Quote Originally Posted by M Most View Post
The files that are usually needed are Avid MXF files (usually 1920x1080, DNxHD36), as the vast majority of TV shows are cut on Avid.
All the ones I've done lately have been either full-res DPX files or Avid DNxHD220x, which is great for 10-bit deliveries for TV. I've done some indie projects for DVD and Blu-ray release at the same res, and those have worked out fine.

Those who are interested in learning about the different Avid codecs can read this white paper:

http://www.avid.com/static/resources...ents/dnxhd.pdf

To me, DNxHD220x is essentially identical to Apple ProRes 444 HQ. All the major networks I know of have blessed these formats for post, but it's a good idea to check first to make sure the workflow agrees with what the network or channel wants.

If push came to shove, I would always prefer color-timing from a 2K 444 DPX file, and once the color-correction decisions are finalized, load in the 4K uncompressed files for the final render out. I don't see a need to monitor 4K 100% of the time, because of the huge performance hit you get on most color-correction systems. No doubt this will change over time, and eventually you'll be able to handle dual streams of 4K 3D with 20 layers without a hiccup. But not today.


Quote Originally Posted by M Most View Post
Incidentally, this is much worse within the industry than it is in the consumer world. You've got colorists working on proper calibrated monitoring in proper environments, but you've got DP's and directors looking at dailies on everything from laptop computers in bright sunlight, to iPads, to video village monitors, to tiny CRT's in the camera truck, to home TV's that are set up to who-knows-what. And you've got studio execs looking at digital dailies that have been compressed beyond recognition and are playing in postage stamp sized windows on a computer screen and blown up to full screen size. The whole thing would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous.
This is very sad, and very true. I continue to be flummoxed by directors and producers who are trying to make creative decisions about lighting and color based on what they see on iPhones and iPads, or even Apple computer displays. An editor/friend of mine (who should know better) was recently trying to tweak a picture in Final Cut Pro, and I asked him, "have you set the display gamma correctly?" He had that deer-in-the-headlights look. Not good.