How to make DaVinci Resolve work with HPX170 and not compress to 4:3??

[FrigidSofa]

I have an HPX170 with P2 Cards.  With P2 cards you can't just browse to an .mp4 via USB or SD like you can with a lot of modern cards.

Historically I had a sus copy of Premiere Pro, but it was a bitch to maintain with the updates they pushed on me and it didn't include Adobe Media Encoder. The workflow I had was to P2 (media browse) my CONTENTS folder upon P2 offload, drop it into a timeline and then export my clips one by one and drop them in a folder to be used in a new project/timeline down the line.  This was super tedious, especially without bulk exporting with AME.

Eventually I heard that DaVinci Resolve was the tits and free.  I downloaded it, and made a few edits, and love working with it because a bulk renderer/exporter is built in, among other things.  But I noticed recently that it does this weird thing with HPX170 .MXF files where when you import it compresses them and squishes them down to a weird kind of 4:3 with less visual detail/fidelity. 

Forum Link Here describing it - https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?t=108293&p=625832

I can kinda get around it by adjusting the "Clip Attributes" to NTSC 16:9, but it still has a significant loss of detail.


So now I'm back to the drawing board.

• I want to actually own software and not have anxiety whenever I'm not actively using it and getting charged for it, so Adobe seems out of the question, unless someone can offer me a surefire way to get a less sus copy rolling again.
  
  DaVinci issue seems unresolvable
  
  Windows Movie Maker can't P2 Browse
  
  Final Cut Pro is Mac Only
  
  iMovie is Mac only
  
  Shotcut is super tedious
  
  Should I try Filmora, is this crazy?
  
  Should I try and purchase an old P2 export device - where can I even get one?

maybe I should just film on my HPX170 in 1080i 30 instead of 720p 60p?

[OwlGreen]

If the HPX170 is like the HVX200, it uses something called thin-raster whereby it records 720p not at 1280x720 but rather at 960x720. So the recorded pixels are not square, they have an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (incidentally 4:3). Try setting the Pixel Aspect ratio in Clip Attributes to 1.33. Might do the trick.

[bataaard]

If the HPX170 is like the HVX200, it uses something called thin-raster whereby it records 720p not at 1280x720 but rather at 960x720. So the recorded pixels are not square, they have an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (incidentally 4:3). Try setting the Pixel Aspect ratio in Clip Attributes to 1.33. Might do the trick.

this.

step by step:
import your clips from the card
- select them all
- right click, clip attributes
- change the pixel aspect ratio to 1,33
- in the audio tab, you can delete all the tracks except one, and make it stereo with embedded channel 1 and 2
- then you can make a timeline (ctrl+N)
- don't use project settings for the timeline
- make it 1280x720 59,94fps
- drop all your clips in
- get to the export tab
- select render individual clips
- in the "file" tab, name your files and don't forget to tick "use unique filenames"
- for the codec, you can choose quicktime, dnxhd, 720p 220/185/110/90 8bits


if you want to bulk rename the files afterwards, a nice little software on pc called "ant renamer" is good for that

[FrigidSofa]

Expand Quote

If the HPX170 is like the HVX200, it uses something called thin-raster whereby it records 720p not at 1280x720 but rather at 960x720. So the recorded pixels are not square, they have an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (incidentally 4:3). Try setting the Pixel Aspect ratio in Clip Attributes to 1.33. Might do the trick.

[close]

this.

step by step:
import your clips from the card
- select them all
- right click, clip attributes
- change the pixel aspect ratio to 1,33
- in the audio tab, you can delete all the tracks except one, and make it stereo with embedded channel 1 and 2
- then you can make a timeline (ctrl+N)
- don't use project settings for the timeline
- make it 1280x720 59,94fps
- drop all your clips in
- get to the export tab
- select render individual clips
- in the "file" tab, name your files and don't forget to tick "use unique filenames"
- for the codec, you can choose quicktime, dnxhd, 720p 220/185/110/90 8bits


if you want to bulk rename the files afterwards, a nice little software on pc called and renamer is good for that

This saved my ass, I have this page bookmarked now, ha. Thank you!

