FCP Splitting HD Clips on Capture at DVinfo.net

Travis Cossel · March 16th, 2009, 03:09 PM

I'm having an issue where FCP will take a clip (say a 30-minute straight recording of a wedding ceremony) and will split it into 3 or 4 clips. There is usually a loss of a second or so of the footage, and the splits are not at all proportionate. Has anyone else ever had this happen? Anyone know why it happens or how to fix it?

Greg Boston · March 16th, 2009, 04:14 PM

This used to happen a lot with the JVC and other HDV formats IIRC. The fix was to send the clips through MPEG Streamclip using the 'fix timecode breaks' function before importing them into FCP.

This may not be what you are experiencing, but it's something I dealt with a few years back.

Just a thought,

-gb-

Martin Mayer · March 16th, 2009, 04:27 PM

Travis, is this from a Sony camera? If so, have you got QUICKREC = ON or OFF?

Travis Cossel · March 16th, 2009, 05:51 PM

I'm shooting in 24p on Canon A1's and capturing through a Canon HV30. What concerns me most is not that it has split a clip, but that at the split points there is always a second or more of 'missing' footage. Not sure if MPEG streamclip would help in that case.

Benjamin Hill · March 16th, 2009, 06:10 PM

What you're describing sounds like the dreaded HDV dropout- have you ruled this out?

Travis Cossel · March 16th, 2009, 06:11 PM

I've never heard of HDV dropout. What's that, and is there a way to prevent it?

Andrew Kimery · March 16th, 2009, 09:49 PM

In the HDV capture window in FCP do you have the "make new clip on start/stop" un-checked?

-A

Travis Cossel · March 16th, 2009, 11:16 PM

Okay, that brings up another thing. I don't ever get an 'HDV capture window'. When I go to log and capture all that comes up is a tiny window with a field for a reel name. When I switched from SD to HDV footage, my log and capture window no longer appears.

Andrew Kimery · March 17th, 2009, 12:46 AM

IIRC if you are capturing via FW into the AIC or ProRes codec you don't get the normal capture window you just get a name field. If you capture HDV natively you'll get a more familiar looking Log and Capture window.

-A

Benjamin Hill · March 17th, 2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

I've never heard of HDV dropout. What's that, and is there a way to prevent it?

Someone else could provide a more scientific explanation but basically a dropout happens when something- e.g. dust particle- interferes with the cameras ability to record the signal onto the tape. Dropouts can happen with any tape format but in HDV, due to the nature of the codec, a miniscule dropout can result in a good half-second interruption on the tape- which can turn into a few-second break on FCP capture, thus resulting in a new clip and a gap in your footage.

You can confirm if it is a dropout by playing back the tape and seeing if the error happens at the same spot.

Strategies for reducing dropouts include keeping your camera and case clean, and using the highest-quality tapes you can afford.

Travis Cossel · March 17th, 2009, 10:30 AM

Thanks guys, that explains a lot! I'll have to watch the tape and see if I can catch an actual dropout on the tape.

Jeremy Naus · April 19th, 2009, 07:28 AM

I have the exact same problem. XHA1 and I have a live performance of a show that is 50mins long.
FCP always makes clips of about 10 mins when capturing.
It's extremely annoying that just putting the clips together introduces gaps between te clips.
Hope anyone can help us out.
I'm 100% sure that it are not tape drops.

Terry Taravella · April 19th, 2009, 11:13 PM

I had the same problem when I was trying to capture footage from my FX1000 via the HV30, capturing ProRes. The tape capture would break into pieces and I would lose frames.

So I started capturing simply HDV and when the log and capture window pops up, go to
Clip Settings tab on the right and UNclick "Create new clip on start/stop". I was then able to capture an entire tape with NO breaks.

I did have 2 tapes that had a drop-out, but capture simply stopped and started again..yes I did lose a couple of frames, but it only happened once on each tape.

I thought I was going to lose my mind with the previous scenario. Very frustrating.

So far the HDV capture is working great.

Jeremy Naus · April 24th, 2009, 08:07 AM

Ok, I fixed my problem.
What actually happens is that about 1-2 frames at the end of each clip were black.
When I removed those black frames from the clip I was able to get a smooth transition from one clip to the other.
I don't know if those black clips are 'lost' frames or just added by FCP. But I don't see nor hear any problems after removing those frames, so my first guess is that FCP adds them at the end of each clip.

