Pansonic works in mysterious ways! AVCHD to DVCPRO HD decoder

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Umm... who cares? Doesn't Premiere CS5 handle AVCHD natively? Won't the next version of FCP as well? Not sure why Panasonic should continue to devote engineers to something that's a very distant also-ran.

...and I wish I was making the kind of money some of these YouTubers are :D
 
Converting AVCHD to DVCProHD is a really bad idea anyway. That's probably the real reason it's gone away. The workflow is pretty much to convert to ProRes.
 
pharpsied said:
Wow. Just wow.
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Your reponse interests me as well but whatever.

I have been trying to evaluate this camera from a shoot POV as well as a Post POV

I need a camera that fits in a professional workflow. ie Broadcast TVCs

I want to understand the CODEC ..specifically AVCHD for professional editing workflows ...and I have posted about it here and elsewhere.

AVCHD aint much loved anywhere.

Check out this thread I started http://forums.adobe.com/thread/765204?tstart=0

Heres a real world example:

I have 21 TVCs to shoot end of next month. Ideally suited for the AF102 I thought. (Table top food)

Today I am doing my homework in the post house we will use. eg Flame and Autodesk Lustre CC

AVCHD as a source file ... (once they find out what it is and do their own homework). Forget it they say . Just like they say about DSLR footage.

So previously I have been giving these guys DVCPRO HD and there is never an issue at any stage. Go figure.

So I start thinking about transcode AVCHD to DVCPRO HD.

Thwarted by Panasonic! They dont want me / us to do that. WTF?

As far as my comment goes:

"Starting to think its just a camera for the YouTube generation of film makers!"

I am just not getting why Panasonic put this CODEC in this camera.

Sell me the same camera with a decent CODEC and I will pay a higher price for it if thats what it takes .

Long story short. I am shooting this next project on The RED (and I am going to do some tests on the AF102)
 
bgundu said:
Converting AVCHD to DVCProHD is a really bad idea anyway. That's probably the real reason it's gone away. The workflow is pretty much to convert to ProRes.
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You MAC FCP guys need to see outside and past your selves a little.

Windows NLEs are here!

I dont want to convert to anything. I want to edit native without issue.

I dont need to convert because Adobe CS5 , MPE, Cuda cards. edit native realtime

But I do need a cross platform workflow amongst high end professional facilties.

If it cant be done with AVCHD ..I need to move on.
 
I'm not going to discuss the performance or efficiencies of AVCHD, but I will tell you now that converting the AVCHD to DVCPRO HD will look terrible. It's one thing to capture it with DVCPRO HD, it's another thing to convert to it for editing... especially from AVCHD. Granted AVCHD is not something that pros are used to, but it's come along way and the AF100 will have the best implementation of it. You can always shoot it to the Nano or Ki PRo Mini and avoid the whole codec issue. It will be a lot cheaper than RED.

I hope your next project goes smoothly.
 
Shooter said:
Your reponse interests me as well but whatever.

I have been trying to evaluate this camera from a shoot POV as well as a Post POV

I need a camera that fits in a professional workflow. ie Broadcast TVCs

I want to understand the CODEC ..specifically AVCHD for professional editing workflows ...and I have posted about it here and elsewhere.

AVCHD aint much loved anywhere.

Check out this thread I started http://forums.adobe.com/thread/765204?tstart=0

Heres a real world example:

I have 21 TVCs to shoot end of next month. Ideally suited for the AF102 I thought. (Table top food)

Today I am doing my homework in the post house we will use. eg Flame and Autodesk Lustre CC

AVCHD as a source file ... (once they find out what it is and do their own homework). Forget it they say . Just like they say about DSLR footage.

So previously I have been giving these guys DVCPRO HD and there is never an issue at any stage. Go figure.

So I start thinking about transcode AVCHD to DVCPRO HD.

Thwarted by Panasonic! They dont want me / us to do that. WTF?

