Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR
by Ray Chung
on
Aug 21, 2009 at 11:56:09 pm
Hello All,
I plan on bringing our film back from color correction into FCP for final titling and finishing, then output to HDCAM-SR via my Blackmagic Multibridge Pro. What specific uncompressed spec should I be using/outputting from coloring...1080P 10-bit uncompressed 4:2:2....RGB/YUV...etc? My big array can handle playback fine so I'd like something as high quality as possible in 1080P. Much thanks.
Re: Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR by Ray Chung on Aug 22, 2009 at 12:15:08 am
Thanks Aaron. CC-ing a RED-shot picture in Scratch, back to me in FCP playing off a CalDigit HDOne, then out to HDCAM-SR through my BM Multibridge Pro via HD-SDI. I guess 10-bit uncompressed 4:2:2 YUV it is.
Re: Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR by Erik Lindahl on Aug 25, 2009 at 9:03:42 am
I'd go for 4:2:2 YUV 10-bit uncompressed OR give ProRes 4444 a shot.
I recently edited and color-corrected a spot shot on RED with ProRes 422 and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked even during grading. I have however had very poor experience earlier with RED and ProRes footage in regards to keying work. Still, the lower datarate of ProRes has huge benefits also if it works for the project.
Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Communication
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Re: Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR by gary adcock on Aug 25, 2009 at 1:02:11 pm
[Margus Voll]"ProRes 4444 should be better than 422 YUV as i get it 4444 is rgb and has more information on it. "
Incorrect.
4444 codecs can be RGB or YCrCb, and by default the Apple ProRes codecs encode to RGB only from RGB originals and all else is maintained as YCrCb - the native colorspace for most production cameras (including Red).
gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflow for the Digitally Inclined
Chicago, IL
Inside look at the IoHD
http://library.creativecow.net/articles/adcock_gary/AJAIOHD.php
Re: Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR by Erik Lindahl on Aug 26, 2009 at 12:17:03 pm
I can't verify this in regards to 4:2:2 YUV in / output to and from HDCAM SR. However, working with SD 4:2:2 YUV to and from Digibeta, graphics render out much better when I work in 4:4:4 RGB (Animation) on my system - even after out to tape and re-capturing to 4:2:2 Uncompressed. I believe this is due to the Kona 3 card handling the down-sampling to 4:2:2 when laying out to tape over Apple's software. Hence working internally on your system with 4:4:4 might have it's benefits.
On the contrast to the above Apple does have the 4:4:4 croma-filtering option with ProRes 4:2:2 which might be to adress the "jagged" or aliased edges you get when using the uncompressed 4:2:2 codec. So working with ProRes 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 might not prove to be a huge difference in this regard in the end on tape.
Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Communication
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Re: Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR by Ray Chung on Aug 26, 2009 at 11:14:54 pm
Right now, we're looking to go with a scratch facility for Color correction. they said they'd be working off of DPX's and outputting that way. When I asked if they could export it as a 10-bit uncompressed 4:2:2 YUV, I was told they could only export RGB. They also said that it can output as a ProRes...but say I wanted to go out to HDCAM-SR from FCP via my Blackmagic Multibridge....what would be ideal?
I did my own tests outputting from Color here on my system, going off the original RED raws, as both ProRes and 10-bit unc....looked at both in FCP through various monitors and found the uncompressed to have slightly better sharpness.
Re: Finishing Format for output to HDCAM-SR by Rudy Lopez on Nov 2, 2009 at 10:02:30 pm
"4444 codecs can be RGB or YCrCb, and by default the Apple ProRes codecs encode to RGB only from RGB originals and all else is maintained as YCrCb"
Hi Gary,
I think you may have the answers I am looking for. Your post does make sense to me as why I may have been having trouble getting an RGB signal from hdcam sr material, captured via dual-link. When I view the captured file, I'm getting a YCrCb signal through the Kona card. So I tried rendering some other RGB material, DPX files, AJA RGB 10 bit encoded QT, etc, all into ProRes4444 and still I see a YCrCb.
Any ideas? Should I ever see RGB from a ProRes4444 file through the kona like the AJA RGB 10 bit codec displays?
