Capturing BetaSP footage

Oversampling is going to cost some money in this case. Is it going to be worth it?

It will if you are doing compositing/overlay titling/color correction/green screening. Otherwise, no, it offers no benefits.

If you are thinking of going 8 bit uncompressed for the above reasons, ProRes in SD formats is a better choice.

x

I can vouch for the Blackmagic Decklink cards, I have one in my dual 2.0 G5.

However if as you say you may upgrade your kit after this job, don't buy any kind of capture card for your G5 since it will not work in a new intel mac due to the different motherboard architecture.

Possibly have the footage transferred on to a hard disk at a facility if this is a one off.

Hi CaptM
don't worry about being a borderline troll! 😉

I don't feel im in complete disagreement with you- The numbers you cite do add up- i think Beta SP is equivalent to 3:1:1 c. space if memory serves me.

You wouldn't see any disadvantage in using DV25 if the beta sp footage was run of the mill ENG stuff.

But when the you have higher production value beta SP footage or professional telecine- DV25 conversion doesn't cut it - you can see it with your own eyes on a broadcast monitor compared with playback with the original.

So i don't blindly go with 8bit or prores just because it's beta sp, i go with a more flexible approach. depending what's needed.

8bit is more than enough for SP i agree but this guy is on FCP 5.1 so the solutions are not that flexible no access to Prores 422 or LT-

He say's he is not completely satisfied with the DV25 conversion-and we are talking about a 2nd hand card- not a new $1500's card. When he has worked with the DV25 conversion for a few days he might come to the conclusion that it's fine for his needs. - if not he knows a few more options to consider.

Graeme

One thing to think about as you look at capture cards.

If you decide to upgrade in the future to a MacPro, those capture cards will have to be upgraded as well. If you went with something like an AJA IoLA, it will connect and transfer 8- and 10-bit Uncompressed via FW. So you will be able to connect it to a MacPro and still get more use out of it. What it won't offer is HD capture. For that you'd need an IoHD.

Food for thought, if you don't want to instantly add $1000+ to your eventual tower upgrade. If you went with one of the AJA products that connect with FW, it won't be obsolete when you upgrade.