Someone straighten me out on HDVCinema

[Steve Mullen]

<<<-- Originally posted by Heath McKnight : Well, I've read everything.

Editing kind of jerry-rigged, based on what everyone is explaining, doesn't sound efficient. Maybe I'm not getting all this, but it sounds like we can't just plug-and-play with the HD10 and FCP. There are plenty of steps involved, and all seem shakey at best. -->>>

The only plug-and-play solution is Aspect HD for the PC.

But, Heath you said you made films. You should be used to a dozen steps from shooting to release print.

1) Shoot negative

2) Record sound on DAT

3) Develop negative

4) Telecine negative and get edge-code plus time-code on disk

5) Load Edge-code and TC into Avid with 24fps option

6) Load audio

7) Load video

8) Match-up audio and video

9) edit

10) Output cut-list

11) Conform negative into A/B roll, plus audio on DAT.

12) Submit to lab and get inter-negative with audio

13) print from inter-neg to release print.

I've forgotten the details. It just takes months and costs money for the lab work.

And if you didn't have an Avid with 24fps option -- deal with the 24fps to 29.97fps issues. With cutting on A-frame rules.

I do think HDVcinema is complicated compared to DV. But we have already agreed that working with HDV is like working with film.

[Heath McKnight]

I shot digital on my film, but I've done film once.

Aspect HD is for PC only, right?

heath

[Eric Bilodeau]

Mainly, the MJPEG (A) codec from Squared 5 is original (not derived from other codecs like the original miro or Apple codec), the advantage of this codec is that it can be set to variable (very efficient quality wise), it also can be set to constant and limited like Apple's MJPEG A. Squared 5 claims to have written a more efficient custom table for it's MJPEG codec.

I made a test for QT conversion to 720/30p (without sound):

MJPEGA high quality (apple): 5,1MB/s
MJPEGA high quality (DC30+): about 5 MB/s

the squared5 (DC30+) codec is variable, thus sometimes the rate will be lower, sometimes it will be higher. Overall quality is maintained better at lower rates than Apple's MJPEG codec but both codec work pretty well.

Animation best quality (Apple): 74,7 MB/s
lossless 8bit (FCP): 52,6 MB/s
lossless DC30+: 22,9 MB/s

[Eric Bilodeau]

Steven, let me know how it ends up with the DC30+ codecs for you and do not worry, you will not loose quality. It is still a very teedious process but it works.

[Heath McKnight]

Seeing someone doing it vs. reading about it is the best way I learn (other than teaching myself by doing it, which takes longer but is more fun). But seeing a diagram vs. reading about it also works.

What I'm getting at is this:

http://www.heuris.com/MPEGProducts/I...lkit/index.htm

Look at the diagram. Basically, I think that's what HDVCinema does.

EXCEPT, Steve's program uses "proxy" files (the only way I can explain it in "Heath terms," aka, layman, is that they are like HDV-lite versions of the program, for those dieting editors); you edit the proxy files while your HDV footage sits in cold (or is it hot?) storage on your firewire drive. I'm thinking the proxy files just translate the edits (like an offline to online edit) to the HDV and BOOM, done.

HDVbridge makes it so QuickTime can read it (and I think we need that 20 dollar QT 6.3 mpeg-2 de-coder, right?).

HDVviaduct encodes your footage to HD-mpeg 2. According to our friends at Heuris, the equivilent is their MPEG Power Professional—DTV HD, which puts this to 720p or 1080i.

In Heuris, you get an XtoHD thing that puts those Power Pro--DTV HD files to D-VHS (no mention of going back to the camera).

Steve has a solution to go to DVHS, but it requires shelling out some cash (that's from his website).

I'm trying to figure out what Steve uses to actually CAPTURE and then demux the HDV footage before making Proxy files. I'm guessing maybe mpgtxwrap and Virtual DVHS.

At least now I get it, so...Do I get an "A" in class tonight?

heath

ps-Steve, I'd offer to trade 20 copies of my movie on DVD, but something tells me you'd say NO WAY... :-)

pss-Even with the $5000 solution via Heuris (or the $500, including the software to go to DVHS, solution via Mullen), it still sounds complex. PLUG AND PLAY! Yeah! (Aspect HD, right?)