Anyone know the proper settings for FCP 5, I want to playp back the footage but it does not recognize it. I see the 1280x720 30fps but its not highlighted. thanks guys

Use the Easy setup for HDV 72030p. It should work.

Dan Weber

Use the Easy setup for HDV 72030p. It should work.

Dan Weber

Make sure "Show All" is checked in the Easy Setup menu.

I tried easy set up, As Follows

Sequence preset: HDV-720p30
Capture Preset: HDV
Device Control Preset: HDV Fire Wire
Playback Output Video: None
Palyback Outout Audio: Default
Edit to tape/PTV Output Video: HDV (1280x720) 30fps
Edit to tape/PTV Output Audio: HDV

My problem is that I can't get Playback Output Video, I go to Menu,View, Video Playback, I see HDV (1280x720) 30fps but its not high lighted, in other words I can choose it. I tried Restarting FCP 5 , but still get the same. I am just trying to get playback through the deck.

HDV does not play back through a deck like DV does.

You have to preview using a second monitor or use a card like a Decklink or AJA card that will allow you to send the footage out HDSDI or downconvert to SDI or component video.

It is cheap to shoot HD now, but editing and monitoring can still be expensive.

If you have a G5 with a good video card, I would suggest getting a second monitor and using that to preview the video. It works pretty good with my 2 24" Dell LCD's. You setup your video preview as the 2nd desktop monitor.

Dan Weber

I kind of had a feeling I was going to have to buy a card,
Decklink HD 10 bit @ $595 would this one work?

If you have a G5 with a good video card, I would suggest getting a second monitor and using that to preview the video. It works pretty good with my 2 24" Dell LCD's. You setup your video preview as the 2nd desktop monitor.

Dan Weber


You don't even need a G5, We've got a second station running a dual gig G4 w/ a Radeon 9600 card and we use a second Apple display as a dedicated Canvas playback that works great.

I have 2 G5's, and want to be able to preview out through my Sony LMD1410 monitor, I know I can use another cinema display, but I rather use my new monitors

I have 2 G5's, and want to be able to preview out through my Sony LMD1410 monitor, I know I can use another cinema display, but I rather use my new monitors


I haven't used the BR deck, but you can't send HD out firewire and get CRT playback the way you can with DV. That's just the reality right now. You're going to need a thrid party solution ( like the AJA or Decklink) to send a component signal out to your Sony SD monitor.

The nice thing about using a second monitor on the Mac is that you can dedicate it to you Canvas in FCP and it's the only way you'll get realtime HD playback (or close to it) without a third party solution.

I've got a 17" LCD running the canvas and it gives me a great 16:9 HD realtime playback. Granted you can't calibrate itlike you can the Sony or my JVC with Blue only, but I'm so used to calibrating that I can get it near exact and by using a blue gel you can do that much better.

Will I be able to record my finishd product back into the deck?

What 3rd party card do you recomend?

Will I be able to record my finishd product back into the deck?


Definitely...it's just that our systems don't have the horse power to put an HD stream out firewire for realtime playback on a broadcast monitor. The BR is the right tool for capturing to the timeline and recording from the timeline.

Here's info on the Decklink:
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/hd/
You're going to need the Decklink Pro for compnent out to your monitor unless you've got an SDI card in the Sony.

I also tried recording from the timeline as you said but are not succesfull, what can I do to record whats on the timeline back to tape?

My experience with the deck is as follows:

First of, my NLE is Avid XP 4.8.2 running on dual Mac G5, which means no HDV support at the moment. Hence, all my experience at this point is stricly in SD (DV). I am using a Keyspan adaptor to control the deck through its 9-pin RS422 control. This works fine. The FW connection works also, the NLE can "see" the deck and incoming video, audio and TC. However, it will NOT record back to tape. The truth is that Avid in this version doesn't have a control template for this specific deck and so I am using another JVC template. I have tried a few, including SONY templates and generic NTSC devices with more or less the same results.

Does the current version of FCP have a specific template for the HD50?
NAB is around the corner, please be kind enough to deliver some goods...

A related question; once all these template control issues are sorted out, will it be possible to export HDV back to tape? More so, will it be possible to export to a pre-blacked tape (in the same HDV mode as the timeline) and put the program exactly where you need it (as in for example TC 10;00;00;00 etc.)?

I also tried recording from the timeline as you said but are not succesfull, what can I do to record whats on the timeline back to tape?

Manny,

To export back to tape you need to confrom you footage back to a GOP of 15 frames. This is the drawback of editing in native HDV.

