[Marcus Van bavel]

[cj16mm] ” also noticed that there is the option to record in HD then downconvert from the P2 cards to a DV tape. Am I right in assuming that the quality of that footage would look better than if I recorded straight to DV tape with the same camera?

No; what I’d suggest is shoot 1280 x 720/24P and you can edit this with Raylight as easily as editing DV. Then when it’s done you have the option of making an HD MPEG2 or HD WMV for viewing on various home HD systems or exporting conventional 24P DVD.

Also, can you record 480i 24p to the P2 cards?

yes

If so, what type of files are these and can I edit those in Premiere without the Raylight plug in?

They’re MXF files and you’ll need Raylight

Also, in 480i widescreen, is that the standard 480×720 or does it have the added 16×9 resolution of 480×960 (I apologize if my ratios are a bit off)?
Thanks for the help folks.”

I believe it’s 720 x 480 anamorphic just like a widescreen DVD.

[Marcus Van bavel]

I think that is fixed in Raylight release folder 202-10,
get it at dvfilm.com/update

[Marcus Van bavel]

There’s no need to convert the MXF files, you can drag them straight into the timeline and edit natively with the Raylight plugin.

Here is a table of expected processor loading with various applications and Raylight:

https://dvfilm.com/raylight/raylightSpeed.htm

[Marcus Van bavel]

There’s no need to convert the MXF files, you can drag them straight into the timeline and edit natively with the Raylight plugin.

[Marcus Van bavel]

I would consider instead converting your DVRack AVI’s into Raylight AVI’s. Raylight
handles the YUV to RGB conversion better. You can continue using DVRack for capture. Try installing the demo version of Raylight at

https://dvfilm.com/raylight

and then see

https://dvfilm.com/cgi-bin/board/main.cgi?board=Raytricks

[Marcus Van bavel]

[Aanarav Sareen] “In order to avoid product bias, I think you should specify that you own and develop DVFilm Raylight. “

I’m not reviewing it or making a recommendation, simply stating that it exists for those
who might not know.

The other products you mention either do not allow MXF files in the timeline, (CineForm, Main Concept, DV Rack)
and/or they are much more (and much more expensive) than just a simple file import plugin (Matrox Axio).
Axio for example is more than $3000 vs $195 for Raylight.

So therefore Adobe probably does NOT have a blind eye to MXF DVCPROHD, but rather why should they
put scarce resources into something already provided by a low-cost plugin?

[Marcus Van bavel]

[Jake] “I just completed a fairly thorough attempt to determine if Premier Pro CS3 would support DVCPro and the only findings I can make (based on import/export formats supported listed on the Adobe Premier Pro CS3 feature page) is that Premier Pro has left out many standard video formats again…

Perhaps it’s because Premiere can already edit native DVCPROHD,50 and 25 MXF files in the timeline with DVFilm Raylight https://dvfilm.com/raylight

[Marcus Van bavel]

I wasn’t planning on that but I’ll check into it. Doesn’t grass valley
have their OWN editing system– EDIUS?

[Marcus Van bavel]

Yes, there is a trial version at https://dvfilm.com/raylight

Raylight is a DVCPROHD encoder and decoder, and also
a file import plugin for Premiere allowing you to import
MXF directly into the program. There are two quality
levels for playback so you can adjust for the speed
of your computer system. You edit HD in native-size
of square pixel format.

It can handle MXF files from P2 Cards, Firestore,
or it can also work with DV Rack AVI’s.

Other features include P2 card authoring and conversion
of mpeg2 (HDV) and MXF files to AVI.

It’s $195.

[Marcus Van bavel]

Raylight has native DVCPROHD/MXF file support for Premiere Pro
right now. You can drag the MXF files straight into your project window.
See https://dvfilm.com/raylight