24p DV to HDCAM

Hi,

I have DVX-100 24pA NTSC DV footage in a 23.98 sequence. I want to uprez to HDCAM NTSC 23.98. The post house I'm working with recommends this workflow:

1. Within FCP, create a Quicktime 10 bit uncompressed 4:2:2 (23.98 progressive)
2. 10 bit Quicktime (23.98 progressive) transferred to Digibeta 29.97.
3. Digibeta feeds into Snell & Wilcox Ukon and converted to HDCAM 23.98 progressive.

I want to maintain optimal quality as my film will be showing in a large theater on HDCAM. The post house maintains that they do conversions like this all the time, and say I need a Digibeta in order for the HDCAM to run off of timecode. We're using the Snell & Wilcox Ukon as supposedly the hardware uprezzers are superior to software.

My questions are:
A. Is it necessary to convert to 29.97 Digibeta? By making a 23.98 sequence into 29.97 and then converting back to 23.98 seems like it might create pulldown issues and doesn't seem right.
B. Can the Snell & Wilcox Ukon, Teranex or other HD uprez boxes directly convert Quicktime 10 bit uncompressed 4:2:2 to HDCAM? I don't see the point of going to Digibeta just to run off of timecode.

It seems like there's the old Hollywood (expensive) way of doing this, and the DVX-FCP way that eliminates waste and high cost. Let me know if the workflow they recommend is the best option.

Thanks,
Alexander

Well,
Here is what i think about that. Im working in a post house, exclusively with FCP. All our MAC PRO are equiped with AJA KONA 3 card. That card ( Fantastic card ) do the cross conversion on the fly.

So you could edit your footage on DV 24p timeline, than simply UpCoverting while outputing your show on HDCAM SR or HDCAM, 1080PsF23,98. So the footage of your timeline will be upsaclled properly.

I didn't really mention all the steps:

1. Within FCP, create a Quicktime 10 bit uncompressed 4:2:2 (23.98 progressive)
2. 10 bit Quicktime (23.98 progressive) transferred to Digibeta 29.97.
3. Digibeta feeds into Snell & Wilcox Ukon and converted to HDCAM 23.98 progressive.
4. The HDCAM 23.98 does not have titles. Capture HDCAM footage into FCP and lay into HD sequence.
5. Lay SD titles into FCP HD sequence and they should upconvert.
6. Export FCP HD sequence and capture to another HDCAM tape now with titles.

The post house has a Kona 3 card but didn't mention simply upconverting and exporting direct to HDCAM. I know the Snell & Wilcox is supposed to be awesome, but going to from Quicktime to digibeta then HDCAM back into FCP and back to HDCAM seems crazy to me.

There is too much steps in that process for sure ! You can do it in a quicker way and with the same efficiency.

The way they say you should do it will cost you a lot.

If i had dv footage that i wanted to lay on a HDCAM tape, i would do the edit in the native format wich is DV here than i would simply output my timeline doind the Up Conversion via the Kona 3 card setting in the AJA KONA 3 control panel choosing wich format i wanted to be outputed in the HDCAM VTR.

Thats it simple as that.

I had a job to do the other day wich was to upconvert some footage from a DVCPRO 50 to DVCPRO HD.

1- I numerized the footage from the dvcpro 50 tape in its native format in final cut.
2- Put that footage in a dvcpro 50 timeline with the right settings.
3- checked with (alt-apple Q) if my playback output is NTSC 525i/29.97
4- Than set the frame buffer in the KONA 3 control panel to 525i/29.97
5- Than set the SDI output of the KONA 3 in 1080i/29.97
6- Output on the HDcam VTR my timeline.

Simple as that, the footage was upconvert

Thanks for this info Francois-Michel! If you're near Toronto you can come to our world premiere in September! :-)

No problem man, i just think it could save you a lot of money since i know exactly how post house work and sometime its easy to lose control of the workflow than at the end you got a bill a lot more heavier than it was suppose to be.

cheers....what is the title of the movie ?

Yeah, the original FCP SD-HDCAM conversion estimate ballooned to 3 times the price. I'm small potatoes compared to their normal (Hollywood) clients.

Film is The Real Shaolin

Toronto 2008 World Premiere

>>1- I numerized the footage<<

Ah - I just realised what this is - you mean 'digitized'. The translation of 'number' and 'digit' is a tad off. When you capture footage to the computer it's called 'digitising' in English.

Actually, it's only really supposed to be 'digitizing' if you're converting an analogue source to a digital one, but most people use it to mean 'capturing footage'.

Hope this doesn't sound rude - it's not meant to be.

Well the word in french is '' Numériser '' but i think the best way to say it in english is CAPTURE...like i captured the footage...

In future i will use that word, or of course as taking your advice...digitize :p

Didn't sound rude at all.