CineForm and Sony XDCAM EX
 

Will Aspect HD and/or Prospect HD support the 35mbps MPEG with Premiere Pro? I'm planning on buying the XDCAM EX and the May Prospect HD upgrade as well as Premiere Pro CS3 when all available. Thanks.
Dan

We have just worked out XDCAM in general, expect an official announced soon. So the answer is yes for Prospect HD, and maybe for Aspect HD (that hasn't been decided.)

Message for David
 

Does the latest version of HDlink work with Windows Vista?

Carlo Zanella

Vista is not supported yet. That is a finicky OS at the moment. Of course Vista support is gaining priority, but in the meantime, if you can, stick with XP.

XDcam - HDlink
 

I work with Vegas 7. Will HD-link import xdcam-ex 35mbps? Will there be a choice to convert to intermediate AVI, or in this case it will just be fine to edit the format the way it is (in Vegas)?
Thank you.

We always convert to CineForm AVI or (soon optionally) MOVs before editing.

XDcam info
 

Hey David
What can you tell us about the XDcam support for Prospect HD? How will it work? I am assuming it will work with the FAM workflow. What about output? Can you at least give us more of a time frame then soon?

I am also intersted in the EX as a nice B camera to the XDcam 350.

We have XDCAM conversion tools working in-house, we are trying to get the XDCAM features in place for the May 1 release of Prospect HD v3.0. We will not be supporting XDCAM output, our exports are file based AVI, MOV, image sequences, or HDSDI.

Thank you
 

I have been waiting for awhile now. Export is not really a concern due to the fact that any and every thing I do either goes to DVD or HDcam via HDSDI for those broadcast jobs (I can not wait to get a Prospect HD V3 system up and going) Now what about Blu-ray that is supported by encore. Will CFHD files play well with encore and Blu-ray burners?

By the way I edited my first Aspect HD project and it worked flawlessly. I can not wait to try Prospect HD.

The new Encore should handle CFHD AVIs fine.

David
XD Cam EX is being released in Nov. I'm planning on getting one.
Do you think Aspect will be onboard for the XD 25 mbs codec at that time, or will it require an upgrade to Prospect??

XDCam EX should run with Aspect HD v5 when it is released. But with that camera you will probably want Prospect HD for it other benefits.

XDCam
 

Hey David, I was hoping that there would be a mention of XDCam support with prospect HD. What is the word will it come out in a later build? Or is it just not memtioned on the website yet?

We do have a workaround today but we are working towards something a little cleaner in a few weeks.

thanks
 

Hey David thanks for the the update.

Sony XDCam EX / SDI-> HDLink->Intensity->Cineform
 

I'm assuming this should work.

HD SDI out on the new Sony XDCam EX to a Black Magic HDLink, then HDMI out to Intensity Pro and capture with Prospect HD at full 1920 x 1080 4:2:2 to edit in Adobe CS3 software.

Planning on using a capture box like this: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...ight=Intensity

No problems, that will work fine.

CineForm / Sony EX1 support questions
 

Thinking about purchasing this camera and wondering if Prospect HD will work with the new XDCam EX file format?

Since the HQ files are native 1920 x 1080, will that change anything since the current XDCam files are 1440x1080?

I'm assuming I can use HDLink to batch downcovert to SD if I wanted to do that.

Using Premiere Pro/After Effects CS3, what type of workflow would I be looking at?

Do the Cineform encoded files end up smaller or larger than the native XDCam files?

Thanks,

Jim

We will be supporting XDCAM-EX ASAP, but it is not be same format as today's XDCAM-HD, so we will be rev'ing (free update) Prospect HD/2K for this camera. The CineForm files will be about 3 times large, and about 30 times more useful :), just as do with HDV, remember XDCAM-HD/EX is like professional HDV, higher bit-rate long GOP MPEG-2. Also initially none of the native MPEG NLE will support the HQ modes, so CineForm Prpspect HD is going to be popular with this camera.

Thank goodness for Cineform. You guys make a LOT of things much easier that would be pretty much impossible.

Looking forward to using Prospect with the EX, whenever I pick one up.

Will Aspect HD support the XDCam EX at 8-bit 1440x1080?

Yes at that resolution. HQ 1920x1080 images will need to be scaled down to 1440x1080 under Aspect HD. I think Prospect HD will be the sweet spot of XDCAM-EX users.

I definetely agree. I suppose it would be a good investment anyway for me to get 4:2:2 and 1920x1080 out of my V1U then as well (via HDMI).

I'm glad Cineform has upgrade options to go from Aspect HD to Prospect HD :)

Can you tell us how the process will work?

I understand that with a tape based workflow, as you capture you can transcode and produce a Cineform AVI, but with a file based workflow, I assume the drag-and-drop functionality of the camera is preserved, so how does the transcoding process occur? Or is there one? Do we end up with Cineform AVIs still? And my final question (so far) isdo you have any indication as to how long the transcoding process will take?

