[Dino]

Avid just added a full self-contained XDCam workflow in 3.5. It is through a new feature called AMA (Avid Media Access). This should take care of whatever you are trying to do.

[Dino]

What resolution are your media/renders?

How are you monitoring the picture?

What is your timeline playback quality set to?
(will only look right in green/green)

[Dino]

Despite you hating so harshly on Avid, I will answer your “stupid” question.

https://avidtechnology.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/avidtechnology.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=76710&p_created=1223479730&p_sid=NpNprjtj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0zOCwzOCZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9JnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9Mi4xMjYmcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1

bottom of the page, Mac and Windows codecs.

[Dino]

Supposedly, the AJ-HD1800 DVCProHD deck will output a 1080/24P signal from those tapes.

I found two apparent success stories here:
https://community.avid.com/forums/t/68627.aspx

I found panasonic documentation of it here:
https://www.dmcc.co.kr/data/HD_digital/HD/vcr/aj-hd1800/AJ-HD1800.pdf
(yes, a Korean dealer website)

Strangely, the regular Panasonic website as well as the operating instructions make no mention of this. (I had run across this previously and am still trying for definitive confirmation.)

[Dino]

I don’t have an answer to the question you asked. I just wanted to offer that if your reseller wont answer the phone, you should fire them. I did it once and it made me very happy. Of course it helps if you have a local alternative.

new features
https://www.avid.com/company/releases/2009/090302_native-XDCAM-support-and-stereoscopic-3d.html

[Dino]

SDI matte and fill from a laptop. Not gonna come from any Firewire converter. You already have a switcher and I imagine some monitors, maybe an audio mixer. No room for even a G4 tower with a Decklink card?

Does the laptop have an ExpressCard slot? Stick the card in this:
https://www.magma.com/products/pciexpress/expressbox1/index.html
(requires AC power)

Wont necessarily provide the bus speed for video but stills from photoshop should pass.

Warning: this is an officially unsupported configuration.

[Dino]

Scott, you need no correction. There is just no way to trust what is seen on a computer monitor. There is also no reason to believe that the P2CMS is right.

[Dino]

I believe all BVM monitors and most of the higher grade PVM monitors are multi standard (PAL and NTSC) There are however different versions of the monitors that make them more appropriate to each standard. Any Sony monitor that has a model number ending with E is designed to work best for EBU/PAL (E is for Europe).

The BVM-20E1E, or BVM-20F1E represent the best ever of standard def monitors. The BVM-20G1E is also and excellent choice.

The BVM-2015P could be 15 years old. While all your choices are used, I would be careful with something like that.

Be aware of your connection needs as the BVMs fully modular and chances are every monitor you find will have a different compliment of cards.

[Dino]

Might be they are CMYK rather than RGB or 16 bit pixels rather than 8?

[Dino]

My suggestion of None and Animation had nothing to do with the best choice for a particular system or playback consideration. The suggestion had to do with fulfilling a request for “uncompressed” with no further qualifications. If the receiving party can’t clarify their needs, there is no point in making a choice which may not work for them.

Animation stands as universal for anyone that can take a QuickTime. None is what I default to when people, due to their ignorance, balk at Animation. Delivering a Final Cut native codec is pointless if they need to load that file into an old Meridien Avid on Windows. Delivering an Avid native codec is a bad idea if they are using that file in a dedicated hardware graphics system.

As much as I would like to give a client or the next step in the chain exactly what they want, I can’t do that if they can’t tell me what they want. Animation or None may not be the best choice for a specific situation but it is a choice that will ultimately work.

Is it possible for the client to install some of these other codecs on their machines? Absolutely. My experience however has been that the same folks who can’t articulate their needs are the same ones that will not be messing with their machines based on outside recommendations. Further, do I really want to become free tech support for their facility when it creates problems because of inadequate support at their end?

My well reasoned and carefully crafted guess may be a result of a genuine heart-felt effort to give the best choice possible. But when it ends up not working, in their eyes I am the one who failed. Delivering ridiculously large files which require extra processing at their end rarely result in complaints. A file they can’t use wastes time at both ends and creates resentment which I don’t need.