MP4 Format Settings - Import

Sony XAVC-S supported rates and resolutions.

Metadata Settings

Tape Name box

Select an option to determine how the tape name is set when importing clips.

Select: To:

Enter Tape Name

Activate the Tape Name field where you enter the tape name. When selecting multiple files for import, this tape name is used for all imported files.

Tape Name from File Name

Use the name of the imported file as the tape name.

Tape Name from Directory

Determine the tape name from the detected directory structure. Use the Level field below to configure the relative path to the directory from which the tape name can be determined.

Tape Name from Essence

Use the tape name inferred from the directory structure of the clip.

Tape Name from Header

Read the tape name from the header of the imported file.

Level field
Set from which directory the tape name is taken, relative to the location of the clip in the directory structure.

Although available for all types of files, the Level field is intended for directory structures output by film scanners. A typical image file directory structure looks like this: ./<tape>/<resolution>/clip.######. In this case, selecting Levels Up 2 in the Level field identifies the directory that corresponds to the tape name (./<tape>). Enabled if Tape Name is set to Tape From Directory.

Tape Name field
Enter the name to use as tape name when importing the clip. Enabled if Tape Name is set to Enter Tape Name.
Timecode box
Timecode is read from the file header, when present. Not editable.
Rate box
Select Auto to use the frame rate specified by the clip; with no rate specified, the application assigns a rate from the Default Resolutions table, or the project's rate if there is no match in the table. Use Select Rate to set the frame rate using the Frame Rate box.

The Default Resolutions table uses a frame's height and width to assign it an aspect ratio, a scan mode, and a frame rate. You can find the Default Resolutions table in MediaHub > Browse for Archives > Default Resolutions. It is also used when restoring legacy archives.

Frame Rate box
Select the frame rate of the imported clip. Enabled if the Rate box is set to Select Rate.
Drop Frame button
Enable to have use a drop frame mode. Disable to use non-drop frame mode. Only applies to clips running at 29.97 and 59.94 frame rates. Enabled if the Rate box is set to Select Rate.

Clip Settings

Clip Name box

Select how the clip is named when the file is imported.

Select: To:

Enter Clip Name

Activate the Clip Name field so that you can manually enter the clip name. When selecting multiple files for import, this name is used for all imported files.

Clip Name from File Name

Use the name of the imported file as the clip name.

Clip Name from Header

Read the clip name from the header of the imported file.

Clip Name field
Enter the name to use when importing the clip. Enabled if Name is set to Enter Clip Name.

Image Settings

Aspect Ratio box
Select the aspect ratio assigned to imported clips. Enter Pixel and Enter Aspect affect pixel and frame a pixel and frame aspect ratios respectively. You might need to change the aspect ratio as many applications erroneously write to exported files a pixel aspect ratio of 1 (a square pixel), even for formats that have non-square pixels (NTSC, PAL).

Viewing the clip in the Player with the specified aspect ratio requires you to enable, in the Player, Options > Show Viewing Settings > Use Ratio. The Previewer in the MediaHub always displays clips using the specified aspect ratio.

Note that the application internally uses a frame ratio, not a pixel ratio. To specify a pixel ratio, you must select Enter Pixel Aspect Ratio; Aspect Ratio from Resolution and Aspect Ratio from Header are interpreted as frame ratios.

Aspect Ratio field
Enter the aspect ratio of the imported frames, as a Width:Height ratio. Enabled when the Aspect Ratio box is set to Enter Aspect Ratio or Square Pixels.
YUV Decoding box
Select the YUV colour space used by the clip to import. Because Flame works in the RGB colour space, it needs to translate YUV information into RGB. This setting ensures that the right decoder is used for this. The Auto setting selects the colour decoder based on the resolution of the clip: Rec. 601 for clips with a resolution lower than 720 lines, Rec. 709 for everything else. Specifying the wrong colour space results in colours that are off.

Per Recommendation BT. 2020, UHD media should use the Rec. 2020 colour space. But this is rarely the case at the moment: UHD clips use Rec. 709. The Rec. 2020 option is there is case you come upon a correctly encoded UHD clip.

Include YUV Headroom button
Enable Include YUV Headroom when importing content that has Full Range video levels. Content with Full Range includes original media from cameras, such as:
  • Sony S-Log
  • ARRI Log-C
  • Canon Log
  • Panasonic Varicam Log

Include YUV Headroom should also be enabled when importing from grading systems content that has not been legalized. Disable this setting when importing content with legal video levels, like masters or final grade media.

Note: This setting has no impact on media that is not YUV.