Downloading From The Sony EX

[Craig Seeman]

I’m sure many NLEs will include ways to import the files directly (MPEG2 wrapped in MP4 – interestingly enough).

You might want to contact the folks who currently develop Media 100 (Boris I believe). It might be a good question to ask on the Media 100 Cow forum.

These days it’s quite common for SDI to carry Video, Audio, Time Code.

[Michael Slowe]

Craig, I already posted everywhere including E Mails to the Media 100 support and sales people. I am a long time user and supporter of Media 100 and want to stay with them but they are not at all encouraging on this issue. They seem to doubt that there will be much demand!!! I explained that I (and many others including you) think that the EX is the biggest thing since sliced bread (there’s an old saying) and I am waiting with some impatience for the day they see it happening.

There is a Sony free download of software that transcodes the .MXF files into .MOV files that I can then import into Media 100 but that is through Quick Time Pro and it all seems a bit of a performance. It would though enable editing in HD which I do already by converting HDV to uncompressed HD through the excellent Convergent Design HD-Connect.

[Craig Seeman]

[Michael Slowe] “hey seem to doubt that there will be much demand!!!”
Maybe they meant they didn’t think there’d be much demand for Media 100s these days.

Media 100 has been resurrected so many times I could have sworn I saw a zombie carrying one in Sci Fi Channel feature.

Well I guess that’s when you know it’s time to move on to another NLE. The EX isn’t using the MXF wrapper (so I’ve read). It’s MPEG2 in an MP4 wrapper.

HD World is in NYC on OCT 10,11 (in two days) so I’m hopping Sony will have one there as well as someone at the both who can answer questions. These days I’m having mixed results with booth critters knowing what they’re talking about at trade shows.

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[Michael Slowe] “Also someone wonders whether the down scale quality with the EX is as good as with the HDV Z1. It should be better since it is starting with a better quality image (1/2” block, proper 1920 X 1080, better lens etc).”

Not really….espeacially if one records on to highly compressed HD codec and then downconverts.

[Craig Seeman]

I strongly expect that 35mbps VBR with 1920×1080 (and that can be 1080p not just 1080i) source from 1/2″ CMOS chips will look better than the Z1 with 25mbps CBR and 1/3″ CCDs.

We need to see how the downconvert looks coming out of the HD-SDI port and that may vary depending doing it “live” vs off the compressed video on the cards.

[Don Greening]

[Craig Seeman] “We need to see how the downconvert looks coming out of the HD-SDI port and that may vary depending doing it “live” vs off the compressed video on the cards.”

I wan’t going to jump in on this thread but……..why not just ask the folks who use the big boy XDCAMs and see what their thoughts are with regard to the SD version of anything they’ve down-converted from HD? They may already know that an SDI downconvert is better/the same/worse as a software down-conversion.

As far as my idea for workflow goes – the next update of FCP will apparently have the ability to capture XDCAM right from the capture window. I would then capture HD and edit in an XDCAM HD timeline, render and output an HD master to a QT movie. Just about everything I do goes to SD DVD right now, so I would use Compressor to make a 16:9 SD MPEG2 version for DVD Studio Pro. Done like dinner (I hope).

– Don

[Craig Seeman]

Since nearly everything I do is going to SD DVD, I’m thinking of Flip4Mac Pipeline which can take SD from SDI and realtime downconvert to DVCPro50 and IMX50.

I’d like to find out if the time code will match. If so, then I can edit in SD and “auto assemble” HD from the SD timeline if I need to do an HD version.

I suspect the HD to SD downconvert in Compressor (which should like nice) may be very slow.

Basically since SD still is dominant amongst my clients I’m thinking if I can convert to SD realtime and auto assemble HD as needed that would be the fastest workflow.

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[Don Greening] “.why not just ask the folks who use the big boy XDCAMs and see what their thoughts are with regard to the SD version of anything they’ve down-converted from HD?”

I am not the big boy but i own f330 xdcam hd.
It records DVCAM as well on disk,quality of that is worse then from DSR-450 DVCAM camcorder.
Downconversion from F330 XDCAM HD 35 to SD/DV is worse then shooting on DSR-450,but it is better then Z1 oringinal.

Original XDCAM HD 35 footage from F330 is OK…18 and 25 is no good.

To sum it all up:HVX200 is better then Z1 and EX1 will be better then HVX200 and 2 years later Panasonic will have HVX300 with INTRA codec and megapixel bloc and 4 years later………

Shoulder cameras are still better but not any people want to carry them and pay for them.

[Craig Seeman]

I’d thought I’d note that DSR-450 is a 2/3″ CCD chip camera so I’m not surprised its SD looks better than the 330 in many cases.

If I downconverted from EX1 it would be to 4:2:2 (DVCPro50, IMX50 maybe) not DVCam (4:1:1) so that might not make any difference superficially but I that might help if one is compositing in SD.

I’ve heard from other XDCAM users that 18mbps is so poor that “no one” really uses that.

We “KNOW” that Panasonic is going to have Intra on their next camera (my gut tells me). I kinds miss the days when one got a good BetaSP rig and was set for a few years.

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[Craig Seeman] “If I downconverted from EX1 it would be to 4:2:2 (DVCPro50, IMX50 maybe) not DVCam (4:1:1) so that might not make any difference superficially but I that might help if one is compositing in SD.”

How do you make picture from EX to DVCPRO50 4:2:2 if EX records 4:2:0?

[Craig Seeman] “I’d thought I’d note that DSR-450 is a 2/3″ CCD chip camera so I’m not surprised its SD looks better than the 330 in many cases.”

F330 has got 1/2′ 1,500 000 pixel block with decent processing.DSR-450 has got megapixel Digi Beta Power head inside.”Problem” is f330 is HD camera not SD camera.

[Craig Seeman] “We “KNOW” that Panasonic is going to have Intra on their next camera (my gut tells me).

HPX-2000 and HPX-3000 – great cameras!