Panasonic Varicam:- It’s not that great is it?

[Shane Dillon]

Wow the Kona 2 card sounds like it could solve a few problems.

So how does it work?

The Panasonic VTRs and the Frame Rate Convertor only spit out flagged frames in HD, so does the Kona 2 card downconvert these and spit out SD with the right framerate?

Looking at the AJA website it doesn’t say it does, but if it works I may have to buy one.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Leo Ticheli] “While it’s true that the native DVCPro HD codec looks good, it’s a very bad idea to use it if you are doing any effects or layers!”

I’m talking about raw, captured footage Leo. There’s no denying that the Varicam adds noise to the image, especially large solid areas like a wall. Look at the pure feed from the camera via SDI before you roll tape, then look at the tape playback. There will be some compression artifacts in large solid areas. The only way to get around this is to simply roll the camera directly to a D5 or to an uncompressed system like my Kona 2 system.

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

[Leo Ticheli]

Of course the HD signal is compressed in both HDCAM and DVCPro HD.

I’m talking about the way you’re editing and doing effects. If you capture via Firewire with the DVCPro HD codec rather than HD SDI, you will make the compression much worse every time you add an effect, layer, or color correction. The quality difference can be profound.

It’s your choice; continue to use Firewire to save some storage space or use HD SDI and keep the video uncompressed in the system.

Best regards,
Leo

Director/Cinematographer
Southeast USA

[Rodrigo Lizana]

You need the right to tools for the job. Using FCP is an alternate way to work with the offspeed material.
For that kind of work we use, on location, one tape for 24p and a different one for offspeed material. Then we process it on our Panasonic Frame Rate Converter. From there you can go SDI to a NLE, HD-SDI to tape again or to a HD NLE via HD-SDI. Never have a single problem.
As for quality, is quite curious what you

[Rodrigo Lizana]

[shane dillon] “That’s why we have all the VTR’s and formats”

But I bet you don

[Shane Dillon]

Did Panasonic actually make one with an SDi output?

We contacted Panasonic a while ago and the FRC is no longer manufactured anyway. But as far as the Panasonic sales engineer on the west coast knows, the only ouput is HD from a FRC. If he is wrong I would like to know, as this could be a solution for us.

[Tony]

Using an external recorder for field work can be more practical at times than a camcorder especially in multicam work and where a VC and video village are involved. Unless your using fibre having to use a large video and audio harness is something I dread.

FYI Michael Mann is shooting the upcoming Miami Vice with a Viper and SRW-1 portable HDCAM SR decks and fibre.
For the time being the present solution for dual stream recording will be a two piece solution not a camcorder (unless someone wants to use the Venom system from Thomson).

Tony Salgado

[Rodrigo Lizana]

I

[Michael Bach]

Yes it is that great:)

We do a fair bit of commercial production using Varicam so….

Our FRC has HDDSI, SD SDI, SD Composite and SD Component outputs. Typically we transfer from the 1700 deck to FRC and then either to Digi Beta or HDCamSR depending on what the client requires. If the post path is to be HD we digitise the SR’s SD output into avid then conform in HD on eQ or Flame. If the job doesn’t need offlining we go straight to eQ from the 1700. It would be nice if Avid could take the 1700’s SDI out and decipher the frame rates to save the FRC pass but I am about to try FCP for this purpose.

Don’t knock eQ too much…the new vers of Software a way more stable than before and the tool set is ever increasing. Its also very fast!!

As far as look is concerned I like the colourimetry of the varicam and the sharpness of the HDCam (F900H) but we have used both together and it is very possible to grade them to look very similar. The data rates to tape are pretty similar so Sony has traded colour bandwidth for resolution, whereas Panasonic have gone for more colour info, less pixels:)

I am sure that the post processes will improve for varicam and I don’t see a variable rate camera from Sony on the near horizon so I guess we just have to get it to work!!

My 5 cents worth anyway!!

[Shane Dillon]

Hey,

Is that the Michael Bach from New Zealand? If so HI!

Thanks for the info about the FRC, I think you know more than the Panasonic boys over here. Though it does still sound crazy that you sometimes end up using Sony HD SR dubs as your masters for offline to online.

I love the eQ, and think it is the best tool for HD longform by far. I still think, with longform and films anyway, that there will still be an offline process. For commercials I think the process will disappear maybe.

Final Cut is a great tool, but no way does it have the toolset of Flame or eQ, hense there is the need for big projects to use those systems.

I still think Panasonic need a VTR that can be used for offline purposes even when Variable framerates are used. I mean come on, isn’t the whole FRC box (which isn’t made anymore by the way) a bit of a cop out?

By the way Michael, did you see the farce of the US Grand Prix this weekend?