View Full Version : Beta SP and FCP, how to offline


Joseph Ivey
October 16th, 2006, 10:59 AM
I am cutting a VNR on FCP and need to offline as DVCPRO 50 and then exporting back to BetaSP. I have never offlined and just wanted to see how exactly I will disconnect the connection between file and the captured footage.

The idea is that I will offline as DVCPRO 50 onto an external HD and take to my office, cut the VNR and then take the offline final cut back to the company with a Beta deck, and then online the tape and export to Beta.

I realize this is typical offline/online process, I more so want to know how to just bring back in the clips that are in the timeline and not the minutes before and after that that I captured as well.

William Hohauser
October 16th, 2006, 03:19 PM
I am cutting a VNR on FCP and need to offline as DVCPRO 50 and then exporting back to BetaSP. I have never offlined and just wanted to see how exactly I will disconnect the connection between file and the captured footage.

The idea is that I will offline as DVCPRO 50 onto an external HD and take to my office, cut the VNR and then take the offline final cut back to the company with a Beta deck, and then online the tape and export to Beta.

I realize this is typical offline/online process, I more so want to know how to just bring back in the clips that are in the timeline and not the minutes before and after that that I captured as well.

Why are you offlining in the first place? If you are capturing in DVCPro50 that's way beyond BetaSP quality. Sounds like you can capture the footage to the hard drive, on-line the whole thing in your office and bring back the hard drive to the company and simply Print to Video.

Joseph Ivey
October 16th, 2006, 03:36 PM
My first issue is that I am having to source it in and edit it in two different places. A friend I talked to said to source it in at DVCPro50 because it would be smaller files than BetaSP and for me to cut it in DVCPro50 and then take it to be onlined in BetaSP and exported out.

The issue is that I don't have the ability to source in and then online BetaSP footage but I can cut it on my computer, but to save space and money for the client I need to cut it at my office rather than offlining, and onlining at an editing house.

William Hohauser
October 16th, 2006, 09:15 PM
I think we are having terminology issues here.

BetaSP is an obsolete analog recording format. Obsolete meaning that it's no longer manufactured. If you are working in DigiBeta and need some very high end codec for the end product, yes DVCPro50 is a step down but not much of one depending on the project. DVCPro25 is also good, even regular DV codec is usable for broadcast quality off-lining. Here's a work method.

1) Using deck control via FCP, capture in DV or DVCPro50 and transfer the media files and the project file to your external hard drive.

2) Edit away at your office.

3) When finished, use the Media Manager function in Final Cut to create a copy of the project that contains only the media that is used in the final edit.

4) Bring this copy to the company and have them recapture the footage in the high-end codec. The timecode on the Beta tapes will make this easy as long as the reels were properly notated during the capture process


You could skip the Media Manager part and just bring the project file as you won't need the low end media files at this point. Remember to bring any other type of file you used, graphics, audio, etc.

Joseph Ivey
October 17th, 2006, 09:27 AM
Thanks for the help on that. All I can tell you is that there is no terminology problem on my end. The client said that the cam operator will shoot the footage in BetaSP and I will need to cut it accordingly. A friend of mine who is a more knowledgable editor told me that I could offline in DVCPro50 as it takes a lot less HD space, and then recapture in BetaSP at the editing house. I don't ask questions, I just direct and edit what they give me. The client said they needed broadcast quality and BetaSP is good for them.

William Hohauser
October 17th, 2006, 10:09 PM
DVCPro50 is a high-end codec with quality beyond BetaSP specs which is why I suggest that if you have the footage captured in that codec (at high quality and with right equipment, of course) all you need to do in the end is print to video, no recapture needed. Saves time looks great. If the client insists on recapturing, as long as they are paying for it, sure.

DVCPro50 is a format associated with digital cameras that are much more advanced and usually of higher quality than most BetaSP camcorders.