[Ryan Holmes]

Make sure your Z1U is set to output 1080i. Sony’s cameras had the ability to do a realtime down convert while playing back, if I remember correctly. Once that’s checked, go into FCP and use the corresponding easy setup for your footage, HDV – 1080i60, and capture away.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

I agree with Chris. If you want HD and you want it to be cross platform and multiple browser compatible then h.264 is the dominant standard now (though you could try Flash, but that probably won’t be any smaller).

If you could cut it into 30 minutes chunks that would help…

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

[Colin Carver] “Should I use a different codec, and if so, which ones offer a color depth of up to 24 bits?”

Use ProRes or DNxHD. Your file will be somewhere around 10-17GB in size (depending on which variety of the codec you use to render out). They are lossy codecs (meaning some of the data is being thrown out). However, they are radically efficient and provide an acceptable trade off between quality and compression.

If you want an uploadable file to the internet (Amazon, Vimeo, YouTube), h.264 is currently the standard. Not too many ways around that – https://vimeo.com/help/compression

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

You can use Compressor. You’ll just have to tweak the frame controls until you’re satisfied with the results.

There’s no magic bullet fix or 1, 2, 3 process. It depends on the originating camera, codec, type of footage, and what you’re willing to accept. The image will likely be a bit softer as you’re either combining fields or you’re throwing one way and interpolating between the two.

I would get a sample file (30 seconds long or so) and use that to test out several different settings. Assuming you have a lot to do, find the setting you like best based off your sample clip and then run all your footage through in a batch overnight. Depending on the settings you can choose it can take close to realtime or up to 5 to 10 times realtime (based largely on what setting you choose for “Motion Estimation”). Remember this process is very computationally heavy. So leave yourself plenty of time to test and transcode.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

[Dmitry Kitsov] “but the timing of my edit remains intact. Same i true for the back trip from PPro to FCP. So why can’t Resolve do that?”

I’ve wondered this as well.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

[Daniel Hill] “I would suggest looking into the Avid Artist Color Control Surface (formally MC Color) instead.”

Just a quick thumbs up to what Daniel said. I use the Avid Artist Color and I love it. It’s build quality is excellent, and like Daniel says the buttons are soft and the track balls are exceptional at this price point. I also like how small the Avid Artist is compared to Tangent’s design. I have limited desk space and it allows me room with my tablet, keyboard, and mouse to all fit comfortably. Besides build quality the other difference is ethernet based connection (Avid Artist Color) versus USB (Tangent Wave). Depending on computer and configuration that may or may not be a big deal.

Highly recommend this device:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/656000-REG/Euphonix_947_10451_01_MC_Color_Color.html

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

[Christopher Targia] “it didn’t have Pro level features etc. etc.”

I don’t know what this means. What are “Pro” features? It may have what you need to get your job done, it may not. I don’t know what your requirements for “pro” are. For many people here FCPX fits what they need and pays the bills (The Cow has a whole forum for FCPXers). For others it doesn’t.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

[Angel Mari Cañeda] ” Da Vinci Resolve 9 should run on a 1440×900 screen resolution”

I believe you need at least 1680×1050 resolution to run Resolve.

Taken from the system requirements PDF on the BlackMagic website:
The Resolve application is optimized for 2560×1440 screen resolution but will work with a MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res (1680 x 1050) Widescreen Display and also 1920 x 1080 and higher screen resolutions. The Macbook Pro 15″ with Retina display should be operated in 1920 x 1200 resolution.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

You upgrade to FCPX or Adobe CS6! 😉

Seriously though FCP7 is a 32-bit app only built to utilize X number of cores and 4GB of RAM. It’s a limitation of the software, not your hardware. In order to get more out of your hardware you’d need to move to another platform that has been written to utilize the horsepower. FCPX and CS6 both do a pretty good job of squeezing more speed out of your computer.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes

[Ryan Holmes]

I’d go with eSata or FW800 for editing. Both of those protocols move video information (steam stream of data) more efficiently than USB (data bursts).

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
vimeo.com/ryanholmes