online vs. offline editing? at DVinfo.net

Alfred Tomaszewski · May 24th, 2004, 02:53 PM

What is the difference between online and offline editing?

Glenn Chan · May 24th, 2004, 05:36 PM

Full-blown editing systems cost a lot, so an offline edit is done on a cheaper system and then the edit is taken to the online system for finishing. Sometimes the offline edit is done at lower resolution for cost/performance reasons (it takes expensive equipment to edit at full quality).

With DV, full-blown editing systems do not cost much so the distinction is kind of blurred. But for other formats and more expensive systems you will see offline/online setups.

Alfred Tomaszewski · May 24th, 2004, 09:08 PM

i was talking to someone who directs and edits music videos and he said he shoots on HD and then dubs to digibeta and dvcam. he uses the dvcam for offline editing. I just dont get why he does an offline with dvcam and then the online in digibeta. if digibeta is what the master is going to be on why would he waste time doing an offline edit on dvcam only to then edit the digibeta?

Glenn Chan · May 25th, 2004, 12:51 AM

It's expensive to edit digibeta at full quality. A FCP DV system will run around $6k, a digibeta will run around ~$25k or so. FCP is one of the cheapest NLE systems around though and prices for NLEs have dropped dramatically so there's less incentive for online/offline now. If he edits on Avid a full blown uncompressed edit suite with SDI input is going to cost a lot.

His NLE can likely spit out an edit decision list for him to quickly transfer the project to the online suite. Then they apply color correction and special effects and whatever else they want. It saves money to do offline/online. Online suites run a few hundred dollars per hour while an offline suite is a fraction of that.

*My numbers are very rough and does not consider the base capital cost for everything else in an edit suite like real estate.

Alfred Tomaszewski · May 25th, 2004, 08:57 AM

you can edit uncompressed digibeta in FCP cant you? you just need an SDI input like the Black Magic card and a digibeta deck. right?

Corey MacGregor · May 25th, 2004, 02:39 PM

I just started editing digibeta footage with that same system. It's a G5 dual 2ghz with blackmagic capture card, digideck running fcp4. Runs awesome, you'll also need to get a raid array as well because the ide drives don't have enough bandwidth to capture the digibeta footage.

Alfred Tomaszewski · May 26th, 2004, 06:14 AM

Corey where did you buy your blackmagic card and how much did it run? if you dont mind me asking.

Glenn Chan · May 27th, 2004, 01:59 AM

Quote:

You can edit uncompressed digibeta in FCP cant you? you just need an SDI input like the Black Magic card and a digibeta deck. right?

Currently the price of all the computer stuff for an uncompressed system has come way down. $10k should do it.

BUT, the deck will run you $20k or so.

Anyways... what exactly are you trying to do?

Alfred Tomaszewski · May 27th, 2004, 07:40 AM

edit music videos that my company shoots on film and HD. i am just trying to see if it is worth it to just rent an online suite to edit the digibeta or just to fork over some cold hard cash.

Richard Alvarez · May 27th, 2004, 08:03 AM

ten to fifteen k will let you do it, but you would wind up renting the deck. Runs about $250 a day here in Houston.

May 24th, 2004, 02:53 PM	#1
Alfred Tomaszewski Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Shelby Twp., MI Posts: 112	online vs. offline editing? What is the difference between online and offline editing? __________________ Alfred Tomaszewski (Scrambled Visual Entertainment) Scrambled Visual

May 24th, 2004, 09:08 PM	#3
Alfred Tomaszewski Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Shelby Twp., MI Posts: 112	i was talking to someone who directs and edits music videos and he said he shoots on HD and then dubs to digibeta and dvcam. he uses the dvcam for offline editing. I just dont get why he does an offline with dvcam and then the online in digibeta. if digibeta is what the master is going to be on why would he waste time doing an offline edit on dvcam only to then edit the digibeta? __________________ Alfred Tomaszewski (Scrambled Visual Entertainment) Scrambled Visual

May 25th, 2004, 08:57 AM	#5
Alfred Tomaszewski Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Shelby Twp., MI Posts: 112	you can edit uncompressed digibeta in FCP cant you? you just need an SDI input like the Black Magic card and a digibeta deck. right? __________________ Alfred Tomaszewski (Scrambled Visual Entertainment) Scrambled Visual

May 26th, 2004, 06:14 AM	#7
Alfred Tomaszewski Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Shelby Twp., MI Posts: 112	Corey where did you buy your blackmagic card and how much did it run? if you dont mind me asking. __________________ Alfred Tomaszewski (Scrambled Visual Entertainment) Scrambled Visual

May 27th, 2004, 07:40 AM	#9
Alfred Tomaszewski Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Shelby Twp., MI Posts: 112	edit music videos that my company shoots on film and HD. i am just trying to see if it is worth it to just rent an online suite to edit the digibeta or just to fork over some cold hard cash. __________________ Alfred Tomaszewski (Scrambled Visual Entertainment) Scrambled Visual

May 24th, 2004, 05:36 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Full-blown editing systems cost a lot, so an offline edit is done on a cheaper system and then the edit is taken to the online system for finishing. Sometimes the offline edit is done at lower resolution for cost/performance reasons (it takes expensive equipment to edit at full quality). With DV, full-blown editing systems do not cost much so the distinction is kind of blurred. But for other formats and more expensive systems you will see offline/online setups.

May 25th, 2004, 12:51 AM	#4
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	It's expensive to edit digibeta at full quality. A FCP DV system will run around $6k, a digibeta will run around ~$25k or so. FCP is one of the cheapest NLE systems around though and prices for NLEs have dropped dramatically so there's less incentive for online/offline now. If he edits on Avid a full blown uncompressed edit suite with SDI input is going to cost a lot. His NLE can likely spit out an edit decision list for him to quickly transfer the project to the online suite. Then they apply color correction and special effects and whatever else they want. It saves money to do offline/online. Online suites run a few hundred dollars per hour while an offline suite is a fraction of that. *My numbers are very rough and does not consider the base capital cost for everything else in an edit suite like real estate.

May 25th, 2004, 02:39 PM	#6
Corey MacGregor Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 74	I just started editing digibeta footage with that same system. It's a G5 dual 2ghz with blackmagic capture card, digideck running fcp4. Runs awesome, you'll also need to get a raid array as well because the ide drives don't have enough bandwidth to capture the digibeta footage.

May 27th, 2004, 08:03 AM	#10
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	ten to fifteen k will let you do it, but you would wind up renting the deck. Runs about $250 a day here in Houston.