March 16th, 2009, 03:09 PM	#1
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	FCP Splitting HD Clips on Capture I'm having an issue where FCP will take a clip (say a 30-minute straight recording of a wedding ceremony) and will split it into 3 or 4 clips. There is usually a loss of a second or so of the footage, and the splits are not at all proportionate. Has anyone else ever had this happen? Anyone know why it happens or how to fix it? __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 16th, 2009, 04:27 PM	#3
Martin Mayer Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 416	Travis, is this from a Sony camera? If so, have you got QUICKREC = ON or OFF? __________________ Martin at HeadSpin HD on Blu-ray

March 16th, 2009, 05:51 PM	#4
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	I'm shooting in 24p on Canon A1's and capturing through a Canon HV30. What concerns me most is not that it has split a clip, but that at the split points there is always a second or more of 'missing' footage. Not sure if MPEG streamclip would help in that case. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 16th, 2009, 06:10 PM	#5
Benjamin Hill Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Iowa City, Iowa Posts: 670	What you're describing sounds like the dreaded HDV dropout- have you ruled this out? __________________ youtube.com/benhillmedia linkedin.com/in/benhillmedia

March 16th, 2009, 06:11 PM	#6
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	I've never heard of HDV dropout. What's that, and is there a way to prevent it? __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 16th, 2009, 04:14 PM	#2
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	This used to happen a lot with the JVC and other HDV formats IIRC. The fix was to send the clips through MPEG Streamclip using the 'fix timecode breaks' function before importing them into FCP. This may not be what you are experiencing, but it's something I dealt with a few years back. Just a thought, -gb-

March 16th, 2009, 09:49 PM	#7
Andrew Kimery Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 352	In the HDV capture window in FCP do you have the "make new clip on start/stop" un-checked? -A

March 16th, 2009, 11:16 PM	#8
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Okay, that brings up another thing. I don't ever get an 'HDV capture window'. When I go to log and capture all that comes up is a tiny window with a field for a reel name. When I switched from SD to HDV footage, my log and capture window no longer appears. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 17th, 2009, 12:46 AM	#9
Andrew Kimery Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 352	IIRC if you are capturing via FW into the AIC or ProRes codec you don't get the normal capture window you just get a name field. If you capture HDV natively you'll get a more familiar looking Log and Capture window. -A

March 17th, 2009, 10:30 AM	#11
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Thanks guys, that explains a lot! I'll have to watch the tape and see if I can catch an actual dropout on the tape. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

April 19th, 2009, 07:28 AM	#12
Jeremy Naus Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Antwerpen, Belgium Posts: 60	I have the exact same problem. XHA1 and I have a live performance of a show that is 50mins long. FCP always makes clips of about 10 mins when capturing. It's extremely annoying that just putting the clips together introduces gaps between te clips. Hope anyone can help us out. I'm 100% sure that it are not tape drops.

April 19th, 2009, 11:13 PM	#13
Terry Taravella Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 64	I had the same problem when I was trying to capture footage from my FX1000 via the HV30, capturing ProRes. The tape capture would break into pieces and I would lose frames. So I started capturing simply HDV and when the log and capture window pops up, go to Clip Settings tab on the right and UNclick "Create new clip on start/stop". I was then able to capture an entire tape with NO breaks. I did have 2 tapes that had a drop-out, but capture simply stopped and started again..yes I did lose a couple of frames, but it only happened once on each tape. I thought I was going to lose my mind with the previous scenario. Very frustrating. So far the HDV capture is working great. __________________ Terry Taravella studiovc.com & infocusvideoevent.com

April 24th, 2009, 08:07 AM	#14
Jeremy Naus Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Antwerpen, Belgium Posts: 60	Ok, I fixed my problem. What actually happens is that about 1-2 frames at the end of each clip were black. When I removed those black frames from the clip I was able to get a smooth transition from one clip to the other. I don't know if those black clips are 'lost' frames or just added by FCP. But I don't see nor hear any problems after removing those frames, so my first guess is that FCP adds them at the end of each clip.