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VariCam HD on FCP 4.5 HD
Is it possible to cut uncompressed VariCam footage on fcp4.5HD? If so what is the file size per 1 minute of footage?
I am going to be overseeing post on a project where they are shooting VariCam HD. Then I want a local post facility to load the footage, uncompressed, onto my external hard drive. Then I will cut the project on a powerbook running fcp 4.5 HD. The project will be saved on the hard drive and given to the post house which will output a master to HD and make DigiBeta dubs.
The project is a one minute commercial and a three minute video. The director predicts that he will shoot 2 hours of footage. What I need to know is – can I fit the two hours uncompressed footage onto an external drive and will fcp 4.5 HD cut the project.
Thanks,
Mick -
9 Replies
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Uncompressed 720P on a powerbook? No. On a desktop, yes.
The problem is that with a powerbook, you’re limited to using FW drives, which don’t have enough bandwidth for uncompressed 720P. To work uncompressed, you’d need to work with a SCSI, Fiber Channel or SATA array.
OTOH, if you have the footage captured in it’s native DVC Pro HD codec, you might be able to cut the footage on a powerbook.
Arnie
https://www.arniepix.com -
[mickavid] ”
Is it possible to cut uncompressed VariCam footage on fcp4.5HD? If so what is the file size per 1 minute of footage?”Sure, get a 1200A deck and capture via HD-SDI to a Kona 2 at the 720p Uncompressed setting. Personally, I capture via Firewire and edit in the DVCPro HD codec for the series I’m cutting here.
[mickavid] “I am going to be overseeing post on a project where they are shooting VariCam HD. Then I want a local post facility to load the footage, uncompressed, onto my external hard drive.”
Going to require very fast drives like Fibre Channel or a SATA RAID. Data rates will be upwards of 100MB/sec
[mickavid] “Then I will cut the project on a powerbook running fcp 4.5 HD. The project will be saved on the hard drive and given to the post house which will output a master to HD and make DigiBeta dubs.”
Not going to happen on a Powerbook in 720p uncompressed. You’ll need a desktop machine and again, very fast drives.
[mickavid] “The project is a one minute commercial and a three minute video. The director predicts that he will shoot 2 hours of footage. What I need to know is – can I fit the two hours uncompressed footage onto an external drive and will fcp 4.5 HD cut the project.”
Sure, FCP 4.5 with the Kona 2 and a Medea FCR2X Fibre Channel array will cut the project just fine.
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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ok, I will see that the DVCPro codec is used and that the footage is not “uncompressed”. I’m ok with the post-house re-loading the footage uncompressed for an on-line.
Thanks for the info. BTW, I found some websites that indicate the file size for the DVCPro Codec: 2 hours on a 60G and 5 hours on a 120G.
Thanks for the good info.
Mick
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[mickavid] “ok, I will see that the DVCPro codec is used and that the footage is not “uncompressed”. I’m ok with the post-house re-loading the footage uncompressed for an on-line.”
Keep in mind that if you capture to the DVCPro HD codec on a laptop, the quality will be degraded.
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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ok, the capture will be at a post house on a desktop g5. am i ok to then edit on a laptop? The feed back to tape for the master will be at the post house too, off of the same desktop.
mick
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[mickavid] “ok, the capture will be at a post house on a desktop g5. am i ok to then edit on a laptop? The feed back to tape for the master will be at the post house too, off of the same desktop.”
Yep, DVCPro HD will edit just fine on a laptop.
But I thought you said you were going to have the Post House recapture everything at 720p uncompressed anyway. So the image degredation of capturing direct to the laptop won’t matter in your workflow.
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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What kind of image degradation happens when you capture on a laptop? Wouldn’t it just be less reliable? I don’t understand how native DVCProHD firewire capures could get degraded.
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[Guy] “What kind of image degradation happens when you capture on a laptop? Wouldn’t it just be less reliable? I don’t understand how native DVCProHD firewire capures could get degraded.”
The laptops don’t support DV100 capture and what happens is when you do try to capture DV100 it drops the quality down to what looks like normal DV25. We’ve tested it here and it was plain as day how bad the footage looked captured via a laptop.
In theory it should work the same as a desktop. In reality it does not.
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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Actually, no. The post house will not recapture it. That is why I want them to capture it up front in the first place. Then I use my laptop to edit and then they use the drive to output.
From what I have read on this forum, that would work. I am just trying to keep the cost down without degrading the image, etc,…
Thanks everyone for the info.
Mick
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