New into HD editing at DVinfo.net

Matthew Nayman · June 9th, 2006, 10:53 AM

I am freelance editor/videographer looking to get into HD editing (finally!) Anyhoo, I use the new adobe suite, and have been considering getting the new Sony HVRM25U deck. I am curious. I can do DV/DVCAM and HDV througha 1394 firewire, what hookup to my computer do I need to capture and output the other HD formats the deck handles?

Basically, I know a lot about SD video, but I am looking for the basics of HD. Anyinfo on how to set up my PC for HD would be great. Just the basics.

thanks.

Paul Frederick · June 9th, 2006, 02:28 PM

Mathew,

As far as I know, that deck only handles HDV. There is no "other" HD that it handles. HDV transfers to your computer over firewire, just like DV. You can also use an outboard card like the KONA or Decklink and capture using the component outputs of the camera/deck. This allows you to capture uncompressed HD or any other flavor you want to capture it in. I find its not needed if you are going to edit in HDV natively. (I'm using FCP5). Sometimes I'll render out my final movie to a higher codec for play out to a deck. Especially if I'm using lots of color correction or effects as HDV degrades pretty fast.

That deck will allow you to capture via firewire, but so does your camera! It'll save wear and tear on the camera though.

Matthew Nayman · June 9th, 2006, 02:54 PM

Okay, but it can also master HDV onto DVCAM tapes or fullsize DV tapes, no?

And yes, I am also getting it cause I am sick of using a little handy cam as a deck (Canon ZR90!). I mostly shoot XL2 and DVX but recently I have been commisioned to shoot a project on the XLH1, so I gotta learn the ins and outs of HD editing.

Now, If I were to ever edit HDCAM tapes, like from a cinealta, what type of card is needed (deck would obviously be rented... don't have $90,000).

Douglas R. Bruce · June 9th, 2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Nayman

Okay, but it can also master HDV onto DVCAM tapes or fullsize DV tapes, no?

You can transfer your material to full size tapes.
The deck will handle SD, DV, DVCAM and HDV input.

Just to test I tried recording from an HDV camera via I-link to the M25 - no problem.
I also fed in an analogue TV signal and could record to tape, as well as HDTV signals.

You can save up to 4 hours of material on a full size tape.

But remember I am using the Japanese version. There can always be some small differences between models released in other countries.

Matthew Nayman · June 10th, 2006, 08:36 AM

True. Thanks for the info.

If I needed to rent a sony HDCAM deck, what kind of card do I need in my comp, and what tpe of inputs does the HD signal go through into the computer? Is it through HDMI? What if the HD equivilent of a 1394?

Paul Frederick · June 12th, 2006, 06:24 AM

Mathew,
I'm aware of only two cards that you can use for this. The Kona and Decklink models. I have the KONA LH and I highly recommend it. It allows you to watch your HDV footage live to an external monitor via component outputs. It has component ins/outs, SDI in's /outs (SDI means Serial Digital and is similar to firewire, all major Professional decks have it and is an all digital pipeline).

There are several models from each manufacturer, the LH is a great buy!

Glenn Chan · June 13th, 2006, 09:24 PM

Quote:

If I needed to rent a sony HDCAM deck, what kind of card do I need in my comp

As Paul mentions, Kona and Decklink are two companies that make capture cards. There's also:
Matrox - they make Axio (for Premiere Pro)
Aurora- they make stuff for FCP.
Bluefish
Avid - capture hardware and editing software come as a package.
There are some other companies too I believe.

Quote:

, and what tpe of inputs does the HD signal go through into the computer?

Digital transfer - HD SDI.
Analog - component. (You may want to avoid this for capture.)

There's also dual-link HD SDI. It's two BNC cables carrying a dual link HD signal.

Quote:

What if the HD equivilent of a 1394?

There isn't exactly a HD equivalent of 1394.

For HDV, 1394a is the equivalent.
For XDCAM HD, you'd connect via firewire via FAM mode and that's better than 1394 workflow-wise.
For HDCAM, the closest thing is Sony Xpri (end of life'd). The hardware box for it allows *native* HDCAM ingest.
For DVCPRO HD, it can capture over firewire like DV.

2- To edit uncompressed HD, you need a pretty heft drive array. Your system also needs to be compatible... the hardware can be picky because uncompressed HD needs a lot of bandwidth.

June 9th, 2006, 10:53 AM	#1
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	New into HD editing I am freelance editor/videographer looking to get into HD editing (finally!) Anyhoo, I use the new adobe suite, and have been considering getting the new Sony HVRM25U deck. I am curious. I can do DV/DVCAM and HDV througha 1394 firewire, what hookup to my computer do I need to capture and output the other HD formats the deck handles? Basically, I know a lot about SD video, but I am looking for the basics of HD. Anyinfo on how to set up my PC for HD would be great. Just the basics. thanks.

June 9th, 2006, 02:28 PM	#2
Paul Frederick Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: WestChazy, NY Posts: 291	Mathew, As far as I know, that deck only handles HDV. There is no "other" HD that it handles. HDV transfers to your computer over firewire, just like DV. You can also use an outboard card like the KONA or Decklink and capture using the component outputs of the camera/deck. This allows you to capture uncompressed HD or any other flavor you want to capture it in. I find its not needed if you are going to edit in HDV natively. (I'm using FCP5). Sometimes I'll render out my final movie to a higher codec for play out to a deck. Especially if I'm using lots of color correction or effects as HDV degrades pretty fast. That deck will allow you to capture via firewire, but so does your camera! It'll save wear and tear on the camera though.

June 9th, 2006, 02:54 PM	#3
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	Okay, but it can also master HDV onto DVCAM tapes or fullsize DV tapes, no? And yes, I am also getting it cause I am sick of using a little handy cam as a deck (Canon ZR90!). I mostly shoot XL2 and DVX but recently I have been commisioned to shoot a project on the XLH1, so I gotta learn the ins and outs of HD editing. Now, If I were to ever edit HDCAM tapes, like from a cinealta, what type of card is needed (deck would obviously be rented... don't have $90,000).

June 10th, 2006, 08:36 AM	#5
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	True. Thanks for the info. If I needed to rent a sony HDCAM deck, what kind of card do I need in my comp, and what tpe of inputs does the HD signal go through into the computer? Is it through HDMI? What if the HD equivilent of a 1394?

June 12th, 2006, 06:24 AM	#6
Paul Frederick Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: WestChazy, NY Posts: 291	Mathew, I'm aware of only two cards that you can use for this. The Kona and Decklink models. I have the KONA LH and I highly recommend it. It allows you to watch your HDV footage live to an external monitor via component outputs. It has component ins/outs, SDI in's /outs (SDI means Serial Digital and is similar to firewire, all major Professional decks have it and is an all digital pipeline). There are several models from each manufacturer, the LH is a great buy!