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Workflow for mixed HD formats
What is the best workflow/codec for working with mixed HD formats?
Specifically XDCAM HD (from optical disk, not EX card), HDV, DVCPro HD (on P2 cards). We will even have to throw in some archive footage on SD DVCPro tape.
Output will be back to an XDCAM HD disk to go to a closed captioning house and then output to HDCam tape for airing on a national cable network.
Is ProRes the answer here? Along with an AJA IO HD? Will I have to render all or some or none of the footage? Will I be happy with the output quality? Am I causing myself heartburn by trying to mix the P2 card footage with XDCAM HD? Would I be better off getting rid of the existing Panasonic HVX2000 camera and replacing it with a Sony EX?
We are looking at 2 new Macs and RAIDS and hopefully a SAN of some flavor. (Leaning towards Facilis Terrablock).
The lowest cost possible is not the goal here, but rather rock solid reliability within a reasonable cost is the hoped for outcome.
Some quick background–We have been using FCP in 2 edit suites for 5 years to produce national cable programming. Using XServe RAIDS, an AJA IO (love it) and outputting to DigiBeta. So we are not new at this, but we will be new to HD and XDCAM HD. My production experience goes all the way back to 2″ Quad (Man, I hate to admit that!!)
Thanks is advance for your answers!
Drew South
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1 Reply
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Drew,
We’re in the same boat: multiple HD formats all contributing to a final master. I think you probably already know this, but I’ll just go ahead and say it: There is no simple answer.
If you were 99% in one codec or another, the answer would be clear. But depending on your percentages of random formats, the best solution can be many things. On one show that we’re doing, we’re acquiring in XD-CAM HD (35 mbps) and that’s our choice for the timeline. This particular show has no FX (green screen interviews, for example) and the GRFX are quite simple. So, it makes sense to stay native. We are however transcoding some of the random HDV material coming in for that show into XDCAM HD, so that we can generate the proxies that we use for logging.
On another show, we’re originating in HDCAM, and using prores for the timeline.
As I said, no simple or universal answer.
By the way, if you can afford it, I wouldn’t master to XD-CAM, I’d master to HD-CAM.
Mark
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