"insider info" question

filmy wrote on 4/30/2004, 9:53 PM
So most of us here know the policy of not talking about the future. However - now that NAB is past and Vegas 5 is out and all the fun stuff - I am wondering what is in the future. Why do I ask? Because with all the post NAB reports I am seeing things that I can see as true but also wondering why they aren't being talked 'publicly' here but were seemingly 'publicly' talked about on the show floor - such as:

Black Magic Declink cards will soon be certified for use with both Premeire Pro and Vegas 5. Soon you will be able to import, export and edit uncompressed SD & HD footage with either of these apps via SDI & component video connections. <<<== What we have heard, and mentioned, here is how well Vegas works with the cards, but not that the cards would be "certified" for use with Vegas. Fact or fiction?


Native HDV support was announced for a future version of Vegas 5 <<<=== We know that Vegas has been able to edit and export HDV files however the "native" support for capture and export has been missing. Fact or fiction or just restating the obvious?

So far Adobe, Canopus, Ulead, Sony, Hueris and Cineform have all announced planned products to edit HDV. <<<=== Again we know Vegas supports HDV, but is the "Sony" in question here the same Sony side that puts out Vegas? Or is this some *other* HDV only NLE that Sony is planning?

Other things I have seen seem logical but I have to wonder - such as the new "Sony HDV cam will be put out in early 2005" and will "support timecode" allowing for "batch capture when used with vegas 5".

So any little Sony birdies want to sing? ;)

Comments

farss wrote on 4/30/2004, 10:20 PM
Another thing to add to your list, SPOT mentioned the wonder of being able to edit in Vegas and upload the project in a XPRI system.
Again no mention of that here, lots of hubris about EDL support yet what SPOT was talking about could make that rather irrelevant.

SonyEPM wrote on 5/1/2004, 8:42 AM
Q: Black Magic Declink cards will soon be certified for use with both Premeire Pro and Vegas 5. Soon you will be able to import, export and edit uncompressed SD & HD footage with either of these apps via SDI & component video connections. <<<== What we have heard, and mentioned, here is how well Vegas works with the cards, but not that the cards would be "certified" for use with Vegas. Fact or fiction?

A: We have been working with the Decklink team for awhile, and we demonstrated a basic level of functionality with the SD/SDI Decklink boards at NAB (capture/render/preview off timeline to SDI monitor). Decklink integration is still in development by both teams and I cannot promise a release date at this time- could be tomorrow, could be 8 years from now so don't buy V5 now with any anticipation of a specific ship date for Decklink boards.

2) When we do ship this, it will be STRICTLY SDI in/out- no Decklink on-board FX, no low rez BMD codecs. You'll be able to use serial control on the Decklink, log/ batch capture, preview off the timeline (ala DV, except over SDI) and you'll be able to print back to tape.

3) We are not targeting analog Beta/BetaSP- you'll need SDI capability on your deck so that means Digibeta or other SDI capable decks. Component may possibly come along with SDI since some BMD cards support it, but we are focusing on SDI primarily.

4) We have developed our own codec for SDI in/out, which you all have: "Sony YUV" (under AVI>video>format). Looks GREAT fed into an SDI monitor, and is an excellent match for our DV and MPEG-2 codecs.

5) We will certify specific BMD cards for use in Vegas 5, but we will not be in the system config business- that will be, as with everything else, up to the end user. You'll absolutely need a monster, perfectly tweaked system (such as a Boxx w/ SCSI RAIDs) for this to work at all- 1394 or USB or IDE drives will not cut it under any condition.

6) When we are ready for beta testing, I'll let people know.

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Q: Native HDV support was announced for a future version of Vegas 5 <<<=== We know that Vegas has been able to edit and export HDV files however the "native" support for capture and export has been missing. Fact or fiction or just restating the obvious?

A: Right now, there are only JVC HDV cameras (and a couple of decks). You can use the JVC-supplied KDDI utility to capture, or, better use the Cineform Connect HD tool (which supports capture/print and has a nifty intermediate codec that speeds up timeline performance). When more HDV hardware arrives, Vegas' native support for it will evolve.

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Q: So far Adobe, Canopus, Ulead, Sony, Hueris and Cineform have all announced planned products to edit HDV. <<<=== Again we know Vegas supports HDV, but is the "Sony" in question here the same Sony side that puts out Vegas? Or is this some *other* HDV only NLE that Sony is planning?

A: Yes, same Sony division that puts out Vegas. Other Sony apps may also support HDV at some point.

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Also: Next week we'll be posting a whitepaper called (working title) "Vegas 5: 24p HD/DV Workflow for the Independent Filmmaker". This will explain how you can shoot 24p HDCAM, offline the video in Vegas 5 (all in 24p), produce finished audio and motion graphics, then take the whole project into XPRI or DS for final HD conform (using either XML or EDLs from Vegas 5). We demonstrated this at NAB in conjunction with XPRI and I personally think this is a very compelling/cost effective way to do top end work using Vegas 5 as a core component.

If you got our catalog you'll see an article about the soon-to-release feature "Ghosts Never Sleep". This film was produced during the V5 beta period using a process very similar to what is described in the whitepaper, and a couple other major projects are already using this workflow. We helped these filmmakers get through the process and would be willing to help you too if you are considering doing a 24p HDCAM production. Please wait for the whitepaper before asking for more details.
filmy wrote on 5/1/2004, 3:15 PM
Thanks. They call you the "Good Dr" for a reason. :)
Nat wrote on 5/1/2004, 3:55 PM
Do you have more information about the Sony YUV codec ?

Is it the same quality as the blackmagic codec ?
Will vegas support 10 bit editing (wih effects) ?

Nat wrote on 5/1/2004, 6:42 PM
I just tested the Sony YUV codec.

I can't seem to render progressive, the rendered media is tagged as lower field.

Also the scope show a slightly different signal than the uncompressed signal...
SonyEPM wrote on 5/2/2004, 7:42 AM
"I can't seem to render progressive, the rendered media is tagged as lower field."

If you know in fact the file is progressive, you can specify that in media properties.