Connect HD 3.0 now in Beta w HVX200 support

David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 2:02 PM
CineForm has been promising Panasonic P2/HVX200 support, and now it is ready for beta testing within Connect HD (and Aspect HD.) I'm looking for HVX200 owners who want to try it out. You don't have to be an existing CineForm customer, all you need is the Panasonic camera and Sony Vegas. This is a 15-day trial for the Connect HD 3.0.

Note: For existing Connect HD users 3.0 there is going to be a $99 upgrade, new Connect HD users same great price of $199. If you have purchase Connect HD 2.x within the last three months your upgrade is free (if you request it with the next 90 days.) Full details once 3.0 comes out of beta -- hopeful very soon. They are lot of cool new features to make the upgrade worth while.

To learn about the new P2/MXF support within Aspect HD and Connect HD here : CineForm HXV200 support.

Here are the feature additions from Connect HD 2.1 to 3.0.

* quality control on the Codec (nolonger stuck with Medium quality when using the Video for Windows codec.)
* Progressive vs Interlaced encoding control (for VfW)
* Smart rendering support with HDLink (faster renders within Vegas.)
* M2T to AVI output paths can be separated.
* MXF/P2 support for the HXV200 within HDLink
* Resizing controls to convert all HD/HDV/P2-HD images to 1280x720 to 1440x1080 (solving pixel aspect ratio issues with P2.)
* De-interlacing 1080i option within HDLink.

So to play with the new beta download : Connect HD 3.0

We are looking for issues, particularly in HVX200 support.

Thanks.
__________________
David Newman
web: www.cineform.com
blog: cineform.blogspot.com

Comments

epirb wrote on 5/12/2006, 4:03 PM
David,
If we (existing 2.1 users ) try the 3.0 to see if some of the features might be benificial) will there be any issue going back to 2.1?
can they be on the machine at the same time.
Also,
I have been busy and forgot to send in to tech support an issue, but maybe you know if it has been addressed in 3.0.
when batch converting m2t to CFDI if a small (2-3 mb)m2t file is in the que, it stops the process and locks up.
If not I will submitt a report.

Thanks for the notification, just a sony cam HDV user gere , but your product is Great !!!
GGman wrote on 5/12/2006, 4:19 PM
David,

I have many HVX200 mxf files that I have downloaded from users on another forum. I have your new Connect HD v3 you posted for tryout and the the P2 Viewer that you linked to. But I cannot use anything becuase your app requires the P2 Viewer. The P2 Viewer will not install without the Panasonic P2 driver. I cannot find the Pana P2 driver anywhere on the internet to download and tryout your app. Do you or anyone have a link or can email the needed driver so the P2 Viewer will install so we can then try your ver 3 with the mxf files from the HVX200 we currently have on hand?

Gary
David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 4:37 PM
Gary,

Sorry, Panasonic has set it up to require those licensed components. If you have a P2 device the drivers come with it, i.e. when you have the AG-HVX200 you get all the necessary drivers. The drivers maybe available online but I don't have an address.
David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 4:40 PM
Eric,

Uninstall 2.1 before installing 3.0, then do the reverse if you want to go back. Tiny M2T files are still likely to be an issue with scene detection on, try with scene detection off.
GGman wrote on 5/12/2006, 4:44 PM
ooookay
epirb wrote on 5/12/2006, 4:45 PM
Thanks Dave , I believe I had scene detection off, but I will double check . If still have an issue I will record all settings and contact cust support. Plus Ill try w 3.0 demo too to see if its even still an issue.
David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 6:33 PM
Gary,

I found where the P2 drivers can be download so you can work with your download MXF files. Drivers are available here (click on Download then select "Driver Software for Windows".)
Shannon Rawls wrote on 5/12/2006, 8:22 PM
P2 is supported, but it seems there is still no timecode support for HDV users who shoot Preset.RECRUN or FREERUN with the HDV cameras. *sad face*

The fact there is no PC capture program on the planet that preserves timecode from the tape is just plain crazy.
David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 8:37 PM
Shannon,

We have start adding timecode, but one of the issue is each HDV camera does timecode slightly differently so we not publicly announcing timecode support as working for HDV (it is for MXF.) Maybe soon though.
Shannon Rawls wrote on 5/12/2006, 8:42 PM
*sigh* Ok, Dan. I'll be patient and continue shooting regular RECRUN *grrrr*
GGman wrote on 5/12/2006, 8:58 PM
David,
Thanx for the driver link.. it worked. People be aware that the install of the driver will keep asking you to connect the camera and you may not have one like me. Just ignore that and continue on and the driver is still installed that now allows the P2 Viewer to be intsalled. HVX 200 MXF files are now converting with Cineform HD Link on a PC.

Gary
GGman wrote on 5/12/2006, 10:04 PM
David or anyone else that might know,

I have some MXF files that were shot on an HVX 200 (specifically one is called Crowd.MXF from the Sundance footage on the forums) and it converts as 1280 x1080 29.970p AVI Cineform. How is this suppose to be treated in a Vegas timeline? Should it be set as PAR 1.3333 with the project as 1920x1080 29.970p PAR 1.000? I get black vertical boxes on the left and right sides.

