Capture card in 4:2:2 color?

[Mike Smith]

DSR 500 is nice camera for DVCAM / standard definition: I’ve hired crews using it and had very good results.

You can obviously switch to edit in full broadcast uncompressed standard definition, capturing via an (expensive) dvcam deck with SDI output, or the DSR45 I think has component out. You will need a lot more disc space and a very fast RAID to handle the speed you need for data in and out.

Your footage will not improve at all. Your colour correction potential will improve only a little. Your chromakeying in PPro will improve, though I much prefer to use Keylight in After Effects to key, and have found it produces excellent results even from DVCAM.

Unless your final output is to broadcast tape (or film), nobody but you is going to see the difference.

I have set up to use uncompressed standard def from digitbeta via a decklink card alongside a firewire fast-and-cheap, and have found, to my surprise, that the differences in final output to tape or DVD are very, very difficult to spot.

BTW, the Decklink card I find very good, even if the Windows drivers are still evolving very rapdily and perhaps have a little way to go – e.g. as of yet your only editiable windows capture is in uncompressed or DV. On the Mac, Decklink will reportedly capture offering a range of Quicktime codecs.

I suspect that PPro is not to blame for your feeling of lacklustre quality, and probably nor is the DV codec. Interesting stories well told, striking photography, action, composition, lighting, great audio, editing … Does the DSR500ws not let you play with the image set-up to produce different looks …?

Hope it all works out.