Final Cut Pro 5 Working With High Definition and Broadcast Formats K Apple Computer, Inc. © 2006 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Apple. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the "keyboard" Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. Apple, the Apple logo, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, FireWire, iTunes, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS, PowerBook, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Cinema Tools and Finder are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products. Production stills from the films "Koffee House Mayhem" and "A Sus Ordenes" provided courtesy of Refuge Films. "Koffee House Mayhem" © 2004 Jean-Paul Bonjour; "A Sus Ordenes" © 2004 Eric Escobar. http://www.refugefilms.com 1 Contents Preface 7 8 11 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 25 26 28 28 29 29 30 30 32 33 37 37 38 38 40 40 40 41 43 45 About High Definition and Broadcast Formats Overview of High Definition Video Formats Working With HDV About HDV HDV Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro About MPEG-2 Compression Working With HDV in Final Cut Pro Native HDV Editing Workflow Connecting an HDV Device to Your Computer Choosing an Easy Setup Logging and Capturing Native HDV Footage Editing HDV Footage Outputting HDV to Tape or Exporting to a QuickTime Movie HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Workflow Connecting an HDV Device to Your Computer Choosing an Easy Setup Capturing HDV Video to the Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Video Using the Apple Intermediate Codec Outputting HDV to Tape or Exporting to a QuickTime Movie Using the Canon XL H1 HDV Camcorder HDV Format Specifications Working With DVCPRO HD About DVCPRO HD DVCPRO HD Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro DVCPRO HD Frame Rates Working With DVCPRO HD in Final Cut Pro Connecting a DVCPRO HD Device to Your Computer Choosing a DVCPRO HD Easy Setup Logging and Capturing Your DVCPRO HD Footage Editing DVCPRO HD Footage Outputting Your DVCPRO HD Sequence Chapter 1 Chapter 2 3 46 48 Chapter 3 51 51 52 52 53 56 60 61 61 62 63 64 65 66 69 69 70 70 70 71 71 71 71 71 72 75 75 77 78 79 81 81 84 88 90 92 94 95 Working With Variable Frame Rate DVCPRO HD Footage DVCPRO HD Format Specifications Combining Standard and High Definition Video About Standard Definition and High Definition Video Mixing High Definition and Standard Definition Video in the Same Sequence Choosing High-Quality Scaling Options Downconverting High Definition Video Upconverting Standard Definition Video Tips for Converting Between Standard and High Definition Media Working With 24p and Variable Frame Rate Video What Is 24p Video? Film, 24p Video, and Cinema Tools Working With 24p NTSC Video Using A DVX100 NTSC Camcorder With Advanced Pulldown Working With 720p24 DVCPRO HD Video Working With 1080pA24 DVCPRO HD Video Working With IMX About IMX IMX Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro About MXF Working With IMX in Final Cut Pro Transferring IMX Footage to Your Computer Importing MXF-Wrapped IMX Media Files Into Your Project Choosing an IMX Easy Setup Editing IMX Clips Into a Sequence Exporting IMX QuickTime Media Files IMX Format Specifications Working With Panasonic P2 Media About Panasonic P2 Cards and Media Files Working With Panasonic P2 Cards and Final Cut Pro About the Import Panasonic P2 Window Example Panasonic P2 Workflow Recording Footage With a P2 Camcorder Mounting P2 Cards, Disk Images, and Folders Using the Browse Area Using the Preview Area Using the Logging Area Using the Transfer Queue Reingesting Clip Media Working With Spanned Clips Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 4 Contents 98 100 100 101 103 104 Chapter 7 107 107 107 109 109 109 110 110 110 110 110 111 Using Print to Video to Output to P2 Cards in the AG-HVX200 Archiving P2 Cards Setting Preferences Capturing Over FireWire as if the P2 Card Were a Tape in a VTR Panasonic AG-HVX200 Camcorder Compatibility Panasonic P2 Card Format Specifications Working With Sony XDCAM HD and Video Disk Units Working With Sony XDCAM HD About XDCAM HD XDCAM HD Formats Supported in Final Cut Pro Installing Sony XDCAM Software Connecting XDCAM HD Devices to Your Computer Ingesting XDCAM HD Media Editing XDCAM HD Media in Final Cut Pro Exporting Sequences to XDCAM HD Media Working With a Sony Video Disk Unit About Sony Video Disk Units Importing Footage From a Sony Video Disk Unit Contents 5 About High Definition and Broadcast Formats Final Cut Pro 5 is a complete broadcast post-production solution, supporting the latest high definition video formats, project interchange formats, and high-performance, shared disk storage. With more and more video formats introduced every year, it can be difficult to keep your post-production suite up to date. Making Final Cut Pro the center of your post-production workflow ensures that your suite is compatible with the latest broadcast and high definition formats. This document covers the following format support in Final Cut Pro:  Native capturing, editing, and output of HDV  Native capturing, editing, and output of DVCPRO HD  Importing and native editing of MPEG-2 IMX  Ingesting from non-tape-based media such as Panasonic P2 cards, Sony XDCAM HD, and Sony Video Disk Units Preface 7 Overview of High Definition Video Formats Because of the multiple frame sizes, frame rates, and scanning methods supported by the latest high definition video specifications, there are a large number of high definition formats currently available. While the most commonly used formats are described below, many other variations exist today. 1080i60 This is a common broadcast format that is compatible with standard definition NTSC video. Pros  Individual still frames in this format are very high quality because of the high resolution.  29.97 fps frame rate and interlacing are both compatible with standard definition NTSC video. Cons  Quick action or rapid camera motion may cause interlacing artifacts. 1080i50 1080i50 is compatible with standard definition PAL video. Pros  Individual still frames in this format are very high quality because of the high resolution.  