Best inport format to edit in FC

Just wondering, When I videotape in SD 16.9 letter box to my camera's Hard Drive, I have it set to record as quicktime. Then I connect a firewire cable to down load files to a folder on computer. Then I import to FC and drop on time line to edit. Audio and video need no rendering. Then after done with edit I send to compressor for making standard DVD's. My question is would the video look better if I was to edit with apple pro res or something else when I import it then send out to compressor etc. Thanks for any help on this. Ray

What's the camera? What's the format?

All the best,

Tom

As Tom wrote, we need to know exactly what camera you're using. "QuickTime movie" tells us nothing; we need to know the codec. But in a very general sense, ProRes 422 tends to be a good intermediate codec for almost anything. Unless you're talking about the really high-end cameras, most tapeless cameras are going to be recording to formats that are no good for editing, such as H.264 (eg. Canon DSLRs, Flip cameras) or AVCHD.

I'm surprised you say you've got a tapeless camera that shoots SD letterboxed. Didn't think there were too many of those around; most tapeless cameras would shoot HD, however compressed. I guess you're talking about something like to a phone camera or a Zoom Q3.


www.derekmok.com

The cameras are professional JVC's model 5100 DV Tape with a Focus 5000 Firewire Hard Drive. The HD can be set to record in serval different Edit systems codes. It has quicktime.mov as one of the choices. I have been using it for years. The camera and lens cost about $12.000 with the 80GB focus Drive. Video production is what I do for a livening. I have 3 of these cameras. They shoot only SD 4.3 with a 16.9 letter box option. It is still 4.3 with black strips at top and bottom. When I make DVD it looks like a True 16.9 image. That is behind my question, can I convert (bump up) to true 16.9 in FC, to better output. Thanks Ray

> They shoot only SD 4.3 with a 16.9 letter box option. It is still 4.3 with black
> strips at top and bottom. When I make DVD it looks like a True 16.9 image.

No, it won't. If you're shooting SD, you'd have to be shooting anamorphic 16:9 to get "true 16:9" on a DVD. What you're getting is letterboxing, and if you play that image on a 16:9 TV set, you'd get both letterboxing (black bars top and bottom) as well as pillarboxing (black bars left and right).

> That is behind my question, can I convert (bump up) to true 16.9 in FC, to
> better output.

In order to make a letterboxed 4:3 image fit an anamorphic 16:9 frame, you'd have to blow it up about 50 per cent. That's an enormous hit to your image quality, especially since you're talking about DV.

But I'm surprised that your camera doesn't have an anamorphic 16:9 option. Did you already look?

If you insisted on using letterboxed 4:3, I would have at least said that you should just shoot the full 4:3 frame and add the bars on later. You'd get a bit more leeway to move the image around.


www.derekmok.com

The camera was the last model before JVC Pro went to all HD (16.9) cameras. The image is very good in the DVD finale stage. It shoots at 850 lines. It is shooting in 4.3 all the time. The black bars are just cropping bars the camera adds to give it a 16.9 look. When you see the finale image on TV you think it is 16.9. Been fooling people for 3 years, no complaints. The cameras still hold there own. Been tested side by side to HD footage dropped to SD for final output. Very little difference to the eye. Thats why I have not upgraded cameras yet. No one wants to pay for Bul-ray disc for events.

Did a quick Google. I'm guessing you meant the JVC GY-5100. That camera has a 16:9 Squeeze option. Why not use it? That is supposed to give you a 16:9 frame with no blowup, and you can still get a letterbox if you wanted it. Shooting letterbox gives you no options.


www.derekmok.com

Yes that is my camera's. It's been so long since I set it, I will check it out right now. Thanks, I will let you know.

Looked at manual, It is a squeeze 16.9. but still SD image. Do you think the pro res 422 will improve my images?

> Do you think the pro res 422 will improve my images?

You still haven't told us what codec this camera shoots to. You say it shoots directly to QuickTime movies, but what codec? If this is a DV camera, then it's probably DV, and if the camera's shooting to DV, transcoding to another codec will not improve anything. You get what the camera gives you.

The difference with the squeeze should be that it can be made into an anamorphic 16:9 tape or DVD without a blowup.


www.derekmok.com

It shoots to DV, it has a firewire internal port that feeds the (FireStore DR-DV5000) it is a DV Video Disk Recording Module (made byFocus) hanging on the back of the camera. That is controlled by the camera. It says only Quicktime.mov as a recording choice. It backs up the DV tape running in the camera. Ray

> It says only Quicktime.mov as a recording choice.

Well...when you copy the files to a computer for editing, you'll see the codec, right?


www.derekmok.com

I do not know how to check, I will try to see if I can figure it out. Thanks Ray

I believe it is DV NTSC 48kHZ, same as source

So if I change it to pro res 422 will it make it worse? ????

> So if I change it to pro res 422 will it make it worse?

There's no point. If the files are already coming in at DV quality, that's the best they can be.


www.derekmok.com

OK Thanks for your help. Ray

Yes, shoot in 16:9 squeeze, and edit in an anamorphic timeline. This will give you real 16:9, not waste about a third of your pixels on black bars masking the 4:3, then blowing it up to fill the screen.

A guy I work with apparently had a huge fight with a video DJ who refused to play out to 16:9 as he claimed there was no 16:9 version of SD, which I would like to point out is absolute crap. 16:9 is a ratio. 16 units wide and 9 units high. SD 16:9 is just that. SD 4:3 is 4 units wide and 3 units high.

Don't confuse HD shapes and sizes with 4:3 vs 16:9. It's a whole different ball game.

Slightly off topic, but I have the same JVC DV5100 camera and never realized the purpose of the "squeeze" option (vs letterbox), so I've only shot in 4:3 when I use this camera. What a great discovery. Many thanks.

PC