Easy Setup For HDCam?
 

Hi gang. We might be receiving some HDCam tapes shot on an F900. The footage is 24p. We will also be getting a deck that plays back HDCam and will capture from that. I usually edit in DVCProHD and would prefer to capture these tapes in that format.

My question is, what FCP Easy Setup should be used, if there is one? Or do I need to make a custom setup? What do I need to know about pull-down?

I'm new to 24p and have previously worked only in 29.97 DV, BetaCam, HDV, DVCProHD, and 10 bit uncompressed. Our system will handle the uncompressed but we have found a happy medium in DVCProHD for now.

Thanks in advance.

Why not use DVCPROHD 1080p24? Seems to me that would most closely match your footage except for the difference in HDCAM data rate.

It would have to render first, but then you'd be working in your preferred codec.

-gb-

Actually I'd injest into ProRes - assuming you have FCP6. As Greg points out injesting into a DVCPRO timeline would require rendering because the color space is comletely different. HDCAM is 3:1:1 whereas DVCPRO-HD is 4:2:2.

Alternatively if you have a KONA or BM card there are card-native presets that might also be a better solution.

That's really odd, I never knew there wasn't a preset for HDCAM... very interesting indeed.

Dave,
What is your final delivery format and are you planning on using DVCPro HD as an offline or online codec? The reason I ask is because DVCPro HD is 1280x1080 where as HDCAM is 1440x1080 so you'll lose some res there and if you're final delivery is HDCAM, HDCAM SR, D5, etc., then that 1280x1080 is going to get pulled back up to 1920/1440x1080 so you end up w/more image manipulation than you probably want. I agree w/the other posters and say capture as ProRes unless DVCPro HD is your deliverable format.

There are no presets for HDCAM because Sony doesn't let third parties use the HDCAM codec. The only way to edit HDCAM natively is to use a Sony Xpri system.


-A

Thanks for the response guys.

I capture via a Kona LHe card so I can capture to any format. There will be no rendering of the footage because when I choose the setup, the captured footage and timeline settings will match. I'm able to capture it as anything I want through the HD/DSI output on the camera and deck I'll use. That's not my main concern.

I've never really worked with 24p other than running some tests with our XL-H1. When capturing through the HD/SDI output on the XL-H1, a 29.97 stream is what comes out and pull down is added. When I captured over firewire, I just used the HDV 24p Easy Setup which I understand to be 24 fps with no pulldown. Any way, I'm wondering if the HD/SDI output from the F900 is 24p in a 29.97 stream with pulldown added or if it's 24fps? And how I should capture it.

Final output more than likely will be Beta SP station dubs so I'm not worried about the difference in frame size between DVCProHD and HDCam.

Thanks.

I would recommend using the KONA 1080 23.98 psf PRO RES HQ setting that way you will be editing in an offline codec as well as staying true to the timecode so going to online will be easier. I would recommend staying away from pulldown because of the online step. I have never captured directly from the f900 before but I am only assuming that it has 24p out. If it turns out it does not I highly recommend renting a hdcam player deck like the JH-3 and doing your capturing from that. Of course after you do your onlining then you will make a 24p master and then do a deck to deck transfer to create your BetaSP. For the deck to deck transfer to BetaSP the JH-3 would be perfect the only problem is making your master will be difficult since it is only a player so of course it does not have inputs.