XDCAM EX 1080p24 in a SD Project

Client has shot everything in XDCAM EX 1080p24 and the show is to be output as SD/720x486. What is the best sequence settings to stop the footage from having that stuttering look.

My sequence settings right now are,

frame size: 720x486 CCIR 601 NTSC (40:27)
Pixel Aspect: Square
Field Dominance: Lower (Even)
FR 29.97

QT Compressor: Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2

I've also tried setting the compressor to Apple ProRes which looks a bit better.

Thanks

"shot everything in XDCAM EX 1080p24"

i'd say cut everything in a 1080p24 Prores sequence,
export as a QuickTime movie, same settings,
and deal with the conversion in Compressor.

"that stuttering look"

that'd be a by-product of 24p footage in a 29.97 timeline.

you probably can do some sort of"pull-down" conversion from 23.976 to 29.7 fps
but i'm not the one to advise as i work in PAL land, so don't deal with those frame rates

but do that when you've worked with your footage in it's native frame-rate and frame size


nick

I usually shoot EX 1080p30, odd bird that I am.
Drop that in an SD ProRes timeline and I have the ability to do virtual pan, dolly, cut to close up, reposition shot. There's lots of flexibility using and HD source in an SD timeline. This is assuming there won't be an HD version needed at any point. I'd suggest not adding pull done until you're down editing. If you drop 24p (23.98) in a 29.97 timeline, I believe FCP will use a 2:2:2:4 pull down on the fly which can be disconcerting in my opinion.

What Craig and Nick said. Change your frame rate to 23.98, then add the pulldown on the way out to tape.



www.strypesinpost.com

Well the footage has already been ingested by the producer and it shows up as Apple ProRes. Also, when I switch compressor to XDCAM EX 1080p24 in the sequence settings, video does not show up at all, just audio. Guessing that's because it's playing 24p through a 29.97 system???

well then, cut it in a ProRes 24p sequence. forget about XDCAM EX.

my vote still goes to working in a 1920x1080 sequence.
who knows when someone might turn around and say "hey we need a hi-def version for the web", or whatever.

"video does not show up at all,"

where does it not show up? sounds like you mean an external monitor.
if that's the case, what are you using to get the video signal to your monitor?


nick

O.K. still a newbie on FCP, Avid editor most of my time, but in order to cut as 24p I will need to create a new sequence set for 24p, correct?

I'm using an AJA i/o. I do not see anything on my computer monitor or my NTSC monitor when using the XDCAM 1080p24 compressor setting.

"O.K. still a newbie on FCP, Avid editor most of my time"

OK, welcome on board.

"in order to cut as 24p I will need to create a new sequence set for 24p, correct?"

yes.

the simplest way to do this in the SHORT TERM is to make a new sequence,
then edit one of your clips into it.
you will be asked if you want to Sequence Settings to match the Clip Properties.
say yes.

it's probably better to establish a Sequence Pre-set.

open your A/V settings page (Final Cut Pro Menu or Option Command Q)
go to the Sequnce Preset tab,
and find the preset that matches your footage.\

here's a gotcha: the correct preset has to be TICKED, not just seleceted.

now every new sequence will have those settings.

"I'm using an AJA i/o. I do not see anything on my computer monitor or my NTSC monitor when using the XDCAM 1080p24 compressor setting."

i don't use that, so i cant really advise
it could be any number of things,
but not seeing anything on your COMPUTER monitor suggests the problem is before the i/o.
and could be because of the Codec mis-match.


cheers,
nick

I have a faint memory of the AJA Io being SD only. So it won't handle any HD sequence presets.

ak
Sleeplings, AWAKE!

Nick thanks for the great workflow information. I'll play around this afternoon when things "hopefully" quiet down a bit!

That is correct Andrew, SD only but would that effect my computers playback? I know I can playback XDCAM EX on my MacBook Pro but that footage was shot at 29.97fps. What are folks in the FCP world using these days for i/o? I was looking at the aja Express, mostly because I still have Avid clients out there with ongoing projects. I'm finding the FCP life is bringing my creative thinking back to life! Discovering all the intricacies of the software has me interested in the art of editing again!

>What are folks in the FCP world using these days for i/o?

A dime a dozen of those... AJA Kona 3, AJA LHi, Blackmagic Decklink Extreme 3D, Matrox MXO2, just to name a few.

Lol. I am slowly figuring out the intricacies of Avid- y'know, the little things that you can't find in most tutorials like how to freeze frame lower third and preserve the alpha channel. How to do simple but much needed effects, etc...

I'll go with what Nick said and cut in HD, 23.976 fps and down convert and add a pulldown on the way out to tape through a capture card. The card does a much better job of down converting and you be in render hell (it's not an issue on shortform, but if you have to render an hour long show with effects, it would really sting).

The problem would be the monitoring. You want to be able to monitor your video properly. That or do your offline cut by hooking up a 2nd computer monitor and using the cinema display preview for your edit, then master it at an online facility with proper monitors and capture cards.

Most capture cards can add a pulldown. It's really quite trivial.



www.strypesinpost.com