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best codec for 720p from FCP to Avid and other doubts
Hi everybody,
I’ve been looking around the forums and gained a lot of info, but I havent managed to find the answers to my particular questions:
I’m going to edit a documentary with 40 or 50 hours of footage, shot with the P2 in 720p@24fps.
Unfortunately for me, the footage has been already captured into a FCP and the original drives have been erased, so I can´t access the original MXF files. I’m going to have to export from FCP into Avid and spend a lot of time reorganizing the footage.
I’ve already decided that I’m going to export QT using Avid codecs to avoid the whole QT DVCPRO HD issue (I’m working on a PC). I understand that the QTs in FCP have suffered no loss because they’re the original MXF data in a QT wrapper.
My questions are:
Will I loose any quality by exporting to AvidDV100 or will I still be wrapping the original data in yet another wrapper?
Would you recommend AvidDV100 or some DNxHD codec? I’ll be working in a 720p@23.976 project and I think I’ll only be able to use DNxHD90, which has a lower data rate than the original footage. Or could I read DNxHD145 on this project?
I have a mojo. Is there any way to get SD output in a project like this, be it PAL or NTSC? I can´t seem to output any SD signal. I’m in a PAL country, but I have a monitor thet can play NTSC.
I’m going to blowup to 35mm in the end, so I don´t expect any problems there regardless of the timebase, but will output to 25 fps dvds or tapes will be possible? i’m currently on an XpressProHD, but I can migrate to MC software if necessary.I’ll have to use 25i footage at some point. I’ve heard this is a nightmare. Is that so?
Sorry for asking so many questions, I’m new to this whole workflow and I wouldn’t want to mess up from the start.
Cheers,
Renato.
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3 Replies
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One possible way to do this is to use some tools from the Red world. Assuming you’re on a Mac, and are able to read the DVCPro Quicktime files, download a copy of MetaCheater (look it up in Google). This tool will allow you to create an ALE file from a folder full of Quicktimes. Since you’re making a 720/23.98 project, you’ll have to check the “NTSC Film Project” button in Metacheater to allow for a 24->60 conversion, since Avid still thinks in video format terms (720/24 doesn’t exist as a video format, only 720/60 does). Generate an ALE, import it into a bin, and duplicate the Start TC into the TC24 column. Now you’re all set. Highlight everything in the bin and go to Clip->Batch Import (in XPress Pro, you can find it under the hamburger menu at the bottom of the bin window). Highlight everything in the Clip Name column and click on Set File Location. Select the first file in the list and Batch Import will fill in all of the remaining source file names. Set up the Import Target settings. For 720p/24, you can select DNxHD60, DNxHD90, or DVCProHD. If you select DVCProHD, it should do a fast import and rewrap the QT files back to MXF form. The bad news is that you won’t be able to see the images on anything other than your computer monitor without either rendering or transcoding to DNxHD. The good news is that you can walk away while your existing files are imported and when you come back, you’ll have all of them ready to go, along with master clips, in Avid form. This is probably the easiest and best way to get Quicktime material into an Avid program without going to tape and redigitizing.
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Thanks a lot, I’m looking into it.
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Curious to know how things turned out? Were you able to get the media out of Final Cut and into the Avid?
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