Avid MC 5.5 questions ?

I downloaded and installed the trial of MC 5.5 on a separate boot drive in my MacPro. I haven't used Avid in many years and I've got a few of questions. (Probably many more to come).

I'm trying to import 1080 30p (29.97) and 720 60p (59.94) XDCAM EX material shot on a Sony EX1. The project was created as a 1080 30p project and I prepped the EX1 footage exporting to "MXF for NLEs..." with Sony's XDCAM EX Clip Browser. The 1080 30p media imports. When I try to import the 720 60p media I get the following error message: "The edit rate of the import file (59.940000), does not match the edit rate of the project (29.97000)."

1) Why can't I import 720 60p? I thought Avid had an "open timeline" that allowed the mixing of different formats and frame rates?

2) I specify DNxHD 145 as the import resolution in the import dialog. Is the right one? Once the clips are in the bin the video column lists them as XDCAM EX 35Mbits. Shouldn't it list them as DNxHD 145?

One way to do it is to import the clips into a 720p60 project, and open the bin in your existing project. If you need to slow the clips down (eg. Over cranking), and it's a long GOP format, you may want to send it through Compressor and transcode it to 1080p30 to DNxHD. After which you can do a fast import.

Otherwise, you can open Console and type "ignoreQTrate true".



www.strypesinpost.com

Thank you strypes.

Seems like a good feature request, no? That is: make a project frame rate independent.

My guess is that the project frame rate is deeply embedded in the program's source code.

Also, you don't necessarily have to import MXF for NLEs. You can AMA and consolidate (or transcode) the media. If you need to relink to the source rushes, open up all the bins, select the media (and sequences), right click and select "relink". Then click on the button and choose "selected items in all open bins".



www.strypesinpost.com

A great tip. Saving the intermediary step of having to export from the Sony Browser is a real plus.

Thanks once again.