2 questions about Avid AMA

#1- Does AMA support QT HDV files? I see it supports Pro Res and some DSLR files.

#2- The tutorials I've seen all tout the access to multiple file types using AMA. However, is there an optimal sequence or project aspect and frame rate to use when you know your going to need access to these multiple formats? I.E. I could choose a flavor of Pro Res if I was using Final Cut. What do you choose for project and sequence settings when using Avid? Some form of DNX HD that your system will support?

thx
MC 5.5
Mac pro dual quad core.
No raid array attached.

1. Any file you can play in QuickTime Player should be able to be linked via AMA.

2. Just choose whatever your output frame size and frame rate should be. Avid will play the media back natively and any effects that need rendering will be rendered in DNxHD. If you experience performance problems then you can easily transcode the AMA media to DNxHD.

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

Think of DNxHD as the ProRes of Avid.

thx, I just don't get why so many editors use such high bit rate DN codecs for stuff that's 25 and 35mb/sec like XDCAM EX. I often see examples of over 100mb/sec being used. Seems like a huge waste of space?

I've been struggling with Automatic Duck FCP to Avid -- it seems that transcoding whatever you are doing to DNXHD first (edit however you'd like - then media manage and transcode to DNXHD)

THEN do the automatic Duck - and it will work fairly well getting it to AVID

PRO-RES also works but not as consistently and I'm not sure why

also Avid 5.5.3 seems to be the winner in using Automatic Duck - (AVID'S RELEASE NOTES even specifies problems with Automatic Duck and AMA relink in previous AVID versions) (yes I know that wasn't the question - but it's how I've been able to relink finally with AMA)

>I just don't get why so many editors use such high bit rate DN codecs for stuff
>that's 25 and 35mb/sec like XDCAM EX.

XDCAM EX can potentially get very crashy on long form in FCP. Best to get out of long GOP.



www.strypesinpost.com

Just re-occurring to me that if your transcoding XDCAM to an I frame only codec like pro-Rez, then the bit rate will be much higher in addition to storage size?

Yes. Even Prores proxy is bigger than XDCAM EX.



www.strypesinpost.com

If you capture HDV or XDCAM into FCP...you are capturing into a codec that ONLY works with FCP. Is only viewable if you have FCP. They are tied to FCP. You can only AMA them into Avid if FCP is also installed on the same machine.

And you only work with Avid codecs if you transcode to Avid codecs. If you AMA and plan on working native (not the best plan with most footage...best to convert), then all you need is a project with the same dimensions and frame rate.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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

What Shane said. Also, if you AMA XDCAM EX QT movies, you get the famous gamma shift.



www.strypesinpost.com

Famous gamma shift... Looking forward to that. Didn't know that FC QT capture files were somehow different than any other QT file

My guess is that Avid doesn't have access to certain proprietary QT codecs, and for those, Avid will have to get a QT RGB decode. When that happens, there will be a gamma shift. Also, in those instances, the image looks noisier, it's like doing an export to animation or any RGB source through QT.



www.strypesinpost.com

There's an interesting thread on the L2 about gamma shifts:
[movies.groups.yahoo.com]

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

Meh. The gamma shift issue is like playing soccer with moving goal posts. In AE CS5, there was a gamma issue if you sent a bunch of XDCAM EX Quicktimes into After Effects. So the optimal workflow was to transcode to ProRes or Uncompressed from within the FCP world. Then, that issue was fixed in CS5.5.



www.strypesinpost.com

[My guess is that Avid doesn't have access to certain proprietary QT codecs, and for those, Avid will have to get a QT RGB decode. When that happens, there will be a gamma shift. Also, in those instances, the image looks noisier, it's like doing an export to animation or any RGB source through QT.]

Avid offers a choice during File> Import between RGB and 601.

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytip:
Summon your Video Scopes with Option - 9 !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide? Power Pack
with FCP7 KeyGuide --
now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

>Avid offers a choice during File> Import between RGB and 601.

That is a bit of a misnomer. The RGB and 601 import settings tells Avid where to map the black and white points of the file. If the setting is incorrect, eg. in the case where an RGB image is interpreted as 601, the black point would be mapped to 10 IRE and the white point would be mapped to 90, resulting in blacks that look milky and the shot would lack contrast. If a 601 shot was interpreted as RGB, the shot would look overly contrasty and the blacks would be crushed and the highlights will clip early.



www.strypesinpost.com