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FCP and Varicam questions
Hi everyone-
I’m about to start editing a film. I’d like to use my FCP system. The producers are thinking they want to bring in all the footage in the native varicam format rather than downconverting to DV so they can save money by not having to make DVcam dubs, and not having to pay for an online… I’ve never edited in the native Varicam format before, but I assume once its in the system, its no different than any other footage…
So, I have a few questions that maybe someone here with some experience can help me answer:
1> Do I need some kind of card (like a blackmagic or AJA card or something to put into my G5 that will allow me to pull footage from a varicam deck? And if so, how much (roughly) should I expect to pay for such a card? Which ones are the best?
2> I have 1.5 TB of storage on my system. How many hours of Varicam footage can I expect to get with that amount of space?
3> Are there any areas I should watch out for that could come back to bite me in the rear by using the native varicam footage?
4> If buying a card and renting a varicam deck proove to be very expensive, how much would I normally expect to pay if I wanted to rent a suite that was already set up with a FCP system which could digitize varicam footage?
5> Are there any places that offer good tech support for FCP if you didnt buy the system from them? (In other words, has anyone had any luck with good ‘after market’ tech support packages?) and how much should I expect to pay for this kind of service?
Thanks much!
David
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2 Replies
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Welcome to the world of HD what are the specs of your current system (and please be spicific)
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I’m on quad 2.5 GHz G5 with 8 Gigs of RAM. I have 1.5 TBof storage (via Gtech G-Raid FW800 drives). My system has 2 Apple cinema displays (a 23″ and a 30″) running off a GEForce 7800GT video card…. I’m running FCP 5.0.4 and my OS is 10.4.8. As to what that are shooting, I believe it is 24p HD Varicam. Not sure which camera they are using (or if thats even really relavant)… Did I forget any specs?
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