Serious Magic DVRack

Mark Grant · May 3rd, 2005, 02:59 PM

The Z1 also lets you crop the edges for a 4:3 display, rather than letterbox.

Cody Dulock · May 3rd, 2005, 11:33 PM

hey karl, i know this is a little off topic... but have ya'll added or can you add feature where you can capture the image flipped 180 for us homemade mini35 adapter users? or is it as easy as making a plugin for the program itself?

again, sorry for the off topic post.

Karl Soule · May 4th, 2005, 11:52 AM

I'll check with the programming team, Cody. I don't have any information on this request right now.

Andy Coughlan · May 9th, 2005, 02:51 AM

Excellent! Thanks for all your replies.

Andy

Greg Kuchta · May 17th, 2005, 09:13 PM

Pat, you're right on with your assessment of the PCMCIA card being a separate resource. This would be similar to having two 1394-PCI cards in one's pc.

Besides the increased performance of your PC, there are several other factors which all contribute to the good experience you are having with your Lacie drive and X31:
1. The 320GB drive is 7200 rpm - much faster than the drive in your X31.
2. The Lacie probably has an 8MB buffer which will smooth any "moments" when the drive is busy seeking while video data is being captured.
3. Having a capture drive separate from your system (OS & app.) drive means one can better control how busy the drive is.

I've recently seen "maximum data rates" on drives upwards of 70GB/sec. This far exceeds the data rate of 3.5MB/sec for video capture. The point being there's plenty of margin for "marketing fluff" and the reality that data rates across a drive are not constant.

Aanarav Sareen · May 20th, 2005, 09:59 PM

Hi,
I recently downloaded SM's DV Rack (the trial version) and whenever I attempt to record via the recorder, the image just freezes on the screen. Is there a fix to this particular issue or am I doing something wrong? My system specs are listed in my signature.

DV Rack also records only for 5 seconds for some reason and after that it says 'Recording Stopped'

Aanarav Sareen · May 20th, 2005, 10:12 PM

Looks like it was a corrupt install. I just reinstalled it and all is well :D

Steven Davis · May 23rd, 2005, 08:24 AM

Where did you get that laptop from?

Bennis Hahn · August 9th, 2005, 08:30 AM

I have an older laptop that is in great shape all things considered, and I have wondered about running DV Rack on it. I was looking at the requirements on the Serious Magic web site, and I meet and exceed all except for processor speed. This thing has a PIII 796 MHz and I am thinking that this will be the end of my hopes. I really just want the ability to monitor video, and could care a little less about capturing strait to the HD.

Will this thing even run DV Rack? And if so, would I see video at the full frame rate?

Mark Mapes · August 12th, 2005, 12:40 PM

You should get acceptable results for monitoring with that CPU. I'm pretty sure we tested with an 800 MHz processor back way back when and it ran okay for monitoring. Recording was another matter. I suggest that you download the free, full-function trial to see for yourself: http://www.seriousmagic.com/dvrackdemo.cfm. Monitor your CPU usage while running DV Rack--if it approaches 100%, then turn off some of the other components. The Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope will buy you the most headroom.

Incidentally, a new trial version should be available within the next week. It'll have HDV support and an option for showing both frames, which allows 1:1 pixel display in the Field Monitor. Your laptop will certainly not work with HDV, and it may choke on displaying both frames.

Gerald Ingram · August 22nd, 2005, 01:43 PM

Does this mean hi-res monitor upgrade is close behing?

Mark Mapes · August 22nd, 2005, 02:47 PM

Yep. At least that's the plan. It took some pleading to get a DV Rack update wedged into our R&D schedule, and if I find any major new bugs then we will probably defer the update because the lead developer on DV Rack has higher priorities right now. So keep your fingers crossed and send some good vibes our way and we may have the update released in the next week or two.

Bennis Hahn · August 22nd, 2005, 10:37 PM

Awsome, Thanks!

Seth Bloombaum · November 24th, 2005, 01:37 AM

Per the DV rack documentation, I should be able to get camera (Z1) TC onto the M2T that racks DVR records - but no dice. DVR seems to indicate shot duration only.

Pulling clips into Vegas and dropping timecode media fx on the clip also indicates that the clip starts at 0 tc instead of my camera preset TC that concurrently recorded tape shows...

Can't think of what I'm missing - bug? Anyone gotten this to work?

***********************
Edit:
Working fine with DV, non-functional with HDV. Anyone got camera TC on their HDV recordings on DVRack?

Ben Winter · November 24th, 2005, 01:39 PM

I've been wanting to do that for a while--and I know this isn't your direction--but this is what I did:

I own a GL2, so I set the camera to record the display overlap onto the actual tape. Then, instead of using native 16:9 recording mode, I used the title mix function to overlay the 16:9 bars--however, I shifted it downward so the two bars were together at the top. That way, the timecode, plus whatever information I desire (project title, scene title, all can be changed within Photoshop and reuploaded into the camera via laptop) can be put in the unused area. Then once I've finished editing, I simply export the film to avi, open a widescreen project, and scale it to fit the widescreen frame with the info bars cropped. Deelicious.

