applebuckets:

 Wasn't the point of this thread that it wasn't a simple process? Did I miss reading a post?

Nope, you didn't miss the point. Everyone else went off on a tangent. The original poster is shooting in mpeg, not getting a DVD that has a shot or two that is needed, and wants to avoid transcoding hours and hours of footage.

camoscato:

If the argument is the World's Greatest Editor ought to be able to import anything the client brings in - film, Digibeta, DV, MPEG2, or a series of charcoal sketches on tree bark - then quality is irrelevent, so Flash should be required, too.

 

 Totally agree

jveekeres:

 

But how many flash movies do you have at home and how many dvd's? I never get a flash movie with a magazine, video club or whatever. We all have DVD's not flash movies. Flash is not a media standard connected to a hardware or carrier standard.

 

 

Uhhh... isn't Flash quickly becoming a standard for websites? It may not be connected to a hardware or a carrier but nearly every website I browse uses Flash. And, yes, I've had a client or two instruct me to, "just get the Flash video off the website."

Oh "Best Editor in the World", please do NOT give me the option of editing Flash or MPEG2 codecs - I have enough headaches with 32 different HD formats. Let's try to "raise" the standards of production, not water them down into macro-compression madness. But, as noted in many posts, there are ways to do this if you absolutely must do so.

applebuckets:

camoscato:

If the argument is the World's Greatest Editor ought to be able to import anything the client brings in - film, Digibeta, DV, MPEG2, or a series of charcoal sketches on tree bark - then quality is irrelevent, so Flash should be required, too.

  Totally agree

Hi,

Just to clarify, I'm saying that those arguing in favor of MPEG2/DVD import shouldn't discriminate against any other format.  Personally, I hope Avid isn't spending a lot of time on the ability to import MPEG2 DVD, WMV, or Flash.

TowerFan:

The original poster is shooting in mpeg, not getting a DVD that has a shot or two that is needed, and wants to avoid transcoding hours and hours of footage.

Good catch. 

adios,
Carl

However, if a client says "I have a mastered DVD (we can legally use), and that's as good as I have," I reply with, "If it's all we have we'll use it, but in the future let's try to find or keep the source tapes.  The final product will look better if we have the original tape, and that's what's most important to us--to make your video look as good as possible.  DVDs are for distribution, not editing, but we can definitely make this work."

On that (the whole post) I agree. Although there are easy workarounds I think it suits a pro apllication to offer that support for this reason.

I do admit that this is in the end a matter of what you consider pro or not and if a non-pro format should be supported.  I think that the DVD is used in such a large scale and it is a worldwide standard, that it justifies support from a pro application. I do agree that this should not be a priority issue at avid as there are easy work arounds. But as Avid has always supported and supports DV25 format which is not broadcast but a consumer format the argument that it is not within avid's workflow does NOT stand!

I expect (and this is my opinion on the future, NOT a request or complaint) that the internet and sending video thru the internet (youtube) will become more and more commen. Looking at the low side of the codeq spectrum therefor will become more important and should not be ignored by avid.

I do not think avid is for the elite only. It does not support HD 4.4.4.on Unity so the super pro are not even supported. You can very well use it for weddings... the new price strategy makes it also competetive with the "wedding" editing apps. I think this is a very good move from avid. If they make it the all round work horse that works for the pro, broadcaster, cinema movie maker and consumer I predict a great futur for avid. 

jveekeres:

But as Avid has always supported and supports DV25 format which is not broadcast but a consumer format the argument that it is not within avid's workflow does NOT stand!

Avid HAS to support DV 25 as it's the only resolution that will work in their tapeless exchange workflow pushing files to airspeed and airspace. That's why I'm locked into DV 25 for everything I do and I hate that.

 Didn't know that....  very pro avid

Larry Rubin:

Avid HAS to support DV 25 as it's the only resolution that will work in their tapeless exchange workflow pushing files to airspeed and airspace. That's why I'm locked into DV 25 for everything I do and I hate that.

I thought Airspeed supported DV25, DV50, IMX, single stream uncompressed SD and DNxHD?

Dom Q. Silverio:

Larry Rubin:

Avid HAS to support DV 25 as it's the only resolution that will work in their tapeless exchange workflow pushing files to airspeed and airspace. That's why I'm locked into DV 25 for everything I do and I hate that.

I thought Airspeed supported DV25, DV50, IMX, single stream uncompressed SD and DNxHD?

Hi,

You're right, Dom.  These quotes are from the AirSpeed Overview page:

"AirSpeed links with the award-winning DNxchange unit to convert an HD-SDI source (1080i/59.94, 720p/59.94, and 720p/50) into pristine quality, workgroup-friendly Avid DNxHD 145, making ingest-to-playout HD production the fastest and smoothest it has ever been."

"Direct acquisition of tapes and feeds and two-channel DV25, DV50, IMX30/50, and single-channel uncompressed SD playout capability offers significant time savings at each end of your nonlinear SD workflow."

I've used it with IMX30 material with no trouble at all.

good luck,
Carl

TowerFan:

Everyone else went off on a tangent. The original poster is shooting in mpeg, not getting a DVD that has a shot or two that is needed, and wants to avoid transcoding hours and hours of footage.

OK, so I've come back from a great shoot the weekend, amazing onboard footage recorded on the same professional equipment Formula 1 uses, it writes the video data on mpeg2 on a flash card. (Lots of video on small file sizes, amazing technology hey...?)It's Sunday today, So here's my "choices”:

Option 1: We wish we had: Stick Flash in PC, Open MC and click import straight for Flash card and go home and enjoy the rest of my weekend. TOTAL 5Min for me, Avid 1-2 Hours for Avid.

Option 2: Stick Flash in PC copy to hard disk, 1 Hour "8Gig" + come back to studio Start Converting Software, 4-6 Hours + come back to studio again tonight to Import Quicktime into Avid 1-2 Hours. To Arrive Monday with online footage that I can use. TOTAL 1 Hour interrupted weekend for me: Avid + PC 7 Hours +.

Avid Moderator Solution: Use other Edit Software? Converting is simple? Avid is looking forward to new media codec so mpeg2 is irrelevant.

I get that, I'm a professional that run MY business the same way Avid sees progression as a business platform, although I look at the realities like Sony, who created HDV to compensate the SD-to-HD trek for the majority of video professionals, the masses that buy your Avid software.

BMW, Mercedes, Renault etc can only run Formual1 teams because they sell allot of small cars to the masses.

Avid;… not the pro HD 4K Top-End film market is asking you for an mpeg 2 import, but the masses, the grassroots editors that needs this, obviously by the HUGE response to this tread it has become a necessity Today, and will be in archives and technology for some time to come.

Lastly I would like to ad that I do appreciate the great functionality of Avid technology, its people and the moderators that run this Forum, but I urge you, this might be a bigger necessity than you gave it credit for, especially if your biggest rivals supports this format.

Silver, is that camera the EX1? If so, different MPEG2 and that cam takes Sony's proprietary software translator. Avid has no choice in that matter.

If not, tell us what Pro camera shoots muxed MPEG2.

 When you're doing tapeless file exchange that also incorporates INews and Instinct, it must be DV 25.

{EDIT} This is an SD workflow, by the way.

BLKDOG:

tell us what Pro camera shoots muxed MPEG2

BLKDOG, we use a recorder called Chasecam PD100 www.chasecam.com This is used in conjuction with many other bullet cams etc, but the recorder writes an mpeg2 format onto a flash disc that we can import into Avid Liquid with no problem and edit away or convert. Avid MC doesnt support the file for import. Could we try imoprt settings?

 BLKDOG,

People like silver101 prove that, although you have a point Mpeg2 SD being on the low side of the quality spectrum, the request for its support is a logical one. Whant should be supported and what not we will always have disagreements on in this forum, but I think avid would do many many may users a great favor by also expanding on the lower side of the Mpeg2 spectrum.

I, and this is my personal interpretation of professional, is that flexibility is a big part and will become bigger part of being professional. To stick with workarounds, however easy, is NOT! 

With content delivery moving towards broadband and Blu-Ray instead of SD DVD the days of DVD are numbered - It's dying.  Why would any company invest R&D dollars integrating a format that is nearing EOL?   I hope Avid spends their R&D dollars on emerging technologies as opposed to wasting their resources on of dying technologies.