Help with tech requirements
 

I have to get a commercial transferred from my miniDV master onto BETA SP so it can be sent in to the network. I've never done this before ;)

There are a couple places around here who I think can do the transfer for me, but the network has given me a list of tech. requirements, and I want to make sure my miniDV master meets as many of these as possible, and I'm not sure which I have to do, and which are done when the transfer is done. Here's the list (my comments in parens):

1) Tape Format: BETA SP

2) Auto- Channel 1 & 2 mono composite mix (do they mean audio? I suspect they want a mono audio mix because lots of TVs only have 1 speaker)

3) SMTPE- Drop frame time code recorded on address track with first video and audio at TC # 01:00:00:00 (do I do this with Vegas 4? Or is this done when we make the BETA SP copy ?)

4) Maximum white level gain-100IRE

5) Black Pedestal- 7.5 IRE

6) Head Format
:60 SMTPE Color Bars w/ 1 Khz Tone
:10 Slate
:10 Color Black

What do they mean by Slate ? The color bars and black headers are things I can add with Vegas, I think.

Thanks!
[bac]

Bruce,

Slate is the title of your project. Usually the name of the advertiser with a subject. Not a bad place to toss in your logo/contact info too! Most are just simple white text on black background.

Everything but the timecode start point makes sense. Having the video and audio start at one hour sounds like a load of BS to me. The rest is easy although you will have to be careful.

What looks to be missing is the level requirement for Tone although one can assume tone is at 0 dB in analog.

Hopefully the folks who transfer your work will know how to manage the timecode.

The timecode start point at 1 hour makes sense to me. With bars and tone, slate, and black you program will have to start at 00:01:20;00 or later since you can't have negative timecode. Starting at one hour is better since one hour is one hour whether you're using drop-frame timecode or non-drop frame. If you accidentally get non-drop frame timecode onto your master then your segment will start a few frames off when not starting at 1 hour.

Does that make sense?

Wow, now I'm confused.

Does the actual commercial start at 1:00:00:00, and the bars/slate/black go before that? Or is that the timestamp for the start of the color bars.

The bars/slate/black values are in seconds, not minutes, right?

Also

If I use the 'conservative' broadcast filter in Vegas 4 with the 7.5 IRE flag checked, will that satisfy the black/white requirements?

Thanks all !

Having worked in broadcast for a year or so and having produced programs for broadcast for 15 years, the requirements are customary. TC can start at any time from 00:00:00;00 to 23:59:59;29. There is no negative TC. Stations like the program (commercial) to start at exactly 01:00:00;00 so that the TC indicates TRT (Total Run Time).

The times for black, slate etc are in seconds, not minutes. Start the TC at 00:58:40;00 and add 60 seconds of bars and tone (00:59:40;00) then 10 seconds of slate (00:59:50;00) cut to black for 10 seconds and start the program at 01:00:00;00.

The slate should include name of commercial, client name, date, producers name, company that produced the commercial, and TRT.

I understand the requirement but I've yet to see anyone that runs tape as-received. It is almost always spun off to disk or a master tape from which it is played. That's whey the requirement that the timecode start at 1 hour, not 1 minute is strange. Or any precise start point.

It's just for uniformity, it's easier on the tech if all submissions are set up the same. Every station I've ever worked with (except small, local cable outfits) wants their tapes set up in a similar manner. If the tape starts at one minute, the TC will not give a correct TRT for the program.

Thanks everyone, I think I have it all down.

See y'all on the Outdoor channel !