What Format should I edit in if ???

[Stephen Mann]

Generally, you want to keep the highest resolution as long as you can, and only transcode to a lower resolution at the final steps.

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[Don Cobble]

thank You!

PC
I7 2.8 Ghz 8GB Ram
Win 7 Pro 64bit OS
PNY Quadro 4000

3-4 TB HD
Vegas Pro 9 32bit & Vegas Pro 9 64bit & Vegas 10 32bit & Vegas 10 64Bit

Camera
Sony EX1 shoot in 1920×1080 30P

[John Rofrano]

[Don Cobble] “Should I convert the Cineform to 720P first and then edit or stay in 1080 until my final render? or does it matter?”

Converting to 720p first limits your options. What if they come back and request a 1080 version next year? I would always edit at the highest quality possible just in case. If you are sure that you will never need a 1080 version, then it doesn’t matter.

[Don Cobble] “I saw where JR said that MXF is more lossy that cineform, i was using MXF it seemed to edit easier. “

This is where “I read on the Internet…” will get you into trouble. (even if you read it from me) 😉 You should never take an answer without understanding it’s “context”.

I said that to someone who was editing QuickTime files. They needed to convert them into “something” better and so the statement that MXF is more lossy than CineForm holds true. CineForm is near lossless so it will retain more of the original QuickTime quality than MXF would.

In your case, your camera shoots MXF files and so should definitely stay with MXF files if they are editing smoothly for you because no re-encoding will be needed. No conversion is always better than any conversion.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Don Cobble]

JR,
I dont shoot in MXF I shoot in EX1 MP4. So is the Cineform.AVI better or the MXF file?

PC
I7 2.8 Ghz 8GB Ram
Win 7 Pro 64bit OS
PNY Quadro 4000

3-4 TB HD
Vegas Pro 9 32bit & Vegas Pro 9 64bit & Vegas 10 32bit & Vegas 10 64Bit

Camera
Sony EX1 shoot in 1920×1080 30P

[Mike Kujbida]

[Don Cobble] “I dont shoot in MXF I shoot in EX1 MP4. So is the Cineform.AVI better or the MXF file?”

I’m not JR but I do have a question/suggestion for you.
Have you tried using the XDCAM EX Clip Browser?
It’s a free download from Sony and it’s primary purpose is to transcode MP4 files to MXF files for use in NLEs.
I have a JVC HM-750 which records in MP4 as well and I use this utility to do the transcoding for me.
Vegas really likes MXF files and I haven’t seen any image degradation as a result of this conversion.

[John Rofrano]

Why wouldn’t you just stay with the MP4 files? Do they not edit smoothly?

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Mike Kujbida]

John, MP4s were OK but I found that MXF files were easier for my work quad core to edit and play back.

[John Rofrano]

Mike, Oh yea, I forgot about the XDCAM EX clip browser. Am I correct that it only wrappers the original footage in MXF and does not transcode? That would be great since no transcoding means no loss of any quality.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Mike Kujbida]

My bad 🙁
John, you are correct in that Clip Browser only re-wraps, not transcodes.
I’ve been using it quite a bit lately and really like it.
It took me a few minutes to figure out how it works but it is pretty quick to do it’s thing.

One thing I should mention to Don and that is about backing up your source footage.
If you’re a tape guy like I am, the original tapes always got filed on a shelf for archive purposes.
Unless you have really deep pockets and can afford a lot of cards for your EX1, copy the contents of the BPAV folder to a properly labeled folder on a hard drive, back that drive up and store it somewhere safe.
The BPAV folder contains all the clips and other information that is used to recover the footage if needed in the future.

p.s. Sony would like you to believe that you need to use their insanely priced SxS cards.
Those are needed ONLY if you plan to do any over or under-cranking when you’re shooting.
If you don’t plan to do that, a good brand of 10X SDHC cards will do the job.
I’m using Transcend 32 GB. 10X SDHC cards in my JVC and they were around $75 each which is far less than an SxS card.
I’m sure that a look through the Sony EX Series XDCAM forum here on the Cow can set you straight on this.

[Mike Kujbida]

That should read class 10 cards, not 10X.