Sunday, May 8, 2011

[Avid-L2] Re: Best MC5 workflow - consolidating vs transcoding with AMA?

 

Many thanks Frank.

So I'm right in thinking that if I go the consolidate option, I'll still need to transcode the consolidated tapeless original media if I'm looking to export?

If so, wondering what's the smartest/easiest way to do transcode given that 1) in all likelihood I'll have tape and tape-less original media in any given seq (ie I'll already have DV25 MXF media in the the seq) and so don't want to "over" transcode; 2) in all likelihood as the offline progresses we'll be exporting var cutdowns and revisions of the same basic seq (ie last ver of exportable seq will have previously transcoded media.) So I guess what I'm really asking is, what's the most efficient way that I can transcode w/o accumulating a lot of repeated transcodes and using up storage space.

Thanks, Nick.

--- In Avid-L2@yahoogroups.com, Frank Capria <frank@...> wrote:
>
> Nick,
>
> You're right on the pros and cons of consolidate and transcode. Since you
> are doing a conform later, there's not a lot to be gained by converting to
> another codec during the traditional offline process. It appears consolidate
> is the way to go. Both XDCAM 35 and DVCPRO HD perform quite well in Media
> Composer.
>
>
> Frank Capria
> (508) 709 9212
> www.capria.tv
>
>
> On Sun, May 8, 2011 at 12:56 PM, nick_ravich <nick_ravich@...> wrote:
>
> > Hello-
> >
> > Running MC 5.03 on a couple of Nehalem duo quad core Mac Pros, 10.6.5 OS.
> > Media stored on FW800 connected G-tech external drives.
> >
> > I'm responsible for post workflow on a long form documentary project. 100+
> > hours of footage, primarily tape-based 1080 60i DVCPro HD footage (dumped to
> > DVcam for capturing purposes), but with growing minority of 1080 60i DVCPro
> > HD P2 & XDcam EX 35 mpbs stuff as well. Gets whittled down to 4 total hours
> > of broadcast programming. Upgraded to MC 5 last Fall and was very excited
> > about possibilities of AMA for the tapeless workflow.
> >
> > So brought in the DVcam downconverts as DV25 MXF media - traditional tape
> > capture - and all the tapeless as AMA volume link from external drives. No
> > consolidating, no transcoding (we do a later out of house online
> > conform/upres - more on that later.) Nice and easy.
> >
> > But editors have finally come in and we're beginning to see serious
> > peformance issues with extended AMA-linked media sequences (by the end of
> > the project we'll have at least 4 hour long pic lock sequences that'll be a
> > mix of tape capture and tapeless.) And after reading further on this forum,
> > realize I need to at least consolidate if not transcode the AMA linked
> > material if I don't want to drive the editors and myself crazy by the end of
> > the offline.
> >
> > So my big question is - should I consolidate or transcode? Consolidation
> > is attractive bec/ it's really just an in-Avid version of what I'm doing
> > anyway at the finder level, ie transfering media from original cam cards or
> > field drives to Avid-connected "working" drives. And I assume it'll take
> > the same amount of time as a finder level transfer (BTW - currently for any
> > shoot I have the media on 3 separate drives, one being a directly mounted
> > "working" drive, the drive from which we do the AMA volume linking.) And
> > it seems like it's Avidifying the media in a way that will help with the
> > perf slow downs and crashes. My question is - what is actually happening to
> > that media when it's being consolidated? It's still the original P2 or
> > XDcam EX material, just dropped in a new Avid-created folder structure? And
> > since it's not transcoded, since it's still in its native state, presumably
> > it still needs to be tanscoded to some kind of Avid media codec in order to
> > be exported from var rough and fine cut sequences we'll be making along the
> > way (not a small deal since we'll be doing a lot of exports thru the course
> > of the offline)?
> >
> > Transcode is less attractive since I assume it'll take more time (since the
> > big bulk of footage is DV25 MXF, assuming I'd transcode everything to that
> > and made all media one codec), and I'll lose the option of viewing media as
> > HD, but seems like the most rock solid way of managing media. And I won't
> > have to transcoded when exporting from sequences.
> >
> > Also, curious if 5.5 makes any of the above easier?
> >
> > Other factor is that we'll be later up-res.ing at our online house.
> > Presumably consolidating makes that a non-issue - since media is already
> > full-res. But if I transcode then I'll need to re-link. Been reading a lot
> > of related posts in the forum and think I have a handle on what to do and
> > not to for re-link, particularly re both drive level and in-Avid
> > naming/labeling and how that's going to effect re-linking. If I transcode,
> > one excellent suggestion I read was that I create a new bin column
> > specifically to indicate exactly where the original/up res.ed media lives.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Nick.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
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> > http://archives.bengrosser.com/avid/
> >
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> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

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