[Alan Okey]

Give this a try:

Export the audio from FCP as a self-contained .aiff file (16-bit 48KHz stereo). Open the .aiff in Compressor and encode it to AC3.

Does Compressor still fail in that case?

[Alan Okey]

[anthony Faulkner] “Hmmm, I can’t seem to find any 4×3 overlays in FCP. I shoot with them in the viewfinder. But i use a lot of images and texting. Is there any way besides manually marking the safe areas?”

Unfortunately there’s not a 4:3 safe canvas overlay for 16:9 projects, but you can create a custom matte and overlay it on V2(V3, V4, whatever). It’s a bit cumbersome, but it would give you peace of mind for maintaining safe areas for your overlays.

Method:

Click the Generator button on the Viewer window and create Matte > Color Solid. Place the color solid on the highest level video track in your timeline. Add a matte filter to the color solid (Video Filters > Matte > Mask Shape), choose “rectangle” as the shape and set the horizontal and vertical scales at 75% and 100%, respectively. Check the “invert” box. This should create black bars on the sides of your 16:9 image, leaving you with a 4:3 center cut. You can switch the video track on and off for checking the 4:3 safe area.

[Alan Okey]

What is your intended delivery size (pixel dimensions)?

After hearing more detail about what your intended output is (4:3 web delivery), I think the best workflow would be to simply create a new project in FCP using the easy setup for Sony XDCAM EX 30p, then import, edit and key your clips in a native HD project. FCP shouldn’t distort your clips at all when importing them into a sequence with settings that match the recording format. If you’re adding any text or graphics, keep them within the 4:3 safe area of the 16:9 frame.

Once you’ve finished the edit, export your project as a self-contained Quicktime file using the export to Quicktime setting. Open the exported file in Compressor and choose the h.264 Quicktime preset. In the inspector window of Compressor, you have full control over the output size (use square pixels), and you can crop the image to the 4:3 frame.

In summary, edit and finish in full 1920×1080 HD, then as a last step, downconvert and crop to your desired delivery size.

I can’t answer your question as to why the two different source clips are behaving differently in FCP, but I think you’re adding a needless layer of complexity by trying to edit in an SD video format. Since SD video formats use nonsquare pixels and your ultimate destination is web delivery (square pixels), there’s no reason for you to edit in an SD video format. Simply complete your editing and compositing in the native HD format of your footage (XDCAM EX 30p), then scale and crop the final output to 4:3 in Compressor.

Suggested resolutions for 4:3 web delivery: 480×360, 640×480, 960×720

[Alan Okey]

Anthony,

If you select the first sequence in the browser and right-click (command-click) it and choose “duplicate,” then put your second clip in the duplicated sequence, does it display correctly?

I’m not sure why you created two SD sequences with different settings. It’s probably better to duplicate an existing sequence and replace the media in the timeline than to create a new sequence. It can be easy to miss something or mistakenly choose the wrong setting when creating a new sequence.

In any case, you should be aware that you will get better quality by not using FCP to downconvert your HD clips to SD. FCP’s resizing quality is poor. It would be better if you used Compressor to transcode your HD media to SD first, then import the SD media into an SD FCP project. It’s also not necessary to use ProRes HQ for anything but very high end RGB HD, such as from a Red camera or a Sony f900. In fact, several users on this forum report that using ProRes HQ when it’s not appropriate may cause problems.

Use Compressor to transcode your HD footage to standard definition ProRes, then create a new SD ProRes project in FCP and import your transcoded footage.

How are you handling the conversion from 16:9 to 4:3? Are you letterboxing or cropping?

[Alan Okey]

[David Roth Weiss] “Thank you! Thank you! Glad you appreciated that one… “

David,

Does an uncompressed pixel go for the same rate as a ProRes pixel?

[Alan Okey]

Progressive scan computer monitors don’t display interlaced video properly – they display both fields simultaneously, which is why it’s recommended to deinterlace any interlaced content for web delivery. Many DVD player applications for computers have a software deinterlacing function, often which can be turned on/off or have user-selectable deinterlacing algorithms.

