[Craig Seeman]

Why?

What’s wrong with XDCAM?
I’m getting an EX1 and have the option of going to XDCAM disc for back up as well as Blu-Ray and even DL-DVD. Of course it depends on what you mean by “archive.” For corporate video, if it has a shelf life of 5-10 years it’ll outlive its usefulness.

[Craig Seeman]

It’s interesting how DG says you should add 7.5 black on the content creation side. I’ve done near 0 (working in DVCAM for local cable spots) and they don’t seem to have issues and my spots looked good.

[Craig Seeman]

[Scott McAuliffe] “1) What is a good intermediary codec to use coming from Adobe Premier and After Effects (I used Apple PNG in my previous workflow).
“

Why use an intermediary codec? Why use PNG? Compressing a file to again be compressed is a BAD thing. Use the timeline codec. 8 or 10 bit uncompressed 4:2:2 is good. Some would use Animation coming from After Effects. Generally I’d say export using the timeline codec unless you have a NEED to do otherwise.

[Scott McAuliffe] “2) What PC compression software would you recommend to compress .wmv and possibly .flv files? (I use Squeeze 4.5.6 at home)
“

Why not use Squeeze if you’re familiar with it? The Windows version is nearly identical to the Mac. The version uses Flip4Mac for WMV and can’t create MBR files. The Windows version can. I’m not sure about Silverlight though. You can also use the free Windows Media Encoder for WMV. If you have big budget you might want to try Rhozet. I haven’t tried it yet but I’ve been meaning to get around to it.

https://www.rhozet.com/

[Craig Seeman]

I heard the software might not be ready at the time it ships. If not it’ll just be a download.

[Craig Seeman]

But NEITHER the viewer or the plugin are available YET. The Sony reps I’ve talked to said it will be online by the time the camera ships. The link you point do does not contain the viewer or plugin needed for the EX1.

[Craig Seeman]

The EX1 uses .mp4 extension rather than .mxf. Are you sure the updates posted can handle .mp4. There’s no indication of that and references in the description mention disc based systems.

The proxy browsing software is PC only but even that’s irrelevant since the EX1 does not record proxy files.

[Craig Seeman]

I ordered my EX1 at Armatosvideo in NYC. $6495. Great small dealer BTW.

They told me that they can’t any info on when the 16GB will be available or the price.
Sandask had a press release in Sept saying Nov and $499 for 8GB and $899 for 16GB but I’ve heard since then that those prices may be in flux.

I believe Sony promises the appropriate software (for FCP and others) with camera or download by the time the camera ships.

[Craig Seeman]

I certainly wouldn’t be using FCP 5.0.1. FCP 5.0.4, FCP 5.1.4, FCP 6.0.1?
I’d suggest FCP 6.0.1. I’m not sure what the specs will be but you’ll want to be compatible with Sony’s import software.

[Craig Seeman]

Try adding Compression Markers in FCP over the areas that encode pixelated.

I don’t know how the content of those last 2 sequences differ from the rest of the material but if there’s lots of motion at those points, forcing I frames at those points can help.

[Craig Seeman]

BTW, I believe DG has changed color space from 4:2:0 to 4:2:2 as part of their spec. That shouldn’t cause the issue you’re seeing though.

BTW you can try checking encodes in VLC086c also. No scopes of course but it’s good for an eyeball QC.