Codec degradation over generations or renders?

[Matt Campbell]

I read about ProRes in the white papers and being able to hold to multiple outputs but just wasn’t sure about renders. Thanks for the clarification.

OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Mat,
Rendering is always degrading.
Whenever you drop footage in a FC sequence, the footage is converted to full uncompress 444.
The last step of the rendering is the re-compression of that uncompressed image to the codec of the time-line. Here, unless you export to an Uncompress 444 codec, you will always have a lose.
Even if you export to 10b Unc, there is degradation.
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Matt Campbell]

Hmmm. I didn’t know that. Thanks. So if I’m editing footage from our HVX 200 in a DVCProHD timeline, would it be best to transcode my masters on export to either ProRes or even 10-bit uncompressed files upon completion, to help minimize further gen loss from the DVCPro HD codec?

I don’t work with tape. We’re completely digital, since most of our material is for presentation videos, web and corporate video. Hardly any broadcast work at all. We farm that out to the big dogs! I simply archive my digital masters to our servers, which gets backed up to LTO tape.

OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Matt,
Whatever the footage you work with and the workflow you fallow, a rule of thumb is to avoid re-compression.
Unless you have to deliver in DVCProHD, there are advantages in rendering to a 10b codec.
but you also need to set “Rendering in high precision” .
This setting will improve the render quality and will work even if you render to an 8b codec.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Matt Campbell]

great. thx for the advice. I keep forgetting about that tab.

OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card