beautiful slow-mo from Cineform files!

[Sean Worsell]

Okay, so I've discovered that my HV20 HDV footage provides FLAWLESS slow-motion in Avid as long as I convert those HV20 files through Cineform first. So as long as I'm editing with the ingested Cineform Neo HDV files (which has converted the HDV to progressive) the quality of my slow motion is amazing. The quality over all is amazing actually.

So I have a question. I have edited another project that was destined for broadcast. As the broadcast version would be NTSC interlaced, I didn't use Neo HDV to convert the HV20 footage. (Plus, it would have taken more time than I had to do that conversion.)

But now that the broadcast version of the film is done, I'd like to go back and do an edit for festival release. This version wouldn't have to be interlaced, obviously. And I want to take advantage of that smooooth slow motion I was getting from Neo HDV files. Any ideas about what steps I'd take to re-capture the HV20 tapes through Neo HDV so that I could use an EDL list from my existing "interlaced HDV" project to reimport the Cineform files (QuickTime). Will the QuickTimes from Neo HDV have the same timecode as the tapes? I'm not even sure how Avid does a "conform" from digital based media.

[Sean Worsell]

Wow. This thread has attracted a number of views. But no attempts at an answer. Maybe I posed a difficult complicated question, and I might have better luck by simplifying my question:

Do the Cineform QuickTime files retain the same timecode as the HDV tapes?

Cheers!

[Abraham Lim]

Originally Posted by Sean Worsell

Okay, so I've discovered that my HV20 HDV footage provides FLAWLESS slow-motion in Avid as long as I convert those HV20 files through Cineform first. So as long as I'm editing with the ingested Cineform Neo HDV files (which has converted the HDV to progressive) the quality of my slow motion is amazing. The quality over all is amazing actually.

So I have a question. I have edited another project that was destined for broadcast. As the broadcast version would be NTSC interlaced, I didn't use Neo HDV to convert the HV20 footage. (Plus, it would have taken more time than I had to do that conversion.)

But now that the broadcast version of the film is done, I'd like to go back and do an edit for festival release. This version wouldn't have to be interlaced, obviously. And I want to take advantage of that smooooth slow motion I was getting from Neo HDV files. Any ideas about what steps I'd take to re-capture the HV20 tapes through Neo HDV so that I could use an EDL list from my existing "interlaced HDV" project to reimport the Cineform files (QuickTime). Will the QuickTimes from Neo HDV have the same timecode as the tapes? I'm not even sure how Avid does a "conform" from digital based media.

Hey Sean, I think the reason there are no replies is it's a bit confusing. Is your interlaced broadcast version of the film all in smooth slow motion? Can you just list the specs of the final edit format? HDV? SD downcovert? Did you digitize into the Avid through firewire? So you have the HDV tape TC on your Avid clips and in your EDL? Did you shoot 24p, but just input HDV 60i with pulldown? If so then you can convert the clips in Neo HD, but there is no EDL import in the program to utilize your tape TC easily. I don't know if you can use Vegas or another program that interfaces with Neo for the EDL import, but the only other thing to do is tedious. You can print out the EDL and punch in the numbers manually for the sources. I know it sucks, but in analog days you had to do it all the time. Hope this helps, maybe David will have a better idea.

[Sean Worsell]

Originally Posted by Abraham Lim

Hey Sean, I think the reason there are no replies is it's a bit confusing. Is your interlaced broadcast version of the film all in smooth slow motion? Can you just list the specs of the final edit format? HDV? SD downcovert? Did you digitize into the Avid through firewire? So you have the HDV tape TC on your Avid clips and in your EDL? Did you shoot 24p, but just input HDV 60i with pulldown? If so then you can convert the clips in Neo HD, but there is no EDL import in the program to utilize your tape TC easily. I don't know if you can use Vegas or another program that interfaces with Neo for the EDL import, but the only other thing to do is tedious. You can print out the EDL and punch in the numbers manually for the sources. I know it sucks, but in analog days you had to do it all the time. Hope this helps, maybe David will have a better idea.

Yeah, you're right. My post and question were confusing. But it's a confusing topic too!

The interlaced broad cast version is NOT giving me smooth slow motion.

I get really smooth slow motion in OTHER PROJECTS--projects which have only used Cineform Neo HDV files (transcoded from the HDV tapes).

The HV20 does insert a pulldown, but without flags, and it seems like Cineform is the only product that can really get the 24p out of it with much success. But I've only had really good results when transcoding to Neo HDV FROM THE TAPE (ie., file to file transcodes have artifacts).

Thank you for your thoughts! Yes, I have a feeling that a manual workflow, as you describe, is my only option, unless there's timecode metadata inside the Neo HDV QT files that matches the tapes'.

Cheers!