EX/AVID Workflow

Hi,

I have MC3.0 on Windows. I haven't figured everything out yet. But as I understand it, I should be exporting AAFs in Clip Browser 2, then importing those AAFs in MC3.0 (which point to MXF files placed in your AVID Media Files folders), then transcoding the XDCAM video files to DNxHD145 (virually no loss in quality) so that I can edit efficiently (without the jerkyness of GOP) and then output a quicktime reference (now possible since the video is DNxHD) to eventually make a DVD.

The problem is that if you transcode both video and audio to DNxHD145 (or to DV25 for example because you want to save space, take advantage of your SD MOJO, or not need HD for awhile) you lose the link to the XDCAMs in the Avid. The drag with this is you also lose link with the originals. In other words there is no such thing as batch transcoding as there is with importing or capturing.

Transcoding upon import would solve this I would think. You could import/transcode to DV25 then when you have your sequence you could import/transcode to DNxHD145 for final outputing. Will this be corrected in a future MC or have I got something mixed up?

Thank you
Richard Burman

[Ola Christoffersson]

Originally Posted by Graeme Fullick

Can you confirm that upon import of the mxfs, your bin heading reads the selected
DNxHD choice, and not XDCAM?

Keith,

I am not sure what you mean by bin heading - when I import I am given the option of DNXHD185 - so I select it and the files are imported. They play perfectly on my hardware and edit effortlessly. If I try to transcode them DNxHD185 comes up greyed out and I cannot transcode them to this - which I thought implied that they were already in this format.

How do I find out if this is not the case? I have only been working with Media Composer for a few months - so I am still "wet behing the ears" on this one.[/QUOTE]

Set the bin to "text"-mode. In the BIN menu select "headings" and then select "video". You should now have a row that says what video format the clips are. My quess is that it does not say "DNxHD" but "XDCAM HD".

[Richard Burman]

Bill,
Thank you for the information on Cineform HD. Have you considered Main Concept which is a plugin for CB 2.0. I am not sure it does DNxHD though.

The possible problem with intermediates is that when you want to batch import another format (DNxHD instead of standard definition as an example) you might have problems since the second set of intermeidates may have a different name (or extension). You would then have to reassign every single clip.

Am I wrong on this?

Richard

[Bill Ravens]

AFAIK the price for CB2 plugins is outrageously expensive and unnecessary. I suppose the argument can be made that it's competitively priced with Cineform. Guess I'd MUCH rather support a small business that cares about my feedback, instead of Sony who wants my money and doesn't care about me beyond that.
Not sure I follow what you're saying about intermediates. Once I transcode my native mp4 file to CFHD avi, the transcoded version becomes my master clip. I archive the CFHD version and discard the BPAV/mp4. The only drawback in this workflow scenario is that CFHD loses the T/C info, which doesn't matter to me.