Mark an in point at the start of you timeline and then mark an out point at the end of your edit. Save your project and then select File>Print To Video

Be prepared for a long wait for the footage to conform. You will also be allowed to add bars and tone, countdown, and black at the head of end of your timeline. I select the "control deck" option as well.

After the footage has conformed a window will appear asking you to click "OK" and then it will control your deck and play your footage to tape.

What I have found speeds up the process is I mark and in out out on my timeline the part I want to put to tape. I then export this out as a quicktime self contained movie. I then import this file back into a new sequence and follow the above instructions for the original sequence.

This seems to speed up the conform process. What used to take hours can conform in a few minutes. I probably am adding another generation of rendering, but so far the stuff looks great.

Dan Weber

thanks Daniel, I'll try that

Hi Daniel how do you confrom you footage back to a GOP of 15 frames?

Hi Daniel how do you confrom you footage back to a GOP of 15 frames?

Manny,

Edit your project. Then mark and in and out at the beginning and end of your project.

Then select Print to Video and let FCP do the rest. You will be see a progress bar that tells you it is conforming the video.

Dan Weber

thanks Daniel...

You will be see a progress bar that tells you it is conforming the video.

Daniel I am not getting this messege...

I got it Daniel, Just want to know what video capture card you have..

Just a thought - I don't own the deck so others can correct me, but couldn't you go out via HDMI to the monitor?

I think there'd have to be some reasonably priced 3rd party solutions to convert HDMI to component (provided the signal is not HDCP which it wouldn't be coming from the deck.). You can search around and pick up a DVDO iScan HD+ with the SD-SDI input for around $900 - $1000 - that will scale non-HDCP DVI to the component outputs. HDMI to DVI cables and converters are relatively cheap. I own one of these for my home theatre and have often considered it would be handy at work as well - and the quality is great. The DVDO VP30 is more expensive ($2000) but is a little more flexible.
DVDO FAQ: http://www.dvdo.com/faq/faq_ishdp.php#faq_hd9

You would also then have a decent scaler in your rack for other jobs. Alternatively you could just buy and HDMI monitor..

I had a quick look at your monitor and the only HD input option seems to be HD-SDI @ around $1900, and then you'd need a component to HD-SDI converter which is also expensive.

...you could just buy and HDMI monitor...
Based on my understanding and some research, HDMI carries digital HD video and audio. If the monitor has DVI input, it's just a matter of adapting the HDMI to DVI and it should take lossless video from the deck to the monitor. The only thing not carried is audio but most people will take audio to the amp anyway (as opposed to the monitor/TV set speakers).

Speaking of monitors; I just picked up SONY MFMHT75W 17" LCD Monitor with TV Tuner.
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=89%2C466,3433&webid=623987&affixedcode=WW
It's listed as 1280 x 768 pixels. So far I had only an opportunity to play back video (HDV 30p) from the component outputs of the HD50 and it looked pretty good. I am yet to get the DVI -> HDMI adapter to see anything in digital.

In the meantime though, I am seeing quite a bit of alisiing, especially when panning/tilting (whatever speed), on just about any horizontal lines, such as buildings, fences, park benches, etc. What's the common take on that among users here?

Based on my understanding and some research, HDMI carries digital HD video and audio. If the monitor has DVI input, it's just a matter of adapting the HDMI to DVI and it should take lossless video from the deck to the monitor. The only thing not carried is audio but most people will take audio to the amp anyway (as opposed to the monitor/TV set speakers).

Correct

In the meantime though, I am seeing quite a bit of alisiing, especially when panning/tilting (whatever speed), on just about any horizontal lines, such as buildings, fences, park benches, etc. What's the common take on that among users here?

This is precisely the reason for a device like the DVDO. The scalers and de-interlacers built into these sets are cheap and nasty. You'll probably find that it is not passing your component signal straight through, but rather trying to process it. It may be incorrectly assuming interlaced footage. It may even by trying to scale your 1280x720 to 1280 x768 (are you seeing black lines top and bottom to account for the additional 48 lines - or is that pixels)?

If you have the deck grab a cheap HDMI to DVI cable and see if that makes a difference

I got it Daniel, Just want to know what video capture card you have..

Sorry for the late reply.

I have a Decklink HD card ($599 retail). I have had some intermittent issues with it, but it seems to be working fine now. I have heard that the AJA cards do hardware downconversion to SD while the Decklink cards to it via software. In theory hardware should be better than software, but I have not seen the output of the AJA card.

Dan Weber

Do you need an onboard card to view HDV or can you use the AJA I/O (Firewire)? I know it has an SDI out on it.