F330 workflow and system needed

[Alex Moreau]

Hi guys,
Could help me with this and help us decide whether we go for xdcam hd or dvcam?

1- I know I can transfer the files using firewire but can I transfer them back to the camera as well? I'm sure I read somewhere it's possible but some reseller say we need the separate deck.

2-If we shoot in DVcam mode, do we still get the mxf files and what are the benefits compared to a 2/3" such as dsr450 apart from the disc? Do you get a better quality with xdcam in dvcam mode or with a dsr450?

3- What system specs are required to playback xdcam footage smoothly?We tried on a P4, 2Gb Ram and it was jerky in both PPro with mainconcept and Vegas.

Thanks a lot!

[Thierry Humeau]

Originally Posted by Alex Moreau

Hi guys,
Could help me with this and help us decide whether we go for xdcam hd or dvcam?

1- I know I can transfer the files using firewire but can I transfer them back to the camera as well? I'm sure I read somewhere it's possible but some reseller say we need the separate deck.

2-If we shoot in DVcam mode, do we still get the mxf files and what are the benefits compared to a 2/3" such as dsr450 apart from the disc? Do you get a better quality with xdcam in dvcam mode or with a dsr450?

3- What system specs are required to playback xdcam footage smoothly?We tried on a P4, 2Gb Ram and it was jerky in both PPro with mainconcept and Vegas.

Thanks a lot!

1- You can write back XDCAM file to disc when using FCPro, Vegas or Edius Broadcast to edit. Write back do disc will be available in the next versions of AVID products. Also, using Sony's PDZ-1 application on a PC, you can copy XDCAM files or clone XDCAM discs via FAM (firewire) or FTP (ethernet).

2- SD XDCAM cameras (PDW-510 or PDW-530) will give you better quality when shooting DVCAM than using a DSR-450. The XDCAM SD cameras just have higher specs than the DSR-450. Ounce on the XDCAM disc, the data is transfer bit for bit to your non-linear editing system, the same way it would be for a DVCAM tape ingest via firewire. So, in this respect, the disc does not offer more quality than tape when moving DVCAM file but it transfer faster (about 2X faster than realtime) and it is just more convenient.

3- Not sure how to answer that one. How fast is the processor on your P4? If you are just dealing with DVCAM MXF files, a Mid-range PC with at least 2GB or RAM should be able to handle this without hicups.

Thierry.

[Alex Moreau]

Thanks for your answer Thierry.
I forgot to write the cpu speed, it's a P4 3.0ghz, it's the HT one.
We managed to download 1 MXF file, I think it was from here, it's footage taken from someone's patio. I'm not sure exactly what it is but it's definitely HD footage.
If some of you could give info on their system specs that would be great.

Thanks

[Alister Chapman]

There are so many other factors that effect playback performance, for example the way the ram is configured (should be dual channel), The type of graphics card and graphics bus are very important, the speed of the hard drive and what other applications are running in the background (anti-virus, skype, messenger etc).

Pemiere Pro with the mainconcept plugin is unlikely to play back smoothly, in fact if you read the specs even main concept don't claim it to be a "real time" solution.

To get Vegas to playback full frame real time requires a well tuned set up and the correct preview settings, perhaps Simon could give some pointers.

The best player IMHO is the Sony MXF viewer.

[Simon Wyndham]

Vegas 7 is very good at playback even on lesser machines.

Although things can become slower if you use Good or Best for the preview window, use simultaneous monitor and preview window etc.