FCP and the JVC GY-HD111e at DVinfo.net

Simon Glidewell · March 13th, 2009, 01:55 PM

This must have been discussed many times elsewhere on this forum but for the sake of a complete newcomer to HDVpro could you bear with me? Basically, is it now possible to import HD footage from the GY-HD111e (from its tape or hard disc drive) directly into Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 without problems, and then edit successfully? If not is it necessary to upgrade to FCP 6? I've read elsewhere that the JVC HDD might need a downloadable upgrade to achieve the above as well. Any help or advice gratefully received because I am planning to buy this camera very soon and use FCP for editing.

Many thanks
Simon

Phil Balsdon · March 13th, 2009, 03:23 PM

There are no problems importing from the hard drive (DR HD100 I presume?). Just set the drive to record as Quicktimes and import them to your media drive. This is the most efficient way to use this camera.

Some people report audio problems when recording HDV 720p to Quicktime. This is overcome by recording as M2T and using "Clipwrap" to rewrap the files as Quicktimes. (See top of this forum for "Clipwrap").

FCP 5.1 can be a little difficult. In "User Preferences" you need to change some settings.
Switch off "Abort Capture On Dropped Frames".
Set "On timecode break" to "Warn After Capture".
Set "Pre-roll" to the minimum setting of 00:00:01:00.

With these settings you will still lose a second or two between each shot, so allow for roll up time when shooting. Some people still reported problems, it may help to disconnect all Firewire devices other than the Media drive and camera. I also use a use a 4 drive raid array connected via Firewire 800, and never had problems using a G5 2.7 Power Mac.

Final Cut Pro 6 allows you to import HDV as ProRes files via the Firewire. This works well, you will only lose about 6 frames between each take and original timecode is retained. ProRes will give you a much better editing experience but you need to make allowances for the larger file sizes. (Works with G5 2.7 Power Mac).

Finally when connecting Firewire cables between devices always make sure all the devices are powered down, there are a lot of reports of blown firewire ports that are relatively expensive to repair.

Phil Balsdon
www.steadi-onfilms.com.au

Simon Glidewell · March 13th, 2009, 03:58 PM

Many thanks for the info Phil.

Cheers
Simon

Simon Glidewell · March 16th, 2009, 06:58 AM

Hello again Phil,

Is it possible to successfully import footage into FCP 5 or FCP 6 directly from tape in the GY-HD111E and the GY-HD200 series cameras as opposed to using the hard disc drive, particularly with the 720p/24p setting? We would like to use tape where possible.

Many thanks again
Simon

Liam Hall · March 16th, 2009, 07:53 AM

Yes it is.

Simon Glidewell · March 16th, 2009, 08:22 AM

Many thanks Liam; are there any special settings in FCP 5.1.4 (or FCP 6) and on the camera that need tweaking first to import tape recordings successfully?

All the best
Simon

Shaun Roemich · March 16th, 2009, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Glidewell

Is it possible to successfully import footage into FCP 5 or FCP 6 directly from tape in the GY-HD111E and the GY-HD200 series cameras as opposed to using the hard disc drive, particularly with the 720p/24p setting? We would like to use tape where possible.

I can tell you that 60P from my 200 is NO TREAT to capture into FCP6.0.3, not sure about 24P.

I've got it working by using ProRes as an intermediary but it is NOT plug and play. More like plug and PRAY it works. I generally need to boot about 8 times before FCP recognizes my camera. I AM using external FW drives so that may be causing a conflict. I also cannot upgrade QuickTime (7.4.5) or FCP (6.0.3) until I finish the project that is in the edit bay (and has been since last June) so I can't give you any advice on whether new QT or FCP updates may have solved my problems.

Phil Balsdon · March 17th, 2009, 02:26 PM

I only had to use FCP 5 for a couple of imports before upgrading to FCP 6. I found adjusting the FCP settings as per my earlier post caused a loss of only 1 - 2 seconds of footage between camera takes. If you use the default settings you'll lose more like 8 seconds.

Button on and leave plenty of roll up before action and a few seconds after, takes me back to the late 1970's and BVU tape.

