Soreyrith Um
Forum Replies Created
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Shane,
You bring up some good points. But after some thought, I’m still inclined to delete the MXF files. The main reason is that it would be difficult, in case of data loss, to go back and re-import the MXF files and re-name each clip with the same names as before. I suppose if you originally imported them without re-naming, then it might be easier to re-link the clips.
In response to the points you brought up:
1. Skipping video: I think FCP 5.0.4 was the first time that FCP was able to handle P2 video, so there’s bound to be some bugs. I would think that everything is stable now. (If not, then I’m SOL).
2. If there’s native support for MXF in the future, then it would make sense to keep the MXF files at that time. But the current QT files will still work also (barring the problem mentioned in #1). Raylight uses low resolution proxies, and I don’t really see a need for it with FCP, since FCP can losslessly convert MXF to QT.
3. I hadn’t thought about using the footage on another NLE, but I would think that would be rare. Maybe in the future, FCP will have a utility to convert QT back to MXF (like Edius does). How do people move DVCProHD clips between NLE’s today, say from FCP to Avid, without going back the the MXF files? Export to uncompressed HD?
And I do keep pretty much all of my clips, because sometimes the bad ones can be used for blooper reels. I just discard the useless ones, like when you roll the camera, then nothing happens.
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I delete the original P2 files and just keep 2 copies of the QTs. First, this saves a little storage space because I don’t keep the really bad takes. And second, if you kept a P2 copy and a QT copy, and you lost the QT data, then you would have to re-import the P2 data and make sure to give the clips the same names that you did before. What are the chances of that happening?
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For RAID, I would recommend level 5, and you can use anywhere from 4 to 10 disks. RAID level 5 is slower than level 0, and you lose 1 disk to parity, but if you have a disk failure, it can rebuild itself. If you have a failure with RAID 0, you have to put everything back together by yourself.
In any case, it’s always a good idea to have at least 2 copies of your files. A lot of people use Superduper! for backup, so you might want to give that a look.
For long term storage, you would want 2 copies, too. But if you have the original footage on tape, then you might get away with one copy of the project with footage, and one without (if you’re short on storage space).
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Try export using Quicktime conversion, then select the format you want. Or nest your timeline in a 720p timeline, then export from there.
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If you like Sonnet, then you might also want to look at Enhance Technology’s boxes. They OEM for Sonnet, so you might be able to get a better deal on basically the same thing. Looks like Sonnet is moving towards selling full systems with disk drives now, so it might be hard to find just the boxes. Also, check out Highpoint’s RocketRaid 2314 card, which is one of the few cards that support Raid 5 right now.
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HDV and DVCPro HD are both compressed formats, so they take up less space/bandwidth. If you are using the HPX500, then you will likely be working with DVCPro HD files. The quality is pretty good, so you don’t have to convert it to uncompressed HD unless you really want to or you plan to put the footage through several processing generations.
For lower cost RAID solutions, you can build your own system. Basically, you need an enclosure (they have them for 2-12 disk drives), a RAID controller card (recommend Highpoint or Sonnet), and a bunch of hard drives. Most people use RAID level 0 for speed, but make sure you have backup, because if 1 drive fails, everything goes. RAID level 3 or 5 will be able to recover if 1 drive fails, but they’re a little slower and you tie up 1 drive for parity data. Check out the Arizona Mac Users’ Group (AMUG) website – they’ve done a lot of testing on these products.
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How do you clone the boot drive? Just select all and copy it to another drive? In case of problems, do you just take out the boot drive and replace it with the backup?
I’m fairly new to Macs, and I’m about to do the FCS2 upgrade. Anything else I need to know?
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Beware of places selling cameras at prices that are too good to be true. They’ll try to sell you on other things that will bring the price up. Or maybe deliver gray market items or nothing at all. Check the Panasonic website and only buy from authorized vendors.
I bought my HVX from Specialized Communications and was very happy with their service and price. They also gave a discount for cash. And they have a service department, in case you ever need repairs.