MXF log and transfer Preferences issue

So now I'm importing mxf files (originally from p2) via log and transfer in FCP 6.0.2.

I've checked the tutorials, but haven't found them addressing the codec issue below.

1. I want to ingest in native DVCPRO HD, not ProRes 422 or Apple Intermediate Codec (the only options I could find in log and transfer preferences).

2. Although my capture settings and project/sequence settings are set for DVCPRO HD 720p24, the exported quicktimes are 1080i60. Should I assume the footage was shot in this format?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks

1. DVCPRO HD recorded onto P2 from the HVX and HPX camera only injest as DVCPRO HD...not as Pro Res nor AIC. Those options are for AVCHD and AVCIntra only.

2. If the imported Quicktimes are 1080i60, then that means that you shot the footage at 1080i60. If you wanted to shoot 720p24, then you need to set the camera to record that.

FCP doesn't change the footage at all as it imports...it only copies it over tying Video and Audio together and wrapping them in a Quicktime wrapper.


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Shane- a related question. I am working on making the best use of drive space, and if I understand you correctly, the capture scratch is essentially a full-res back up of the P2 media? So, in my case, if I have one drive full of the P2 media dragged straight from the card, and one drive with only the ingested MOV files, then I essentially still have a redundant back up of my media at full resolution?

Here is my reply...including more of the questions you asked in the PM:

> My question is simply - could the Quicktime files
> that FCP creates upon ingesting the P2 media work
> as a valid "master copy" or not?

Those should be considered as captured media....just like footage captured from a tape is captured media. And the original CONTENTS and lastclip.txt file are your source tapes. You don't throw away your source tapes after you capture...so don't throw away the original MXF files. Footage imported into FCP will ONLY WORK with FCP. You cannot now use these on an Avid, or Premiere, or any other NLE. And if future native support for MXF came to Apple, it would be good to have the originals.

And these are what you archive. Currently I use hard drives, but in the future, when I shoot more and more, I will no doubt switch to LTO.

> It seems as though the files are full res, but I can't 100%
> verify that they are indeed. Ideas or thoughts?

They are 100% full resolution. All FCP does is copy the files from the cards or hard drives, marry audio and video and put them into a QT wrapper so FCP can read them. That's it. They are full resolution.

> Also, if the ingested files should not be
> considered a set of master files, then is there a
> way to ingest and cut with smaller files, keeping
> the P2 media for a batch capture later, much like
> a tape/offline workflow?

Nope. You can only injest at full resolution. You can then recompress to smaller resolution, but then you are taking up MORE space. Just get more hard drives...they are cheap. And much easier to deal with than offlining then onlining. Although I do have an article about how to recompress to smaller and then match back to the full sized files. In the FCPUG Supermag for 2008.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]