Moving from FCP HDV capture to PP2 Editing
 

Hi, I'm in a new situation (to me). I have been given a drive with some 1080i60 HDV that was captured in Final Cut and I have to edit this footage on a PC. My budget won't allow CineForm Aspect HD. Does anyone know how I can use these quicktime files on a PC?

It seems to me that I should just be able to import the quicktime's to Premiere Pro 2 and edit? I did a test with some DVCPRO HD 1080i60 stuff that I converted to HDV 1080i60 and all I got in Premiere was some clips that looked like they were gonna work but only showed white screen?

Someone has had to have run in to this situation before right?

Thanks for any help you can give.

What is your final output going to be? If it's DVD, downconvert it to the NTSC realm (720x480).

I've used Virtual dub to create lossless avi's in Huffyuv format (huge filesize). Then I edited in DV. After my edits were complete, I created a new project at 1280x720 (or 1920x1080i), imported my DV project (maintaining all the aspect ratios - 16x9) and then for each dv clip I told premiere to unlink the media and then relinked them to the HufYUV files. This kinda worked. The output kept crashing due to the size of the HuffYUV's, so I outputed to an image sequence. Then encoded that in After effects. You may even be able to use Quicktime Pro for only $30, but it constantly crashed on me and renders slow on a PC.

Final output is going to be a couple dual layer DVD's. So Virtual Dub can convert HDV to DV? That sounds like it may be the way for me to go but can't I export a reference movie so that it doesn't crash on the giant files? I'm used to FCP where you just export the reference file from the timeline and that usually solves it.

As for editing in DV, do you export to DV and the HufYUV files? How do you edit in DV then switch to the HufYUV files?

And I had the same problem with Quicktime Pro on the PC. Crashed every time.

Thanks for the help.

I'm not sure about the reference movie from FCP, I haven't used them for a while, but I don't think Virtualdub will know what it is referencing. The files however will be big.

If you make Quicktime files from FCP that Premiere can read (using a codec both understand) and/or then make DV files from FCP or VD of the source as well you can then edit in premiere.

When you have finished your DV edits. Create a new project in premiere with the settings of the source files (HDV) and then choose import and import your DV project into the new project. Now your dv project is in a HDV project. Now you swap out the dv files for the source files (and you could use HuffYUV's or QT's) by selecting each DV file in the project window and then right click and choose "make offline" "project files remain on disk" OK, then right click the same file again and choose link media then choose the HuffYUV or QT source file. then render and output to dvd.

Seems to me that it would be much easier and time saving if you could just recapture. I assume that is out for some reason.

If it is, what about going back to FCP and sending the files back out to tape from the FCP time line with no editing and then recapture to Premiere ? (Sorry, I know nothing about FCP, so if it is a stupid suggestiong, forgive me.)

Thanks for all the help. I think I may try the offline edit and reconnecting after the editing is finished. I would try to recapture but 18 hours of tape have already been captured and we are behind schedule. I'm gonna try everything and let you know what works.

Oh yeah...

I forgot to mention that we did use the HDV 1080i60 codec to capture in FCP. We avoided the Apple Intermediate Codec because we thought that there was no way that that codec would be supported on a PC. Is the HDV 1080i60 codec not a generic codec that's not supported on a PC?

Sorry I couldn't respond, I was at a wedding in cleveland until today. How did it work out?

So I am down to two options (I had to switch projects for a couple days). I can either buy Flip4Mac Studio Pro (I have Studio) and export wmv's to work with in Premiere or I can use a JVC JY-HD10u that I found laying around try to recapture everything. I would rather recapture but we'll see. I can't try to recapture until tonight so we'll see if it works. I don't know if I can capture 1080i footage on a JVC that was recorded on a Sony. I'll post if it works. Otherwise I'll be upgrading my Flip4Mac and spending days converting files.

If you can capture from the JVC (specs say it will playback 1080i), capture directly into premiere, you will have less problems that way. Have you tried opening these quicktime files in premiere? If premiere won't open them also try using quicktime pro to make the movies self contained.