Once you finish editing, you have several choices for outputting your final product. When you're delivering a sequence containing P2 DVCPRO 100 media you can write back to a P2 card, you can export to a DVCPRO HD VTR over FireWire and you can export as an alternative file type for web, DVD, or multimedia production.

You can also deliver from a timeline where you've transcoded the media to either uncompressed HD or Avid® DNxHD® codec. From this type of timeline, you can output your work via HD SDI to a VTR such as Panasonic's D5 or Sony's HDCAM. You can output your work direct-to-air for immediate playback. You can output your work via SDI (component or composite) to an SD VTR such as Panasonics DVCPRO or Sony's Betacam. Please do note that certain formats and framerates will not translate into SD.

 

To deliver your completed P2 sequence back to a P2 card, select the sequence you wish to write back. Go to the main Output menu; select "Export to Device" choose "P2." The write back will now take place over FireWire or USB or direct to a PCMCIA slot mounted card. Make sure the P2 device is correctly installed and recognized by the operating system before launching Media Composer®. Important to note here, that due to the current capabilities or the current Panasonic card writing hardware this process will only work with non-native Panasonic frame rates.

 

To deliver your finished P2 sequence to a Panasonic DVCPRO HD VTR over FireWire, first ensure the video quality is set to full green mode. Next select the sequence you want to output, go to the main Output menu, select "Digital Cut." Be sure the DVCPRO HD VTR is correctly installed under the operating system and recognized by the Media Composer. Important to note also here that the capabilities of the current Panasonic VTRs means this process will only work with non-native Panasonic frame rates.

 

To export your finished sequence as a file type appropriate for web, DVD or multimedia distribution, select the sequence that you want to output. Go to the main File menu or use the right-click on either a Mac or a PC and from here, you can easily use the "Send To" command to deliver a variety of different formats appropriate for DVD, Digidelivery and Pro Tools. Or you can select Export and then use the export settings quick drop-down menu or the options panel in order to select the format and other parameters for your desired export. Alternatively, you can use Media Composer to create a QuickTime reference movie for rapid access to applications such as Sorenson Squeeze where many other file types are available for creation. Now if you also want to output your work to tape via HD-SDI to a VTR such as a D5 or HDCAM, you will first need to transcode the sequence to Avid DNxHD format, a mastering quality HD codec. You will also need to have Avid Adrenaline^TM hardware connected to your Mac or PC, as this is the device required to provide real-time output to your chosen VTR.

 

To deliver your finished P2 sequence on tape via HD-SDI, first ensure that the video quality is set to full green mode. Next, select the sequence you wish to output. Go to the main Clip menu, select "Consolidate/Transcode". You will be presented with a Consolidate/Transcode dialog. Choose transcode, choose "Video and audio on the same drive(s)" choose the drive, Avid Unity^TM or network location on which you wish to store the newly created DNxHD media. Next, choose the DNxHD resolution you wish to use. The DNxHD media will now be created according to the settings you just specified. You can also create uncompressed HD media at either 8-bit or 10-bit if you were going to finish the project on Avid Symphony^TM Nitris® or an Avid DS Nitris. For more information about working with uncompressed and DNxHD media, please consult your Media Composer product documentation.

 

When the transcode procedure is complete and with the newly created sequence selected, go to the main Output menu. Select "Digital Cut" the output will now take place over baseband HD-SDI. Make sure the HD VTR is correctly installed and available in Media Composer beforehand.

 

The process for delivering an SD master or SDI (component or composite) is very similar to the procedure just described for HD-SDI. But it will be highly dependent on the acquisition framerate and format you choose at the shooting stage. If the framerate and format you are using do indeed have an SD counterpart, then you will first need to use the Format tab within the Media Composer project window in order to select the SD format of the project. From there you will transcode and output as described previously.