Capturing 720P30 with FCP5...

[Craig Donaldson]

Now that we've gotten to the bottom of your "issues" with FCP (and since FCP doesn't hate your HD100,) I think the title of the thread should be changed to something more accurate. Suggestions anyone?


"FCP 4 HD-100..... an unstable relationship continues...."

[Bill Edmunds]

Originally Posted by Craig Donaldson

Now that we've gotten to the bottom of your "issues" with FCP (and since FCP doesn't hate your HD100,) I think the title of the thread should be changed to something more accurate. Suggestions anyone?


"FCP 4 HD-100..... an unstable relationship continues...."

FCP 5, actually.

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Bill Edmunds

What about progressive video?

Ummm.... scene detect???

Progressive video is not interlaced.


Are you trying to capture each shot by marking its IN and OUT points?

Simply mark the end of the last scene as OUT, rewind and mark the beginning of the tape as IN and Capture IN to OUT. Scene Detect automatically will then cut the video into subclips. (Have you read your FCP manual?)

With MPEG-2, you need to START shooting at least 5 seconds -- 7 seconds is best -- before anything you want to see. It takes about 5 seconds of rolling before MPEG-2 becomes stable.

This problem is eliminated if you capture a whole tape because the transport never stops playing. Of course, you have to PAUSE the camcorder between each shot -- which you likely do anyway.

[Bill Edmunds]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

Are you trying to capture each shot by marking its IN and OUT points?

Lord no. I'm trying to capture a bunch of shots by setting one in point and one out point.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

Simply mark the end of the last scene as OUT, rewind and mark the beginning of the tape as IN and Capture IN to OUT. Scene Detect automatically will then cut the video into subclips. (Have you read your FCP manual?)

Haha. I don't like the idea of scene detect (which, BTW, isn't even listed in the index for some reason). I like to divide all of my shots/clips myself, not have the NLE do it for me. Just a preference. At any rate, this won't work on my G4. I will however go back and reread the chapter on capturing.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

With MPEG-2, you need to START shooting at least 5 seconds -- 7 seconds is best -- before anything you want to see. It takes about 5 seconds of rolling before MPEG-2 becomes stable.

That I did not know, I confess.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

This problem is eliminated if you capture a whole tape because the transport never stops playing.

Again, it won't work. FCP capture stops once a new shot comes up. And, yes, I do have the 'stop/start' box unchecked in the logging window.

[Chad Terpstra]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

If you are shooting material that requires rolling at a moment's notice (like a fishing show,) then I suggest the DR-HD100. It has a cache record function that will cache up to 10 seconds BEFORE you actually hit the record button! I've tested it and it works.

I think for my um… Fishing Shows I might need to get the DR-HD100 if the new FCP update doesn’t solve this pre-roll issue. Call me unprofessional if you will, but sometimes something starts happening right in front of you and you should have been rolling for 2 seconds already when you put the viewfinder to your eye. Like when Wilber snags a giant bass… and you need every second of it you can get.

It’s also how I’ve learned to work as a video professional. I shoot, import, and edit expecting every second of footage to be there. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by MiniDV and firewire or something, but it just makes sense to me. If anything engineering should be moving forward to where no footage NEEDS to be lost.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

With MPEG-2, you need to START shooting at least 5 seconds -- 7 seconds is best -- before anything you want to see. It takes about 5 seconds of rolling before MPEG-2 becomes stable.

I don't mean to point fingers at the HD100 (because it's awesome), but my Sony FX1 15GOP HDV captures tapes beginning to end just like regular DV. –it creates a new clip only if I check “Make new clip on start/stop.” And then it doesn’t loose any footage either. Steve, I know you wrote the book on HDV so maybe you could shed some light on what’s going on here.

My guess is that FCP 6 is going to fix this issue. Has anyone else wondered why they put that “Make new clip on start/stop” check box there if it makes no difference?

[Stephan Ahonen]

Originally Posted by Chad Terpstra

Call me unprofessional if you will, but sometimes something starts happening right in front of you and you should have been rolling for 2 seconds already when you put the viewfinder to your eye. Like when Wilber snags a giant bass… and you need every second of it you can get.

Okay, I'll call you unprofessional. I've shot fishing, you roll every second you're in the boat except when you're switching tapes and batteries. Yes, you end up with a lot of tape. That's why you log the TC whenever anything interesting happens.

[Jack Walker]

Originally Posted by Stephan Ahonen

Okay, I'll call you unprofessional. I've shot fishing, you roll every second you're in the boat except when you're switching tapes and batteries. Yes, you end up with a lot of tape. That's why you log the TC whenever anything interesting happens.

You can use DVRack. You can set it to record for a number of seconds _before_ you push the record button.

However, a rubberized laptop might be advised in case it gets dropped overboard.

[Chad Terpstra]

Originally Posted by Stephan Ahonen

Okay, I'll call you unprofessional. I've shot fishing, you roll every second you're in the boat except when you're switching tapes and batteries. Yes, you end up with a lot of tape. That's why you log the TC whenever anything interesting happens.

Sorry Stephan. I meant no disrespect to shooting fishing. It just sounded like a strange example at the time. Your method sounds like the best way to go for the subject. For my wedding work I don't want to roll on the whole day for a variety of reasons. I was just expressing the need to keep all the footage one shoots.