FCP4 & HD with XL2
 

I would like to hear anybody's feedback on using the XL2 with Final Cut Pro and how they are finding it, I have been using the XL1 with all versions of FCP and have been very happy but moving to the 16x9 will this cause any issues and I would also like to hear of gear set up as I have been using a Sony GDV1000 for capturing will it still work?

As far as editing 16:9 in FCP, it's a no-brainer. Just be sure the anamorphic checkbox is selected on all clips. This can be done before capturing using one of the project presets, or it can be done after capture by checking the anamorphic column in the item properties menu or directly in the clip browser. Then make sure all your sequences are also set to anamorphic. Again, you can do this using Sequence > Settings or with an Easy Setup.

Now if you're shooting 24p that requires a further setup change, but since I haven't used it I'll let someone else tackle that question. Basically I think you would just choose it from the list of easy setups when starting a project however.

Reply XL2
 

Thanks for that, does this mean then that the 16x9 is native quicktime and does not need rendering ?

As long as the sequence and clip are both set to anamorphic there is no rendering. I think 16:9 is very widely misunderstood. But in fact, it's no different from regular DV. When the camera records, it squashes the image to fit in the standard 720x480 frame. When you edit and play back, the computer stretches it back to the 16:9 proportion. But you still only have 720 pixels on each line, but each pixel is now wider than it is tall.

One other thing to remember: this footage will not display properly unless you have a 16:9 capable NTSC monitor. Inside FCP the canvas and viewer windows will display correctly. If you use the "digital cinema desktop" that will also display in the correct aspect ratio. But if you hook up an NTSC monitor and view footage sent via firewire to your XL-2, everything will be too tall and skinny unless the monitor is 16:9 capable.

So if you want a version of your video to be letterboxed on a 4:3 screen, you'll have to create it separately (just drop the 16:9 sequence into a 4:3 sequence). Or if you properly burn an anamorphic DVD then the user's DVD player should letterbox it on 4:3 screens.

FCP with XL2 footage
 

this was shot with the xl2 and edited in FCP... i had no problems...

http://www.brighterpeople.com/cass/otherway_plant.html