[Tunaking]

Please post the version you are using also. Are you on 5.1 or before.

A.

[Tunaking]

There was an article in Macworld about using Compressor for Standards Conversions.

https://www.macworld.com/2006/02/secrets/marchcreate/index.php

Use the Slow-Pal method (slow the 25 fps to 23.98, then use Compressor to change the format), looks pretty good. It’s about 6 to 1 in terms of processing time (NTSC to PAL, by contrast takes more than 30 X 1). It takes less time to process because there is no frame rate conversion to do.

Using a straight non-SlowPal method is much longer because of the frame rate conversion. Better off using Graeme’s plugin if you want to go this route.

[Tunaking]

While features are added regularly, so far you can’t do a realtime upconvert from 720P to 1080P. You can however drip a 720P into a 1080P uncompressed sequence, scale to sequence, render and output. Takes a while but looks pretty good.
A.

[Tunaking]

Rick,

He wrote that he tried that already. 🙂

[Tunaking]

Update… We finally got our hands on the HVX200. I downloaded the P2 driver for the Powerbook and loaded it onto an old Titanium Powerbook (which cannot run FCP 5).

I slid in the P2 card and the Powerbook successfully saw the card. I made a new folder on a firewire drive, copied the media over to it.

Then I took the drive and attached it to my 1.5 GHz 12″ Powerbook and using FCP 5.0.4 successfully imported the footage.

So, in the end…we don’t need to buy a new 15″ G4 Powerbook. The old clunker works!

[Tunaking]

Actually, to blame “User Error” does the community a disservice. The Media Manager has gotten some well deserved flack from people who want to use it for online edits (Create Offline). This function has some serious repeatable bugs that happen even with well logged material.

Problems with Create Offline are:
1) MM does not delete unused material if your media is offline when you do the MM function. Translation: A client brings you a project file to online in HD on CD. You open the project, naturally everything is offline. Try to Create offline with this project and delete the unused media. And you will see what I mean. When you try to redigitize the material at 10-bit uncompressed HD it says you need to capture 60 hours of footage. So, how do you work around this? You can export an XML and import that into FCP 4.5 and media manage it in there (which can handle projects with offline media) or you can start exporting EDLs. No kidding.

2) If you have the media attached, MM only deletes media properly if you deselect “Include Master clips” (which I think is actually correct, BTW, although that is different than what it did in FCP 4.5). However, any clips that have their speeds reversed are reduced to a single frame in length. Try it, you’ll see. If Include Master Clips is selected, MM will hardly delete anything (especially if you are editing multicam). When you are working in HD, this often makes the difference between doable and impossible because digitizing 30 hours of uncompressed HD is not an option.

3) Layer masks (filters) do not translate well from offline edits like DV 16X9 to HD. As a result, result you have to do a lot of tweaking in HD with the garbage mattes and what-have-you.

4) Motion effects, like rolling titles, don’t translate well from SD to HD offline to online scenarios.

On the good side:

I have had a lot of success with Recompress and I use it alot.

I have also had success with the Copy function also.

So there are somethings that work quite well in MM. It really depends on what kind of work you do.

[Tunaking]

To Arniepix,

The problems with Media Manager have nothing to do with improper logging (although boy, if you do log poorly, you are hosed!).

My problems with Media Manager come when I try to do high definition onlines of projects offlined in SD.

Here’s a list of problems.

1) Delete Unused Media is not reliable. There is only one setting where Delete unused media works, however there are consequences. There is also a very unsettling part to the Delete Unused media is that it behaves differently if you have media attached or not. If you media manage a sequence where the media is offline, it will not delete anything!

So, if you want to delete unused media. Choose Create Offline. Delete Unused. Do not pick include Master Clips. Make sure your media is online.

This setting will delete unused media. However, there is a catch. If you have any clips that have been reversed (speed -100%). These will be converted to a clip of a single frame in length.

If your media is not attached. NOTHING will be deleted. On the bright side, the reversed clip gets properly media managed. (How weird is that?)

2) If you choose, include Master Clips. It includes the Master Clips. In version 4.5 it would trim these. In FCP 5, it doesn’t. To be honest, I think that is working fine. But you often will have too much media to online with in HD (storage issues). Plus, why would you want to capture hours and hours of unneeded footage.

3) Other problems I’ve seen with MM, is when you go from DV Anamorphic 16X9 to HD 1920X1080 Square pixel HD, things like garbage mattes and whatnot don’t track. Everything seems to stretch horizontally (not the media, just the garbage matte info). This can tack on many hours to your online.

[Tunaking]

It’s sad. Really sad. Their too busy to get FCP working on Intel to realize that the PowerPC version still isn’t working right. How long do we have to wait? 2007?

Media Management is key for professionals.

[Tunaking]

Thank you.

A.

[Tunaking]

Can someone try taking 720P 23.98 DVCPRO HD and cross converting to 1080P 23.98?

That would be useful. Just because it’s not officially mentioned doesn’t mean it won’t work (it just might not have been tried).

Thanks. Knowing the answer would make my buy choice easy.

A.