Greetings from SE Virginia
 

Greetings everyone. Here's my background.

Join me in the dark ages. It's a little over 25 years ago (March 1986) and I have walked into my first television job. I've been hired as the station announcer and production assistant. I quickly figured out how to knock out my VO work so I could spend time back in production. Exciting linear editing on a Sony 5850 pack! Anyone remember these? An RM-440 controller, a 5800 playback and 5850 record deck? Ah, the joys of cuts-only ¾" editing. Mediocre graphics. Two TBC's in the entire building. When master control's TBC failed, they would take ours and we would out of operation until they returned it. Our camera? A JVC KY-2000 three tube unit - with old tubes. We did eventually, in 1989, move to ¾"SP decks and A/B roll editing with a Sony 900 controller. I would not ever want to go back to linear editing, but the 900 was fun to learn how to drive. It was a fun challenge to make it really sing and dance. By this time, I had just been promoted to the production manager at the station. Great on-the-job training!

Over the years, we worked with stuff like the Newtek Video Toaster (starting with version 1) all the way through the Flyer, our first NLE. We transitioned to DVCPro, replaced the Newtek gear with a Pinnacle Alladin, and made another NLE move to the Panasonic Postbox.

Now finally in 2004, we transitioned to Avid Media Composer, and now shoot P2.

I started home video in 1985 with Betamax cameras, VHS cameras and portable decks, generally borrowed or rented. My first camera I owned was a Sony 8mm (1988). Like almost everyone I eventually transitioned to miniDV, which I actually still have and use.

At home and at the church, we shoot SD on miniDV and edit in Adobe CS4. The church will transition this year to P2 and CS5.5. I'll stay miniDV and CS4 at home. That is all I will need for my personal projects.

And there's the short version!