FCP5 has built in 1200 deck control?

[Gary Adcock]

the DVCPROHD components are NOT part of Final Cut Pro. They need to be downloaded and installed separately for use in FCP5 / QT7

Even if you had them previously been installed – make sure you re-install them with QT7

gary adcock

Studio37
HD and Film Consultation

[Otis F]

Hello All,

This Varicam/DVCPro HD format is driving me batty, I keep getting conflicting stories as to how it works with FCP. I am also in Pal country (England), and was planning on editing a piece shot on a Varicam at various frame rates. Most of the footage has been shot at 25p, but there are some 50 and 60p stuff as well. I planned on going down the firewire/native codec route but now I discover that this isn’t possible at 25p- it seems that this format isn’t ready yet for a Pal workflow using FCP, can someone let me know when this will change? So my options now are to go in via my Kona 2, but I’ll have to downconvert as I don’t have a fast enough Raid for HD/SDI. Then I’ll have to get the online done elsewhere at great expense. Do you still need the FRC when you go in HD/SDI?

I’m starting to wonder what the hell I bought that 30″ Apple HD monitor and the Blackmagic HDlink for?!

Please help me I’m drowning.

Cheers

Otis F

[Leo Ticheli]

Hi Otis,
First, let me tell you that I have no PAL/25p experience. I do, however, have years of VariCam/FCP experience; we use it on a daily basis, both SD and HD with no serious issues.

I don’t think the 30″ monitor is a wise choice; the 23″ is the one you need to use as a line monitor. I’m sure the 30″ is lovely as an edit monitor, however.

I advise you to contact Black Magic and AJA for a suggested work-flow and equipment recommendation. I use the Black Magic DeckLink HD cards with great success; other’s use AJA and give them good reports as well. I’ve used both companies products and found quality and support to be good.

I am a strong proponent of doing everything on-line. A review of the posts here will give you the pros and cons of this approach, but online is faster and eliminates opportunities for problems. You do need storage; we use XServe RAID’s and they are bullet-proof. Others report success with different storage solutions, but I avoid them because OS and FCP upgrades could possibly cause problems down the road. I like a single source where possible.

Loading via FireWire is a bad idea except for off-line. Every effect and layer degrades the image. If you’re color grading with an off-line resolution, you probably have to redo everything with full resolution anyway.

You do not need an FRC if you have a DeckLink card; I’m sure AJA offers the same function.

I hope this helps!

Best regards,
Leo

Director/Cinematographer
Southeast USA

[Dale Mccready]

thanks for your help

Dale

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

>Loading via FireWire is a bad idea except for off-line. Every effect and >layer degrades the image. If you’re color grading with an off-line >resolution, you probably have to redo everything with full resolution >anyway.

This is only partly true, and depending upon your delivery format, may or may not be significant. If you’re coming in via SDI, you go through one decode cycle coming off tape. If you go in via Firewire, you go through the same one decode cycle when you create an effect (you don’t incur any decoding cycles if the material is cuts only), only it’s done in software. Unless you’re really fond of nesting, this is the only decode cycle you go through, one per source, for each rendered effect. On playout, you avoid an encoding (i.e., compression) cycle only if you record on an uncompressed format – and since there isn’t any common uncompressed HD tape format, that’s very unlikely, unless you are somehow delivering files rather than tape (also unlikely). If you’re playing out to DVCPro HD, that encoding cycle is avoided if you go out via Firewire, because the material is already compressed. If you go out via SDI, you go through the same encoding and compression, only you do it in the recording deck. But the result is the same – one encoding/compression cycle after rendering. In fact, if you have material that is not being affected in any way, it could be argued that the Firewire approach is considerably more transparent, since there are no decode/encode cycles involved at all. The only time this situation changes is if you’re playing out to a format other than DVCPro HD, since the extra encode/compression cycle to return the material to DV100 format can be avoided. This can indeed be significant.

If, however, you’re playing out to DVCPro HD, other than a situation in which the editor does a lot of nesting – thus defeating the “render once” scenario – I can’t really see what the advantages are that Leo is alluding to. To me, the situation with DVCPro HD is no different than with DV25 – and it’s yet to be proven to me that there’s any real advantage to decompressing that format prior to editing, other than taking up a hell of a lot more storage and slowing down system response.

[Walter Biscardi]

Well thought out Mike.

As I’ve noted before, for strictly capture, the SDI and Firewire captures are identical.

For Filters / Rendering, etc…. the differences between the uncompressed SDI timeline and the Firewire timeline are barely visible depending on what the footage is. In some cases, there is no visible difference between the SDI workflow and the Firewire workflow. DVCPro HD is a very very clean format, even working in the native codec.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Now in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Peter Steinman]

Hmm I’ve never installed anything besides FCP 5 as shipped and it has every DVCPRO HD setting and full deck control of my 1200 thru firewire built in. You mean support for variable frame rates ? It supports 24p, 25p, 50p, and 60p out of the box as far as I can tell. I haven’t actually used anything else so, not sure on the random rates.

[Rob Bygott]

Hi all,

I haven’t yet upgraded to FCP5 so can people please advise me – without any question of doubt – as to whether FCP5 does in fact support editing a 25fps timeline using the DVCPRO HD codec. I did a job last year and had to edit 23.98 (what a pain!). I’m shooting a 1/2hr drama in OCT with the Varicam and just want to make sure that if I shoot 25P that my post path using FCP and loading through firewire with the 1200A is in fact the way to go. all comments are welcome – however I only want to know about the world of PAL. (and Hi Dale)

cheers,

Rob

[Gary Adcock]

[Rob Bygott] ” without any question of doubt – as to whether FCP5 does in fact support editing a 25fps timeline using the DVCPRO HD codec.”

no it does not.
Many 3rd part cards do ( Aja’s Kona 2 does a SDI – DVCPROHD conversion on 25FPS on the fly)

the varicam is based on 24fps content .

gary adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation

[Gary Adcock]

[Rob Bygott] ” without any question of doubt – as to whether FCP5 does in fact support editing a 25fps timeline using the DVCPRO HD codec.”

no it does not.
Many 3rd part cards do ( Aja’s Kona 2 does a SDI – DVCPROHD conversion on 25FPS on the fly)

the varicam is based on 24fps content .

gary adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation