Sony XDCAM HD -- various topics

[Andy Mees]

Tim

The IO HD will certainly hog the entire FW bus, just as its predecessor the (SD) IO did. I believe AJA acknowledge this also.
However you won't likely be using the IO HD and your XDCAM device simultaneously so you'd not have any problem with a basic setup ... that said, getting a third party firewire card so you have a second FW bus is really your best solution. its a pretty damn cheap add on that would guarantee you a trouble free life. I'd get one.

Andy

[Uli Mors]

Is there a way to *repeat* a clip or EDL playback continuosly?

I´d like to set up the f330 on an exhibition and (while its standing there) use it as my HQ VCR output to a HD-Display...

I didnt find anything like that (in worst case I´d press PLAY every hour...)

ULi

[Uli Mors]

I found that there is a dedicated Sony wireless set that can be used with the existing multipin connector. Is there a way to use it with (lets say) Audio Technica 1800 to avoid additional cables (to rear inputs)?

Thanks

ULI

[Uli Mors]

Sony Vegas 8 brings 2 features that pushes the speed of HD Editing to Warp factor, I just had some tries today with F330 -> Vegas8:

- Partial FAM import of edited regions only
- Render uncompressed long GOP

If you need a fast "same day edit" or if you want to pre-edit some cuts to show to your customer, this is a fantastic and FAST way of working - even with older PC notebooks:

- Shoot your video (HD, 18/25/35) , but dont change the Quality (BR) setting !
- import Proxies via FAM to Vegas
- when the very first proxies show up, you can already start editing them in the timeline
- when finished, consolidate with "PARTIAL FAM Mode" (transfers only data that is being used in your edit - even if its just a few seconds out of a 10Gig file)
- when done, export the final edit back to XDCAM HD by "Render UNCOMPRESSED long GOP" (renders only parts where the integrity of the frame has been changed - filters, CC, transitions, , be sure to set the same BR like your clips) - since Vegas does not render all other portions, this is INCREDIBLY fast!

If you dont need CC or other filters, Vegas only recalculates uncomplete long GOPS (cut/trim at the beginning / end of a region). Using that technique its so easy to make a rough edit on the fly.

If you dont care about some seconds "recompressed" you can also use that feature to clean up some discs by writing back only good scenes out of long recordings.

ULI

[Thierry Humeau]

Originally Posted by Uli Mors

Sony Vegas 8 brings 2 features that pushes the speed of HD Editing to Warp factor, I just had some tries today with F330 -> Vegas8:

- Partial FAM import of edited regions only
- Render uncompressed long GOP

If you need a fast "same day edit" or if you want to pre-edit some cuts to show to your customer, this is a fantastic and FAST way of working - even with older PC notebooks:

- Shoot your video (HD, 18/25/35) , but dont change the Quality (BR) setting !
- import Proxies via FAM to Vegas
- when the very first proxies show up, you can already start editing them in the timeline
- when finished, consolidate with "PARTIAL FAM Mode" (transfers only data that is being used in your edit - even if its just a few seconds out of a 10Gig file)
- when done, export the final edit back to XDCAM HD by "Render UNCOMPRESSED long GOP" (renders only parts where the integrity of the frame has been changed - filters, CC, transitions, , be sure to set the same BR like your clips) - since Vegas does not render all other portions, this is INCREDIBLY fast!

If you dont need CC or other filters, Vegas only recalculates uncomplete long GOPS (cut/trim at the beginning / end of a region). Using that technique its so easy to make a rough edit on the fly.

If you dont care about some seconds "recompressed" you can also use that feature to clean up some discs by writing back only good scenes out of long recordings.

ULI

Hi Uli,

Sounds like a great workflow, probably the best there is today with XDCAM HD.

Thierry

[Mike Moncrief]

Hello,

I am going to edit some footage that was shot with XDCAM HD. in HD .. And I am trying to figure out the best way to import it into Final Cut 6.. And edit it in its native HD format.. Yet , I will need to provide a 4:3 Standard Def version (No Letterboxing) in the end to the client along with my rough cuts also need to be 4:3.. So any advice on how to accomplish this.. ??Maybe just edit native in FCP 6, and then export it using Quicktime (self contained movie, current settings) and to then drop it into compressor to create an mpeg2 for DVD Studio Pro.., (and this is where I get lost and do not know exactly what to do to get it to the best quality and 4:3 standard, not letterboxing or streching etc..

Any help would be appreciated..

Thanks!!!

[Tim Allison]

Our Kona 3 will down convert with no problems. Will your card down-convert?

