FRAME RATE EXPORT PROBLEM qt,fcp,xdcamex24p

[Jerry Matese]

OS: Mac 10.4.11
Software: FCP 6.0.6, QT 7.6.4, XDCAM transfer 2.7.0

PROBLEM: I brought in some green screen 24P (23.98fps) Xdcam footage like I always do through the transfer software. Edited, and keyed the footage and exported the sequence using the Animation codec with alpha (Using QT Conversion)...like I have many times over the last 2 years. Exported it with the frame rate settings set to CURRENT. Naturally this means I should get a file back at 23.98. However, today the resulting QT displayed a frame rate of 13.95. When viewed in QT I can see the entire clip in it's entirety, if I bring it back into FCP I can see it in it's entirety however the browser window tells me the clip frame rate is 29.97 (remember QT tells me it's 13.95). If I place the clip into my Motion session it comes up significantly shorter about half as long, and it only shows me the first half of the clip the second half, including the audio is just gone!

So being a bit of a veteran in this business I decided to go down the problem evaluation rabbit hole! I thought hey! Maybe the codec is the problem and decided to export:
1. Other QT Conversions - None worked not even the xdcamEX24p codec (hell that's just a pass through!)
2. Through compressor - Woops that didn't work either no matter what codec I tried. I new it wouldn't but hey I never take anything for granted when it comes to this technology.
3. QT ref movie - That worked fine any codec

And it get's worse! Every time I exported a new test, the frame rates...according to the QT inspector window were different! I have two machines and a power book tried testing on all... same problem all around!

And it gets even more interesting. In this FCP session that I am having exporting issues in I have a sequence I did a month ago in an identical fashion. That exports fine! So you would think, OK! the footage must be corrupt! Guess what I try different footage in a completely new FCP session and I get additional anomalies like if I place an in/out point I wind up with a frame rate problem if I don't place I/O I don't get a problem, again regardless of codec type!

Over the last 3 years I have been working for this company and on these machines I have never had any problems and I am familiar with such issues I grew up in this industry in the day's of the analog to digital switch over I know how to sus out a problem but I feel like an idiot on this one. I just cannot nail down the problem. The fact that it is occurring on all my Mac’s at the office and my personal power book really has me stumped. The only common dominators are OS, QT, FCP and xdcam codec versions all are the same from one computer to the next and of course me. And believe me I don’t rule myself out hear but I am not doing anything differen’t than I have for the last 3 years.

I even took the SAN out of the equation and pulled a different clip from another project to my power book physically removed the computer from the network and still had the same problems.

The only other thing I should mention is that I had a subcontractor come in and log some footage for me, she used +.(),- and the like in the naming of the root QT files ie: she changed the original naming the camera was set up to give the clips. Ok now I know this could be an issue and no I don’t know why she did that she never did it before but again remember I have this problem even when I use footage that is named correctly and completely removed from associating with this improperly named footage. I can’t imaging that incorrect file naming would corrupt all the video files on the SAN and the HD. Hell I get this problem even if I export the Eng. Bars that come in FCP.

One final note it doesn’t look like I get the problem if I pull up the 24P material to 30P.
I am currently experimenting more with this. Honestly I would rather stay in 24p the native FR the material was shot it but will do the pull up if it works just to get this time sensitive project complete.

No wait that didn't work either just exported something that should be 00:02:46:00 and it's only 00:01:20:03 in motion. and the frame rate on the file according to QT is 14.51

Help

[Robert Lane]

I don't see any issues with workflow...

When was the last time you did any system maintenance? Run the recommended list of apps to clean and restore your systems cache/directory/permissions etc: Onyx (run all maintenance/cleaning routines) and DiskWarrior (make sure your directory isn't wonky).

Be sure to backup your project before you start your maintenance run.

Then download and run the maintenance/repair routines in FCP Maintenance Pack from Digital Rebellion, specifically the "Corrupt Clip Finder" and "Project Repair".

If after all that things are still misbehaving it could be your project has become corrupted beyond repair and you'll have to transfer your work into a new project. That is *after* you've done all the above maintenance.

Hope this helps.

[William Hohauser]

Try a new sequence and export a test from that.