converting XDCam to ProRes422

Sony Cameras

converting XDCam to ProRes422

Posted by Jason Starr on September 6, 2011 at 6:16 pm

I recently shot with an EX3 in Europe using XDCam 1080i50 format. I want to edit the film, which will have elements from other formats, in Apple ProRes422 1080i50. Which would provide better quality for the conversion: 1-going directly from the camcorder via HD-SDI to AJA IO HD capturing ProRess or 2-Capturing in XDCam and using Compressor to do the conversion?

Thanks for your feedback!
-Jason

Brent Dunn replied 14 years, 7 months ago 4 Members · 5 Replies
5 Replies

Andy Mees
September 7, 2011 at 3:02 am

Any difference in quality would be insignificant … direct capture to ProRes via the AJA IoHD would be by far the fastest route.
Brent Dunn
September 9, 2011 at 5:13 pm

Just plug in the camera with the card still in the camera using a USB cable. Drag the entire BPAV folder into your hard drive copying it into a folder you have created.

If you have the Log and Transfer update in your Final Cut Pro, all you have to do is select, File, Log and Transfer. Then select your clips to import and Final Cut will transcode everything automatically.

I never use compressor. Too many issues.

Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.net

Sony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut Studio

HP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite
Andy Mees
September 10, 2011 at 2:21 am

Sorry Brent, I don’t think thats quite correct, FCP Log and Transfer does not transcode XDCAM footage to ProRes as your post seems to suggest, it simply copies over the native video essence from the XDCAM source files to your Scratch disc, and saves them there in Quicktime Movie wrappers. It does do a transcode for some tapeless media formats certainly, but not for any XDCAM format, not the last time I looked.

Hope it helps
Andy
Michael Slowe
September 10, 2011 at 11:02 am

And, you must be correct, with Media 100 I have to select the codec within that (my choice is ProRes usually) and then do the import and it’s probably the same with FCP. But Brent is right, for goodness sake preserve the complete BPAV folder.

Michael Slowe
Brent Dunn
September 13, 2011 at 4:10 pm

I haven’t changed my settings since setting up my log and transfer, so I was under the impression it did transcode the footage to proRes. Whatever it does, it works great and I don’t have any issues editing on my quad core, 4 year old machine.

Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.net

Sony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut Studio

HP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite

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