[Joe Womble]

Russ,

I don’t know if the exact problems you mention are related to the unapproved video card, but it sounds like it easily could be the problem. I have had similar problems with systems where the driver is out of date (or unapproved to begin with) on an approved video card.

Avid software is very specific about the video cards and drivers needed to run their systems. I know it’s a pain if you are from the “build-it-yourself” school, and I can’t beign to go into detail on all the technical reasons why the software requires such specificity, but this is the case.

Please check here for the approved, supported cards and drivers:

https://www.avid.com/resources/qualified/MediaComposer-Qualified-Apple-Workstations.pdf

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

I have a Bella for Xpress Pro (have not upgraded my keyboard to the MC…doesn’t cause me any problems) and the Avid-supplied keyboard for use with my systems. I typically use the Bella when I’m editing on location with my laptop.

Don’t have any issues with either one…what is it about the Bella that is unacceptable to you?

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Mike,

I’ve been running Media Composer on XP and Vista for some time now…very stable and few issues to report. If you prefer working on Mac, I really suggest you go with a qualified, recommended, supported system. Here are the Mac systems Avid recommends and supports:

https://www.avid.com/resources/qualified/MediaComposer-Qualified-Apple-Workstations.pdf

You’ll find the qualified PC systems on the site as well. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Yes, you should be fine.

I have an xw8600 running MC 3 and use the same dongle for a second system, an nw laptop running MC 3, and a third system, an xw8000 running Xpress Pro.

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Job,

I agree with you that the 36 resolution is not for finishing, but more for “dalies” or off-lining.

I had suggested that for Rory since he was interested in “…importing (or converting) to a low resolution for off line to save drive space and improve performance…”

I’ve used it successfully, but upon reflection, the project was 1080 and not 720. I hope these limitations are addressed by Avid soon!

As to your comment on the P2 path for media, what is your workflow? I try and backup everything to a spare drive that I label and shelve, but I don’t feel it’s a perfect solution.

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Job,

Ah, yes, you are correct, for DNxHD 145 and 220 (which is what most people will use). In fact, DNxHD uses 145 and 220 MB/sec, respectively, versus DVCPROHD’s 100 Mb/sec.

DNxHD 36, on the otherhand, still samples at 4:2:2 and only uses (can you guess?) 36Mb/sec. 36 is for progressive sources only, but for Rory’s 24p project, it may be just the ticket.

I was thinking about the 20% less storage needs for DNxHD versus uncompressed ITU-R BT.601. Thanks for the clarification.

Regards,

Joe

[Joe Womble]

Rory,
Import the clips like you normally do.

To use the Transcode option:

1. Select a clip or sequence in a bin.

2. Select Clip > Consolidate/Transcode.

If you have any compressed audio (MP2 audio) in the clip or sequence you selected to consolidate or transcode, a message appears informing you that selected items contain MP2 audio and cannot be consolidated or transcoded. You should relink this MP2 audio to an uncompressed audio format. If you do not relink to an uncompressed audio format, the selected clip or sequence with the MP2 audio is skipped.

3. Select Transcode in the upper left corner.

4. In the Target Drive(s) area, select a drive or drives.

5. In you are an Interplay environment, with Dynamic Relink enabled, select whether or not to create new master clips for the transcoded media. (For more information, see Understanding How Clips and Media Are Associated).
6. Click the Target Video Resolution menu, and select a video resolution. If your project uses an HD resolution, you cannot select OMF as a file format. MXF is selected by default.

7. Select the appropriate options, as described in Transcode Options.

8. Click Transcode in the lower right corner.

The application creates new media files and clips, according to your selections.

It takes a while if you have a lot of clips, but it’s not too time consuming. You should be able to do this routine with all of your Avid HD project frame rates.

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Yes, no problem at all. I do both with MC Soft on a PC laptop with few problems, so you should be good to go with your setup.

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Philip,

With Avid software, you just can’t jump the shark on OS versions, QT versions, graphics drivers, etc. As long as you don’t, Avid will play nice and not give you the problems you are experiencing.

Here is a matrix of the most recent approved versions of QT and nVidia drivers:

https://avidtechnology.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/avidtechnology.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_sid=WIXG3Hej&p_lva=&p_li=&p_faqid=75147&p_created=1202760115&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTI2LDEyNiZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9JnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfcGFnZT0yJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9bWVkaWEgY29tcG9zZXIgUXVpY2t0aW1lIHZlcnNpb24*

Regards,

Joe Womble

[Joe Womble]

Rory,

DVCPROHD is a good acquisition format. The codec is clean, and the 4:2:2 color space holds up well for green screen work. But the file sizes can be large, and you can have dropped frames or choking, especially if your project has multi-layer compositing, etc.

DNxHD is an efficient mastering codec. The file size for DNxHD video is not much larger than DV, for instance. It composites well, and holds up to multiple generations without much degredation. A lot of broadcast shows like Survivor and Late Night with Conan O’Brien distribute their shows to the network via DNxHD.

Regards,

Joe Womble