Panasonic AG-HPX370 Using P2 HD with Final Cut Pro 7 - Page 5

the native AVC-Intra clips into a ProRes sequence. For cuts-only editing, the timeline will play back from the AVCIntra files. However, wherever a render is involved, that will be in the codec set in the sequence settings (i.e. ProRes as suggested). It is this writer's opinion that whenever doing an AVC-Intra project where there will be large-scale rendering or color correction, it will be fastest to transcode the AVC-Intra files to ProRes through Log & Transfer rather than import them as native AVC-Intra files. P2 BASICS: Whenever we record in P2, the media is stored on P2 cards in the MXF format. What this means is that the components of our video stream are separated and stored in individual folders. The picture below demonstrates what our P2 media looks like once it has been accessed on a computer desktop. Within each P2 card are folders for "CONTENTS" and "LASTCLIP.TXT". Both the folder and the file are critical to maintaining the integrity of the recorded media, so always remember to move them together to any new destination. (If you lose the LASTCLIP file, you can safely substitute one from another card or project). P2 Media Folders on HDD Within "CONTENTS" you can see that there is a folder for audio, clip, icon, proxy, video and voice, and each folder contains only those specific parts of the video stream. In case you're wondering, clip refers to the XML data (metadata, timecode information) of the clip and icon refers to the thumbnail. Proxy is a feature only available on cameras with a specific proxy encoder that generates off-line versions as the full resolution clips are captured. There is a separate white paper on proxy editing in FCP on the Panasonic website if you would like to know more about that. Voice refers to annotation memos recorded after the source clip, but they are not supported as of yet in FCP. AVC-INTRA OR DVCPRO HD? At this time, there are two possible recording modes for P2 media: DVCPRO HD or AVC-Intra . Both modes offer intraframe compression and 4:2:2 sampling. All high definition P2 cameras shoot in DVCPRO-HD, but only certain models shoot in AVC-I. In some cameras such as the AG-HPX370, AJ-HPX2700 and AJ-HPX3700 Varicams AVC-Intra is a standard feature, but in other ENG cameras or field recorders (AJ-HPM110) it is only possible with an optional card. The AG-HPG20 and AJ-HPM200 field recorders both offer AVC-Intra as a standard feature. Compression systems are often referred to as "codecs." The term "codec" is short for "coder / decoder." DVCPRO HD is Panasonic's proprietary 8-bit codec that continues to be used for every level of HD acquisition. First introduced in models such as the tape-based Varicam, DVCPRO HD continues to be widely adopted within the broadcast world for every type of production from sports and news to drama and wildlife documentaries. AVC-Intra 100 (or Advanced Video Codec-Intra Frame 100 Mb/s) is Panasonic's 10-bit, full raster codec that implements the newest H.264 compression. Shooting with AVC-Intra 100 is truly like shooting with a 10-bit master camcorder. The more advanced compression scheme in AVC-Intra 100 allows the capture of footage that is about the same file size, but substantially better picture quality than DVCPRO HD. Additionally, AVC-Intra 50 captures a quality roughly comparable to DVCPRO HD but at half the bandwidth of AVCIntra 100 or DVCPRO HD. This is a great codec for documentary work or areas where the efficiency of the acquisition 5