[Bob Archer]

Thanks, that’s a great plan. I should have thought about using the alpha from the good key, and that’s good advice on using a lite version of the effect, because it does serve as a good spill suppressor.

Thanks for your help, it was very valuable.

[Bob Archer]

Yes, the artifacts appear as noise, and are not throughout the whole final image. The noise is spotty, but when looking at the matte, the alpha is solid white.

[Bob Archer]

Thanks for the quick response. I knew it was going to be something easy. I forgot all about just adding to the position points. When it comes to expressions, I tend to overthink things a bit.

[Bob Archer]

But do you need the capture card only to convert to ProRes 422 on the fly during capture? Can you import the HDV via firewire, then convert to ProRes?

I know that getting the I/O HD around here will be a stretch. It takes all the fun out of transcoding on the fly during capture, but I’m guessing it will still speed up the workflow by avoiding the long-GOP I-frame renders of HDV. Am I correct in this assumption?

[Bob Archer]

well, let me tack back the transcode bit and say capture.

[Bob Archer]

So, the answer would be to transcode all the HDV footage to ProRes 422 and edit and output with it that way, then the conforming after every edit or effect would be relieved, correct?

[Bob Archer]

So, it’s the nature of the codec which requires it to conform. I understand that, hence it’s ability to bring HD to a lower data rate / file size.

I am aware the program hasn’t reached release, but I remember there being two workstations set up at NAB that were supposed to be showcasing the new functionality with HDV. I was just looking for a bit of insight on what improvements or changes FCP will have in making workflow faster for this format.

I do like the idea of doing an offline with the ProRes, does anyone know what the transcoding times are supposed to be when using ProRes?

[Bob Archer]

We’ll chalk this one up to a bad FW cable. I thought Monster Cable made pretty good product, but their cable didn’t work out of the box. All the pins were fine… go figure.

[Bob Archer]

What kind of drives do you guys use, would a standard firewire drive work, or do I have to upgrade that as well. I was looking at the SCSI and SATA requirements, and I don’t know too much about memory, so I’m kind of in the dark.

Any rescources would be a great help also.

Thanks.

[Bob Archer]

Thanks for all your help, now I just have to do a little shopping and see what the boss is willing to spring for.