Since you are editing in Final Cut, another option is to edit your program in HD. Open another sequence, and make sure it is a SD 4x3 sequence. Bring your HD sequence into this SD sequence, resize the HD into something that will work, and that should do it. This will even give you some "pan and scan" capabilities is you want.

[Warren Gentry]

On my last couple of shoots with my PDW-350 the clients have asked to shoot 60i. I have noticed a couple of times when viewing the camera fed into an Apple Cinema Display (thru a BlackMagic HD-link box) that if someone crosses a static frame at medium to fast speed their image blurrs considerably. Any ideas if this is a monitor artifact, 60i artifact or something else?

Thanks in advance,
Warren Gentry

[Paul Gale]

Can anyone else successfully download the XDCAM proxy viewer software from the sonybiz web site? I've tried several PC's/methods and get a corrupt file every time.

[Paul Gale]

I have a number of IDX Endura batteries E80/E10's and was looking at the battery remaining display - it doesn't correctly map to the battery remaining, so needs the M08 setting page changing (Battery 2) to correctly reflect the voltages.

Has anyone mapped this for an accurate display?

On the guideance from IDX, I also set the Before End to 12.0V and End to 11.5V which should help prolong the battery life a little more.

I guess that difference capacity batteries will be different though...

[Martin Swinkels]

Hi, does anyone know of the following bug? When i switch from HD to DVcam mode, or vice versa, do a shoot and try to load the footage with XDcam transfer trough FCP, somethime some very old clips (from weeks ago) show up in the proxybrowser. only use new disks.

Anyone?

[Uli Mors]

Same with Swit.

I just charged the 8110A Battery and made a testrun , the battery interrupts the current at ~ 12V, I keep this in mind and put the voltage in the VF.

ULI

[Mike James]

We have decided to go with Sony 355's at our station. (After testing XD and P2's) We are thinking of going with the Canon KH16x5.7IRSE w. 2x for our daily ENG lenses.

Would you guys recommend this lens for the daily ENG grind? I was thinking the length is fairly common for news, and the 5.7 should be plenty wide. We are also thinking of getting 2 of the KH21x5.7's for sports.

Thanks,

Mike

[Thierry Humeau]

Originally Posted by Mike James

We have decided to go with Sony 355's at our station. (After testing XD and P2's) We are thinking of going with the Canon KH16x5.7IRSE w. 2x for our daily ENG lenses.

Would you guys recommend this lens for the daily ENG grind? I was thinking the length is fairly common for news, and the 5.7 should be plenty wide. We are also thinking of getting 2 of the KH21x5.7's for sports.

Thanks,

Mike

Mike,

We have had two of those Canon lenses (16x5.7IRSE) in use for ENG work on F350s and have found them to be very good. I just wish the Digital Drive was an option. It sure is a nice addition but I rather have bare bone lenses wo/ too much electronics for ENG gear. Not to mention that the Digital Drive has its own 20-pages manual to operate its various menus and functions...

Thierry.

[Kalunga Lima]

After trying a lot of the camera setting suggested on this forum, my personal conclusion is that by far the best results (in my subjective opinion) are actually achieved in Post Production.

I originally found this work flow in a FCP 6 tutorial at www.lynda.com entitled "creating beauty shots" involving composite modes and found it to work remarkably well with footage from the F350. The results turned out to be a silky HD image that rivals film stock even on a 40" Full HD LCD television.

For starters I shot my original material in XDCam HD 1080/25p VBR (shutter 1/50) and otherwise default settings.

I ingested my material via firewire into FCP 6 using Sony's XDCam Transfer software which has worked flawlessly both with our 8 Core and on location with my Mac Book Pro 2.4 GHz Intel.

I also edit natively in my timeline using the XDCam HD 1080p25 VBR easy set-up.

This work flow is Final Cut Pro based, but perhaps someone can suggest an equivalent method using other software.

The process basically involves superimposing the image on the timeline so that you have two identical video clips, one on top of the other. On the top clip you then apply Gaussian Blur (15 to 20) and then the "soft light" composite mode (Modify - Composite Mode). Lastly you apply the 3-way color Corrector to adjust your black and white levels. The tutorial also suggests trying the "screen" composite mode which in some instances worked better. In layman's terms, one method darkens your image which you then have to lighten, while the other lightens your image which you subsequently darken.

I found that the advantage of achieving a "film look" in post is that I know that I have a good image to fall back on. I also found the F350 extremely forgiving with default settings, while you can quickly paint yourself into a corner when you don't know exactly what you are doing when you begin to play with the camera settings.

best of luck