“AVOID XDCAM like the PLAGUE for editing on timeline!”

[Jeremy Garchow]

Are you on FCP7? I’d recommend transcoding to ProRes (LT). It’s still full raster, still 10 bit, but it’s up to 100mb/sec (size depends on the images as ProRes is VBR). Plenty of bandwidth to accommodate the 35 or 50 LongGOP material (and that an average of 35 or 50) and will get you out of the longGOP and in to an I-frame codec which is much easier to predict and process. It will save you space over the 145mb/sec ProRes or 220 mb/sec ProRes HQ.

Jeremy

[Michael Adante]

Thanks Jeremy,

We’re in FCS 2 on the Desktop.. so ProRes 422 LT isn’t an option. FCS 3 is on the Macbook Pro.

Is the Pro Res 422 going to be fine for the below workflow?

“1) Media Manage the entire rushes media to Pro Res 422 (keeping same clip names), relink the clips, so it doesn’t effect our current progress…

2) Edit…

3) Export to Color for Grade..

4) Export from Color (using Pro Res HQ or Uncompressed 10-bit) back to FCP..

5) Master to HDCAM SR and create DPX or Cineon.

What do you think? Now the only issue/snag one of my colleagues has brought up is.. if we’re cutting on Pro Res 422, sending to Color.

Would we need to RE-CONFORM the entire project in the original XDCAM EX codec, media manage to ProRes HQ or Uncompressed for the grade? So the images going into Color are 10 bit?

Or is the Pro Res422 good enough to ‘Send to Color’, ‘Grade’ and Output to Prores HQ or Uncompressed 10-bit?”

[Jeremy Garchow]

I wouldn’t use the media manager to do the transcode. I’d use Compressor and just transcode the raw XDcam files to full raster 1920×1080 (get out of the 1440 business). You can still relink, but you will probably have to do some PAR adjusting (very easy).

As far as using ProRes to grade? Yeah, all for it. No reason to go BACK to the XDcam and try and grade that out of Color. Just use the ProRes files.

Jeremy

[Steve Connor]

I’ve been working with all flavours of the XDCam codec on an 8 core for the last 18 months with only the occasional crash and this has involved large projects with 100 hours of source material and 90 minute timelines.

We have had an issue with a corrupt transcode of an XDCam clip causing crashes, once we isolated the clip all was fine. I’ve heard of other people having issues and turning off thumbnails in the timeline seemed to help.

Steve Connor
Adrenalin Television

Have you tried “Search Posts”? Enlightenment may be there.

[Caspar Stracke]

sorry if this maybe already posed, (couldn’t read all the threads)
but we experienced the sudden crashing-over-crashing issues in HDV, 1080 25p, editing a 90 min feature.
We realized it’s simply to much information on one timeline and broke up the mater seq. We still have crashes but everything got significantly smoother after working in 15 min portions…

– Caspar

[Michael Adante]

Hi Casper,

I think you’re spot on. And Steve is correct too.. “not using thumbnails in the timeline”

We’re going to take this advice… Let’s see how she holds up.

Thanks for all your feedback guys.

Michael

[Philip Owens]

It’s not much help to you Michael – not any in fact – but rest assured I have been dealing with exactly this problem for the past six months on a feature I’m cutting in XDCAM EX HD 35Mbps VBR. it’s a total nightmare – I usually suffer through about twenty crashes a day. I’ve gotten used to it. It sucks, mightily. I’ve tried everything. Goat sacrificing may well work, I would have tried it but have little goat access. Saving early and often is the only course of action, I’ve found. I’ve never had this problem with any other format in FCP, so yes, I’m 100% confident it’s the format. Incidentally, yes, I’m on an Octocore.

I wish you luck, forbearance, and if you hear anything, let me know. I warn you, it’s not promising.

[Philip Owens]

Yes, turning off thumbnails in timelines helps a little – but it’s not a cure. I just as frequently have crashes when opening bins with clips set to icon view – during the redraw, FCP will just beachball and go POOF!

[Michael Adante]

Thank god we are not alone in this, Phil.

The Octocore has a LOT of firepower. So, yes, it’s DEFINITELY the XDCAM codec. It’s fine for smaller jobs but on a big drama or docos, where timelines are over 90 mins (and we have 3 to 4 open at a time) its totally freaking the Mac out.

“Look at all that XDCAM Long GOP… Ahhhhh… CRASSHH”

Touch wood, currently our system is holding.

After a complete reboot, fresh OS, fresh FCS 2 **PLUS no Imovie, IDVD, ILIFE, etc. What the VA Driver’s main function is (so we’ve been told).

We’ve made the following changes. And it’s holding.

1) We’re doing constant saves (as you suggested).
2) Have cut the project into smaller sections, taken thumbnails off the timeline. Giving it the least amount of processes.
3) As mentioned above, taken the ILIFE stuff out (IDVD, Imovie, etc).

*** In FUTURE, we are NEVER going to cut in this Long Gop Demon for a project this size!! 😀 ****

It’s fine for shooting but we’ll get out of it at the initial offline/project set-up stage.

We did tests on the Prores422 and it’s sweet as, a bit chunkier but the 1-frame process really makes a difference.

Anyway, thanks for sharing Phil.

Michael

[Rafael Amador]

Instead of complaining about the codec, I would have a look to my system.
I haven’t reach 90 minutes sequences, but 45 minutes and with some 15 hours EX-1 footage in a MBP without a glitch.

[Michael Adante] “We did tests on the Prores422 and it’s sweet as, a bit chunkier but … “
This shows as well that there is something to fix in your Mac.
Proress should play as silk with an Octocore. It do it in a MBP.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com