HVX200 and Final Cut Pro/Express

S

SnappingTurtle

New member
Hi,

I just recently purchased an HVX 200 and I am getting ready to build an editing system around the camera. Most of my colleagues use Mac and Final Cut. However I have read that a lot of people have issues with getting HVX and Mac to cooperate with one another.

I do not plan on using the p2 cards much...I am old fashioned and will most likely shoot to HD tape. No one seems to talk much about HD tape...just p2 cards.

My question....what do you recommend as a set up for editing HD footage shot on the HVX HD Tapes...but also in the event that I do use p2 cards...what is the best system to design.

Thanks
 
1. Most of us do not have issues with FCP and the HVX200 or 170

2. The HVX200 does not record high definition to tape; it requires p2 cards to record high definition DVCProHD. It will record SD to tape.

FCE does not support DVCProHD ingest.

If someone has told you that the HVX200 records high definition to tape, that person is mistaken.
 
what do you recommend as a set up for editing HD footage shot on the HVX HD Tapes
Click to expand...
like david said. the hvx does not shoot HD to tape. just SD. if you plan to shoot HD with an hvx, you HAVE TO use P2 cards or something like a firestore

However I have read that a lot of people have issues with getting HVX and Mac to cooperate with one another.
Click to expand...
i have been using the hvx200 / hpx170 for about 4 years now with a mac+FCP and ive not had an ounce of trouble. i suspect that most people who have problems are creating the problems themselves (though a variety of bad practices)

what is the best system to design.
Click to expand...
pretty much any macintosh made in the last 5 years will be capable of handling HD from an hvx. but there are a number of personal taste and workflow considerations that will effect your decision like:
1. whats more important, sheer power or portability (desktop vs laptop)
2. how flexible is your budget (get the most you can reasonably afford. which might mean a used machine)
3. is deskspace a concern (if you are cramped for space, maybe an imac is the way to go)
4. is expandability important to you (then an imac may NOT be the way to go)
 
Last edited:
To add further, ingesting p2 cards into FCP requires a properly configured system, and an understanding of how the process works.

For what I've seen over the last years, most issues are user based.

When you get to the point where you start ingesting, read the manuals for the HVX200 and your version of FCP (at least 6.0.x), write protect your card, do a Finder copy of the entire p2 volume, and you should be fine.
 
From my experience with HVX-200 shot on p2 it is many levels of magnitude easier then miniDV capture. Once you go tapeless you never go back.
 
From my experience with HVX-200 shot on p2 it is many levels of magnitude easier then miniDV capture. Once you go tapeless you never go back.
Click to expand...
the first day (in fact first couple of hours) after i tested P2 footage. i sold all my SD/tape gear and havent regretted it for a second!
 
I have had a HPX170 for several months now, and I haven't had any issues with either of my mac's running FCP 7. For an editing system, I would go for the iMac or Macbook Pro, whichever suites you better. A lot of people use the Mac Pro, but it is a bit more expensive, and there are only certain areas that make it better. I have had the 27" iMac with a quad core i7 chip for about a year now, and it is so great! Beautiful display, and it renders DVCPro HD footage like no tomorrow, and the computer was still under $3000. I'd recommend getting the $360 P2 deck to start with (the cheapest available), just because it is nice to have if you ever need to hot-swap in the field and have a laptop to use.
 
+1 on going mac, and I would def. recommend getting a quad-core. I cut all my HPX 170 on a 3.1ghz core2duo MBP with 4gb of ram, which was great for working with DVCproHD, although I find that with other cameras and codecs, especially when I have to transcode, that I really wish I had a faster machine, so would recommend atleast a quad-core. The new top end MBP and iMacs are nice, though I would go Mac Pro, so you can upgrade it as you progress, especially if you ever switch to CS5 and want to use the mercury engine, which needs a special video card, but is really sweet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top