George Strother
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re Craig and Don’s posts
This is definitely an XDCAM Transfer error. The files show in the EXCAM Transfer playback window distorted by 1.33 on opening, before the transfer/transcode. The program indicates the file is 1920×1080 by doesn’t display it that way.
XDCAM Transfer shows the mxf files are in Apple XDCAM HD codec, not Apple XDCAM EX codec, though the shots were taken with an EX1 camera. My guess – this is the root of the error.
QT won’t open the mxf files, but VLC will. VLC shows 1920 x 1080 in Window/Information/Advanced Information/Stream O/Resolution and plays them in correct aspect ratio.
XDCAM HD blueray cameras (330/350/etc) have 1440 by 1080 chips, correct? So they and the XDCAM HD codec would be “anamorphic” or .9 pixels in 1920×1080, even though Sony doesn’t use the word? Otherwise we would see 4×3 pictures.
The EX cameras have 1920×1080 chips. The XDCAM EX 1 codec should be sq pixels. Therefore no “anamorphic” voodoo.
Is there a way to tell XDCAM Transfer to assign the EX codec to these mxf files, to see if that stops the problem?
George
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The frame size error is consistent in FCP and QT.
QT shows the clips as 2560 x 1080 in Inspector and Properties.
George
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Checking the clips in FCP under Item Properties/Format – the anamorphic setting is not checked/enabled.
In XDCam Transfer I don’t see any anamorphic setting, The XDCam Transfer help file only refers to anamorphic in FCP export settings to send the file from FCP back to an XDCam device. Is there a way to turn anamorphic on/off in XDCam Transfer 2.5.1 before sending to FCP?
George
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The blue filter to use is a Kodak Wratten 47B blue filter. B&H sells them. They work fine.
First set brightness and contrast. Counter-intuitively, the contrast control on consumer TVs adjusts white level and the brightness control adjusts black level. Set your blacks (brightness) using the pluge pulse on the color bars, the left bar should just disappear. Set white level (contrast) so the white square on the color bars just barely gets as bright as possible. Set it so any adjustment lower makes it get dimmer and any adjustment higher doesn’t make it any brighter.
Hold the filter up to one eye and view SMPTE color bars through that eye only. Adjust color saturation until the top and bottom clips of the two outside bars match in darkness. Adjust tint/hue until the top and bottom clips of the two inner bars match in darkness. These controls are interdependent. When you change one, it may change the other two bars, so go back and forth until they match.
My experience has been that consumer LCD TVs can’t be corrected to true balance. They will always be a be off, no matter how carefully you adjust them. They don’t have enough gamut range and the gamma curve is off and not adjustable.
George
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I haven’t had much trouble with gaps, some have lots of trouble.
Here is a thread on HDVInfo that discusses “fixes” for the 3-4 second gaps in captured HDV material from the JVC ProHD cameras. If you don’t find enough information here, try searching that forum.
Top 10 solutions suggested –
1. Use only JVC M-DV63PROHD tapes. Some say only on HDV work, some say even for DV shooting to avoid contaminating the transport. These are about $10 each.
2. Upgrade your camera to the latest firmware.
3. Capture in AIC, not HDV.
4. Only capture to firewire 800 drives.
5. Only capture to SATA drives.
6. Only capture to RAID drives.
7. Use a Firestore DTE recorder.
I can’t recall 8 through 10 at the moment, but if you search well I’m sure you will find them. Maybe more.
All of these solutions have been reported to fix the problems for some and not for others.
I’ve used drugstore grade Fuji DV tapes, top grade ($$$) Sonys, Panasonics, regular and ProHD JVCs. I’ve captured to internal SATAs, firewire 400 and 800 drives and my 220 GB/sec RAID. No real pattern of gaps in the middle of clips, but lots of dropouts on the very expensive Sonys. (???)
If you have to capture over firewire, using DVHSCap to patch the dropped bits is the best fix I have found, but they will capture as M2T streams. You will need to convert those to .mov with MPEG Streamclip. At least both apps are free.
If you have an HD analog capture board you can capture in component without gaps too.
George
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I was on Mt. Crumpet recently, shooting an interview with the Grinch’s mom.
I think she wants to talk to both of you guy’s about IP infringement.
George
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Dave –
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If I export a HD sequence to QT 10 bit NTSC and it looks so so much better than both the Kona LH downconvert and the downconvert by putting clips directly in an NTSC sequence.I just tried this with Export/QT Movie and Export/Using QT Conversion – Then out through Kona set to 525 10 bit component to the PVM. It looks exactly the same as the direct Kona conversion here. All of the same artifacts.
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Using media manager and recompressing a sequence to a new 10-bit uncompressed sequence also looks very good and this the path I am using to mix HD and SD in an NTSC project.I tried this too and no luck. Still looks the same.
Can you give more details on the setting? Are you using a different ouput that doesn’t go through the Kona?
A real 10 bit uncompressed BetaSP sequence output through the Kona looks perfect, so I don’t think it’s my system. JVC 720p60 out through the same Kona settings I use for 720p30 looks normal too.
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1 frame of 30p (29.97) footage should be seperated into 2 fields playing back at 1/60 (1/59.94) sec each resulting in an exact reproduction of the frame. Perhaps I am missing something in this logic?It’s something to do with 30p I think. I was hoping Graeme would pop in and explain it more. When I suggested he make a filter for interlacing clips that need to go to NTSC, he said “Can’t be done”. I sent a Beta tape to AJA support. They thought it looked awful, sent to engineer then then emailed to say “That’s normal. 720p30 always looks that way”
Everyone else I’ve talked to say “It works great on my system”, so something doesn’t add up.
Maybe I need to set something I missed when I tried your export methods.
George
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Dave –
“If I take progressive 30 (29.97) footage and drop it in a interlaced 29.97 sequence as letterbox, shouldn’t each field be exactly 1/2 the progressive frame? And if played back, will simply reproduce the whole 1/30 every two fields? (unless the sequence interprets the first field on the break between frame one and two)”
Yes. But this creates an odd interlace that looks all wrong on an NTSC monitor. With apologies to Walter, I have tried this on a Kona LH too, with the same poor results you describe. It looks like NTSC’s much courser cousin. Diagonals have short black serrations and horizontals blink horribly. And this is viewing NTSC Component on a Sony PVM NTSC monitor with the video in motion. It also looks the same when played back from Beta tape. Maybe Walter could post more details on his downconversion setup, ’cause it’s not working for me.
When I posted on this before, I had an off list email exchange with Graeme Nattress on the subject. His comment was true progressive HD clips can’t be interlaced. If it’s not encoded that way when it comes off the CCDs, you can’t add it later.
Maybe Graeme can jump in and expand on that a bit.
George
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“I unfortunately didn’t save a copy of my project before I used the FCP de-interlacer but I’m wondering if there is a way to revert back to the version of the project before I used that filter so I can compare quality side by side with the Flix Pro de-interlacer….”
Sounds to me like it’s a project. Maybe it’s just the repeated use of the word “project” that makes me think so.
If the problem is an FCP project file that can’t be untangled or wasn’t saved properly, Auto Save can be the fix.
If it’s actually a QT movie, there isn’t a fix without a quality loss. As you say, test another clip.
George
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If you want pan and scan you need to drop into an NTSC timeline. Kona will give you “crop” as an output choice, but it is center cut only, not pan and scan.
George
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