720p Duplicate Frame Removal in FCP5.1

[DorkmanScott]

Okay, I got my HVX earlier this week. Right now I find P2 and FireStore drives both to be prohibitively expensive so I'm working on capturing directly to the 2.16 GHz Intel Dual Core MacBook Pro (standard options).

I was having an issue with getting it to capture at all, but deleting the preferences solved that. I can import 720p24 without a hitch, it's when setting a variable framerate that I have the problem.

When I capture directly from the camera via Firewire, I use Capture Now, Non-Controllable Device, DVCPRO HD 720p24 preset. That preset has "Remove Advanced Pulldown/Duplicate Frames" active, but when the video is captured it is still 59.94, with duplicate frames aplenty. When I go to Tools > Remove Advanced Pulldown, it says something to the effect of "Final Cut could not find DVC or DVCPRO NTSC video in this clip" and the duplicate frames remain.

It occurs to me that since it's capturing to 60P, maybe I should be setting the capture setting to 720p60? (I would test it now but I won't be home with access to my camera until later tonight.) Would that remove the duplicate frames? I would think that it would require being told to map to 24 though.

Any ideas? Or information you might need to give me a hand?

[DorkmanScott]

Okay, I was able to work with it a bit more.

Capturing 720p24 (with matching settings) still comes in flawlessly.

Capturing 720p60 (with matching settings) also comes in without a problem.

However, adjusting the frame rate in both modes results in duplicate frames to round it out to 60p (expected), which Final Cut Pro does not remove when capturing, nor when I tell it to "Remove Advanced Pulldown (unexpected).

The message I get when I tell it to remove advanced pulldown after the fact is:

"File does not contain DVCPRO or DVCPRO-50 NTSC video."

[mark.burton]

Could you use the Panasonic Frame Rate Converter (http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/support/fcphd.asp)? Install it and it will appear in the FCP Tools menu.

[robbo]

If what Mark has suggested doesn't work try Cinema Tools.

[Ryan_W]

Other people have been tinkering with variable framerates, right? What have they been doing? If you want to go variable, you have to download this special plug-in that no documentation seems to tell you about...? Seems strange, or maybe I'm just out of the loop.

[DorkmanScott]

The Frame Rate Converter sounded like just the thing, but I downloaded and installed it on my machine and it doesn't show up in the FCP Tools menu.

I shut it down before installing, started FCP back up afterwards.

I tried deleting the preferences, rebooting the computer, and still it won't show in the menu.

I downloaded installed again, and it recognized that the software already existed as it "upgraded" the existing installation.

FRC says it requires PowerPC processors (I have Intel), Final Cut Pro HD (4.5, I have 5.1.1), OS X 10.3.2 (I have 10.4.7) and Quicktime 6.5 (I have 7). Are any of those a problem and do they have a workaround?

Is it perhaps installing to the wrong folder? All my software should install to the default but maybe it got changed somehow.

Cinema Tools doesn't have the functionality required. "Conform" just re-sets the frame rate to 24p without removing any frames, and reverse telecine doesn't recognize that there's any footage to be reversed.

[mark.burton]

Sorry, I provided the link to make it easy, but actually this Frame Rate Converter is also on your FCP 5.1 Universal install disk in 'Extras / Frame Rate Converter'. This version is Universal and will work on your Intel based Mac.

[Jan_Crittenden]

If your are trying to use a direct capture, you need to set the FCP for what the camera is doing and sending down the 1394 port, and in this case 720P/60, albeit your camera is doing 24 frames capture. It is doing over 60 just like the VariCam. Doing the Advanced Pulldown check tells the computer that you are trying to remove 24PA extras and you are not doing that. You need to capture full 60 frames and then run the FRC as a plug-in to FCP.

Hope that helps,

jan

[RDykmans]

The download version of the FRC will not show up in the menu of the UB version of FCP, it has to be copied from the original FCP disc. That screwed me up at first as well. Once you convert your 60p footage to 24 or 30 via the FRC it will play back in slomo if dropped onto a 24 or 30 fps sequence. I have a question though maybe someone can answer, is 60p footage run through the FRC and played back on a 24 or 30 timeline effectively the same as footage recorded in the varicam mode?

[DorkmanScott]

Well, thanks for your patience and help everyone. Got it from my disc and it works like a charm. :dankk2:

Thanks also for chiming in, Jan. Good to know Panasonic's keeping an eye out, and definitely important information to know!