Consumer LCD and plasma TVs have built-in deinterlacing hardware that deinterlaces interlaced content on the fly. That’s why you don’t see interlacing artifacts when you watch the news on an LCD or plasma television.

CRTs display progressive material by displaying both fields on alternating scan lines 1/60th of a second apart from each other in time. The rate of decay of the phosphors is low enough that at 60Hz, flickering is barely noticeable, and the image appears to be one complete frame. As for 24p material, that has to be output with a 3:2 pulldown to make it appear correct when played back on an NTSC monitor (interlaced 29.97). All DVD players have circuitry that inserts 3:2 pulldown on 24p sources when outputting to NTSC equipment.

[Alan Okey]

Unless you used Media Manager to make a copy of your project and selected that option to copy both the original media and the render files, it sounds like your render files weren’t written to your portable drives. It’s likely that your FCP render directory is currently set to be a local directory on your editing system’s hard drive back home.

If you plan to travel with projects, learn how to use Media Manager to make sure that everything comes with you. There’s a wealth of information in the FCP manual on Media Manager.

[Alan Okey]

[Russell Robertson] “Of course there are the well known issues; they are completely different operating systems, MAC being much more expensive than PC to buy/operate,”

That’s a complete myth. If you spec a similarly configured dual Xeon PC from a reputable manufacturer, it will be very close to the price of a Mac Pro. The main difference between Windows PC hardware offerings and Macs is that there’s a hole in the midrange of Apple’s hardware lineup. There’s the iMac, a consumer machine, then there’s the Mac Pro, a high-end professional tower. There’s nothing in between.

As for the cost of operation, it’s actually the reverse of what you surmise. Software prices are the same for applications available on both platforms, i.e. Adobe Creative Suite. The cost of OS X is about half the price of professional versions of Windows. It’s arguable that the TCO of a Mac is lower when the cost of system administration and antivirus/security software is taken into account.

I’m not a Mac zealot, and I’ve used all different platforms at one time or another – SGI, Linux, Windows, Macintosh. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Your preconceptions about the Mac are simply incorrect. Where the Mac does have weakness is in 3D graphics driver support and hardware options. If you were a 3D modeler/animator, there’s no question that Windows is a much better platform choice at present.

As for Vegas vs. FCP, I don’t know Vegas well enough to provide the direct A/B comparison you’re looking for. However, my advice to you would be to not focus on tools or become a platform warrior. Tools change quickly, but skillsets remain relevant for a much longer period of time. Every application, like every platform, has its strengths and weaknesses. It’s possible to do professional level work with practically any application if you have the skills and talent to do so.

I can’t imagine FCP being so much different from Vegas that you couldn’t make a fairly smooth transition of that’s what’s called for. Plenty of editors use both Avid and FCP without major issues, so it’s not an impossible task.

FCP has a proven workflow with HD multicam work, as does Avid. I can’t speak to the capabilities of Vegas, but I presume you’ve cross-posted to the Vegas forum as well so hopefully someone with experience in that realm will be able to answer your questions.

Good luck.

[Alan Okey]

[Gillian Ryan] ” If I wanted to keep it in HD how would I make that happen??”

Unfortunately, making Blu-Ray discs is still a bit complex and cost prohibitive. You would need to buy a Blu-Ray burner (internal or external) that’s Mac compatible, then you would need to purchase Toast. DVD Studio Pro can’t author or burn Blu-Ray discs.

Be aware that when using Toast, only a simple menu is possible. Advanced menus like what you can create in DVD Studio Pro require higher end software that, at the moment, is only available for Windows, and it’s pretty expensive. If you just want to make a bare-bones Blu-Ray disc that can play on a set top player, Toast can do that. Anything more complex and you’re looking at some big money.

FCP forum leader Walter Biscardi is very experienced with Blu-Ray authoring issues. Try sending him a personal message to ask for his thoughts on the subject.

[Alan Okey]

SD video uses nonsquare pixels – pixels that are taller than they are wide. 720×480 will need to be displayed as 4:3 on a computer screen (i.e. 640×480) in order to appear correct, as computers use square pixels. 3:2 only describes the ratio of horizontal to vertical pixels, not the visual proportions of the image. The visual proportions are always 4:3, regardless of whether square or nonsquare pixels are used.