[Alan Okey]

Are there timecode breaks in your HDV source tapes?

[Alan Okey]

You will need to get the required specs for the MPEG-2 encoding used by the broadcast server. MPEG-2 transport streams are not the same as MPEG-2 video files used for DVD. Compressor can create MPEG-2 transport streams, but you’ll need to know the required specs first.

[Alan Okey]

DO NOT tick “preserve aspect ratio.” That’s why you’re getting pillarboxing.

[Alan Okey]

Doing pans and zooms in Final Cut Pro is a bit like doing neurosurgery while wearing mittens. FCP is a blunt tool for this task – Motion or After Effects are much better if you have them available.

[Alan Okey]

Sector size is correct. Block size should be at least 256k for a video RAID. If there are options for 512k or 1024k, they may be even better. I’m not sure if block sizes over 256k are available/supported on HFS+, though. I know that larger block sizes are available in some other file systems like xfs.

[Alan Okey]

If having the AE clips re-rendered and output in an editing-friendly codec is not an option, use Compressor to transcode all of your h.264 source clips to ProRes. Final Cut will choke on h.264 clips.

The h.264 standard is an MPEG-4 codec designed for delivery, not editing. MPEG-based codecs use interframe compression, which compresses groups of frames together, making it difficult to edit video footage with single-frame accuracy. Video compressed with an intraframe codec needs to first be transcoded to an editable format in order to be edited. HDV is an MPEG-2 based intraframe codec that falls into this category. This is why a very powerful computer is needed to edit HDV, because the clips need to be transcoded behind the scenes in real time into an editable form. H.264 is even worse because it does not have a constant bit rate or GOP (group of pictures) structure, making it impossible to edit.

The “editing” codecs that others have referred to all utilize intraframe compression, in which each frame is compressed separately. This preserves the ability to easily make frame-accurate edits.

By transcoding your h.264 clips to an editing codec, you make it possible for Final Cut Pro to edit them easily. Suggested editing codecs include ProRes, DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, M-JPEG, DVCPRO HD or 10-bit Uncompressed.

[Alan Okey]

Final Cut Pro completely chokes on high resolution still images. If you have access to Motion or After Effects, use one of them instead. Final Cut Pro is a blunt, awkward tool for any type of motion graphics work.

[Alan Okey]

I didn’t realize they even made DigiBeta decks with Firewire… I thought they only had SDI and analog composite outputs.

[Alan Okey]

[Jon Casey] “Dimensions are usually 720×640, which I have tried and tried again, but it keeps giving me a 4×3 frame, even in the preview frame. It will not give me 16×9.”

An anamorphic DV clip (your source material) is 720×480. To export an h.264 Quicktime movie with a 16:9 aspect ratio, specify dimensions of 640×360, square pixels.

[Alan Okey]

Final Cut Pro’s scaling algorithm is inferior to Motion’s. Search the the FCP forum for posts regarding FCP’s poor scaling.