Which formats can stream directly to FCP?

Jacob Nielsen

Jacob Nielsen

Active member
Hi all!

I'm concidering the purchase of the HVX200 PAL and it will be released this week in Europe. This is very important to us: Which formats does the camera stream through the firewire directly to FCP. We want to make greenscreen stuff in a controlled environment using only direct capture and we want to be sure we can stream 720 or 1080 25P.

And another question: can somenone explain: What's the "Native" format?


Cheers,

Jacob.
 
Won't capture in the Native formats

Native formats means the camera only saves the 24 frames (in 24pN) mode to the P2 card, not the whole 60 frames. If you did not know, in 24P mode, the camera actually saves 60 frames but tags 24 frames as the important ones for NLE to handle (many many wasted frames saved). Native mode allows you to only save the desired frames - saves a lot of space and allows you to see undercrank/overcrank in camera.
 
The big x at the moment for us PAL/FCP users is:

When will the p25 formats be supported in FCP?

Have a look at apples info about FCP:
HD at 1080i 50/60, 1080p 23.98/24, and 720p 23.98/30/60


From:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/specs.html

I recently did a 1080/720 p25 recorded edit and it had to be recorded to a 1080 i50 timeline to work, but I'm not sure that's possible through firewire. (might very well be wrong here!)

But that's the only viable option as of now: Record at 1080 p25 and capture to a 1080 i50 capturepreset.

720 p25 will basically not work "out of the box".


http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/images/smilies/sad.gif

Gunleik
 
With Flip4Mac's MXF import/export compoent for QTPro, support is here TODAY! Actually, FCP-5 already knows to strip the MXF shell from the video data and work with the DVCPRO-HD format very well, right now.
 
1080/25p and 1080/50i should stream to FCP 5.0.4.

1080/25p is always recorded and output as a 1080/50i stream in the HVX-400e, and without pulldown, just like 1080/30p.

What is missing in FCP is the 720p50 Quicktime codec.

So with only FCP 5.0.4 you cannot utilize 720p recording in the HVX-200e at all.
 
BenB said:
With Flip4Mac's MXF import/export compoent for QTPro, support is here TODAY! Actually, FCP-5 already knows to strip the MXF shell from the video data and work with the DVCPRO-HD format very well, right now.
Click to expand...

Flip4Mac's MXF component is a solution for the Sony XDCAM format only. It has no function in a P2 setup.

What FCP is missing is not P2 MXF support, we have that in the "Panasonic P2 import" command, FCP is missing a quicktime codec for the 720p50 stream.

So when we get the HVX-200e camera, FCP will know how to parse the format and extract the audio, Video and TC, but because there is no codec for 720p50 it cannot decode the video.
 
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Since FCP can't direct capture native frames, then I assume it is unable to capture variable speed as well? (I'm still waiting for my P2 cards, so I haven't been able to test out the different recording modes properly yet.)
 
dcarstens said:
Since FCP can't direct capture native frames, then I assume it is unable to capture variable speed as well? (I'm still waiting for my P2 cards, so I haven't been able to test out the different recording modes properly yet.)
Click to expand...

No you can still use variable framerates in 720p60, 720p30 and 720p24 (720p50, 720p25) settings. The camera will then output a 720p60 (720p50) stream with the active frames flagged in the User Bit code, just like the varicam. You then use the Framerate converter to strip the unflagged frames. Right Barry?
 
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Anders Holck said:
You then use the Framerate converter to strip the unflagged frames. Right Barry?
Click to expand...

It would be great if someone (Barry, cuz he ain't busy) detail the settings for doing this for both the cam and FCP,

or anybody else?
 
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