5D MarkII, FCPpro and Blackmagic Intensity at DVinfo.net

Dean Gill · August 18th, 2009, 05:05 AM

Hi all,

I'm trying to output my 5D MarkII footage on a HDTV via an Intensity card but find it impossible to do so using the raw files. I get a picture on the TV screen but it's a frozen frame (although in the canvas the video plays smoothly). As the 5D is supposed to be my second cam (I own a Sony EX-1) I managed to play the files by converting it either to xdcam ex 60i or prores 60i as the card doesn't seem to be able to output 1080P. However, compared to the xdcam footage (shot in 50i), it doesn't play smoothly like the real xdcam footage. Furthermore, I notice a strong color banding effect more visible when the files are converted to xdcam ex than prores.
I use Final cut studio 2 on 8core Mac with 10G Ram

Jeff Krepner · August 18th, 2009, 12:48 PM

Dean, I don't have a 5D MKii (yet) but I do have FCP w/ Intensity card. You basically have to get the footage into one of the codecs that the Intensity card uses, otherwise it just shows a still frame and not live video.

I would guess you could do Black Magic ProRes (not sure if that is the exact name--not in front of my machine at the moment) as long as it is one of the setups in the "Easy Setup" option.

Make sense?

-jeff

Dean Gill · August 18th, 2009, 04:46 PM

Well, that's exactly what I did. I prepared an Apple ProRes 60i timeline, dropped the 5D files in it and rendered. I then used one of the Blackmagic presets HDTV 1080i 59,94 (1920x1080) and managed to output the footage on my HDTV. The thing is it's painful, the process very long, and the difference in quality between my EX-1 footage and the one delivered by my 5D MK2 is quite obvious, especially on a large HDTV screen. What disturbs me the most is the choppiness of the picture compared to the smooth 50i footage of my EX-1 camera. I suppose the trick would be to properly re-interlace the 30P clips but that's even more complicated.

Ray Bell · August 19th, 2009, 05:11 AM

I don't think you can mix 50i with 30P... and if you are converting 30P to 50i then you are
going to have problems too...

Dean Gill · August 19th, 2009, 08:15 AM

Living in Pal land, I'm used to shoot in 50i and I suppose I'm not the only one in that case. I was just wondering if someone had found a not too complicated workflow allowing to decently output the 5d and ex-1 footage from the same timeline using my intensity card.

Dan Chung · August 19th, 2009, 08:52 AM

Dean,

The only solution I use is to shoot the EX-1 at 29.97 fps in NTSC, then adjust the 5D footage from 30p to 29.97 in FCP. Then covert the whole lot to 25p PAL using the Phil Bloom method.

Painful but pretty much the only way to edit the two in the same timebase.

Dan

Dean Gill · August 19th, 2009, 08:57 AM

too bad, most of my footage is already in 50i...

Dan Chung · August 19th, 2009, 09:15 AM

Then I guess maybe convert the Sony footage to 25p and then convert the Canon footage to 25p using the Bloom method. Edit the whole lot in 25p.

Dan

Dean Gill · August 20th, 2009, 12:55 AM

Sorry but 25p no way, don't like it. Well, I guess I made a big mistake thinking I could use the 5D MK2 as a second cam.

August 18th, 2009, 05:05 AM	#1
Dean Gill Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Geneva - Switzerland Posts: 30	5D MarkII, FCPpro and Blackmagic Intensity Hi all, I'm trying to output my 5D MarkII footage on a HDTV via an Intensity card but find it impossible to do so using the raw files. I get a picture on the TV screen but it's a frozen frame (although in the canvas the video plays smoothly). As the 5D is supposed to be my second cam (I own a Sony EX-1) I managed to play the files by converting it either to xdcam ex 60i or prores 60i as the card doesn't seem to be able to output 1080P. However, compared to the xdcam footage (shot in 50i), it doesn't play smoothly like the real xdcam footage. Furthermore, I notice a strong color banding effect more visible when the files are converted to xdcam ex than prores. I use Final cut studio 2 on 8core Mac with 10G Ram Last edited by Dean Gill; August 18th, 2009 at 06:02 AM.

August 18th, 2009, 12:48 PM	#2
Jeff Krepner Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Timonium, MD Posts: 142	Dean, I don't have a 5D MKii (yet) but I do have FCP w/ Intensity card. You basically have to get the footage into one of the codecs that the Intensity card uses, otherwise it just shows a still frame and not live video. I would guess you could do Black Magic ProRes (not sure if that is the exact name--not in front of my machine at the moment) as long as it is one of the setups in the "Easy Setup" option. Make sense? -jeff

August 18th, 2009, 04:46 PM	#3
Dean Gill Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Geneva - Switzerland Posts: 30	Well, that's exactly what I did. I prepared an Apple ProRes 60i timeline, dropped the 5D files in it and rendered. I then used one of the Blackmagic presets HDTV 1080i 59,94 (1920x1080) and managed to output the footage on my HDTV. The thing is it's painful, the process very long, and the difference in quality between my EX-1 footage and the one delivered by my 5D MK2 is quite obvious, especially on a large HDTV screen. What disturbs me the most is the choppiness of the picture compared to the smooth 50i footage of my EX-1 camera. I suppose the trick would be to properly re-interlace the 30P clips but that's even more complicated.

August 19th, 2009, 05:11 AM	#4
Ray Bell Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,414	I don't think you can mix 50i with 30P... and if you are converting 30P to 50i then you are going to have problems too...

August 19th, 2009, 08:15 AM	#5
Dean Gill Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Geneva - Switzerland Posts: 30	Living in Pal land, I'm used to shoot in 50i and I suppose I'm not the only one in that case. I was just wondering if someone had found a not too complicated workflow allowing to decently output the 5d and ex-1 footage from the same timeline using my intensity card.

August 19th, 2009, 08:52 AM	#6
Dan Chung Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Beijing Posts: 665	Dean, The only solution I use is to shoot the EX-1 at 29.97 fps in NTSC, then adjust the 5D footage from 30p to 29.97 in FCP. Then covert the whole lot to 25p PAL using the Phil Bloom method. Painful but pretty much the only way to edit the two in the same timebase. Dan

August 19th, 2009, 08:57 AM	#7
Dean Gill Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Geneva - Switzerland Posts: 30	too bad, most of my footage is already in 50i...

August 19th, 2009, 09:15 AM	#8
Dan Chung Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Beijing Posts: 665	Then I guess maybe convert the Sony footage to 25p and then convert the Canon footage to 25p using the Bloom method. Edit the whole lot in 25p. Dan

August 20th, 2009, 12:55 AM	#9
Dean Gill Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Geneva - Switzerland Posts: 30	Sorry but 25p no way, don't like it. Well, I guess I made a big mistake thinking I could use the 5D MK2 as a second cam.