And what project settings do I use in Vegas that are converted as 960x720 59.940p ?

All the other files that are originally 960x720 23.975p work fine as 1280 x 720 23.9p timeline.

Gary
David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 10:10 PM
Gary,

This is why CHD 3.0 includes the cool new scaling features. You can take that 1280x1080 (1.5 pixel aspect, try this ratio to get your 16x9) and during conversion scale it to 1440x1080 (1.33:1) or even down-scale it to 1280x720 (1.0 pixel aspect.) Lots of flexibilty.

David Newman
CTO, CineForm
GGman wrote on 5/12/2006, 10:21 PM
David,
What I am finding a little difficult is that I do not know what the MXFfiles were originally shot at. Vegas gives no info on a MXF, only the AVI after the conversion. Is there some way to see the original properties in the MXF? It sounds like you are saying we can use Cineform to make it what ever we want in the conversion.

How do I handle the 59.94p files? I think that they were intended as overcranks? Do I do pulldown and use a 23.970 project?

Gary
David Newman wrote on 5/12/2006, 10:26 PM
Connect HD 3.0 will handle the over and under-cranked MXF files automatically (setting the play rate to 24/25p as set in the camera.) Know the source resolution is something CHD could help with, yet in partical uses it is likely to be known (if you were the shooter.)

David Newman
CTO, CineForm
GGman wrote on 5/12/2006, 10:26 PM
I am also seeing interlacing in the Crowd.mxf conversion. I am using Cineform Large, Progressive, Smart Rendering and 1440x 1080 resize. I thought all the HVX stuff is progressive.
Vegas project is 1920x1080 29.970p PAR 1.00 withe the media file using a PAR 1.3333
Gary

Edit I have it working now. Took some experimenting since I didn't know how it was shot.
Thanx for your help and it looks good. I have not been able to see these clips since they were posted many months ago.
dreamlx wrote on 5/12/2006, 11:48 PM
As I have an environment with multiple machines for network rendering here, I would be interested if the cineform codec distributed with vegas can read files create by version 3.
David Newman wrote on 5/13/2006, 8:41 AM
dreamix,

Connect HD 3.0 doesn't change the codec (too much) so yes the new CHD 3.0 content is compatible with the version shipped with Vegas.

David Newman
CTO, CineForm
David Newman wrote on 5/15/2006, 8:41 AM
Any reports from users of this new beta?

David Newman
CTO CineForm
Spot|DSE wrote on 5/15/2006, 9:17 AM
It's not as fast as Raylight, but does offer better performance.
David Newman wrote on 5/15/2006, 9:31 AM
That statement sounds contridictory but I know what you mean. Just like with M2T is a pain to edit, but you can start editing sooner, yet who would want too. We spend a little more time converting the best quality image into CineForm for a much better editing experience. We have found that converting MXF on a modern dual core PC is faster than real-time, even with the resizing options (on our AMD 280 system to was 3-4X faster than RT.)

David Newman
CTO, CineForm
GGman wrote on 5/15/2006, 3:01 PM
David,

When I convert Sony Z1 m2t files that are 60i to 29.970p using the Cineform prefs set to Deinterlace, Large, Automatic, Smart Render, the files appear deinterlced in Vegas, but Vegas still reports them as interlaced in the Vegas Explorer Properties display.

Sometime time the Convert Stop/Start button works opposite. Sometimes a file will not start converting because of an error report and then hitting Stop actually starts the conversion.

How about a winodw resize so we can see a bigger list in the the Select/Convert. I want to empty the Select area and I have scroll to the top, highlight a file, scroll to bottom of the list and then Shft selct and delete to clear the window. Or maybe a Clear all button would help?

Most of the HVX mxf files I had converted okay, but a couple of them simply refused to convert? I just looked for the files and I see I deleted them from my system a few days ago thinking they were useless. Otherwise, I would send them to you. I seem to recall your log window said it was not a recognized file format. It was in my list of HVX 200 MXF files I downloaded from people oin DVXuser.com

Gary
David Newman wrote on 5/15/2006, 4:01 PM
It is too late for GUI changes, maybe a later version, but making a resizable window would be helpful. The Vegas reporting interlaced for our progressive files may only be costemic, however I don't know why it reports that way. For those problem MXF files, could you point me to where you downloaded them.

Thanks.
GGman wrote on 5/15/2006, 4:18 PM
David,

I wish I could point you to the link, but I did not keep that info. It was aboutt 13 mxf files from the Utah Sundance festival. It was a file called FilmCenter or something. There was another one I forgot the name of. Other files in the group that worked were Pizza, Snow, Flag, Theater, Crowd, Hotel, House, etc. A bunch of street shots. Sorry. I obviuosly got them during that time period on DVXuser.com. Maybe someone on that forum, like Barry Green, can help.

Gary