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Activity Forums Avid Media Composer Avid MC AVCHD workflow advice needed

  • Avid MC AVCHD workflow advice needed

    Posted by Zoe Westley on November 21, 2017 at 10:43 pm

    Hi everyone

    I have been asked to edit a small documentary. The footage will be a variety of different formats but it looks like the bulk of it is AVCHD files. What would be the simplest work flow suggestion? I have normally only ever worked offline, but on this occasion they want me to either edit 1:1 or conform myself at a later date.

    For this project i am using an iMac with Avid Media Composer 8.3.1

    I was thinking of importing the AVCHD files as Apple Pro Res MXF. Does this sound reasonable?

    many thanks

    Zoe

    Shane Ross replied 7 years, 6 months ago 2 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • Shane Ross

    November 21, 2017 at 11:11 pm

    Why not DNxHD MXF? That’s a more native format for Avid. DNxHD 115 or 145 (if shot 23.98) should work fine. How much footage are we talking about here?

    Shane
    Little Frog Post
    Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

  • Zoe Westley

    November 23, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Hi Shane

    thanks for the reply.

    That is what i was going to do, but i have one take that is 18mins long and importing as DNxHD 145 created a 55GB file. and i have many more like that. Was worried my computer wouldn’t be able to handle such data. Pro Res created a much smaller file.

    it looks like i have been given about 10hrs worth of footage. mostly shot at 25fps and 23.98.

  • Shane Ross

    November 23, 2017 at 7:56 pm

    Avid handles that bandwidth just fine. So should your computer. It’s not a compressed format like AVCHD, so easier to deal with.

    What ProRes flavor did you convert to as the comparison? ProRes and DNxHD are comparable in size. ProRes 422 should be about the same size as DNxHD 145

    Shane
    Little Frog Post
    Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

  • Zoe Westley

    November 23, 2017 at 8:21 pm

    Okay great thank you, i shall follow your advice.

    I converted the comparison to ProRes MXF, so not 422. that would explain the discrepancy. thanks for your help

  • Shane Ross

    November 23, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    MXF doesn’t compare to 422. Sorry, terminology issues. MXF is a video container type, like MOV is. MXF vs Quicktime. MP4 is another container. And then 422 is the chroma sampling type: 4:2:2. DV is 4:2:0, HDV is 4:1:1. ProRes is 4:2:2 as MOV or as MXF…

    Shane
    Little Frog Post
    Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

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