Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
Logic would dictate that as the recording is digital—only ones and zeros—that the quality of tape
and recording format would not effect the image quality. If the ones and zeros are recorded and
playback intact, then the image will look fi ne; if the information is not playable, there will be no
image. Not so. As noted in Appendix 1, if a small amount of information is lost to dropout, the system
rebuilds this lost data through a process of error correction. While good, this process cannot always
re-create the data and must “guess” at the missing data. This creates undesirable artifacts and loss
of image quality. All recordings have some dropout, DV recordings on poor tape have a lot more
dropouts than DVCam or DVC Pro recordings on high-quality tape. Good tape does make a
difference.
Format Selections
DVCam, shown in Figure A3.4, has become the “off-line” format of choice. While all these formats
are often used on “industrial” and nonbroadcast projects, DVCam is the industry standard for
“working copies” on broadcast projects that will be fi nished on a broadcast quality system in the
fi nal edit.
Figure A3.4 Sony DSR 1500a DVCam Recorder
DVC Pro 50 is a unique digital format that is much less compressed than the other DV formats, and
the image is noticeably better. The image quality is virtually indistinguishable from the more expensive
Digital Betacam and is used in broadcast. DVC Pro 50 recorders can play all DV formats and
any size cassette (with the adaptor for mini DV).
DVC Pro HD is an HD format that can record in 720p or 1080i. DVC Pro HD is capable of recording
various frame rates and can even achieve slow motion when recorded on the Panasonic®
VariCam® (see Figure A3.5). With the HD versions of Final Cut Pro, it is now possible to digitize
DVC Pro HD directly to a portable drive and edit natively in DVC Pro HD. DVC Pro HD recorders
can play all digital videocassette formats from DVC Pro HD to DV with the exception of HDV. The
newest Panasonic DVC HD–DVC Pro 50 cameras can record directly to memory chips avoiding tape
altogether. They also shoot to tape in DVC Pro. Because DVC Pro HD recorders always output an
HD digital video stream without regard to the tape format being played, they can be used to “up rez.”
Tape-to-tape dubs can be made as 720p or 1080i.
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