Apple ProRes 422 post workflow - a breakthrough in high quality post production formats. Close to uncompressed HD quality at SD standard def file sizes and data rates. Features full 1920x1080 or 1280x720 resolution, 10 bit sample depth preserves gradients; 4:2:2 chroma sampling for precise compositing and color correction; i frame only encoding ensures no motion artifacts.

Capture your footage for HD24p non-linear online editing and conforming using Final Cut Pro 6.0 on our Intel Dual Core 2.66 GHz workstations with AJA Kona 3 HD cards. We deliver these ready to edit files on ordinary Firewire drives so you can edit on your own workstations in pristine HD resolution. see Capture Rates

DVCPro HD post workflow for editing tape shot with the Panasonic HDX 900, Varicam; and Sony F900 HDCAM

There are some great new ways to post with HD footage shot with these cameras using Final Cut Pro on a G5

If you currently own an Apple G5 workstation you can work with PCI-x AJA Kona and Blackmagic Decklink HD cards, HDCAM footage can also take advantage of the economies of storage using this compressed format too. You can shoot at the higher 1080p resolution and now see your offline video in HD as well just using firewire drives.

Here is a quick summary of two current DVCPro HD workflows:

Shoot 720/24p over 60p and other frame rates on the Varicam or HDX 900 and record to DVCPro HD tape. Downconvert for offline logging then offline editing. Make sure your downconverts are done properly, the standard def vtr must be set to record NDF timecode if you shot 23.98. It is best to use the single SDI downconverted output of the DVCPRo HD deck into a DVCAM deck with an SDI input board. 1394 Firewire can be used but some people feel that can lead to some inaccuracies. Never use the individual analog video, time code and audio outputs of a digital deck to do a downconvert, you must de-embed the video audio and time code from the single SDI output.

We have found it very important to log individual clips on your downconverted tapes andthen capture those clips instead of digitizing a whole tape and then subclipping. This is necessary whether you shot on HDCAM or DVCPro HD. You can edit offline in 29.97 and later convert the EDL to 23.98 but we see better results if you do a reverse telecine on your media and create a 23.98 timeline.

HD ONLINE UNCOMPRESSED WORKFLOW - requires a high speed disk array and a lot of storage
- Play out from a Sony JH3 HDCAM or Panasonic HD 1200A DVCPro HD vtr set to output 1080/24p via the uncompressed HDSDI connector
- Capture into Final Cut Pro using a AJA Kona or Blackmagic HD Card
- Monitor the HD video preferablyh on a CRT HD monitor with a HDSDI input via the uncompressed output of these cards, make sure you use the latest drivers.
- Work on color correction, scene matching, titles, credits, etc.in a 23.98 timeline, visually checking your frame accuracies compared to your offline edit
- Output to a Sony F500 HDCAM or Panasonic HD 3700 HD D5 or at 1080/24p (23.98)
- perform an audio layback

HD ONLINE COMPRESSED WORKFLOW
- Play out from a Sony JH3 again into a HD card, or if you use the Panasonic HD 1200A vtr it offers a 1394 Firewire option to capture and load in the compressed moed.
- You should have a separate PCI-Firewire card for you external Firewire drives
- For DVCPro HD tapes use FCP to extract the 23.98 frames and discard the others, create a 23.98 timeline in FCP
- Work in a 23.98 timeline, visually checking your frame accuracies compared to your offline edit
- Color correction can be done but there is some debate whether you should color correct with the compressed data
- Monitor the HD video on a CRT HD monitor with a HDSDI input via the uncompressed output of a HD video card.
- Edit your project. Render all effects, titles and credit rolls.
- Take the 1080 files,or if 720p files you can uprez those in real time with a HDcard, then and output UNCOMPRESSED 1080 HDSDI

Panasonic invented some very clever technology, and they got together with Apple for a smart collaboration that was announced in April 2004. Apple introduced Final Cut Pro HD v4.5 and a revolutionary new vtr, the AJ HD1200A, that together allowed the use of the DVC 100 codec in its native file format loading from tape via a 1394 Firewire connection. The vtr would also cross convert 720p to 1080/60i and better yet convert 720/24p over 60p to 1080/24p! Almost like MAGIC, usable high def post seemed available for a fraction of the cost.

However now with ProRes 422 that codec will be preferred over DVCPro HD codec because of slight quality advantages. With both codecs now you can also use the Sony JH3 HDCAM deck and load HDCAM footage without using high speed disk arrays.

Last modified: April 22, 2008