[Dave Kulawick]

What I was thinking is that the “link file” to which you refer is in fact a QuickTime reference movie that points at the MXF media. Is that not the case? Sure looks like it from what I see at the raylight website.

I know that I can read and write QuickTime reference movies that only point at MXF media files, and that QuickTime can play those movies. So what I don’t understand is how QuickTime can read and write reference movies that point at MXF media but will not play MXF media without the QuickTime wrapper.

It’s always seemed to me that MXF was built mainly to de-proprietize a lot of existing QuickTime functionality.

dbk

—
“Bill Gates once told me that Steve [Jobs] could never win, but Steve doesn’t know that, which is a decided advantage.” Robert Cringely

[Dave Kulawick]

Avid import settings 601/709 assumes input file is RGB 16 – 235
Avid import settings RGB assumes input file is RGB 0 – 255

an Avid will let you choose which levels to use when exporting. I use 601/709 for outputs going to video [archive, DVD-V] and RGB for outputs going elsewhere [streaming].

Something I’m trying to get our crew to do is name exported files according to the levels set on export, mainly so I don’t have to remember.

exported_file.ANI.RGB.REF.mov
is a sequence exported using the Animation codec at RGB levels into a QuickTime reference movie.

exported_file.ANI.601.mov
is a sequence exported using the Animation codec at 601 levels into a self-contained movie.

dbk

—
“Bill Gates once told me that Steve [Jobs] could never win, but Steve doesn’t know that, which is a decided advantage.” Robert Cringely

[Dave Kulawick]

Can someone explain why it is that QuickTime can read and write a reference movie that points at MXF media, but cannot read nor write MXF media directly?

Thanks

dbk

—
“Bill Gates once told me that Steve [Jobs] could never win, but Steve doesn’t know that, which is a decided advantage.” Robert Cringely

[Dave Kulawick]

you are correct about the output switch, it just determines what’s coming out the headphone jack and the monitor output on the back of the VTR. I’d check that the black pots labelled “PB” on the front of the VTR are pushed in. If that’s not it try playing the tape on another VTR; that’ll help you figure whether your recorder has a dead playback or dead record audio head and/or circuit.

Just a note on what you’re trying to do….why put the same program content on two channels if the master is neither stereo nor 2-track mono, ie. Clip/VO on 1 M/FX on 2?

good luck

dbk

[Dave Kulawick]

I’m sorry but I don’t know the details, only that the functionality is supposedly built in to the camera. See your manual. I think you may need the Panasonic supplied P2 viewer application to write the metadata you require onto an SD card, which would then be put into the camera and that’s how one would get the data into the media.

i did ask a Panasonic rep why the USB port on the HVX wouldn’t allow me to connect a keyboard….the camera is a computer after all, and I’d find attaching a keyboard to the camera a lot less kludgy than going PC >> SD Card >> Camera. And typing with those menu buttons is just….worse than doing SMS on a cel phone, that’s for sure.

dbk

[Dave Kulawick]

Looks to me like the camera is designed to have rather impressive metadata capabilities. Have a look at pages 57 and 130 of the manual [mine is called ENGLISH.PDF and came on a CD that was shipped with the unit]. It looks one can preset the metadata that the camera writes into the clips. Whether an editing tool can use that metadata is a another issue.

“You can set the items underlined below by loading the metadata upload file on the SD memory card.
….
USER CLIP NAME
….
SCENARIO
This indicates the PROGRAM NAME, SCENE NO. and TAKE NO.”

[Dave Kulawick]

I’ve written 12 GB QuickTime MJPEG-B files onto NTFS disks using QT 5 on Windows NT. I don’t it’s the codec that will impose a limit on file size; that’s usually the job of the file system or file type. Are you sure the disk you’re writing to is NTFS? Does premiere read and/or write other media files over 4 GB?

[Dave Kulawick]

It’s true, there does seem to be altogether too much passion about some of this stuff. I don’t want to add to the pile; can you please tell me the hardware setup, ie Mac system, OS version, FCP version, and I/O and hardware card that would allow me to do a frame accurate insert edit into a Betacam SP VTR.

Thanks

dbk

[Dave Kulawick]

“The outcry amongst users that would occur if FCP suddenly started working like the old tape based systems means this will never happen.”

While this may be true, it doesn’t mean it’s correct, or consistent. My understanding of the logic behind the Out Point being beyond the edit has to do with what happens on a timeline; The Out Point IS the In Point of the next event! When perfoming edits I usually want to protect what’s already on the timeline, so the TL Out Point is the first frame I don’t want to overwrite and IS the first frame of the next event. I know this sounds like tape editing, but I think the logic holds regardless of medium. That’s why I do inserts and over-writes rather than cutting everything with open-ended over-writes. Might as well cut tape-to-tape if you’re going to work like that.[1] Hmmm, is it Apples mis-understanding of this that explains why I’ve never heard of anyone doing a successful insert edit into a tape from FCP? discreet edit* got this right, BTW.

Wouldn’t you find it a little annoying if everytime you did an insert in your word-processor it overwrote the first character of the next word?

[1] I think the lack of timeline protection may be what frustrates many about FCP’s implementation of slow motion, though as mentioned “Fit-To-Fill” is a solution. Still requires one to do math though, if you want to achieve a specific rate and protect the work you’ve already done.

[Dave Kulawick]

TC display, audio metering/monitoring, and logging during capture.

—
Dave Kulawick
Instructional Media
Carleton University