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Capture Cards, HD offline What do I need?
Hello all,
I’m looking to capture offline quality HD from a HDCAM deck, and currently only have Firewire on my G4. I’m aware I’ll need to buy a capture card, but does it have to be a HD card or, SD as the media will be offline. Any advice?
Also if anyone could suggest a good SD capture card if that is what I do need. Thanks alot,Dan
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7 Replies
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Look at the Kona series of cards and capture using the DVCPro HD codec. That gives you a good clean HD codec for the offline and you can even do the initial color correction using that codec. But you get very small file sizes.
Simply come in via HD-SDI and set it to the DVCPro HD codec. I run the Kona 2 here but you can also use the Kona LH. You can also use FW800 drives just fine for the DVCPro HD codec.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com“The Rough Cut,” an original short film premiering December 7th in full High Definition in Atlanta.
rsvp@biscardicreative.com to reserve seats.
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow 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–
This is more of an additional workflow question.
If it’s an HD offline, what benefit/detriment does is do the project to have the HDCam tapes downconverted to DVCam and just capturing DV resolution? As long as the timecodes match…
That would save the need for a card, although I’m sure the cost of making the DVCam dubs would probably make that financial saving a wash.
If there project is going to be finished elsewhere, does one really need to have the card?
(I’ve the possibility of a longform project in a few months. I’m not against getting the card, but if I can put that money towards something else…I can get the dubs made for a song ‘cos someone owes me a big favor, and it’ll be a limited number of tapes.)
I didn’t intend to hijack the thread. It seemed a natural progression!
debe
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[debe] “If it’s an HD offline, what benefit/detriment does is do the project to have the HDCam tapes downconverted to DVCam and just capturing DV resolution? As long as the timecodes match…”
To me that’s a waste of time and energy. Dub everything to DVCAM, making sure the timecodes match, capturing to DV, etc…. Why not just capture once from the original tapes straight off the HDCAM tapes? If you really want to work in DV, you can do that too with the Konas. Come in HD-SDI and capture to DV. But then you’ll might as well come in at DVCPro HD.
[debe] “If there project is going to be finished elsewhere, does one really need to have the card?”
Just depends on how much work you do and whether you make a living doing this. $1,000, $1,500, $2,000 is nothing to spend on a capture card for HD if you intend to make a living cutting HD.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com“The Rough Cut,” an original short film premiering December 7th in full High Definition in Atlanta.
rsvp@biscardicreative.com to reserve seats.
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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All good points, Walter.
It will be my first HD project, and I won’t be getting nearly my day rate for it. Technically, I’ll lose money on this project, whether I buy a card or not. It’s a pro-bono thing for a “good cause”. They have less than half the budget they need.
I should consider future revenue, however. I always seem to agonize over spending money on my system, and when the financial dust settles, something seems to always come along that makes me wonder why I was so worried!
I don’t have any other clients asking for HD at the moment, though. However, once I have the ability, it seems like they always find me!
Thanks for the input!
debe
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Thanks Guys, food for thought. I’ll come back to this in a day or so.
much appreciated.
Dan
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[debe] “I don’t have any other clients asking for HD at the moment, though. However, once I have the ability, it seems like they always find me!”
That’s why I purchased the CineWave and then Kona 2 along with first SCSI and now Fibre Channel drives. I was editing all BetaSP, DigiBeta, DVCAM for about three years but had the HD capability ready to go. Once I got an HD contract I was ready to go and added the 1200A deck in support of that. Of course, once we started editing HD, we spent the better part of 6 months testing the workflow.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com“The Rough Cut,” an original short film premiering December 7th in full High Definition in Atlanta.
rsvp@biscardicreative.com to reserve seats.
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Dan,
You don’t say what kind of deck you’re using to play back your HDCAM material. If it’s a J H3 it has a firewire output and you can go directly from that deck to FCP as a downconverted DVCAM or RT Off-line file. This would be your easiest, simplest, and cheapest way of working off-line.
No capture card needed for this approach. Isn’t that what you’re looking for? Good, fast, and cheap?
Mark
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