Recording .avi files to P2 instead of .mxf?

Can Scanner

Well-known member
Might it be possible, with a firmware update, to include an option to record .avi's to P2 instead of .mxf's? And if so, wouldn't this make ingesting footage a lot easier (excluding FCP)?
 
Wouldn't that make the HVX even more versatile though? To have the ability to record footage in AVI or Quicktime files? Instead of MXF? What are the advantages of MXF anyway? The metadata? I don't get it. MXF is so rare, and there are so few programs that accept it... It's frustrating to need a conversion program like Raylight to be able to work with your footage.
 
Well, sure, but all I'm saying is that if recording AVI files was possible, then EVERYONE would be able to ingest footage. Premiere, Vegas, Windows Movie Maker (hey, you never know). It wouldn't be limited to FCP, Avid and Canopus.

(And correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not the expert.) :)
 
Can Scanner said:
Well, sure, but all I'm saying is that if recording AVI files was possible, then EVERYONE would be able to ingest footage. Premiere, Vegas, Windows Movie Maker (hey, you never know). It wouldn't be limited to FCP, Avid and Canopus.

(And correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not the expert.) :)

I am not expert either, but I don’t know how that would benefit the FCP crowd . . .

MXF files are at least available to both platforms.

AVI’s (and I could easily be wrong on this) are limited to:

NTSC
Frame Rate: 30 frames/second
Dimension: 720 x 480 pixels

PAL
Frame Rate: 25 frames/second
Dimension: 720 x 576 pixels

(someone jump in and straighten me out if this is wrong, please)
 
AVIs can be anything you want them to be.

What would be nice is an option to also record in Quicktime .MOV format. That way you could edit directly from the firestore, or the card, in FCP without having to go through the "import" stage.
 
Exactly! Being able to jump right into the editing was the philosophy with P2, but having to convert files first can be a major hassle.
How easy would it be to make an update to the HVX to allow this? Maybe someone will figure out how to crack open the camera and work some miracles, a la Andromeda.
 
It's not likely going to happen.

But if you use EDIUS, you get exactly what you want -- instant tapeless editing with no conversions or hassles.
 
Can Scanner said:
Exactly! Being able to jump right into the editing was the philosophy with P2, but having to convert files first can be a major hassle.
How easy would it be to make an update to the HVX to allow this? Maybe someone will figure out how to crack open the camera and work some miracles, a la Andromeda.

It would be less risky to crack open FCP and give it the ability to work with .MXF
:)
 
Barry_Green said:
Yes, yes it would.

But if I were a betting guy, I'd bet that native MXF support probably isn't going to happen.

You dont think so?

You aren't buying to the rumors of a much higher version of FCP? which would lead to the bet that, like AVID, it would support native .mxf?

I think you might know something we don't ;)
 
All I know is that I talked to a lot of people at NAB, and I got the impression from Apple people that they live, breathe, and die by Quicktime.

Now, if there were to be such a thing as FCP Extreme, maybe that would offer it, sure, but I don't expect to see any such change in FCP.

I wish they would, though. It's the one thing that keeps FCP from being a perfect HVX editor!
 
I too would like to see the camera record to AVIs. Quicktime would be handy too, but it seems AVI would be a more likely format -- correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the quicktime format require licensing fees to use in a hardware product? I know of no such limitation to the AVI standard.
 
IN My opininon MXF was design to have seperate audio and video files because this is a big design issue for the AVI file they are large and joined together Audio video. MXF is easy on future server based storage to. Yes we are going through the transition now but AVI will be thing of the past preety soon. Just hold on to MXF for future because you will be thanking yourself for saving the MXF files. Its not just the Meta data there is lot more to it then just AVI.
 
I always was told that AVI files were pretty crappy quality (at least where Avid was concerned).

I do think quicktime would be smart. Panasonic did announce that their P2s will soon support H264 and so maybe the HVX200A might be able to record in that.

Personally, I don't understand why quicktime and FCP refuse to play MXF files, or mt2 for that matter.
 
Back
Top