Okay folks.

1)Got Edius 3.1 (update) on my pentium IV, 2.4 GHz, single processor win xp pro sp2, 500 MB RAM...

2)captured using capDVHS from FX1 NTSC tonight (since I know how to use CapDVHS)

3)edited m2t natively in canopus edius 3 timeline - including inserting some dissolves.

4)Colour correction etc. is possible - I'm a Vegas/Premiere guy so I'm still getting used to the unfamiliar interface.

5)Rendered out m2t 1080/60i HDV using bundled procoder express 2.0 - sure, this took time - with machine specs as above, I'd say about ratio of about 18-20 minutes to render 3 minutes - shorter clip was 10 minutes to render 1 minute - oh well - time to upgrade the hardware!

6)Brought rendered m2t into mpeg writer utility in capture utility and wrote back to tape - flawless.

7)Hooray!!!!

Quick thoughts:

*I am happy like a pig in shit that I have a complete HDV workflow. Getting edited HDV back out to tape means nice HD final product through camera component out to HDTV in worst-case (if you're wary of Avel link player etc.)

*I am happy like a pig in shit that my m2t's aren't converted to some lossy intermediate format... ha ha... seriously, who has time and hard-drive space to waste? Editing native m2t is akin to like in Vegas - it's dicey. Playback is stuttery, etc. Scrub along timeline to make your edits.

*This is the best Mpeg2 editing I've ever done - frame accurate, etc. - not like mpeg2 edit pro or other previous I-frame flakey editors...

*My win xp sp2 recognized FX1 first time without any hiccups - no issues being recognized for what it is. Don't know why there was so much of an issue made of this when FX1 first came out? Guess people didn't have drivers...

*Procoder express 2.0 has options like writing out HDV to 720p as well as various PAL (25 fps) formats - might be a quick way to get more of a "filmic" look after originating from 1080 60i since cineframe 24 sucks eggs.

*Canopus software seems *robust* or *stable* - writing back to tape was no trouble - device control from Canopus was flawless etc.

*Am sure glad I'm not an Apple guy. If I was, I'd just be w-a-i-t-i-n-g for HDV support and wallow in self-pity (but at least I could listen to my iPOD)

I'll report more later - wow - this is so cool.

Get Edius 3.1 - don't bother with real-time solution - no matter what, you have to render out edited m2t in procoder express before you can do anything with it... It's grrrrreat!!!

Cheers!

<<<-- Originally posted by Mark Kubat : Okay folks.

*I am happy like a pig in shit that my m2t's aren't converted to some lossy intermediate format... ha ha... seriously, who has time and hard-drive space to waste? -->>>

Just so people are clear about their choices, editing native HDV (M2T) files is a lossy and processor-intensive process, so converting to a "less lossy" intermediate codec is arguably a good idea.

Glad to hear that things are working out for you. Keep us posted on your experiences.

actually mark it makes more sense to capture using canopus capture utlity to canopus hd codec..its lossless and it give you more rt functionality in edius

capture fron the fx1 is converted on the fly...give it a whirl, you have alot of options to choose from, like hd-lossless which does create some huge files or canopus hd codec which is very good from the test i have rendered...

more info on my test can be found at canopus forums

Robert, I tried to capture from within Edius and had a nightmare - but wait, I'll try again just using mpeg capture app... it will be interesting to try...

I looked around for Edius/HDV posts but find the Canopus forums kinda silly to navigate - I know we're a friendly community here - Robert, can you point me more clearly to your posts? I hope the local wranglers won't mind...

Ok, honeymoon is over...

Mpeg TS writer can write my first 2 minutes of a new 3 minute clip back to tape - for some reason, it skips near end and cuts last 10 sec. off - the m2t is intact: it plays no probs in Vegas etc.

This is definitely something with the part of Canopus app writing back to tape.

I registered last night for official Canopus forums - I'm STILL waiting for so-called validation email to get into threads... this is damned ridiculous. If I was in PAL England, I'd say "bloody" ridiculous.

My t.v. station has footed the bill for this - man, if I paid my own moolah I'd be fuming. This sucks - Mpeg capture is buggy too - I've been using capDVHS because that's the only way I can get footage into my machine consistently...

Robert or any other Edius HDV users out there - pls. post some tips and tricks here, even repeated from Canopus forum until I can get access - this is silly.

Thanks.

Mark, i'm not in my office, won't be for a few weeks, call this number (408) 954-4506, it's tech support, i have not had any issues writing back to tape, but then again i didn't do check of all my footage...

did you try messing with the "wait time between end transfers and stop recording " option ?

My computer is most probably just not up to snuff.

I forgot - this machine is actually 2 GHz, not 2 plus... it's got 1 gig of RAM, no SATA drives... so those high-end specs for HDV pertain most probably to the HDV stream going to and from cam, real-time editing capability...

big plus right now is I can make an edited m2t as a "final" product to archive for the not-too-distant day when HD-DVD/Blu-ray becomes the norm.

I want to say again right now - FX1 downconverted to SD DVD at a high bit rate CANNOT BE BEAT.

It is SICK how well the cam performs under low light conditions - I can't wait to field test the Z1 just to confirm a few points before deciding on which cam I commit to for shooting some projects...

It's grrreat.

cheers

What gives? I'll call Canopus tomorrow. I got an email confirming that they received my email and will contact me soon. But I'm still waiting. I can't access their Edius forums to read people's posts about how they're working out FX1 editing with Edius...

Canopus, what gives?

Weird.

Mark: a single 2.0 GHz processor isn't adequate for any significant HDV work, so I'd try everything on a faster computer to see if that helps.

Well, I had to get a new email account to try again - silly. Don't know why they don't like my name. Oh well...

I'm in the forums now - wow - there is a lot of discussion!

Seems like Canopus has some kinks too!

But it's the best thing so far...

I should add my specs are definitely not up to snuff according to all the info - like Pinnacle Liquid Edition 6, the requirements for "decent" HDV editing are not negligible...

Our station is figuring out which option is best for long-term - NX or SP whatever... but for now we're using just Edius 3.1 "standalone" on our machines - on my editor, which is way under spec - boss, are you reading this? I need a new machine! - I'm able to still render out finalized m2t's/mpgs that we're able to broadcast...

We are very happy we migrated over from Mac - we're doing HDV stuff NOW and some content shot with Sony will be broadcast soon!

Mark,

What TV station in Toronto do you work for. I'm just interested in seeing if I can catch one of the HDV shows/commercials/ ???

DBK