ETA on Avid DNx Update for KiPro Mini

[Kevin Wolff]

Is there any update on the estimated date for the version of the KiPro Mini firmware with Avid DNx support? The most recent estimate of which I am aware was pointing to Q1 2012.

Thanks in advance for any information.
Kevin

[Kevin Wolff]

Version 4 of the Ki Pro Mini has been posted on AJA's website and includes DNxHD support! Perhaps Jon will provide more details, but it looks great to me.

Kevin

[Kevin Wolff]

One question I do have from looking at the Release Notes for the firmware update has to do with the flavor of DNxHD the Ki Pro Mini is recording. The Notes say that the DNxHD files recorded by the Ki Pro Mini should be taken into Media Composer using "Link to AMA." Does this mean that these files can't be imported directly without transcoding? If so, is there any benefit to recording to DNxHD on the Ki Pro Mini instead of ProRes? In fact, can't ProRes can be imported into MC 6 as ProRes MXF files without using Link to AMA? Wouldn't that be preferrable to using Link to AMA for the KI Pro Mini DNxHD files?

Forgive me if I am missing something obvious here as I am pretty new to Media Composer (FCP 7 refugee). I am trying to come up with the best workflow for Ki Pro Mini files.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Steve Cocklin]

Originally Posted by Kevin Wolff

One question I do have from looking at the Release Notes for the firmware update has to do with the flavor of DNxHD the Ki Pro Mini is recording. The Notes say that the DNxHD files recorded by the Ki Pro Mini should be taken into Media Composer using "Link to AMA." Does this mean that these files can't be imported directly without transcoding? If so, is there any benefit to recording to DNxHD on the Ki Pro Mini instead of ProRes? In fact, can't ProRes can be imported into MC 6 as ProRes MXF files without using Link to AMA? Wouldn't that be preferrable to using Link to AMA for the KI Pro Mini DNxHD files?

Forgive me if I am missing something obvious here as I am pretty new to Media Composer (FCP 7 refugee). I am trying to come up with the best workflow for Ki Pro Mini files.

Thanks,
Kevin

Hi Kevin, if you are using Avid you should link to the files using AMA not import. You can then consolidate them from your bin to your media drive. No need to select color space, audio settings, Avid knows what they should be using link to AMA. Also the DNxHD files are native to Media Composer so no need to trans-code which should save you some time.

You can also copy these files to a media drive during media management you should set up an Avid media file folder (like the one your Avid system uses) on the hard drive in the field, during media management you could copy those files into that folder. When you connect that drive to your Avid system and start Avid, the program will see the Avid folder on that drive and start indexing the files. You could then open your project and use the Media Tool in the tools menu, select the media drive your new files are on, select Master clips and select the project your in. When you press OK all your new DNxHD files will be displayed. You can then select all and drag them into an open bin. You should set up your work flow to always have a copy of your media files on a separate drive, I copy back-up files to a 2TB Hitachi internal drive using an HD Dock and store it on the shelf.

Sorry I should have check the above procedure using the Media Tool and Ki Pro DNxHD files before listing the procedure. Avid will only AMA link the Ki Pro Mini files. I tried copying the files to an Avid Media-Files directory but Avid will not reference those files so when you try and bring them up using Media tool they are not there. I've got a call into AJA support and I also question the procedure on the Avid forums, I'll update what I find out.

From what I found talking to AJA Support and from the Avid Forums is Avid uses MXF OP-ATOM files and AJA uses MXF OP-1A files, the OP-1A consolidates the video and audio into one file, where the Avid OP-ATOM separates Video and Audio. So the only way to get the files into Avid is AMA Link and consolidate which I think takes as long as AMA Link and Transcode for the ProRes. Hopefully when Jon gets a chance he would clarify. Apparently Convergent Design also uses the MXF OP-1A format.

[Ed David]

supposively and I'm going to test it - DNXHD is a better acquisition format than Pro Res HQ - it's cleaner, less noise . I'm going to test this coming up this week.

[Steve Cocklin]

Originally Posted by Ed David

supposively and I'm going to test it - DNXHD is a better acquisition format than Pro Res HQ - it's cleaner, less noise . I'm going to test this coming up this week.

You could be splitting hairs testing quality between the two codecs, read the whitepaper on ProRes, they do a quality comparison between the two codecs and from what I could see there is not much difference.

Link to ProRes white paper; http://images.apple.com/support/fina...-July-2009.pdf

[Joe Lawry]

Finally installed the version 4 firmware on my kipro mini today.

Initial tests were odd and I was unable to open the quicktime files in QT7 or 10(who'd have thought) on a MacPro running MC6.

I could open them fine in VLC however, and they AMA'd into the Avid fine.

I would like to test fast importing the QTs in over AMAing and then consolidating.. and see which one is quicker..

Im shooting a 48hour film comp this weekend with a FS100 and we're editing in MC6 and finishing in Resolve. Keen to see how the 145DNxHD (actually 120DNxHD as I am in 25p land) goes.

It would be nice if the Mini read 120 & 185x when in 25 mode.. buuut its not a major issue.

I also wish there was normal 185 and not just the 10 bit version.. as 185 8bit is technically more efficient than 185X.

Glad to have DNxHD though, it is a cleaner codec than Prores. Choma noise especially, from memory.