Source for BD's

[srfscenar]

Hi all,

Its a general question to see how top studios work.

I would like to know what is the source you get
in order to encode to a file for BD.
Is it a HDCAM SR, some kind of a digital file (which one?)
or something else?

If its HDCAM SR, to which format/codec do you capture it prior encoding?

Is Apple Prores acceptable in top studios for top titles?

Thanks!

[mp3dom]

The majority of the master are on HDCAM-SR. You can receive a copy of the HDCAM-SR or you can ask for a specific file. If you receive an HDCAM-SR you can capture it directly in ProRes HQ (if you're using Mac) or (the ones I prefer) uncompressed AVI 10bit 4:2:2.
Top Hollywood production can also use ProRes 4:4:4:4, HDCAM-SR HQ or DPX.

[rik1138]

The studios don't use ProRes HQ, as it's still lossy (for the feature, at least. Maybe for bonus content though). NEVER use a lossy codec from an HDCAM-SR (and don't suggest that you'd use it to a studio... If they ever ask what codec you use/want, you always state 'uncompressed'.)
If capturing on a Mac, you simply use 'None' or 'Uncompressed' for the codec. Since you are going to compress it already for Blu-ray, you don't want to add any extra layers of compression, regardless of how good they may be.

We either get:
HDCAM-SR (which is then captured uncompressed. When you look at Movie Inspector in Quicktime, it just shows 'None, 1920x1080, Millions+' for the format, or depending on the hardware, some other uncompressed format. We usually use an AJA system for capturing the main feature, so it would be AJA's Kona V210 10-bit uncompressed codec. AJA is the hardware used to capture the HDCAM). All 12 audio tracks (or as many as are actually used) are captured as at least 24-bit, 48k PCM tracks into the same file.

D-5 (very occasionally) (but that's pretty much an unused format these days), captured the same was as HDCAM-SR

Or an uncompressed Quicktime (or AVI) on a hard drive.

For an entire feature-length movie, or TV series, we've always received tape (HDCAM-SR usually, and pretty much exclusively in the last 5 or 6 years). VAM/Bonus materials are more frequently showing up either on hard drives, or something we have to download directly from the studio.

[srfscenar]

Thank you very much both!

Exactly the info I needed!