Decklink with DVCAM

[Trevor Kinsey]

If you output to DVCam your result will be DVCam. It doesn’t matter whether you use a deck or camera the format is 4:1:1 (or 4:2:0 if you are shooting PAL). Your graphics will only improve if you output to a different format, and your camera vision will always show the limitations of the DVCam format.

Having said that, we use DVCam (PAL) for most of our work and the results are very, very good. We shoot Betacam SP or Digital Betacam when we are chromakeying the vision and TVCs are usually output to Betacam SP before being sent for broadcast (we don’t own a Digi Beta recorder). Most material can’t be distinguished from Digi Beta, particularly after it has been broadcast.

Trevor Kinsey,
Technical Producer,
CVP Film and Television,
Melbourne,
Australia

[Jason]

So if I output to BetaSP via decklink… I can output 4:2:2?

If so, how do I render my edits in 4:2:2?

Is it as simple as buying the Main Concept 50Mb codec?

[Trevor Kinsey]

Sorry I’m a Final Cut user so I don’t know how you would do it in Premier. In FCP you would edit on an uncompressed timeline (all DV material would need rendering) and output analogue (YUV) to the SP deck (I don’t know of any SP recorders with SDI inputs, you could use Digi Beta). We normally input from a DVCam deck (DSR1500P or DSR45P) via component analogue as uncompressed so that the clips do not require rendering. All graphics and any uncompressed vision would be true 4:2:2. DV material would be in a uncompressed codec, but would still have the original data loss associated with the DVCam compression.

Trevor Kinsey,
Technical Producer,
CVP Film and Television,
Melbourne,
Australia

[Jason]

So in FCP, you must capture the DVCAM footage component?
Could you capture via firewire and still place the footage in an uncompressed timeline?

[Dane Silzle]

Hi Jason,

What Trevor is saying here “We normally input from a DVCam deck (DSR1500P or DSR45P) via component analogue as uncompressed so that the clips do not require rendering. All graphics and any uncompressed vision would be true 4:2:2. DV material would be in a uncompressed codec, but would still have the original data loss associated with the DVCam compression.” Is that the DVCAM signal is converted through a Component (YUV) or SDI out put from these
DVCAM Decks.

I do somthing like Trevor. I use a Canopus ADVC 1000 Firewire to SDI 10 bit uncompressed Bi-directional converter.
I connect my Sony DSR 30 or my JVC DV6000 decks Firewire i/o to the ADVC 1000 that out-puts to SDI 10 bit uncompressed ( Digibeta signal ) and edit in the uncompressed world. You could also use the Convergent Design
SD- Connect unit there’s a link advertised in the upper right corner of this web page, instead of the Canopus ADVC 1000.

Advantages:
1). (If your original DVCAM footage is good) It will remain good and retain “Lossless quality” (it’s integraty) throughout
the edit process.
A). Graphics and composite work look much better, they don’t have the Gradiating and artifacts that are associated
with working in DV.
B). I to, have a Beta SP deck and this makes a nice out-put media through my Decklink Extreme card which supports
both SDI and YUV out.
C). If your out put is to DVD you should see a marked improvment (depending on your MP2 compression skills)
D). I hesitate to make this bold of a statment, but I find even after after taking my footage in at 10 bit, edit it (Multiple
cuts, add some Graphics, in and out of AE and send movies back to FCP), that, if I go out of my Bi-Directional Converter back to DVCAM/DV, it still looks better than if I do a straight DVCAM/DV edit .

Disadvantages:

1). HARD DRIVE SPEED AND SPACE, Uncompressed footage requires a lot of space and a high data Rate
you will need a decent RAID to handel the workflow.

2). It cost more :)

Welcome to the world of wanting more……….from your expensive DVCAM Camera.

here is my systems:
#1
Dual G5 2ghz
2.5gig DDR
OS 10.4
Canopus ADVC 1000 bi-directional DV to SDI converter (rack unit)
Decklink HD Pro (HDI and SDI capture card)
ATTO UL4D (SCSI controler)
2 – HUGE U320R RAID’s stripped togather to make 1.2 BT ( 320mbs write, 295mbs read)
running: FCP 5, DVDSP 4, A.E. 6.5, Maya 7, DP 4.6, Peak 4, all with (Waves, Magic bullet, Knoll lights, Primatte)
pluggins.

#2
Dual G4 1.42ghz
2.5gb DDR
OS 10.4
Declink Extreme (SDI and YUV i/o capture card)
G-Tech 500Gig Fw800 G-RAID ( OK for 2 video tracks 8 Bit uncompressed )
running: FCP 5 , DVDSP 4, A.E. 6.5, DP 4.6, Peak 4, all with same pluggins as above system.

I shoot on a JVC GY-DV5000U and DSR 200
Capture from DV6000 deck and DSR 30
Master to BetaSP deck, DVCAM, DVD and HDD.

Hope this helps answer some questions (sorry for my spelling).

Dane Silzle
drp
http://www.drppost.com

[Jason]

Thanks very much. That explanation is very helpful.

What do you think of this configuration?

G5 Power Mac Quad
4 GB RAM
2 TB storage (enough?)
AJA Kona 2 Dual-link HD/SD Capture
Sony DSR-1500 DVCAM deck w/ SDI and component in/out
FCP 5

will this allow me to edit uncompressed and output an excellent image?
Is it worth the extra expense for the quality increase?

Thanks in advance,
Jason

[Graeme Nattress]

You can output 4:2:2 but you can’t record it to BetaSP. BetaSP is an old analogue format that is not good enough to record a 4:2:2 signal. BetaSP has about 3/4 the luma rez of your DVCAM, so you’re just dropping quality mastering to it. Now, if you master to DigiBeta, that’s a different kettle of fish, and indeed, for SD, is the best format to master too.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Dane Silzle]

Jas,

Your configuration looks OK so long as your drive system can handel the speed needed for 10bit or 8 bit uncompressed
SD or HD please check with Blackmagicdesign for the system requirements. Certanly Your Volume (2T) is important,
but, speed will determine the amount of Track of A/V you’ll be able to run at once.

Also I would like to here how the Quads are working with all the above hardware and software (one would think , GREAT ) however it wouldn’t hert to check with all the Manufactures before buying.

Good luck

Dane Silzle
drp
http://www.drppost.com