I am working on a documentary with hours of HDV footage (1080i 60). While editing on my Avid Media Composer 4.1, the footage looks amazing. I imported from the tapes in HDV, and edited in HDV.

However, I have not found a good way to get it off the AMC. Everything I have tried results in either a field issue (I can see the fields) or a weird "ghosting" effect.

I have tried the following:

1) video mixdown and then exporting to quicktime reference.

2) video mixdown and then exporting as same as source .mov.

3) no video mixdown and exporting using h.264 codec or dnxhd codec (and I tried all the others while at it) .mov.

4) window media file (followed the instructions in the help, and it looked awful).

I have no problems exporting HD (both filmed on panasonic p2 and sony excam), but the HDV is kililng me. I need to finish in .mov or in dvd. For now, I have been exporting one field only, importing into after effects, saturating the color, and then finishing. It´s ok, but it looks like sp video, not hdv.

Could it be a capture issue with the deck? Any thoughts or workflow ideas? What is the best way to export off AMC? HDV stream?

Many Thanks!

ps--i just had my computer taken to a technician who reconfigured the disks. everything is running quicker but the hdv export issues still remain.

montaukproject:

I have been exporting one field only, importing into after effects, saturating the color, and then finishing.

you chose hard mode to work.

If you have HDV source, first thing is TRANSCODE to other format, such as DVCPRO HD

Sounds like your source material was captured with the wrong field order. MC only displays one field in the source and record monitors so the footage will look pretty good there. When you export (regardless of how) the result will be unsatisfactory.

I`m not sure how you can capture (via Firewire) and get the field order reversed. HDV footage is upper field first - is it possible to capture lower field first for HDV? I'm not at my editing machine to check.

Or - I'm barkin up the wrong tree...

BarkinMadd:

 MC only displays one field in the source and record monitors so the footage will look pretty good there.

I am seeing both fields on my sys Steve, have to be turned on off course

Pinek:

you chose hard mode to work.

If you have HDV source, first thing is TRANSCODE to other format, such as DVCPRO HD

I'm not sure I'd agree with this. MC is pretty good at editing native HDV provided you have a relatively recent machine (Core 2). The disadvantage to transcoding everything up front is that you are then limited in what you can do to consolidate your footage. Plus, batch capturing later won't really work.

montaukproject:

a field issue (I can see the fields)

What you are seeing on your progressive computer screen is interlaced fields from your interlaced hdv video, you will se it in your Avid app if both fields are turned on in the FSP settings and you will see it in AE, this is normal behaviour and will not affect your final project.

My own workflow for hdv in first Avid , then AE - and then back to Avid is, as already described, use transcoded media, for me, the DnxHd codec is what I want to use, in my opinion the best codec in the editing world, you use it in both the transcoding process in Avid and as render codec in AE

Thanks Mjolnarn,

could you please outline in detail your work flow, including settings and codecs used?

that way I can try it.

Also, I don't have the dvcpro hd codec, can that be downloaded?

I'm not sure I'd agree with this. MC is pretty good at editing native HDV provided you have a relatively recent machine (Core 2). The disadvantage to transcoding everything up front is that you are then limited in what you can do to consolidate your footage. Plus, batch capturing later won't really work.

inestimable. Few years ago i work with HDV2. Its ok, but now i work 720p/50 (JVC ProHD), this is not easy. Disadvantages for batch capturung - ok, my sacrifice. But now is difficult to capture from JVC BR-HD50. I transcode to DX 185, for easy work, but i have some additional photos, scaned in high resolution. HDV1 is terrible format, and Avid don't support JVC Pro HD.

montaukproject:

could you please outline in detail your work flow, including settings and codecs used?

This could be a long one but lets try to make it short

The details depends on if you have mixed media on your sequense, in that case you might need to do a mixdown, if you have transcoded it all to the same codec from the beginning, a mixdown might not be necessary, I would also recommend to do the transcoding from your sequense after that you have made your first rough cut to avoid to transcode unnecessary media and fill up your drives with that stuff.

So, for ntsc interlaced, transcode to DNxHD 145, do some roughcuts and send out a qt ref from your viewer, settings 16:9 square pixels and colour aspect RGB, be sure that Avid codec is selected.

In AE, do your edits and render it to the same codec, the rendered file will fast import back into your Avid