As far as my comment goes:

"Starting to think its just a camera for the YouTube generation of film makers!"

I am just not getting why Panasonic put this CODEC in this camera.

Sell me the same camera with a decent CODEC and I will pay a higher price for it if thats what it takes .

Long story short. I am shooting this next project on The RED (and I am going to do some tests on the AF102)
Click to expand...


If the codec is your biggest issue, then just get an external recorder and record straight to Prores, problem solved.
 
The thing is, AVCHD is still a newish codec and so there are teething problems with adoption and integration. But the proof is in the pudding - it's all about the image. If the output of AVCHD is good, then given how efficient it is at the acquisition stage, people will adjust their post, and more importantly, the various NLEs will come up with good workflows. But right now it's a bit of chicken/egg situation - the codec is still too new, so there's not enough support. Once it becomes clear that it's great output, people will flock to it, and support will follow. I predict this won't take more than 6 months or so, once the af100 is out. I wouldn't let that stop me. I love the fact that it can record to SD cards off the shelf, and that it's so clean and so compact. In the end, it's all about the image quality. And btw., it's interesting that anyone would worry about the workflow so much wrt. post on AVCHD, and then say, "well, I'll go with RED instead" (I bet there will be fewer teething problems with AVCHD workflow than there was with RED).
 
No, you are not interested in what I have to say. You are interested in what you want from the tool, as well you should be, but you don't want to hear what I have to say because I am just going to regurgitate what has already been said. The question of codec has been answered. The p2 question has been answered. The AVCHD questions have been answered. I watched the camera perform in the hands of some extremely talented individuals, I looked at footage being shot with it, and I am listening for information about the post workflow. I have also transcoded into the likes of DNxHD, Matrox, ProRes, and Cineform, edited natively, baked, deep fried, and basically molested AVCHD footage every which way from Sunday and have found things I like and things I don't like about it, but I have never gone so far as to...

Look, going into a thread on a forum about a product that people are trying to learn about, that they are excited about, and declaring the tool "just a camera for the YouTube generation of film makers," is remarkable. It's a loaded comment, and I may have stupidly taken the bait, but its designed for one purpose which doesn't help in understanding the product. Plus, I hardly think "A Verse..." is a movie created by YouTube generation filmmakers. You can unleash the torrent of justification all you want, but really... saying anything else would have been better than saying that.

It is obvious that, apparently, this camera is not for you. Fine. Cool; and you have some valid questions. Fine. Cool; but come on. Honestly, there are better ways to incite a conversation. After so many negative comments and negative threads...

But it really doesn't matter.
 
I am positively sure my project with the RED will go smoothly. We have an established workflow with it and the teething problems have gone by.

I can even shoot it on 35mm film if I choose to.

Must mention there is a lot I dont (and also do) like about the RED. I am no fan boy for it. But its right for the job and I particularly want the high end monitoring for this production.

Actually I am shooting film tomorrow and its such a come down to be working with video taps and the resolution they display in the monitor.


When I actually do get to shoot and test the AVCHD I am sincerely hoping to be a convert. I will test an external recording device absolutely.

Meantime ..I cant really wait til we all get used to this CODEC and get it implemented at the high end... and I dont really want to be a guinea pig either.
 
If you have read my posts as "negative" I am sorry (and I apologise)

I consider my posts "questioning" of the areas that I need to know before I have a client asking me why this didnt work. read that as $$$$$$$.
 
Shooter said:
Exactly around the time Panasonic releases a new camera that shoots AVCHD..
they drop their support for [DVCPRO HD].

"Providing of this utility has ended from November 26, 2010"
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This is actually fairly old news, hasn't it been about six months since Panasonic first put up the notice about discontinuing this DVCPRO HD transcoder?

I'd suspect their reason for dropping it was that few people have a need to downsample their 1920x1080 AVCHD footage to DVCPRO HD's 1440x1080 squeezed resolution. Perhaps if you wanted to archive your files to videotape?
 
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