[Billgilman]

[Walter Biscardi, Jr.] “That’s actually how DVCPro HD is recorded and that’s the frame size you should be working in. FCP automatically ‘stretches’ the image back out to 1280 for playback. Anything created in true 1280×720 will need to be rendered.”

Well, now, that’s the funny thing, Walter. I would have thought the same thing. However, when I did so, as I mentioned above, it did not need to be rendered. Plus, wouldn’t QT player, even if it has a flag for knowing that the footage need be displayed at 1280×720, at least indicate in Movie Info that the actual size of the clip is 960×720? It does not.

I don’t want to get in a big fracas over this point or any other, because all of us have lots of experience here. I just feel that this has to be one of the most under- or undocumented components of FCP, even after FCP 4.5 was called FCP HD and they built the whole marketing campaign around it. I’ve looked on kenstone.net and other logical places to look. It just all leaves me with more questions.

Also, another important piece of info is that I’m going from Cineon scans (2048×1556, center cropped and resized to 1280×720 movies for use in FCP). Now, obviously, I’m starting with movies that are 1280×720 and not 960×720, but still, FCP doesn’t flinch or need to rerender when I drop them in the timeline. I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either.

I just want to know, before I get too far down this path, if I’m doing it right, or if something’s going to bite me in the rear when I get to the end and have to rerun 17000+ frames. It seems like DVCPRO HD is a great opportunity for affordable (read: no need for Kona + SATA) finishing of HD or film material. I can’t be the first one to try doing this, can I?

Looking forward to all of your replies, CC community…

Bill

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Bill Gilman
billgilman@yahoo.com

[Billgilman]

First off, does anybody else feel like this is a major bait-and-switch for Apple to use this “AV Chat with the Scrubs clip” functionality in their hugely promoted and ultrahyped unveiling of their latest version of OSX, at a media-sharing hub like NAB no less, and then to find out that it’s a completely non-intuitive and expensive (a 2nd computer!) solution that’s geared toward the budget of an must-see-NBC show than a $129 upgrade?

Second, if I’m getting this right, the FireWire AV stream is already being used up by the iSight on Computer A, so I’d have to do a separate picture and audio stream out, have that converted to a second FireWire stream outside of Computer B, and fool Computer B’s iChat into thinking that that the FireWire AV stream coming in is actually another iSight (type) camera. Am I getting this right?

Anyone know if it’s possible to substitute the iSight’s AV stream on Computer A with my FCP output (replacing my face but maintaining audio) in software, so that it can all just be kept relatively simple?