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maximum file size limit fcp/quicktime??
I’ve got a G5, Kona HD card, and xserve raid. We’re working in 720p59.94 uncompressed from varicam origination source material.
I’ve got a finished show with audio, color correct, etc, sitting on my system, that I need to master to D5. Easiest/cheapest way to do this I think will be to transfer the show to a post house with an uncompressed FCP system and a D5 machine.
So, I’m going to need to output a self-contained quicktime file of the 53 minute uncompressed 10-bit 720p59.94 sequence. I’m expecting the resulting quicktime to be roughly half a terabyte. Will this large a file be allowed under OSX, quicktime, and FCP? I will need to render it to a large fw drive or array for transferring to the post house. They prefer if it is one huge file so they don’t have to put anything together again, but I’m not sure whether this file is going to be at all manageable/allowable, plus finding an inexpensive storage medium for transferring it could be hard. So, do I need to split it up, or will it be OK as one 500gb file?
Also, what is the most economical way of putting together 500gb+ of storage as one logical drive if you don’t care about getting enough throughput for realtime playback, just file transfer?
Production Coordinator
New England Aquarium
Boston, MA -
4 Replies
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[Jeffrey Herzog] “I’ve got a G5, Kona HD card, and xserve raid. We’re working in 720p59.94 uncompressed from varicam origination source material.
I’ve got a finished show with audio, color correct, etc, sitting on my system, that I need to master to D5. Easiest/cheapest way to do this I think will be to transfer the show to a post house with an uncompressed FCP system and a D5 machine.”
Ok, I’m a little confused here. You say you’re working in 720p / 59.94 uncompressed from varicam origination material and then you say you need to go to a post house with an uncompressed system? Do you mean you’re working with native DVCPro HD codec and now want to master to D5?
That’s easy, just rent a D5 deck and output via HD-SDI from your Kona 2. No need to export a movie as it will probably look better going straight out to HD-SDI.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Thanks for the quick response. No, I’m working in uncompressed all the time– always HD-SDI in/out. Its just that renting a D5 deck in Boston is actually a very difficult, expensive proposition, so I’m trying to figure out the most economical way of getting my finished sequence in the same physical studio space as a D5 deck. I wouldn’t lose anything in quality, I don’t think, by just creating a self contained uncompressed quicktime from uncompressed media. I just want to find out a way to have someone else carrying out the mastering process, dealing with things like the fact that the master needs to be drop frame, and fcp doesn’t allow drop frame in a 720p59.94 sequence, etc. Plus, I already need to have them do a teranex conversion to 1080i/dub to HDCAM– I figure might as well do one-stop shopping.
But, my question remains about a 500gb+ quicktime file.
Production Coordinator
New England Aquarium
Boston, MA -
Ok, well then the best thing for you to do is to find a post house with FCP and a D5 deck. Any 500GB+ drive will work for the quicktime export, especially if the post house has a Fibre Channel drive for you to transfer to.
As for editing from a non-drop timeline to to the drop frame 1080i master, what will happen is that the Terranex will drop the first field and that’s it. I’ve actually done this exact process with 720 / 59.94 timeline and editing directly to an HDCAM via the Terranex. All it did was to drop the first field.
Be sure to do this edit with FCP 5 to ensure frame accuracy, FCP 4.5 will slip a few frames backwards or forwards with each edit to tape. Also note that the Terranex will cause the audio to advance by one frame during the 720p conversion. We have not gotten answer as to why the Terranex does this, but it’s only on 720p conversions that this audio / video sync issue comes up. So you may have to offset your audio track back by one frame.
Just FYI, I’ve actually built a fully mobile FCP / Uncompressed HD system that packs up into road cases so when I need to master out to D5 or HDCAM, I simply take the system to a facility here in town and master right out of my system. Works extremely well and the system lives permanently in the cases so even when it’s here in the shop, it’s working.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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FYI Jeff, feel free to email me or call me directly if you want to discuss this process at all. I went through about 5 months of testing and trials before we finally came up with a working solution to this very workflow.
All my contact info is on my website.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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