DnxHD native recording Dropped?

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Andrew Robinson

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DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 7:44 am

HI all this is my first post so be kind :D

I too am one of the many waiting for the release of the BMCC here in Australia. To pass the time until release I decided to have a look at the manual and disturbingly under 'Recording Format' on page 13 there is no mention of the Avid codec:

You can choose to record to CinemaDNG RAW 2.5K video or to the Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) video
format in high definition. Choose RAW 2.5K for maximum quality especially if you intend to color
grade your video. Choose ProRes if you want to record in a high definition format suitable for
broadcast.


Is this an oversight in the manual or has support for native recording in DNxHD been dropped? My entire workflow is baised on avid and not being able to shoot in DNxHD would be close to a deal breaker.

Also a concern for me is how 'Mac centric' the manual is. Windows barely gets a mention. Again my entire workflow is avid/PC and not giving clear instructions for a major OS is giving me second thoughts, its bad enough I have to format the SSD as a mac drive.
Please no MAC vs PC ranting here it’s pointless and juvenile.
Note to Blackmagic Design- Thunderbolt is not a mac exclusive technology, yet the manual only mentions mac when talking about Thunderbolt.

So, can somebody please confirm that the BMCC will shoot DNxHD natively.

Cheers
Andrew
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Dylan Reeve

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 9:30 am

I've heard (unofficially) that DNxHD will be included in a firmware update soon after release. DNxHD is still mentioned in the product pages and has been part of the marketing since day one, so I don't think there's any reason to expect it will fail to happen.

As for Thunderbolt on Windows - yeah, it's starting to become available but it's far from common yet and I assume that as yet Blackmagic haven't created the necessary software/drivers to support it. I imagine in will come in time as Thunderbolt makes more inroads into the "PC" market.
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Andrew Robinson

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 10:13 am

If thats the case,DNxHD not supported out of the box, Blackmagic has at best misrepresented, at worst lied about avid codec support.

NOWHERE does is state that this feature will not be included on release. The inclusion of support for DNxHD was a major selling point for me...

On the second page of the product blurb:
With Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD video formats you can record for more than 5 hours on a single 480GB SSD!


And again in the tech specs!!

Shooting Resolutions 2.5K RAW at 2432 x 1366.
ProRes and DNxHD at 1920 x 1080


No asterisk no small print.
This camera ticked all the boxes for me.
I was so excited about this bit of kit, now less so. I'm even thinking of asking for my deposit back.
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Dylan Reeve

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 11:52 am

I'm only reporting what I heard from one source. I don't have a Blackmagic Cinema Camera, I haven't ordered one, I haven't spoken to Blackmagic about it.

I imagine if you asked 100 people who wanted the camera and planned to use DNxHD support if they'd rather have the camera sooner and DNxHD support added soon after with a firmware update, or wait for longer to get the camera with that codec built in, they would go for the first option.

This stuff is complicated. They not only have to make the camera they also have to deal with third-party suppliers in enabling, testing and certifying things like these codecs. It takes time and there's every chance it will not be perfect to start with. We are lucky now, however, in that it's become the norm for some companies (Blackmagic being one of them) to continue to improve their existing products with firmware upgrades. We win in that we get more stuff for the same price, but the trade off is that sometimes we have to wait for some of it.

I too would prefer to use DNxHD, but if it meant getting the camera sooner then ProRes would be fine in the mean time - it's very comparable in quality and is easy to support in Avid without any significant issues.

This camera ticked all the boxes for me.
I was so excited about this bit of kit, now less so. I'm even thinking of asking for my deposit back.


Like I said - I'm not Blackmagic. Hopefully they'll answer in detail, and hopefully I'm wrong. But regardless that would seem like a rash move. If you've waited this long for the camera, then would it be that much harder to wait a little longer for one specific feature to be fully signed off? Especially given you'd have every other feature the camera offered in your actual hands..
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Andrew Robinson

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 1:39 pm

OK your point is well taken, maybe I was a bit quick to judge.
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Eric Santiago

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 2:02 pm

Consider yourself lucky being late in the game.
We and most pre-orders had to deal with the drama of what is working or not with the BMCC.
I myself would benefit from DNxHD (Symphony) but in this day of age, you have to be comfortable with whats available. ProRes will be welcomed since Im a Final Cut user but the one most of us are looking forward to is CinemaDNG RAW.
They didnt add Resolve in that package for nothing.
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Thomas Ko

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostSun Sep 02, 2012 3:18 pm

As Dylan mentioned, Kristian Lam of Blackmagic has addressed this is a prior thread

http://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=373
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Andrew Robinson

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Re: DnxHD native recording Dropped?

PostMon Sep 03, 2012 12:23 am

That answers my question.
Thanks

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