Final Cut Pro – Edit to tape accuracy – does it exist?

[Jeff Bernstein]

In general, the deck control system in FCP is not good. While it is better in FCP 5, it is still not that good. What really should happen is that there should be a mechanism for telling FCP which deck model you have attached. In the RS422 deck protocol, FCP could poll the deck to see which deck is connected, then change the preferences accordingly. But it doesn’t and it should. Heck, if we could just manually tell FCP which deck we have attached, that would be fine.

Please be aware that frame accuracy with FCP and a D5HD is nearly impossible, no matter how hard you try. With HDCAM SR, it is 100% repeatable (aka accurate), as is a DigiBeta.

Jeff Bernstein

Digital Desktop Consulting
Apple Pro Video VAR
XSAN Certified

323-653-7611

[David Chai]

No disrespect intended but did you configure the deck TC settings correcctly? I can do assemble, inserts with frame accuracy onto D5 Decks no problem. If the TC settings are wrong then the deck will consistently edit in at the wrong point on the tape. I thought I was going mad, but had the luxury of 2 D5 decks to test with and it worked on the other one. The problem was traced back to a TC setting of 30 frames instead of 24 in the TC convert menu. This is with a Kona2, DVCPRO HD footage at 1080psf, 23.976.

David 😀

[Jordan Woods]

if there are frame offset errors on a D5, the error is between the chair and the computer.