Prevalance of dropped frames issue via firewire capture?

Hi guys, was just wondering if the issue of dropped frames has been addressed, as I'm considering capturing clips via firewire. My recorded medium is on dvcam, and the final output is onto a digital beta deck, via SDI, aja kona board.
I was contemplating capturing the footage via firewire into the mac and outputting it in an uncompressed sequence to the digital beta deck via sdi. I'm on final cut 5.12. What should the capture codec be (is it firewire pal?), and i heard that dropped frames would be an issue especially with long form videos. Any word on that?

thanks.

ref:
[www.kenstone.net]

Dropped frames is an issues when you don't have the proper setup...firewire drives for DV is fine, but you run into issues with the firewire BUS...you can only have ONE device on that, so no capturing via firewire with a camera, and then a drive attached as well. Get a firewire card to get you more FW ports.

Have a MacPro? Just use internal drives for that. Want more speed (better the drive speed, less chance of dropped frames), then get an eSATA Raid.

Know the limitations of FCP...and know what you need to get to have a good working system. I don't suffer from ANY dropped frames, and I am working with DVCPRO HD output to D5 and HDCAM. All about the hard drives...


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Dropped frames over firewire are not an issue at all if you're set up correctly and the camera is functioning correctly.

DVCAM is already compressed once it's on tape, so there's no loss over firewire, which is just a digital transfer. Firewire PAL (I'm guessing anamorphic) will work fine.

are you wondering about getting dropped frames on capture or playback? ive been capturing to firewire400 for SD and HDV for years, and DVCproHD via firewire800 for about a year with narry a capture issue. from time to time ill get a dropped frame warning on timeline playback, but its not ever been an issue for laying off to a deck

Oh dear thats an article from May 14, 2001...

Yes back then a lot of FW drives just weren't up to the job and a G3 Mac had to be setup carefully to digitise and playback well.

Today you still need to know what you are doing, but its far less likely that you'll encounter a problem if you follow the instructions in the manual or the FAQs on LAFCPUG.

Quote

and i heard that dropped frames would be an issue especially with long form videos. Any word on that?

Now that sounds like someone who uses Avid telling you porky-pies!

I've cut timelines that are over 8 hours long on FCP on a single FW400 HDD with-so-much-as-a glitch so if you are worried about long-form, worry about the speed and space on your video HDD, not whether FCP can handle it.


Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

To go back to Jude for a minute. She's perfectly correct, however, you can't be screwing up.

You can't be doing other things while you're capturing, You drives must have lots of room and there can't be too many of them. There's a list.

[www.kozco.com]

Koz

Ben King Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh dear thats an article from May 14, 2001...
>

my sentiments exactly when someone brought up that article. I never had a problem going via firewire when i was working commercials.

> Now that sounds like someone who uses Avid telling
> you porky-pies!
>
>

Haha, you bet, or rather, technical guys who don't know their stuff....


Okay, should i also apply a 4:1:1 colour smoothing filter before dumping it out to digital beta?

I would cut it all DVCAM then drop the final edit into an 8-bit uncompressed timeline.

Yes use a colour smoothing filter where its needed and if you have serious red artifacting issues then look at Natress Filters to help minimise it further.

Any coloured graphics, fx, titles, overlays will be better rendered like this and you should most definately (if you haven't got one) get hold of a Calibrated Broadcast CRT monitor to check that the fields, luminance and colourspace are all at the correct levels. Unless you are getting it graded elswhere.

If you are using a FW400 you may encounter dropped frames on 8-bit uncompressed but you should be able to playout with no issues using a FW800 (I do all the time from my MBP).

Just make sure everything is rendered down and your audio is mixed down too.


Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]