distributing EX1 clips

[Noah Kadner]

H.264 .MOVs on a server would be the most compatible/simplest way of distributing clips. Any Mac or PC with the QuickTime Player installed would be able to play them.

Noah

Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio.

[Craig Seeman]

But H.264 GOP would be horrible for editing and could take a quality hit when transcoded to another easier to edit codec.

BPAVs would allow one to edit as is or rewrap as needed (or transcode if backed into that). Of course they’d have to be familiar with BPAVs though or they may do something untoward with them.

AppleProRes is available for both Mac and Windows but Windows users would need to have a recent version of Quicktime and the wherewithal to transcode if needed.

This is one of those “no matter what I do someone is going to grumble at me” situations IMHO.

[Noah Kadner]

I wouldn’t say H.264 is *horrible* for editing. It looks decent enough at higher bitrates and can be easily converted to more edit-friendly codecs. It’s IMHO the best tradeoff between size, quality and compatibility- which is probably why so many cameras are shooting to it as a format these days.

Is it as good as say Animation, Uncompressed or ProRes? No of course not. But the OP should probably define what’s most important- portability, ultimate image quality, cross-platform compatibility- etc. BPAV folders are fine but good luck getting a majority of people to figure out how to use them…

Noah

Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio.

[Greg Ondera]

Getting people that haven’t used BPAV folders to use that would be a nightmare. I see so many posts on this site with savvy camera people befuddled by BPAV until they use it a few times. I would recommend QuickTime H.264 and not mp4 either, as you can’t edit this in FCP without the Calibrated plugin. H.264 is not terrible looking, and although it can’t ultimately stand up to Pro Res, I would not know the difference at first glance.

Greg Ondera
http://www.Plexus.tv
http://www.SurgeonToday.org

[Craig Seeman]

And there be people on Windows NLEs who will curse using H.264 GOP. There’s a world of editors out there that have nothing to do with Macs or Final Cut Pro. They may be able to play the file in Quicktime but their NLEs may not and they may not be happy dumping a transcode job on them. The transcode itself can be a quality hit.

Imagine going from XDCAM GOP to H.264 GOP to transcode to whatever . . . and you’re doing broadcast work and need to use the source for compositing for another round of damage.

[Noah Kadner]

I kinda doubt this is for ‘broadcast’ work or the guy would simply send over a hard drive of uncompressed footage. I thought he wanted to create a repository of scenic footage for local companies who don’t have time/money to make their own- i.e. a total not for hire freebie. To me H.264 seems like a good solution. It’s cheap, portable and can be used as a decent source by converting to other formats. And yes any Mac or PC can load it to convert.

Not sure what you are suggesting as an alternative to H.264. Raw BPAV folders make no sense unless we’re talking about companies who already work with Sony XDCAM cameras which seems like a far more narrow field than simply having the QuickTime Player. Clarification from OP please…

Noah

Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio.

[Bob Tompkins]

I am thinking the OP is way in over his head now.

[Noah Kadner]

“I am thinking the OP is way in over his head now. ”

That could be the motto of this whole forum lol.

Noah

Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio.

[Ronnie Martin]

Hello Noah: We all had to start somewhere and we need to be careful about putting some of our Editing challenged people (like me)down. My original occupation of many years I’m sure would baffle you if I started describing the intricate procedures in Endodontic therapy.

I don’t mean this as a put down for you.. you are a fountain of knowledge and I have learned much from your posts. At the same time just remember that there was a point where we all started in this industry and some of us are still learning every day. Most of the time when I am having a problem with a project it is something so simple and basic that I am missing and I am embarrassed to post a question.

Take care my friend and keep up the good work

Ronnie
https://www.ramtv.tv

Ronnie Martin
Kato Video Productions
http://www.dirtracingvideo.com

[Noah Kadner]

My comment was meant as a joke- hence the LOL at the end. If I didn’t care about helping people who were in over their head I wouldn’t be here…. 🙂

Noah

Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio.