Broadcast Quality

[Paulo Pandolpho]

Hello,

I work in a production company here in Brasil and we´re considering using the RED technology to produce an upcoming TV series.

My question is regarding the Reference QT files that the camera generates. I understand that the H QT is half the size of my original shooting format. The same with the M and P sizes (each half the size of the previous).

I just wanted to understand if the resolution is the only loss I have according to the chosen QT format. In other words: does the QT file contain ALL the information the raw file has (as far as color and visible elements, for eg.), only in a smaller size?

Do any of the generated QT reference files have a broadcast quality?

Thanks so much.

Hope to hear from someone soon.

Best,

Paulo

[Uli Plank]

The QT Proxies are just a link (like an alias) to the original Redcode file. They don't contain anything, they are just asking your machine to do a fast decode on-the-fly. To achieve this, even on a fast machine, they are not using all the tricks Graeme and his team are pulling to get the very best quality out of the RAW files (de-bayering and filtering).

Currently, IMHO the best route for HDTV is shooting full-res (after all, it's 35mm aesthetics for which you buy Red One, are you?) and import through log and transfer in FCP. You can do a first-light in RedAlert and apply that grade while importing into ProRes, that should look very good and is reasonably fast.

Regards,

Uli

[Sam Roberts]

Hi nomad, I'm waiting for both my camera and my new Mac/FCP system to arrive and I too will be outputting for 1080P HD. Just to continue the workflow described above: after you import into ProRes you then use that on the FCP timeline?

Also, being new to the Mac/FCP I'm not totally familiar with how the 3 or 4 K RED files get transcoded to ProRes. This is done within the computer using the computer's processor (as opposed to using say a Kona3 card?) I take it the I/O card has nothing to do with the transcode from the RED 3 or 4K files to ProRes?

Is the trans code real time? if not how long to trans code a minute of 4K into ProRes?
(Mac Pro 8 core, 2X3.2ghz, 8GB ram)

Thanks

[Jon Corcuera]

Hi Sam there is an option in Final Cut, you have to install it, Log and transfer that makes the conversion 4k to 2k 3k to 1.5 etc, I will say quite fast and nice for editing.
The time depends in your computer. Is taking me abot a 3:1, but as said just a reference. It should be around that time in your computer as well.
Jon Corcuera