I want to thank several of you folks for helping me out in narrowing down my camera choices immensely.

I'm currently thinking about a combination of the HVX200 and Apple's Final Cut Pro. My computer will be the latest version of the MacBook Pro.

I have a couple of questions before I pull out my credit card and "swipe". I'm going to be shooting a high definition music video both for transmission over the internet and for sale as a DVD. Obviously, the internet version will not be HD to save bandwidth.

Okay. . . here at the questions. Bear in mind that I'm a complete newbie to this medium. Please forgive amateurish lunacy.

1. Do both the HVX200 and Final Cut Pro handle 1080p/24p files? I see a lot about 1080i 24p and 720p/i 30.

2. What resolution is MTV and normal HD TV signals?

3. There are two versions of the MacBook Pro. One of them has a Firewire 800 port, the other has a Firewire 400 port. Is it possible to dump the highest resolution data from the HVX200 directly to the MacBook Pro through the Firewire cables? If not, how would one get the highest resolution data from the HVX200 to the computer?

4. I have read somethings about a FS-100 hard disk system to attach to the HVX200. This will apparently reduce the need for P2 cards. Can the FS-100 take the highest resolution signals coming from the HVX200?

5. Is there any other piece of hardware I should be looking at to make life easier?

Thanks very, very much.

Stephen Pruitt

Stephen,

This post has way too many questions that all have detailed answers. Your best bet is to do the research on the web and then ask the questions that cannot be easily ascetained by the information provided by the manufacturers.

All your questions can be answered by reading the info from these sites:



The information about Final Cut Pro can be found here:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/

To get a better understanding of video formats check out this site:

http://www.adamwilt.com

For information about the FS-100:

http://www.focusinfo.com/solutions/catalog.asp?id=150

The quick answer is: yes you can do everything you're asking about, easily. Yes FCP and the MBP and FW400 and the HVX all work very well together, just use 1080/24pA mode and you'll be all set.

Barry, I just noticed your location is Las Vegas. I'll be in LV the week week after next. If I see any cars with the HVX tied to the roof, I'll wave. LOL

I'll have my HVX in hand and will try to get some great shots out there.

Stephen, I found it very easy to use the HVX and FS-100 with FCP. I'm fairly new at the HVX and Mac platform myself but I found it to be a smooth transition. I found the firewire 800 drives more suitable for this kind (HVX) of transport.

[QUOTE=Dee Joslin]Barry, I just noticed your location is Las Vegas. I'll be in LV the week week after next. If I see any cars with the HVX tied to the roof, I'll wave. LOL

I'll have my HVX in hand and will try to get some great shots out there.

So I guess you won't be getting rid of your HVX then?

On the network note, networks that air HD have different requirements as to what formats they want. The most likely deliverable formats are 1080p 23.98 or 59.94 on HDCAM or D5...or 720p 23.98 or 59.94 on the same. Some places might accept a DVCPRO HD master, but they are rare. You need to ask each network what their requirements are.

And Firewire 400 for DVCPRO HD is touch and go. Works for some, not for all. 720p...yes. 1080p...no. Need FW800 for that...and it is best to go with FW800 for 720p for comfort factor. And there might be PCI Express adaptors for FW800 out there, so you might not need to get the 17" MBPro...

And Firewire 400 for DVCPRO HD is touch and go. Works for some, not for all.
You may be talking about editing from an external FW drive? The question as I understood it was either streaming or offloading to a firewire drive, and in those cases FW400 is plenty adequate -- especially because the camera only has an FW400 port on it. For editing and sustaining the data rate I'm sure FW800 would be better, but for live streaming to the MacBook Pro (or any other live capture system) FW400 is what you need to connect from the HVX to the computer.

I meant editing. For offloading or streaming (thru the use of your computer) FW 400 works.

But I highly recommend against streaming to the computer. One mess up and boom...you lost your data. P2 cards really are the way to go. Firestore if you must.

But, that is MHO.

So I guess you won't be getting rid of your HVX then?

The way it looks now, I'll have both.