Can anyone tell me how I could shoot a 4-5 camera (Z-1) project uncompressed? I know the cam will output uncompressed before it hits the tape but what setup can I get the uncompressed to the timeline?

Jeff

Wow, good luck with this one. Someone can tell me if I'm wrong, but you'd need 5 computer systems set up all with AJA or BMD cards & arrays and go component in to them to get uncompressed.

Unless you're going to cut it live and then you'll only need 1 system, a switcher, monitors for each, etc.

This is a pretty big deal...

KW

Sorry if I sound really stupid but I was thinking of something like 5 laptops or pcs with like a LaCie external drive system. Am I totally off base?
Jeff

You might get away with this if doing HDV, but no way, no how if uncompressed. You may be mixing up words. HDV is WAY compressed. That doesn't mean it looks bad...it looks great in the right conditions with the right lighting. However, uncompressed multicam shoots are a whole different deal.

Stick with HDV and you can go straight into the computers. Just make sure you have a sync of some kind...slate, camera flash, hand clap...anything to sync it in post later. Also, make sure your levels and white balance match.

KW

Jeff,

Yes, you will need one PC per Z1, and the PC must have component inputs - which means some expensive hardware, or perhaps a component to SDI converter so the card has SDI ports.

This is not cheap, but doable. Perhaps you should look into Cineform Prospect HD.

Yes, CineForm Prospect HD or a Wafian HR-1 can capture the pre-compression analog feed from the FX1/Z1 cameras. Read more here : http://www.cineform.com/products/ProspectHD.htm and here http://www.cineform.com/products/WafianHR1.htm

And I bet you might get a discount if ordering 5 units...:-)

KW

Yes, I'm sure we would. This project http://indiefilmlive.blogspot.com is a multicamera shoot using 2-3 HD100Us pre-compressed into two Wafian HR-1s and one Prospect HD workstation.

Shoot your footage with the z1 and decompress the footage with a miranda box when your editing.
www.miranda.com

The box can decompress your hdv footage. Amazing.

Sorry, but by the time the video gets to tape, or to 1394, it is too late. The damage (compression to MPEG2) is done.

Not that it is so terrible to have HDV, but I must admit that the component output of a live event straight to the HDTV is better, and that if there was a less expensive way to record direct to PC, I would be doing that for all but my vacation videos.

Exactly. Just uncompressing the HDV stream is not having uncompressed video.

KW

Albert, Thanks for the info. Does the box decompress the material as if it were captured through the component out prior to tape or is it somewhere in between. I saw it sells for about 4G's. Also it looks like Avid is the only software that can handle the edit. I use Vegas.

Jeff

I think the box is like a decoder for MPEG-2 MP@HL1440 to HD-SDI, It does not de-ring or read the motion estimation data to enhance the image.

There is a new converter out similar to the Miranda from Convergent Designs that is considerably cheaper...as in $1800 or so.

Does the same thing...takes HDV in via Firewire and converts audio and video to uncompressed, while sending the timecode out via RS422. Very nice...I'm getting one soon, methinks.

KW