Client Wants HD Master: what to do?
 

This isn't really Vegas specific, but since I edit on it, I figured that I'd post my question here. For a ~7 minute short, I'm providing a client an ISO image of an authored DVD, for burning onto whatever discs they want. No problem. Also, they want my raw footage (HDV). Also, no problem.

They also want an HD master of the edited short, which at some point they might compress into various formats, e.g., for streaming Web video, and/or for handing over to a TV station. Right now, they don't know exactly where it will go, so the idea is to provide a universally adaptable master.

My source footage is HDV and I edit on Cineform avi's. What should the master be? Uncompressed avi is ridiculously large. Lagarith is obviously a better choice, and it appears from a quick test that a PC without that codec installed can at least play the rendered avi in Windows Media Player. This looks good to me. However, is there a better way to provide an HD master?

TIA,
Steve

I think Avid DNxHD would be a good way to go. Cross platform and the codec is free.

HI Steven,

I've been asked a few of times to hand in the HD Master of the music videos to my clients. What I always do is that I put the AVI in the format of data on a DVD and give it to them. So far no one has ever complained.


Matthew

If you're already in Cineform, wouldn't the cineform player work for them to decode at their wish?

Neo Player Downloads

I believe it installs a play-only codec, so you can do what you like with it in whatever app can use codecs. I presume it's a VfW codec.

CraigL

Yes, I thought of that. I envision the master getting passed around, crossing continents, and someone in a far corner of the globe then wondering why in the world they can't play the danged video...because someone forgot to tell them to download and install a codec, albeit a free one.

Well, yeah, that's my starting point. My question was attempting to get at the end point, i.e., the particular codec used to generate the avi. How do you render your avi masters?

Right. I had forgotten about NeoPlayer. Qualitatively, the same as saying "download and install [whatever free codec]." I think the tidy size of CF avi's would appeal to me and to them. Thanks for the suggestion!

Steve