XDcam transfer from FCP for AVID?
 

Will any of the output options from FCP work in an AVID?

I have a high profile interview coming up this weekend and my client uses AVID. I'm wondering if I could load the footage into my FCP 6 system and render out something they could use in their AVID or does everything FCP does have its special wrapper?

I suppose I could send them my XDR and have them do a transfer via the SDI connection if they have a HD SDI card, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using the XDR as a time saver.

I know that C-D is working on the MXF for AVID, but I couldn't use it in its present form as it's still experimental for a weeks or more.

Lastly, the software wrapper transcoder solution is still in development, yes?


Thanks,
Scott

Hi Scott-
We will likely have a good MXF release tomorrow or Thursday. We are fighting a problem with the audio, but I think John, our hardware engineer should have a solution tomorrow.

The QT -> MXF converter is a few weeks away, but making solid progress. We have successfully converted a few files already, just need to clean up the interface.

Stay tuned for more updates this week.

Best-

....Hi Douglas. We're an Avid Media Composer Post & Prod facility in Montreal and I suggest another way of doing this. We've moved to file based post & exchange up in Central & Eastern Canada pretty much these days, because we've found this to be a way more efficient and less time consuming way to shoot and post. Please allow me to suggest an alternative method which "may" possibly solve your production and post delemma.

Try this workflow: Firmware Updrade your XDR with tomorrow's release from Convergent Designs. I've already tested the latest MXF file build from Tommy at Convergent and the new MXF file structure imports and plays and edits in Avid Media Composer 3.0.0 & 3.1.1. Go shoot your major talent interview while recording in the latest MXF with latest firmware, then either send out the CF cards themselves with the recorded MXF's of the big interview, or setup an FTP server (Or rent one online) and upload your MXF's from the CF cards you recorded in your XDR to a shared folder on your FTP server online. Have your Avid editor download those MXF's on the other end and he will import and post your production. Your editor can even output the completed sequence as a QT, MPEG 2 High Data Rate for broadcast server, or playout to Tape, or author Blu-Ray HD DVD. Receive and cash check.

Thanks for the ideas, but they didn't answer the question. Will any of the output options from FCP be able to work in an AVID system?

I'm not going to record in a format that I can't check because I don't have an AVID system and send files to a client and hope they work flawlessly. The new MXF wrapper needs real world testing for some time before I'll send off footage to clients with confidence.

....I was only offering a "possible" solution which "may" have met your production criteria. You wrote that the editor works on Avid, so I naturally advanced from the premise you needed a workable solution for posting in Avid not FCP. As far as real world testing goes, the entire Flash XDR - Nanoflash Project is one which is totally "experimental" in nature and development.

Dear Douglas,

We have sent sample MXF files, from the Flash XDR, to Avid.

Their engineers have tested our files and given us their approval.

Also, our internal testing shows that the files import fine into Avid.

We will be posting our MXF firmware today.

Others will be testing their Flash XDR, in MXF mode, shortly after we release it.

Others have also tested, in their own Avid systems, our sample files that we have posted, which were created by a Flash XDR. All testers have given us their approval.

I will post on this forum, as soon as possible, any exceptions to the above.

We do have a problem with 720p when recording at 50 Mbps while 100 Mbps seems fine. I feel that this issue will not be corrected by the time we post the firmware today.

Let me make myself clear.

I want to know if any of the output solutions from a FCP system will work on an AVID as FCP 6 is set up today?

Here are some samples of a correct response to this question: No, FCP will not output a useable XDcam movie for an AVID system. or Yes, FCP will output a XDcam movie for the AVID, use XYZ settings when outputting your movie.

All the other information being presented is not answering the question.

Thanks,
Scott

Dear Douglas,

I am sorry, I do not know the answer to your question.

I hope someone with both FCP and Avid will be able to assist.

Dear Douglas,

We posted our QT and MXF enabled firmware release yesterday, it is 0.0.233.

We found and corrected the problem with 720p when recording at 50 Mbps.

We now work fine with 720p at 50 and 100 Mbps.

If my assumption is correct, you work exclusively on Final Cut Pro.

I do not know if Final Cut Pro, version 6.0.4 or higher handles 4:2:2 HL 50/100 Mbps MXF files. If it does, then you could shoot in MXF mode with our new firmware.

Hi Scott-
Here's a possible workaround solution. Assuming you have a desktop FCP system, you could install a low-cost HD-SDI card (Blackmagic has a $400 card) and then output the project from FCP back into the Flash XDR. The Flash XDR would be set to capture in MXF file format at 100 Mbps. The MXF files would import directly into Avid.

I know this is an additioanl compression step, but the 100Mbps really looks visually lossless in all our tests.

This might be the simplest approach until we get our QT -> MXF re-wrap software finished.

Best-

Thanks,
Scott

Hi Douglas,

I was having a conversation with a guy at a post-production house yesterday who informed me that as far as he was aware there's no way to export footage from FCP to then be compatible with AVID.
They were having to play out over HD-SDI from the FCP timeline and capture into AVID to move footage between the two.

what? If FCP will export to Quicktime, then there's a number of ways to bring footage into avid. Bitjazz' SHEER codec is a high quality 4;2:2, 10-bit intermediate. That would be my first choice.

...If you want Bill, I could confirm for Douglas if the aforementioned codec will import into Avid Media Composer. Can you post a short something in that Quicktime Codec here and I'll see if I can get it into Avid MC ?

Dear Mark,

Thanks for the offer!

That would be great.