P2 media has a completely different timecode on Mac and PC

[Shane Ross]

How are you getting the files to the PC? Because DVCPRO HD when imported into FCP is not readable by any computer that doesn’t have FCP installed, and this especially means PCs. So are you using something like RAYLIGHT or MXF4QT to read the native MXF files on the FCP side, and then something else on the PC side? Can you explain the details in more….detail…please?

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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[James Graham]

the most reliable codec I found was called something like, Calibrated_MXF_for_windows. Anyway it containted the dvhq codec that is needed to view and edit them. Raylight kept stalling on me (it was only the demo but I’m not paying £60 for the full if the demo doesn’t work propperly. That seems like a losing gamble). I havn’t tried MXF4QT but then I havn’t needed to because until now I’ve had no problems and my mac and PC have been chatting like old friends. I am begining to wonder if part of the way the FCP re-Wrapped MXF is read is by altering the metadata, however that doesn’t seem to explain why the timecode on the PC (for exactly the same clip, not coppied or anything but same file, same hardrive) is 05:27:43:17 and 03:43:11:12 on the mac.

This may very well be the oddest problem I have ever encountered.

I posted this on the premier wall aswell to see if anyone had encountered the same problem when moving EDLs to premier with footage from solidstate recorders rather than tape.

the post said this:

“I recently shot a music video shooting on the HPX500 using Panasonic P2 cards recording at 720p 50F/s DVCPROHD etc. We set the timecode manualy on the shoot and because the shoot was quite intensive my lunch break was taken up Ingesting all the MXF files into my Hard drive using the Directors Macbook pro. I started by saving all the MXF files aswell but as soon as it became apparent this would take to long I just rewrapped the files using the “Log and Transfer” option in FCP. I took the files home and Edited them in FCP till I got what I wanted. I then Exported the Project as a CMX 3600 EDL and moved the EDL to the PC so that I could do the online and grading in After Effects. The EDL was imported successfully into premiere, the timeline the was perfect legnth, all the edits were in the right places and all the offline media displaying all the right timecodes. In short the EDL worked fine. However when the DVCPro HD clips where linked up the timecode of the clips, when displayed in Premiere, is completely different than when the same clip is showed in Final Cut Pro. The strangest thing about it is that I am using exactly the same hard drive for Premiere as I used for final cut pro on the mac. The source files are exactly the same except the PC shows the clip starting with the timecode 05:27:43:17 and the Mac shows the same clip starting with the timecode 03:43:11:12.”

any way thanks for your input, let me know if you have any ideas.

[Jeremy Garchow]

Not sure if that Calibrated plug in is handling the timecode correctly. It’s either that, or quicktime on PCs is not up for the task.

What version of Premiere are you using?

[Greg Booth]

Hi Jeremy,

The plugin he is most likely using is just the Calibrated{Q} DVCProHD Decode codec in Premiere Pro – as the Calibrated{Q} MXF Import is not used by Premiere Pro.

So if his workflow is opening up DVCProHD quicktime movies( that were created thru Log and Tranfer in FCP )in Premiere Pro then Premiere Pro is adjusting the timecode (since the Calibrated{Q} DVCProHD Decode codec does not use, adjust or report quicktime timecode). Premiere Pro does adjust timecode of a movie file if the timecode FPS in the movie file does not match the timecode FPS of the EDL or PPro timeline FPS – so PPro converts the file’s timecode into what it thinks it is supposed to be match PPro’s timeline FPS.

Cheers,
Greg

[Shane Ross]

[Greg Booth] “(since the Calibrated{Q} DVCProHD Decode codec does not use, adjust or report quicktime timecode).”

That’s not good at all. Makes that seem pretty pointless then. Timecode is gold.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Greg Booth]

Hi Shane,

I think there is some confusion :

the Calibrated{Q} DVCProHD Decode codec is a QuickTime Codec that decompresses DVCProHD video in QuickTime Movies – thus is does not use timecode or report it – just as any other quicktime codec. Since timecode is not used by a codec. The timecode is embedded already in the QuickTime Header as the TimeCode Track.

the Calibrated{Q} MXF Import – DOES use and report timecode of the MXF File. This quicktime plugin enables users to open up MXF files in QuickTime Player and create QT Reference Movies on the PC. But the user must still have the correct video codec installed to decompress the video. On the PC, this plugin is only used in QuickTime Player and not used in PPro (unlike on the Mac side where the plugin DOES work with FCP)

I sell a combo pack for Windows of both those plugins together but it seems based on his workflow description – he is using DVCProHD QuickTime movies in Premiere Pro that were generated on FCP thru Log and Transfer. If this is the case then only the Calibrated{Q} DVCProHD Decode codec is being used in PPro to decompress the DVCProHD video of the QuickTime Movies and PPro itself is reading and interpreting the timecode track of the quicktime file.

Cheers,
Greg

[Shane Ross]

OK…thanks for that Greg. So this is a case of someone not doing all the proper steps to get the proper timecode.

Ahh, the beauty of mixing NLEs…surfacing again.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Greg Booth]

Yeah, it probably has to do with the fact that he’s using 720p50 footage – which uses 25FPS timecode even though its 50FPS for the video and then PPro uses a 50FPS timeline for editing 720p50 (not a 25FPS timeline) and then not too sure if FCP exports out a 50FPS or 25FPS EDL for 720p50 video (but if its a CMX 3600 EDL it should be 25FPS). Anyway I think PPro is probably just adjusting the timecode’s representation in the Project bin to match the EDL and timeline FPS.

Without actually looking at the MXF file and QuickTime file to see what they are reporting in the files themselves – its’ kind of hard to say.

Cheers,
Greg

[Bjoern Adamski]

720p50 is not supported for EDL transfers.

And like Greg said correctly the timecode of 720p50 P2 MXF is 25 fps, whereas the video runs at 50 fps.

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