Re: KONA FCP WORKFLOW- General questions

We're about to go into post on a 1080p24 (23.98) project and we're
planning to use the Kona 3 card with FCP.
Will it be ok to use the Sony JH-3 deck to load our footage?

REPLY -
you should specify if you are doing a TV show, or a feature film. The JH-3 is an excellent VTR, and will allow you do do a 3:2 pulldown (23PD menu in the JH3), so you can operate at a 59.94 framerate, and forget about working at 23.98 - IF YOU ARE DOING A TV SHOW. Once you are at this framerate, it will be easy for you to output to Digi Beta, Beta, or any other format you wish to dub to for distribution. The JH3 will also output at 23.98, if you are planning to finish for a feature film for theatrical release. So yes, the JH-3 is teriffic.


I'm pretty sure that it has an HD SDI out. -
REPLY - it does



Will we need tri-level sync or can we just use a blackburst generator- are there specific blackburst generators for 23.98?

REPLY - again, you should specify if you are doing a feature film, or a TV show. If you are doing a TV show, let the JH-3 operate with the 23PD feature, so you can edit at a 59.94 frame rate. Then you can use any cheapo NTSC black generator (29.97), and everything will be ok.

If you need to output back to a HD VTR at 23.98 (for a feature film release), YES, you will need a tri level sync generator, and an expensive HD VTR that can record a 23.98 signal, like a Sony HDW-M2000/10 or a
Sony HDW-F500. I assume that you dont' own this VTR, so the place you rent the VTR from can also rent you a tri level sync generator. You can also "get away" with keeping the Kona in free run, and let the HD VTR use the input video as the sync reference, so you don't need a tri level sync generator.




If we are shooting HDCAM with the
Sony F900, should we load as 10 bit HD or 8 bit?

REPLY - I can't answer that question. Is this for a feature film (a major motion picture), a small student film, or a TV show. You don't need 8 or 10 bit uncompressed HD if this is for a TV show. DVCProHD will be teriffic for a TV release. But if you are going onto the big screen, and quality is an issue, you should operate at 10 bit uncompressed. You will need big mama disk drive array to do this.



How much storage is
required for 1 hour of HD footage?

REPLY - at what resolution? For DVCProHD - not much. For 10 bit uncomrpessed HD - A LOT OF STORAGE.


Once we've captured our media,
can the Kona card downconvert to SD on the fly so that we can view
our project on an SD monitor as we edit, then rent a VTR when we have
locked our cut and are ready to output?

REPLY -
yes - the Kona card can downconvert to SD (get the K3 box for $299), and you can see the output of your HD material on a cheapo TV set. When you are ready to output, you can rent the HD VTR, and the HD monitor (and maybe the tri level sync gen, if you need to work at 23.98).

Bob Zelin