System Frequency

[oblong]

I recently started using an HPX500 and my first job was with a canadian crew, they were using 60hz system freq. so I did likewise. Because I am normally based in Europe I switched to 50hz. I started with Edius 4 because of its reputation handling p2, no problem with the 60hz, but when I tried importing the material shot with 50hz the files would import corrupted. As the Edius settings have both 50 and 60 hz I thought it wouldn't matter. Actually the 60hz images edit fine on just about any setting and the 50hz won't even load without a weird barring effect...

Can anybody help me with why this is happening, have I misunderstood the relevance of the system frequency?

[Aristotelis]

the 50hz won't even load without a weird barring effect...

can you upload a screenshot?

[oblong]

Hi thanks for the interest in my problem have attached snipped screenshot of the first frame.

[MT02MHT]

My guess would be some kind of electromagnetic field caused the problem. (Based on the visual content of the image).
Mike Trewhella
Insight Digital Media

[oblong]

Hmmm thats interesting, you arnt saying that because this particular shot is of a pylon in the rain are you?!

The files are fine according to the p2 viewer, this only shows up on import into edius, I havn't been able to test the 50hz video in another nle.

Actually I don't know the significance of the sytem frequency, do I even need to be worrying about it, can I just shoot with 60hz? The whole concept of sytem frequency is new to me can someone wrap that up in a few lines so at least I know whether I should worry. I do a lot of good work on Intuition (assumption), but it doesn't always wash!

[Aristotelis]

I have seen exactly the same problem with a pirate copy of Edius Broadcast... when I pluged in the broadcast dongle the problem was gone...

(I'm not saying that this is the case here...)

[GrassValley_BH]

What format is this clip? Also, what version of EDIUS are you using?

You can shoot all in 60Hz, but since you're in Europe, your "native" display frequency is 50Hz, so your footage will need to be converted before it can be output for broadcast or general use.

Of course in EDIUS, you don't have to worry so much as you can use 60Hz clips in a 50Hz project or vice-versa.

[oblong]

Thanks, yes I noticed that the 60hz material would play in 50hz project as I tried all combinations of settings both to familiarise and try to sort the issue.

Actually I was experimenting with different formats; video cam for interval and film cam for variable frame rate shooting on 720/25p. All clips imported with the same problem at 50hz but switching to shooting at 60hz solved it.

My problem is that I am a camera operator (not an editor) using new equipment in a developing country (temporarily). In order just to view and rough cut the only system I found usable with p2 was in an institute and happened to be edius - to it's credit.

The version is 4.5 and as far as I can tell there's no dongle. I've asked who installed but no one here has any info about that, so I can't verify the licence. Is the lack of dongle a bad sign?

If it's any consolation I shall be buying Edius when I get back to UK.

[GrassValley_KH]

The version is 4.5 and as far as I can tell there's no dongle. I've asked who installed but no one here has any info about that, so I can't verify the licence. Is the lack of dongle a bad sign?

If you're using P2 with no dongle, you're using the demo (which should pop up a warning on each execution). If that's not happening, then it sounds suspect..

[SoundFreak]

If someone else build your system, open the hood and look inside.

I have put the Edius dongle inside the casing (for safe keeping) but have been questioned about a "non" licensed Edius version by clients before, after opening the hood, and showing them the dongle, all was o.k.

If your running from a laptop ..............

[oblong]

Hmm getting off the point here aren't we. Once again I'm not on my system I'm not in my country and I'm using all unfamiliar equipment. Lets assume that system had the dongle in it (I don't know one way or the other and I'm now in a different city altogether).

As I shall be using Edius in future and have to make camera setting desicions now, I am concerned to know what was going on with the 50hz import. Assumminig the software was legit (all other functions working fine) What was that?? The structure break up of the image wasn't random rather specific, why only 50hz not both. If it happens again I would like to know what it is... and more important for me it means I can shoot 50hz now with confidence.

[GrassValley_BH]

Looks like a data alignment/dropout issue... Almost like the footage is being interpreted as if it is a different format. But I can't think of what would cause that.

[SoundFreak]

Located in Asia I do get a lot of different costumer being it pal or ntsc, 50 or 60hz footage, and Edius has never let me down in capturing, editing and converting from any format to any format, maybe there is something "wrong" with the footage.

Any chance on using other nle or "freeware" capture utility, many others provide a "trail" version for you to test.
Maybe another idea would be to download a new fresh copy of the edius trail software and try it on this or other machine.

Did you play out and capture or use a p2 card reader to ingest the footage ?

Can the camera down convert to other format, and give that a try to use as a test, so far, if edius & display driver are not corrupt in any way, I have never come across an Issue like this.

[oblong]

Think Brandon is spot on with data alignment...

After a hot day filming a remote fort (at 60hz!) I had a chance to try those files on cs3 with raylight. They look fine, as they did with the p2 viewer. Don't think its the ingest SoundFreak, but you're right I should try asap to get that footage to a 'clean' copy of Edius to rule out any combination problems. What I mean is if the files are fine on another install of Edius then there are no deeper sructure problems with the files that only Edius is showing up at the moment, thats actually my major concern as the camera was bought and promptly hauled to pergatory!

[GrassValley_BH]

If you have a different machine with EDIUS, you can download the EDIUS demo and try it on that. That should give you a clean environment (EDIUS-wise) to test on.