Oliver Peters
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Forum Replies Created
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There are probably few if any current tools. This used to be a function of apps like Turbo Trace in the DOS days. You might look for EDLMax and see if anything in that suit does what you need. EDLs are also text files which you can open in a word processor, like Word, so you could manually compare them as well.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
I doubt that you’ll see any difference between 8-bit and 10-bit uncompressed HD. Remember, you’re going to and from HDCAM, if that’s still the plan. I highly recommend not doing the creative cut in uncompressed. Even with a fully loaded XRaid, uncompressed is pretty slow and unresponsive compared with compressed or SD resolutions. Offline edit in lower res, then conform/online in uncompressed.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
There has been one firmware update so far, so you should check if your model is OK. Basically, though current SD Mojos work with the current shipping version of Xpress Pro HD. When you work with HD footage (DVCProHD or DNxHD) you can set your timeline format to SD and the Mojo will show a downconverted SD image on your monitor. This is field-doubled, preview-quality and NOT broadcast quality. It is also an anamorphic image in a 4×3 frame, so your external monitor will need to be able to switch to 16×9.
Since HDV support as part of this has not been released yet, it is only an assumption whether of not the Mojo will still work when HDV is available. Of course, in two weeks at NAB, there may a totally new story. TBD.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] “Therefore, the actual data per frame is more than when you capture 23.98 footage with 2-3 pulldown on a 60fps tape (as in the Panasonic formats). The result is better image quality because there is less compression for each and every frame. “
Well… a bit of egg on my face. I did a little checking with folks in the “know” as well of some more of my own testing and I was wrong. It seems that all DV-based codecs, as well as D5, HDCAM and Avid’s DNxHD, work off of a fixed datarate.
It goes like this: Mbps rates are based on the largest frame rate in the group, e.g. 720P would be 59.94/60. 100Mbps is fixed per frame based on 60fps. Therefore, each frame gets the same encoding whether it is 1/60th or 1/24th of a second. To their knowledge no current frame-based codec is optimized for different frame rates.
Thought I should correct my mistatements.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Samuel A. Martin] “Any news on a new mojo able to handle HDV? Doubt the current one has the power to move the increase in file size. Will NAB see the presentation? I would imagine it will be available within the month or two the very latest? Probably when they anounce the release of native HDV editing? It wouldn’t make sense before then, would it? “
Sam,
Wait until NAB. Remember that this has nothing to do with Mojo. HDV fits within the current DV datapath, so direct connection to 1394 into the computer is sufficient. As with current XproHD, Mojo will probably work for monitoring only. HDV support has to do with Windows supporting the data – i.e recognizing the file – and Avid’s ability to edit long-GOP material as well as mix it with frame-based media, like, DV, 1:1 and JFIF resolutions.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[MPE] “Nevertheless, as Oliver explained, the codec while being used in the NLE can use any data rate – thus not compatible with DVC Pro HD decks unless converted back to 100 Mb/s @ 60p. “
Unfortunately none of this is an exact science and neither Panasonic nor Apple are really forthcoming with exactly what these codecs do. In a sense your statement is more or less right. If you capture NATIVE DVDProHD via FW and removed the pulldown frames to end up at 23.98, you will not be able to record this back to tape over FW. This is where Kona2 and other such cards come in. The result is that the common path in and out of any NLE is generally a decompressed full-bandwidth signal. If you shot Varicam, are using the DVCProHD codec in post and intend to master back to a deck like the 1200A, you will in effect go through the decode/re-encode (decompress/re-compress) cycle at least 3 times when a capture card is used. If you choose to post uncompressed you still hit the codec twice.
At this point, it’s still way too early to tell whether any of this is really a problem in a practical sense. Especially when people seem to be so giddy about HDV!
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[MPE] “DVC Pro HD runs at 60 frames per second even at 24p – does it not? So your data rate would be the same per frame if you project is 23.976 or 29.97? Right? “
You have to separate the DVCProHD discussion between camera acquisition and post. If you are talking about the Varicam camera or a DVCProHD deck, then yes, 24P/23.98P is always recorded to the tape at 59.94/60P and 100Mbps bandwidth is consumed the same regardless of the frame rate.
If you look at just post, though, and are talking about Kona2/FCP/G5, then it is possible to capture any incoming HD-SDI signal with 8 or 10-bit uncompressed or compressed with DVCProHD (DV100), at various frame rates (23.98, 29.97, 59.94, etc.) and at 1920×1080 or 1280×720. As a result, it is possible to capture Sony HDCAM footage shot at 1920×1080/23.98sfP (HDCAM codec) via uncompressed HD-SDI and store it to the hard drives at 1920×1080/23.98 using the DVCProHD codec. This is now a format for which no camera or VTR exists. It is in essence an intermediate codec. When you do this the 100Mbps bandwdith is only applied to the true 24 images/sec that have real footage and not redundant frames. Therefore, the actual data per frame is more than when you capture 23.98 footage with 2-3 pulldown on a 60fps tape (as in the Panasonic formats). The result is better image quality because there is less compression for each and every frame.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Ran] “but describing edition as a “consumer product” doesn’t do justice to Pinnacle and to the product itself.”
I agree. I don’t mean to denegrate it as “consumer”. I say this because Pinnacle itself markets Edition through its consumer channels as well as pro. Check out their website. Since it falls under “consumer”, it might survive the Avid purchase.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Walter Biscardi] “I’m cutting a broadcast series now shot on the Varicam and being posted in the DVCPro HD codec. This is definitely NOT an offline codec. Extremely clean, even pulling awesome chroma keys and with extreme lighting situations.”
Walter,
The reason I say this is that I’m currently cutting a concert video shot Varicam plus interviews. The latter were warmly lit with vivid reds. I see very obvious artifacts in both the camera footage and then compounded in the captute with DVCProHD. These artifacts are not compounded when I capture uncompressed. I have also done captures with DVCProHD that looked quite good, especially with HDCAM originated footage. Go figure. It seems to be dependent on what the video levels are to start with and what happens in post.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
KingCut,
Getting back to your original question, there is another option. That is to use the DVCProHD codec. My own opinion is this is an “offline” quality codec, nevertheless I’ve captured Sony 24P footage through Kona2 to 1920×1080/23.98 DVCProHD. Because you are only capturing the valid frames, more of the codec’s bandwidth is being applied to fewer images and as a result looks very clean. I haven’t seen it with extreme lighting and color situations, so I don’t know if it will fall apart like I’ve seen in other situations. If it works, it appears to capture and play from FW800 drives and work. This seems to be about the cheapest way to go, but part of the answer will be what the final destination will be and how critical the QC judgements will be.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com