[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

For at least the 10th time here….

D5 is NOT, I repeat, NOT uncompressed, unless you’re using it in standard definition. In fact, there is no current HD videotape format that is uncompressed, including HDCam SR. They are ALL compressed formats, albeit with different levels of compression and different compression schemes. The only uncompressed HD digital videotape format that was ever released was D6, and it never achieved any real degree of acceptance, particularly in the US. It is now basically a forgotten format.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

Well, the “best” way I know of to do this would be the following:

1. Convert the 30 frame EDL to a 24 frame EDL using Cinema Tools, or supply the 30 frame EDL directly. Also export the final sound as either an AIF or WAV file.
2. Either take it to a facility that has a 1200 machine with an HD-SDI card, or install one in yours.
3. Feed 24 frame trilevel sync to the 1200 machine.
4. Set up the machine to play back the 720/24 in 60 directly as 1080p/23.98. This will cross-convert the video to that format, and also play back the timecode at that rate as well.
5. Load everything into either a Final Cut or other system.
6. Cross-convert your 30 frame offline cut to 24 frame using either a standards converter or by rendering, even if the frames occasionally skip.
7. Using the cross-converted cut and the exported sound track as a reference, confirm the online conform on a shot by shot basis, matching action and letting some of the cuts slip one frame, as they will.
8. Play the resulting 1080/24p version out to HDCam.

Needless to say, these steps are not necessarily in the category of do-it-yourself. But then again, as you’ve already learned, when you try to do things yourself, you often run into problems that can’t easily be fixed. That’s why it’s sometimes smart to involve professional facilities who have done all of this before, and are equipped to do it efficiently.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

This question has been posted on at least 2 of these lists now. I answered it in the Final Cut Pro list.

Cinema Tools does not understand progressive formats when dealing with reverse telecine operations, only fielded ones. You can extract the 24 frames from a Panasonic 24 in 60 stream, but you have to convert it to a field based format (I used 1080i/60) first. This can be done in real time if you’re inputting via a Kona card or similar, or in software if you’re bringing the material in via Firewire.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

I did it, but it’s a bit convoluted.

Cinema Tools does not understand 60 frame material (it only understands fields), so it cannot directly reverse a 720/60p clip. What I did was take the clip into Final Cut. I then dropped it into a 1080i/60 timeline, scaled it to fit, and exported as a QT self contained movie (you could also render to do this). I was then able to reverse telecine the clip in Cinema Tools (although I did have to change the 3:2 sequence to “BB”). I then brought the resulting 1080p/23.98 clip back into Final Cut, dropped it back into a 720p/23.98 sequence and, voila.

Granted, this is a lot of work to accomplish what you want. But I also didn’t tell you to use DVCProHD tape as a telecine transfer format. The big problem here that few people seem to understand is that 720p/24 doesn’t exist as a supported video format – it’s only used within a computer. The only supported video format – and thus the only supported tape format – is 720p/60. Since the use of a 24 frame variant is really tied to Varicam (and HVX200) shot footage, it’s not a good idea to use it as a telecine transfer format, even if it’s technically possible. You’re actually better off laying it down to DVCProHD tape as 1080i, since that format is much more easily reversed back to 24 frame mode, then resized accordingly. You could also try asking the facility to go directly to a hard disk using the DVCPro HD codec, perhaps at 1080p/24. That can easily be resized for use in your 720 project.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

If you’re trying to do this in real time via Firewire, forget it. Final Cut is not capable of extracting “normal” 3:2 pulldown from Firewire sources (btw, Avid can, even in XPress Pro). You must use Cinema Tools to do the extraction after the material has already been digitized (at 59.94).

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

Neither the 1200 nor any other Panasonic deck can add frame flags to anything. They are inserted in the camera when the pulldown pattern is created, so they are part of the data stream prior to recording. The only way to have any kind of predictable pattern from a telecine transfer is to transfer using the “0 and 5” conventions, which is a generally accepted method of editing from telecine so that film “A” frames all fall on time code numbers that end in 0 and 5.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

Why would he want to “go back” when the whole point was to acquire a slow motion clip?

Besides, if that was really necessary, you could just make a copy before doing the conform. All the frame rate converter is going to do is exactly what I just described, since the material was shot at 60 fps to begin with. I’m just trying to keep things simple during one of those seemingly rare times when they actually are.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

Go into Cinema Tools and conform the clip to 23.98. It will then play back the way you intended.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

Walter, you’re trying to make this some kind of personal challenge to your methods and personal choices, and what I’m trying to say is that it isn’t. It’s all about workflow, your particular clientele, and the best way to meet those requirements. Your choices are right for your particular workflow requirements and clientele. They are not necessarily right for a different situation, like the one I described. Those facilities that have made different equipment choices than you have are not stupid, and you’re not any smarter than they are. They have certain requirements and client expectations, and have equipped themselves accordingly. You have different ones, and have equipped yourself accordingly. None of this is a contest.

[Mike Most — account bouncing, bad address]

This thread was about the reverse of that, i.e., making 24 out of 60i, which is far more problematic.