David Smith
Forum Replies Created
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[Chris Poisson] “Conforming has to do with the GOP mpeg format, when you cut it, it is screwed up, so it has to conform.”
I don’t get that message when doing simple cuts in a HDV sequence in FCP 5.1.4.
Regards,
David -
[sally lundburg] “* SHOULD I, CAN I- import and export using the HDV preset (I see not option for PRORES in the FCP 5 capture setting”
No Pro Res in that version as far as I know, however you could edit in DVCPro HD, or at least finish in that codec. How much material will you be loading for your edit? Depending on that, you could:
Rent some time with an AJA io-HD or Motu V3HD, taking the component output of the HVR-M15U deck, feeding one of those boxes and ingesting the material as DVCPro HD.
Ingest your footage as HDV via Firewire, and then convert it via software to DVCPro HD.
Do your basic edit in native HDV and then convert the material used (plus some handles) to DVCPro HD before you do any titles, graphics etc.
But there are lots of factors to consider. How are you going to deliver this project? If you’re going back out to HDV, it might be best to stay in that codec instead of converting back and forth.
How are you going to monitor the edit while you work? You can’t feed the deck via firewire and see a picture on a monitor like you can with dv. With your computer a Matrox MXO is probably the least expensive monitoring option.
Are you anywhere near a major market where equipment rental might be an option?
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You can use the Timecode Generator filter with no need to create an aux-tc. Load the clip into the viewer and, with the playhead parked at the first frame of the clip, add the TC generator. It will start at 0 and be visible in the viewer.
[Schureman Lear] “how do you get the viewer to show RUNNING timecode. I mean… do I really have to pause the dumb thing to see where I am? “
I’m missing something here maybe? The current timecode is always visible in the viewer’s timecode window on the upper right. As for the TC overlay feature, it will only be visible when you stop.
It might be cost effective to get your transcribers a software package that can read the clip’s real timecode. Seems to me you’ll be wasting a bunch of somebody’s time converting your 0 start based numbers with the real ones. CatDV Pro’s Verbatim Logger for example, captures the current timecode with a single click, which saves me lots of time and frustration.
Regards,
David -
Hey Steve,
Since nobody seems to be ready to answer with specific expertise, I thought I’d chime in with the information that I’ve been very happy with the logging aspects of CatDV Pro. I”ve also dealt with the developer, Rolf Howarth, who was kind enough to loan me a second license for an assistant to use on a pro bono project. He’s a good guy.
I noticed on their site that he does custom development, so perhaps you could discuss your project with him to see if he can meet your needs within your budget.
https://www.squarebox.co.uk/solutions.html
Sounds like an interesting project, good luck with it!
Regards,
David -
[Schureman Lear] “s there some sort of simple way to approximate what the final export size will be beyond plain old trial and error”
Just research the data rates for different formats and do the math. Here’s one list, there are plenty of sources out there for this information.
https://edu.moviola.com/fcs_video_storage
and a neat, free widget from Digital Heaven that will convert hours of footage to drive capacity required and vise versa for all sorts of formats:
https://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/videospace/
Regards,
David -
[Schureman Lear] ” I’d love to find a way to majorly downsize the project so that I can work on my laptop wherever I choose.”
Are you looking to actually edit on the laptop, or log clips, take notes, transcribe etc? For the latter, there are some excellent cataloging programs out there that interface with FCP very well. I use CatDV Pro, and there are other good choices as well.
To use CatDV Pro with your already captured material, you simply export a bin or group of bins via XML. When you import that XML file into CatDV, your clips appear with in/out points, duration, bin and reel names, etc etc etc. You can then have the program create small preview files from the source clips which can fit on your laptop. I’m creating a batch of them right now in order to take a documentary project on the road with me this week.
Regards,
David -
[sally lundburg] “can you tell me what’s involved in conforming…or point me in the right direction?”
I would search though this and also the HDV Forum using some term like “conform HDV”. What you need to do will also depend on your hardware and what you are laying your project back to. For example with my AJA Kona LH card I can play directly from the timeline and output HD/SD-SDI, or HD/SD component to a deck that could capture that.
Regards,
David -
[sally lundburg] “When I am capturing, I cannot hear audio”
You can monitor audio if need be, but I always leave it off to reduce the load on the computer during capture. To turn it on, click on the Clip Settings tab in the Log and Capture window. Check the Preview box in the Audio section.
[sally lundburg] “Also, When the clip pops up and i put it in the timeline, it needs to be rendered”
Then your sequence settings don’t match the properties of your clips. Choose the correct Easy Setup, then create a NEW sequence (existing sequences don’t change automatically). Assuming you choose the Easy Setup that is correct for your footage, they should not have to be rendered to play in your new sequence.
If you stay in HDV, you will have to conform when you are ready to output, but that’s a different story.
Regards,
David -
Craig,
I have a Convergent Design SD-Connect I’m no longer using. Actually mine is the Promax branded unit but it’s the same box. Take a look and see if that might serve.
Regards,
David