May 4th, 2005, 11:52 AM	#198
Karl Soule Serious Magic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 106	I'll check with the programming team, Cody. I don't have any information on this request right now. __________________ Karl Soule' Product Marketing Manager, Serious Magic Professional Products Group. ksoule@seriousmagic.com

May 20th, 2005, 09:59 PM	#201
Aanarav Sareen Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NJ, US Posts: 183	DV Rack trial and record issues Hi, I recently downloaded SM's DV Rack (the trial version) and whenever I attempt to record via the recorder, the image just freezes on the screen. Is there a fix to this particular issue or am I doing something wrong? My system specs are listed in my signature. DV Rack also records only for 5 seconds for some reason and after that it says 'Recording Stopped' __________________ http://www.sareen.tv

May 20th, 2005, 10:12 PM	#202
Aanarav Sareen Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NJ, US Posts: 183	Looks like it was a corrupt install. I just reinstalled it and all is well :D __________________ http://www.sareen.tv

May 23rd, 2005, 08:24 AM	#203
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Hey Pat Where did you get that laptop from? __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

August 9th, 2005, 08:30 AM	#204
Bennis Hahn Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 221	Enough Juice For DV Rack? I have an older laptop that is in great shape all things considered, and I have wondered about running DV Rack on it. I was looking at the requirements on the Serious Magic web site, and I meet and exceed all except for processor speed. This thing has a PIII 796 MHz and I am thinking that this will be the end of my hopes. I really just want the ability to monitor video, and could care a little less about capturing strait to the HD. Will this thing even run DV Rack? And if so, would I see video at the full frame rate?

May 3rd, 2005, 02:59 PM	#196
Mark Grant Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saskatoon, Canada (was London, UK) Posts: 138	The Z1 also lets you crop the edges for a 4:3 display, rather than letterbox.

May 3rd, 2005, 11:33 PM	#197
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	hey karl, i know this is a little off topic... but have ya'll added or can you add feature where you can capture the image flipped 180 for us homemade mini35 adapter users? or is it as easy as making a plugin for the program itself? again, sorry for the off topic post.

May 9th, 2005, 02:51 AM	#199
Andy Coughlan Tourist Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hythe, Kent, UK Posts: 3	Excellent! Thanks for all your replies. Andy

May 17th, 2005, 09:13 PM	#200
Greg Kuchta Tourist Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Fort Collins Colorado Posts: 3	Pat, you're right on with your assessment of the PCMCIA card being a separate resource. This would be similar to having two 1394-PCI cards in one's pc. Besides the increased performance of your PC, there are several other factors which all contribute to the good experience you are having with your Lacie drive and X31: 1. The 320GB drive is 7200 rpm - much faster than the drive in your X31. 2. The Lacie probably has an 8MB buffer which will smooth any "moments" when the drive is busy seeking while video data is being captured. 3. Having a capture drive separate from your system (OS & app.) drive means one can better control how busy the drive is. I've recently seen "maximum data rates" on drives upwards of 70GB/sec. This far exceeds the data rate of 3.5MB/sec for video capture. The point being there's plenty of margin for "marketing fluff" and the reality that data rates across a drive are not constant.

August 12th, 2005, 12:40 PM	#205
Mark Mapes Serious Magic Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 68	You should get acceptable results for monitoring with that CPU. I'm pretty sure we tested with an 800 MHz processor back way back when and it ran okay for monitoring. Recording was another matter. I suggest that you download the free, full-function trial to see for yourself: http://www.seriousmagic.com/dvrackdemo.cfm. Monitor your CPU usage while running DV Rack--if it approaches 100%, then turn off some of the other components. The Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope will buy you the most headroom. Incidentally, a new trial version should be available within the next week. It'll have HDV support and an option for showing both frames, which allows 1:1 pixel display in the Field Monitor. Your laptop will certainly not work with HDV, and it may choke on displaying both frames. __________________ Mark Mapes OnLocation QA Manager, Adobe Systems

August 22nd, 2005, 01:43 PM	#206
Gerald Ingram New Boot Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Monroe, Louisiana Posts: 22	Hi Rez Monitor in DV Rack Does this mean hi-res monitor upgrade is close behing?

August 22nd, 2005, 02:47 PM	#207
Mark Mapes Serious Magic Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 68	Yep. At least that's the plan. It took some pleading to get a DV Rack update wedged into our R&D schedule, and if I find any major new bugs then we will probably defer the update because the lead developer on DV Rack has higher priorities right now. So keep your fingers crossed and send some good vibes our way and we may have the update released in the next week or two. __________________ Mark Mapes OnLocation QA Manager, Adobe Systems

August 22nd, 2005, 10:37 PM	#208
Bennis Hahn Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 221	Awsome, Thanks!

November 24th, 2005, 01:37 AM	#209
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Getting camera TC onto HDVRack clips Per the DV rack documentation, I should be able to get camera (Z1) TC onto the M2T that racks DVR records - but no dice. DVR seems to indicate shot duration only. Pulling clips into Vegas and dropping timecode media fx on the clip also indicates that the clip starts at 0 tc instead of my camera preset TC that concurrently recorded tape shows... Can't think of what I'm missing - bug? Anyone gotten this to work? *********************** Edit: Working fine with DV, non-functional with HDV. Anyone got camera TC on their HDV recordings on DVRack? Last edited by Seth Bloombaum; November 25th, 2005 at 12:49 AM.

November 24th, 2005, 01:39 PM	#210
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	I've been wanting to do that for a while--and I know this isn't your direction--but this is what I did: I own a GL2, so I set the camera to record the display overlap onto the actual tape. Then, instead of using native 16:9 recording mode, I used the title mix function to overlay the 16:9 bars--however, I shifted it downward so the two bars were together at the top. That way, the timecode, plus whatever information I desire (project title, scene title, all can be changed within Photoshop and reuploaded into the camera via laptop) can be put in the unused area. Then once I've finished editing, I simply export the film to avi, open a widescreen project, and scale it to fit the widescreen frame with the info bars cropped. Deelicious. __________________ BenWinter.com