Thanks for your help!

-- John.

Use the convert tabs of HDlink, just as you would for P2 media, XDCAM-HD and AVCHD files. Conversion is as fast as you PC allows, whereas with tape transfer you are always limited by the tape speed.

HDLink? Sorry for my ignorance. Isn't that a hardware device for capturing? Or is it a program that I would need on top of CS3?

We had the name first. HDLink is a software utility that comes with all CineForm products -- it supports capture and conversion from a large range of sources.

Fantastic! Thanks for the info and especially for the incredibly fast responses! I can't wait for this camera and an excuse to buy Prospect finally after months and months of procrastinating.

HQ output vs HDMI
 

When using this camera in HQ capture, is there any remaining advantage of utilizing the HDMI interface for transfer to NLE?

I'm presuming that the SDI is primarily an asset for interface between other broadcast gear and/or live feed from the camera as opposed to providing a superior means of transfer of recorded data?

That'd be my *guess* anyways... If it's being recorded to the XDcam's file format, I would think it would be best just to grab the exact recorded file, and drop that into HDlink.

Unless the camera happens to be really good at certain realtime processes that you need to happen, as is the case a lot of times with people recording in HDV and capturing from the camera in SD... tho with this camera being native 1920x1080, and the color that the camera shoots out isn't going to be up-sampled above what it was originally stored at (as far as I know, I've been known to be wrong =D) I don't see any reason to not use a beautiful file-based workflow.

I'm eying this setup myself, actually!

C

Thanks for your input Carl... that's the way I interpreted it. This unit seems to offer some very nice solutions. The lens is a welcome change to conventional controls.... and not having to invest in additional interfacing is another plus.

Aye, the workflow rocks with that thing from what I hear.

Now, if I can find more paying jobs for the next 3 months, I'll be happy! I really want to be able to bump the Z1 down to a B camera, because that means I've got a *really* spiffy A camera =D

After that, I'll be discussing FCP automation for a job I'll be working waaay too much on. There has got to be a way for some sort of software I own to pull text from a database and crank out a thousand different 30 second commercial spots..... :)


C

HQ mode is still 4:2:0 MPEG compressed. The HD-SDI output will still offer uncompressed 4:2:2 when captured live.

Ah yes... the old database-to-commercial spot trick. Hmmm.... you may need some fancy interfacing technology after all !

On your Z1 comment... I'm in the same boat, and I would expect that the EX and Z1 would match up fairly well. Sony cameras have always produced that trademark "cool" color temp very consistently.

Thanks for the confirmation David. This sounds like it could be a nifty studio cam based on the availability of SDI out.

For recorded data, it looks like simple file transfer and conversion is no compromise from any other means given the 1920 x 1080 raster of the native files.

The only major mismatch issues I've had between Sonys are matching their 1CCD or 1CMOS to 3CCD... the HC3 and Sony A1 are painful to place next to the Z1. For a wide distribution TV show I was recently working on, the HC3 was supplied to me for a B camera to my Z, and I absotutely detested it. I whined enough, and got upgraded from that POS to an A1, which produced very bright, vivid colors, but very cartoony looking next to the Z1. Bleh. I did the best I could to work with it on set and in post, the producer loved it and the network did too, but I can't bring myself to show any of my video geek friends most of the episodes because of the extremely shoddy cutaways. Oh, how I would have loved the budget to get an FX or something, so the show would have some sort of visual continuity....

C

That DOES sound like a tough match, and it reminds me that the EX is a CMOS chip pickup system if I remember correctly.

David,

Any idea as to when Prospect would support the new XDCam EX HQ format? I just placed an order for the EX. Can't wait to try it out.

Also, Cineform is a GREAT SD workflow option for this camera. A lot of guys are disappointed that the camera does not downconvert like the Z1 does, but with Cineform, it's just a batch convert, and you're done.

Sweet!

Just a clarification:

The matching issue was 1 chip to 3 chip, whether CCD or CMOS. the 1CMOS actually matched a lot better than the 1CCD, and the V1 footage looks like it would match rather well to the Z1 (3CCD to 3CMOS). The feeling I got was that it made much more vivid colors with the A1 at 1CMOS than the Z1, because the 3CCDs of the Z1 captured much more realistically and the 1CMOS was doing the best it could, and then making everything more vivid to compensate. Looked good in it's own right, just not next to a Z1. I could probably do some work with the picture profiles, but the project I was working on was VERY run and gun, and tinkering was never really an option. (No dailies, on set monitors, etc, just watching tapes back in the cameras later)

The 3CMOS doesn't scare me as far as matching to the Z1. I thought the V1 pulled some beautiful footage that looked very similar to the Z1.

C

Interesting and useful observations Carl... A far cry from the old days when you could spend an afternoon getting two identical make/model cameras to match.