Question tho - Why use Quicktime/Dnxhd instead of H.264/.mp4 ?

I assume .mp4 compresses further, but things don't look as good when I export in dnxhd (.mov) and it won't open on apple devices (mac + iphone, which is ironic b/c it's an apple format).

How are you taking advantage of that export type vs h.264/.mp4?

Cheers!

[Jordan Wiens]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

If the HPX170 is like the HVX200, it uses something called thin-raster whereby it records 720p not at 1280x720 but rather at 960x720. So the recorded pixels are not square, they have an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (incidentally 4:3). Try setting the Pixel Aspect ratio in Clip Attributes to 1.33. Might do the trick.

[close]

this.

step by step:
import your clips from the card
- select them all
- right click, clip attributes
- change the pixel aspect ratio to 1,33
- in the audio tab, you can delete all the tracks except one, and make it stereo with embedded channel 1 and 2
- then you can make a timeline (ctrl+N)
- don't use project settings for the timeline
- make it 1280x720 59,94fps
- drop all your clips in
- get to the export tab
- select render individual clips
- in the "file" tab, name your files and don't forget to tick "use unique filenames"
- for the codec, you can choose quicktime, dnxhd, 720p 220/185/110/90 8bits


if you want to bulk rename the files afterwards, a nice little software on pc called and renamer is good for that

[close]

This saved my ass, I have this page bookmarked now, ha. Thank you!

Question tho - Why use Quicktime/Dnxhd instead of H.264/.mp4 ?

I assume .mp4 compresses further, but things don't look as good when I export in dnxhd (.mov) and it won't open on apple devices (mac + iphone, which is ironic b/c it's an apple format).

How are you taking advantage of that export type vs h.264/.mp4?

Cheers!

if you're on a mac you'll want to use prores hq for the highest quality. h264 is fine for social tho

[35mm]

Hijacking this thread to ask a question about P2 workflow and deleting clips of no use.

Does people…

• Delete clips in camera (only importing to their PC the good clips)?
• Manage to delete all the files pertaining to a clip from the P2 folder structure without affecting the rest of the clips?
• Take all the clips to their editing software, render them to a more workable codec and then delete the clips of no use as well as delete all the P2 clips?

[green]

Hijacking this thread to ask a question about P2 workflow and deleting clips of no use.

Does people…

• Delete clips in camera (only importing to their PC the good clips)?
• Manage to delete all the files pertaining to a clip from the P2 folder structure without affecting the rest of the clips?
• Take all the clips to their editing software, render them to a more workable codec and then delete the clips of no use as well as delete all the P2 clips?

I always delete in camera before transferring, curious if anyone else on here has a better workflow.
I've considered picking up one of these for logging and transferring clips, but the old school firewire connection and lack of AC power options are a bummer:

[lydius]

Hijacking this thread to ask a question about P2 workflow and deleting clips of no use.

Does people…

• Delete clips in camera (only importing to their PC the good clips)?
• Manage to delete all the files pertaining to a clip from the P2 folder structure without affecting the rest of the clips?
• Take all the clips to their editing software, render them to a more workable codec and then delete the clips of no use as well as delete all the P2 clips?

I always do the last option. Safest imo. Too many times deleting the wrong clip in camera

[moshandwallies]

Never delete in camera

[OnSlapAtWork]

Log all the clips off the camera to your computer before deleting.  I accidentally hit format instead of delete once on my HVX and it was a huge bummer.

I still am on Mac OS El Capitan and edit in FCP7.  It has it's downfalls (constant crashing, have to convert AX700 clips before editing), but the log and transfer feature is so convenient for HVX footage.

For FrigidSofa trying to find an alternative here, maybe you could torrent an old copy of Adobe Premiere CS6 or something?  I don't have premiere, but have CS6 for illustrator/after effects and I believe it has the Adobe Media Encoder software included in the bundle.  I think the older Adobe Premiere software had an equivalent of the Log and Transfer feature found in FCP7.  Might be a suitable and stable work around that you would "own".