might be the SD connect box that has been advertized here on the cow, theoretically it converts the 1394fw signal HDV into HD-SDI with embedded timecode that will allow for recaptures. (i have to see this to believe it, do I hear a Buddy Holly song here!). This would allow for a traditional offline online workflow with HDV. If this is true we have a 2000.00 solution to editing HDV.
AND
If you think this is interesting wait until P2 cards hit and we have NO TAPE AT ALL. What’s the scenario going to be with that camera for larger projects and media management? Each file on the P2 card will have a zero timecode stamp and no reel name. FCP does not support TC off the timeline and this has been a peeve with some people for years, the absence of Timecode in these new HD formats have and will continue create some serious challenges in post workflows.
TIMECODE IS MY LIFE!
Not sure some manufactures worry too much about that, but think of the many different uses of the liniar structure of time code and it all looks a bit grim. Sorry to go off, but not being able to recapture is a giganitc problem that needs to be addressed! 🙂
David
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[David Battistella] “Does anyone know of an HDV project that has been recaptured successfully. I am pretty sure that if you edit HDV natively you can not recapture it (even if your media was deleted or something like that). I think this has to do witht TC accuracy of the long GOP format that the HDV codec uses to edit to tape.”
If anyone has any connections with the Discovery Channel show “Mythbusters” it would be interesting to get some feedback from them. During their “Jaws Special” I could clearly see that they were using Sony Z1’s to shoot so they’re obviously using HDV for the show. Would be nice to know what their workflow is.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
Now editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Walter,
In the coming weeks I will be testing this workflow and I will share my results with anyone who will listen. The first thing I want to do is a recapture test and then I want to test the workflow I detailed in the previous post.
The FCP edited HDV timeline needs to be rendered prior to output (it’s about three to one ratio). This has to happen because prior to outputting back to HDV tape it has to be rendered into the long GOP format that HDV is. I want to see just how “lossy” this process is. I can’t buy that it is garbage in garbage out like DV because it does have to be rendered.
David
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