[Stephen May]

Good point Mark. The other thing that Sony doesn’t mention, and never has, is copying the BPAV folder as a workflow practice. Yet here at COW, it is kind of a big idea, and to not be doing it can result in a series of long threads of responses from some of the top contributors.

I draw on my ‘library’ for multiple projects, so I have not been very good about bringing my SxS media in via FCP: IMPORT > XDCAM – and by not doing that I lose the ability to use ‘notes’ etc. I’ve been using XDCAM Transfer Software to bring in my clips to a folder in my video library, and then managing that folder after I’m finished with each batch. It looks like I need to make much better use of the Clip Browser Software.

How do you feel about the suggested workflow that omits the whole BPAV copy?

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

Eric – to your original goal – syncing video to sound:

In a multiclip you can assign an aux timecode to a clip, so that if you use a clapper or some cue – say you’re recording a band and they’re doing multiple takes to a song, you can just make your (visual) marker, like a flash or a sharp clap, sync each clip via the AUX 1 timcode to the final mix, and then via the aux TC be in sync for the rest of that clip.

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

Craig,

I agree – DigiBeta, DVCPro50, both look amazing, way better than DVCAM – no dispute however, both those format should look stunning for the cost of the format! My point, poorly delivered, is simply that standard def on a CRT can look very good, and by and far, many clients do not have an HD sources feeding HDTV. You’re right about the JM DVD; of course it didn’t go to DVCAM – in fact it was probably converted to HD, but delivered to the public in SD DVD.

If I’m your client, and you play back the final edit from your mac to your HDTV, I’m sure it looks fantastic. Then after you have satisfied your client with the final edit, you must deliver the edit. If (and it would be nice to get a sense of how many times this is the case)your client doesn’t have HD playback, two things are next:
1. You must compress the final product to some form of SD.
2. They will see it again, and it won’t look as amazing.

What percent (roughly) do you end up delivering in SD versus the clients that you can deliver to in HD?

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

Aaron, how did it go for you? Did you get a solution to your post?

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

This is facinating. We all work in a FCP world, so for many reasons that we get, we do things our way, and it make sense. He’s not working in FCS2, plus he’s on a PC. AVI files are huge, and so they better look good. He says in his original post that he finds the Cip Browser downconvert to be unmatched. Maybe it is.

As for DVCAM tape, here’s the thing: If you’re going to show your playback on a CRT which is interlaced, then trust me, it will look very good. Seriously. Even in high-end shows where top qualiy DLP projectors are pushing the image downstream from a professional switching system, the image will look very good, and there will be none of the possible artifacts and/or ‘chunging’ that can happen when the image is being sent as a digital file. He may have produced a short (90 minutes he said) and hopes to show it at a film festival or something like that. I’m only sugfgesting that the COW pro’s be open to people who turn to you for direction, especially when it sounds unusual or sometimes foriegn to our workflow.

I’m dumbfounded by the issues of HD flatpanels and their finite resolutions constricted by the pixels that struggle to present ratios and formats that do not exaclty match the resolution of the panel. Circles that looked smashed or systems that fill the panel at the cost of the truth of the ratio instead of letterboxing or whatever. It’s as though we’re being force-feed the flat panel, and for that matter, HD as well. Granted, I love the EX1 and I can vouch for the great quality of the high res after it’s been downconverted, but what workload to always be converting everything down in a world where Blu-Ray isn’t in everyones home or office.

I watched a DVD (regular old DVD, Standard Def) of a John Mayer concert; Into The Light – fantastic set of the JMT with Pino Palladino, and it looke so good that I had to check out the workflow! Guess what? It was shot on film and converted. It was amazing. The color, the contrast, the saturation, it was all pleasing to the eye. On that note, my tube bass head also sounds fantastic. We’re being sold down the digital river folks. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? -s

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

Craig, the Kensington 7 in1 reader looks to be discontinued, but SanDisk makes something similar, and I even saw a Sonnet product that may accomplish the same thing. Do you know anything about the other two readers, or do you know of a source that still sells the Kensington reader?

Thanks -s

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

Craig,

Thank ou for posting this. I think my process went around copying the BPAV folder mostly because none of the Sony XDCAM Transfer software directions ever mention the step. I know I’ve read here at the COW that many of you do this, but I thought there was a way to get the orphan file through the Transfer software directly off of the SxS card.

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

Not to give you mo’ of the same, but I recorded multiple presentations of Gov. Bill Ritter, and Senator Ron Wyden and more, and the shortest single clip was over 40 minutes long. And as you’re hearing from others, no issues in transferring the clips, or editing in FCP6.

There is a setting in Final Cut Pro that limits capture time, but I don’t think it applies to importing XDCAM files into a project. I realize this isn’t helping you – I’ll look into it. -s

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

would it be stupid (and time consuming) to play out of a DVCProHD deck SDI into a Sony XDCAM deck? I’m wondering since you mentioned having six hours of media – I mean that’s some drive space, whereas you could use/rent the XDCAM deck and discs and be done with it. Or maybe go to the clients facility where they might have the deck?

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer

[Stephen May]

wow, this is entertaining; I’m responding to my own post!

What are you smoking – not much HD fits onto a DVD and only a wee bit more on a DL DVD! (actually I don’t have split-personality disorder…) Seriously, a lot of the stuff I do is often short b-roll clips that do fit onto DVD’s and DL DVD’s, but if you’re tasked with a talking head or long-doc format clips, obviously you’ll be pushed into a Blue Ray disc or some external hard drive that you hand over to the client.

Parting with your SxS card is not the way to go, plus it’s the XDCAM flow the client may not be up on, so it seems most reasonable to expense a drive (relatively very inexpensive) to the client. It can even be a USB2 drive as speed will not be key – they just need to move the files onto their system, not edit with it. So I agree with the earlier post about going with the drive and not the card. Keep the card, nobody gets your cards…

-s

Stephen May
Keystone Media Productions
Freelance Videographer