Comments

Serena wrote on 8/27/2007, 5:46 AM
You'll be recording m2t files which you'll then convert to Cineform intermediates. You cut out the capturing step. No integration with Vegas or HDLink.
farss wrote on 8/27/2007, 6:13 AM
Maybe I'm daft but I don't see any "integration" with Vegas when you use it to capture either. As far as I know with HDV the only integration issue is between FCP and anything. A m2t file is a m2t file and is intechangeable between any NLE that can open a m2t file. How it gets onto the hard disk is irrelevant.

Bob.
MH_Stevens wrote on 8/27/2007, 9:03 AM
OK, as I thought. Use Cineform only to convert after capture. So do I loose all the Cineform capture options such as sceen split, M2 reversal, deinterlace etc?

Anyone using OnLocation have any tips for a newby?
Thanks
mjroddy wrote on 8/27/2007, 11:10 AM
If OnLocation could capture to Cineform, that would be darned dandy. I'd probably stop what I'm doing, buy a laptop and make that my work flow almost immediately.

Dan, if you're reading this, is this even a remote possibility?
Also, I have some VAGUE memory of you saying that capturing straight to Cineform via HDLink somehow resulted in a better file. Is that true?
er.... I hope I am in no way hijacking this thread. It does seem to be part of the whole Idea.
MH_Stevens wrote on 8/27/2007, 11:21 AM
No hijack. Theses are good questions and what I need to know. How many of you are actually using OnLocation and then converting with Cineform Neo?
Serena wrote on 8/27/2007, 11:08 PM
Of course it would save time to have HDLink converting the incoming data as you shoot, but this might be a false saving when you look at the computing power required to keep all this going in real time. OnLocation generates a directory of shots (new one each time you press 'go/stop') so you could have HDLink working in the background (not real-time) on completed shots. However do you want to cart around an expensive laptop when something around the $700 mark will run OnLocation quite happily?
mjroddy wrote on 8/28/2007, 9:48 AM
I'd just be happy if OnLocation ingested as the Cineform codec.
rmack350 wrote on 8/28/2007, 11:28 AM
Somehow I think you're mixing up what OnLocation does...

Doesn't Onlocation simply capture the stream coming down the firewire cable? Yes, it's great that it understands and can write the proprietary Panasonic formats, and that it understands HDV, but i don't think it can actually do transcodes on the fly.

As far as "integrating with Vegas", doesn't it simply write files to the hard disk that can then be added to a Vegas project? That's certainly not integration, but it's still damn useful.

As far as capturing to Cineform over HDLink, that's a totally different animal from what OnLocation does.

Rob Mack
Serena wrote on 8/28/2007, 7:54 PM
Rob, quite correct. That's all it does with the data: collect it on HDD. The rest of the discussion is purely conjecture about what people would like it to do but, as I said above, I don't see any reason to want conversion in real time (or even during a shooting session). The purpose of OnLocation is to provide the tools needed for accurately setting up shots and to store the data from the camera. You can work tapeless (if you wish) and have all data on HDD for fast transfer. OnLocation also allows stop-motion animation, time lapse, 7 seconds pre-run, and other valuable operations.
If all one wants it for is capture (no setting up tools), then HDVSplit may meet that need at a much lower cost.