Black Magic Intensity & HD Video Codecs

[mikevarela]

So, about to make the jump from the canopus to the intensity..

Have been using DV since the beginning, due to frame lock and resolution. Now that I'm gonna move to the intensity, what codecs can i tell NLE editors to give me in HD? I'm still only interested in frame-accurate ones.

Thanks

[garnoil]

It is not the codec that is frame accurate, it is how PT resolves (or not) its lock to the frame edge of the video (or not). For video frame edge alignment, you have to resolve the system by feeding signal from the PH HD sync box to the video card. Without it, you will never resolve to the video frame edge (exactly like the canpus box). If you were happy with how the canopus lined up the video edge you will be thrilled with the intensity, if you were not, you'll be disappointed with intensity UNLESS you resolve the system.

G

[mikevarela]

garnoil.. thanks. actually I'm on an LE system, so no Sync. What I'm referring to are inter/intra-frame codecs, or codecs that compress each frame or GOP (Group of Pictures) like H.264.. which is NOT frame accurate. I can see where you were going with this though.

I'm comfortable with DV, but would like to take advantage of some HD codecs too. I think Pro Res and DNxHD might be accurate, but not sure... and thus why I'm asking.

Thanks

[garnoil]

I am not sure about LE these days, as things may have changed, but perhaps you could resolve the system even on LE. One of the intensity cards (the one at about $1000) does have video/reference in, meaning you could resolve the system that way AND be frame edge accurate. As far as the codec, Pro-Res is very good, I would stay away of H.264 it takes a lot of processing power to decode.

[tom_lowe]

It's fine to receive files as H.264, editors like them as they're quick and easy to send over the Internet, but at your end transcode to say ProRes. All frames will then be decoded to the new file.

[mikevarela]

Tom- have done this in the past... though iffy, doesn't this present a problem when the source file is encoded incorrectly? Once the encoding has taken place, I'm wondering if QT Pro can transcode each frame from a GOP

[tom_lowe]

Never had an issue myself using MPEG Streamclip or Compressor.

A lot of people are now making short films on D-SLRs than encode straight to H.264. I don't think they would be doing this if there was an obvious problem with frames being dropped or put in the incorrect order once transcoded.

[Vedat]

Apple Photo jpeg is a pretty slick codec.