25 fps frame rate and interlacing are both compatible with standard definition PAL video. Cons  Quick action or rapid camera motion may cause interlacing artifacts.  Because of the lower frame rate, this format can cause more severe motion artifacts than 1080i60. 8 Preface About High Definition and Broadcast Formats 1080p24 1080p24 is sometimes simply referred to as 24p and is considered by some to be the most flexible frame rate choice because it is possible to transfer to NTSC video, PAL video, and--perhaps most important--film. Choose this format if you plan to transfer your finished video to film, or if you are trying to emulate a film look on your final video. This format is similar to 720p24, but with much higher resolution. Pros  Individual still frames in this format are very high quality because of the high resolution.  Can be easily converted to other frame rates compatible with NTSC video, PAL video, and film (24 fps frame rate allows direct transfer to film).  Progressive scanning eliminates interlacing artifacts.  When pulldown is removed, 1080p24 has a potentially lower data rate than other 1080-line formats. Cons  Some 1080p24 modes require pulldown removal and insertion, complicating timecocde and media management.  Requires a telecine pulldown process when transferring to NTSC.  Requires a frame rate increase when transferring to PAL. This slightly alters the audio rate.  The low frame rate requires slow camera motion to avoid stuttering jumps from frame to frame. 720p60 This format is smaller than 1920 x 1080, but the smaller image dimensions decrease the per-frame data rate. This means the frame rate can be doubled compared to 1080i formats without significantly increasing the data rate. Pros  Yields the highest frame rate possible for a high definition format.  Individual still frames in this format have no motion artifacts (such as flickering lines) because 720p is progressively scanned.  Captures and displays quick action and fast camera moves smoothly.  The 59.94 fps video frame rate is compatible with NTSC video. Cons  720p has a smaller image size than 1920 x 1080 (though it is still higher resolution than standard definition video). Preface About High Definition and Broadcast Formats 9 720p30 720p30 is a particularly flexible format because it is compatible with standard definition NTSC video (because it has a matching frame rate of 29.97 fps) as well as streaming and downloadable video (because it is progressively scanned). Because of the progressive scanning, 720p30 is also useful when you need a video format that can output high-quality still frames. Pros  720p is compatible with both standard definition NTSC video (29.97 fps) and computer graphics because it is progressively scanned. Cons  720p has a smaller image size than 1920 x 1080 (though it is still higher resolution than standard definition video). 720p24 720p24 is sometimes simply referred to as 24p, and is considered by some to be the most flexible frame rate choice because it is possible to transfer to NTSC video, PAL video, and film. Choose this mode if you plan to transfer your finished video to film, or if you are trying to emulate a film look on your final video. Pros  Can be easily converted to other frame rates compatible with NTSC video, PAL video, and film (24 fps frame rate allows direct transfer to film).  Progressive scanning eliminates interlacing artifacts.  Has a 60 percent lower data rate than 720p60 because of the lower frame rate. Cons  720p has a smaller image size than 1920 x 1080 (though it is still higher resolution than standard definition video).  Requires a telecine pulldown process when transferring to NTSC.  Requires a frame rate increase when transferring to PAL. This slightly alters the audio rate.  The low frame rate requires slow camera motion to avoid stuttering jumps from frame to frame. 10 Preface About High Definition and Broadcast Formats 1 Working With HDV 1 Final Cut Pro supports native capturing, editing, and output of HDV media. If you already have experience editing DV footage, making the switch to HDV is simple. This chapter covers the following:  About HDV (p. 11)  Working With HDV in Final Cut Pro (p. 14)  Native HDV Editing Workflow (p. 15)  HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Workflow (p. 28)  Using the Canon XL H1 HDV Camcorder (p. 32)  HDV Format Specifications (p. 33) About HDV HDV is a new high definition video format created by a consortium of manufacturers including Sony, Canon, Sharp, and JVC. HDV allows you to record an hour of high definition video with a consumer-priced handheld camcorder on standard mini-DV videocassettes. You can connect an HDV camcorder to your computer via FireWire, so you can capture and output just as you would with a DV device. HDV uses MPEG-2 compression to achieve a maximum video data rate of 25 Mbps, which is the same data rate as DV. This means you can fit the same amount of video on your scratch disks as you can when using DV. Although the HDV workflow is nearly identical to a typical DV workflow, a few additional steps are required. This chapter describes the unique features of Final Cut Pro that allow you to capture, edit, and output HDV video in its native format. What Is ProHD? ProHD extends the JVC 720p HDV format to support 24 fps video, professional timecode options, and up to four audio channels. 11 HDV Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro Within the HDV specification, several resolutions and frame rates are defined. HDV formats are usually distinguished by the number of lines per frame (the height of the image), the scanning method (progressive or interlaced), and the frame or field rate. For example, 1080i60 describes a format with 1080 lines, interlaced scanning, and 60 fields per second. Final Cut Pro supports the following HDV formats: Format 1080p241 1080p251 1080i60 1080i50 720p242 720p252 720p30 1 Supported 2 Supported Final Cut Pro Easy Setup HDV - 1080p24 HDV - 1080p25 HDV - 1080i60 HDV - 1080i50 HDV - 720p24 HDV - 720p25 HDV - 720p30 Dimensions 1440 x 1080 1440 x 1080 1440 x 1080 1440 x 1080 1280 x 720 1280 x 720 1280 x 720 Video Data Rate 25 Mbps 25 Mbps 25 Mbps 25 Mbps 18.3 Mbps 18.3 ...