Some users reported breaks during the middle of takes, I never had this problem using a G5 2.7 Power Mac and Lacie 1TB (4 x 250Gb) RAID with FW800.

It really is worth the FCP 6 upgrade and ProRes import path if you can.

March 13th, 2009, 01:55 PM	#1
Simon Glidewell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Manosque (France) Posts: 94	FCP and the JVC GY-HD111e This must have been discussed many times elsewhere on this forum but for the sake of a complete newcomer to HDVpro could you bear with me? Basically, is it now possible to import HD footage from the GY-HD111e (from its tape or hard disc drive) directly into Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 without problems, and then edit successfully? If not is it necessary to upgrade to FCP 6? I've read elsewhere that the JVC HDD might need a downloadable upgrade to achieve the above as well. Any help or advice gratefully received because I am planning to buy this camera very soon and use FCP for editing. Many thanks Simon

March 13th, 2009, 03:23 PM	#2
Phil Balsdon Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 91	There are no problems importing from the hard drive (DR HD100 I presume?). Just set the drive to record as Quicktimes and import them to your media drive. This is the most efficient way to use this camera. Some people report audio problems when recording HDV 720p to Quicktime. This is overcome by recording as M2T and using "Clipwrap" to rewrap the files as Quicktimes. (See top of this forum for "Clipwrap"). FCP 5.1 can be a little difficult. In "User Preferences" you need to change some settings. Switch off "Abort Capture On Dropped Frames". Set "On timecode break" to "Warn After Capture". Set "Pre-roll" to the minimum setting of 00:00:01:00. With these settings you will still lose a second or two between each shot, so allow for roll up time when shooting. Some people still reported problems, it may help to disconnect all Firewire devices other than the Media drive and camera. I also use a use a 4 drive raid array connected via Firewire 800, and never had problems using a G5 2.7 Power Mac. Final Cut Pro 6 allows you to import HDV as ProRes files via the Firewire. This works well, you will only lose about 6 frames between each take and original timecode is retained. ProRes will give you a much better editing experience but you need to make allowances for the larger file sizes. (Works with G5 2.7 Power Mac). Finally when connecting Firewire cables between devices always make sure all the devices are powered down, there are a lot of reports of blown firewire ports that are relatively expensive to repair. Phil Balsdon www.steadi-onfilms.com.au Last edited by Phil Balsdon; March 13th, 2009 at 03:24 PM. Reason: Typo

March 16th, 2009, 07:53 AM	#5
Liam Hall Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: London, England Posts: 969	Yes it is. __________________ Writer-Director-DOP www.liamhall.net

March 13th, 2009, 03:58 PM	#3
Simon Glidewell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Manosque (France) Posts: 94	Many thanks for the info Phil. Cheers Simon

March 16th, 2009, 06:58 AM	#4
Simon Glidewell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Manosque (France) Posts: 94	Hello again Phil, Is it possible to successfully import footage into FCP 5 or FCP 6 directly from tape in the GY-HD111E and the GY-HD200 series cameras as opposed to using the hard disc drive, particularly with the 720p/24p setting? We would like to use tape where possible. Many thanks again Simon

March 16th, 2009, 08:22 AM	#6
Simon Glidewell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Manosque (France) Posts: 94	Many thanks Liam; are there any special settings in FCP 5.1.4 (or FCP 6) and on the camera that need tweaking first to import tape recordings successfully? All the best Simon

March 17th, 2009, 02:26 PM	#8
Phil Balsdon Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 91	I only had to use FCP 5 for a couple of imports before upgrading to FCP 6. I found adjusting the FCP settings as per my earlier post caused a loss of only 1 - 2 seconds of footage between camera takes. If you use the default settings you'll lose more like 8 seconds. Button on and leave plenty of roll up before action and a few seconds after, takes me back to the late 1970's and BVU tape. Some users reported breaks during the middle of takes, I never had this problem using a G5 2.7 Power Mac and Lacie 1TB (4 x 250Gb) RAID with FW800. It really is worth the FCP 6 upgrade and ProRes import path if you can.