Backup question, am I getting highest quality?

[Russell Lasson]

[kevin c.] “Is the footage I capture into FCE, always gauranteed to be be HD and not standard?”

As long as you capture from a HD source. Like a HDV camera over firewire.

[kevin c.] “2) will hardrive of footage I hand over to an editor be 100% the quality than if I had handed over a backup tape”

If I understand FCE right (I’m a FCP user so I could be wrong) it doesn’t digitize the video to native HDV, but uses the Apple intermediate codec (which is still a good option). When give the footage to an editor, will the editor be using FCP or FCE or another edit system? It might be better to have them digitize it or for you to buy FCP if you need native HDV footage.

I suggest you talk it over with someone before you start a project. We’ll try to be as helpful as we can.

-Russ

[Kevin C.]

that’s fascinating Russel.
ok so

1) as long as I capture with the HD camera I shot I’m in Hd ok

2) isn’t that interesting what you say? One would assume you capture footage to hard drive and it’s 100% perfect quality, so you see why I ask these questions.

“Probably” most editors I use will have FCP, but who knows? some may have AVid etc.
But you are saying there is something about FCE that is of lower quality than FCP.

(now for project file itself this does not matter ie, that if I just post video to web, later, the footage could be recaptured) —

but in short, wondering if this should be an option (capturing to hard drive) and handing off a hard drive, or maybe best to just make back up tape and hand off a tape

[Russell Lasson]

[kevin c.] “But you are saying there is something about FCE that is of lower quality than FCP.”

If I remember right, FCE doesn’t edit HDV natively, so it uses a different file format. FCP can edit HDV natively (though it can be a pain).

For the most part, it sounds like you would be okay to just hand a drive over to someone, but you really want to test with a small file before you do.

If in doubt, then find someone who knows what they’re doing to walk you through it when you get a project in.

-Russ

[Kevin C.]

Thanks Russell
ok, I’ll reley on person handling the project, but isn’t it strange that product with HD in titile of the product , you have to worry that is not deliver HD perfectly for you?

(also, curious for my own knowledge what natively means, and why FCE does not do that and the hoops you have to do to get that in FCP)

[Russell Lasson]

[kevin c.] “(also, curious for my own knowledge what natively means, and why FCE does not do that and the hoops you have to do to get that in FCP)
“

When I say natively, FCP makes a copy of the data on the tape onto your system over firewire. HDV requires a lot of processing power to play it back. It can be kind of a pain. In order to make FCE more user friendly, Apple make FCE to convert HDV into a format that is easier to work with. I’m not sure that the majority of the world could tell the difference, but there is one.

As I’ve said before, Apple might have changed this feature in FCE, but I remember at one point this is how it worked. With FCP, you just connect the firewire cable are roll.

-Russ

[Misha Tenenbaum]

“ok, I’ll reley on person handling the project, but isn’t it strange that product with HD in titile of the product ”

Even when you are recording HD in a camera on the original source take for the most part this footage is compressed too. HD is a some what loose and evolving word.

The great thing about FCE is that it can capture HD footage but for the most part people use other programs like FCP, AVID Nitrous, to do ONLINE broadcast quality editing. Don’t be surprised it the editor asks for your master tapes. He may be redigitizing to “uprez” the video.

-Misha Tenenbaum
Video Symphony post production student

[Misha Tenenbaum]

in fact, to truly finish in HD from FCE you would need external hardware and card for your computer (like a black magic) that could output in HD

[Kevin C.]

thanks Misha, that’s very informative.