I use the DataVideo SE-500 4 input S-Video switcher. It works well and features 4 frame synchronizers for glitch free switching and color correction on each input. It is available for under $1000 and does a nice job. I output that to a Canopus analog to digital converter for firewire input to DVRack.

Ultra 2 - Mac to PC Workflow Options
 

Karl,

I'd like to buy Ultra 2 if the following workflow, well... works.

1) Record in front of greenscreen (ReflecMedia) with HVX200 using P2 cards.

2) Import footage into Mac FCP 5.0.4 (not Universal) on a G5 (using the normal HVX direct to HDD, then to G5 workflow), import into FCP, edit then export as a Quicktime H.264 movie and save it to an external HDD.

3) Remove the HDD from the Mac and attach to a Sony PC Vaio.

4) Open up Ultra 2 and work with it to do whatever you would normally do with the footage in Ultra 2 to produce the final effect with the greenscreen footage merged with the Ultra 2 backgrounds.

Would this work?

Then, if so - What are the movie exporting options? Could I export it back into a Quicktime H.264 format so I could then move the footage made on my PC back to my Mac, work with compressing the footage one last time in Sorenson Squeeze 4.3 on into a .flv format for Flash?

Or is there a better way, so the footage would not have to be compressed 3 times (twice in QT, once as an .flv)?

My ReflecMedia stuff arives on Monday and I'm trying to prepare the best I can. Thank you for being an active member of this forum.

DV Rack 30-day trial overlay "pumping"
 

Hi all!

Downloaded the 30-day trial today to just check it out during a commercial shot in a couple of days (using a XL-H1). We'll record to tape anyway but I thought that I'd check it out, and if it's as good as people say, we'll get it.

Everything seems to work ok apart from a very annoying overlay brightness "pumping" issue. If I record a file and play it back in Windows Media Player, the pumping is NOT there. If I play it back in DV Rack it's still visible. And, and that's slightly scary, the "pumping" is clearly visible on the scopes.

Also, if I scroll the interface up/down, the overlay turns black ever so often.

My laptop is a Intel P4 3Ghz HT with a Gb of ram and a 7200 rpm drive using a fairly old Radeon 9600 Mobile using the latest driver possible, which is kind of old. At least a year and a half. CPU usage never goes over 56% during capture. DXDiag for the Grapichs below.

Any suggestion?

Best regards,

Max Hagelstam

Display Devices
---------------
Card name: MOBILITY M10
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Series AGP (0x4E50)
DAC type: Internal DAC(350MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E50&SUBSYS_05001558&REV_00
Display Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Standardbildskärm
Monitor Max Res:
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6378 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/12/2003 13:00:00, 369152 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: Saknas
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
Mini VDD Date: 8/12/2003 13:00:00, 594432 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-0D10-11CF-026E-0A25A1C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x4E50
SubSys ID: 0x05001558
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D
Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
Registry: OK
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
DDraw Test Result: Not run
D3D7 Test Result: Not run
D3D8 Test Result: Not run
D3D9 Test Result: Not run

Are you absolutely the problem isn't in the recorded clip? If I'm understanding the problem, you are seeing the luma values on the waveform fluctuate slightly, creating an "oscillating" effect. I have seen this just recently, and it was caused by an oddball set of flourescent lights, and an incorrect shutter speed setting in the camera. (60Hz lighting and 1/50th sec shutter speed is a BAD IDEA.) Setting the shutter speed in the camera to match the lights corrected the problem.

If that could not be the problem, then I would get an updated video card for this system - 2003 drivers could cause a number of problems, including a flickering black screen. Updated drivers will be available from your laptop manufacturer, or from www.omegadrivers.net if your laptop manufacturer hasn't kept up to date.

A couple of DVRack Questions
 

Hi, I've been using DVrack for a little while, but not all the time. I have a couple of questions that I can't seem to figure out.

1. What is the best res. for the laptop screen? I have recently ran it with HDV coming from my Z1u at 1280 and it looked really good. There was a little delay in the video, but it looked better on the screen than at 1024. 1024 looked grainy on the screen.
(BTW I understand that it is just the monitor and doesn't effect the video being captured)

2. When recording from my Z1u, I had primary audio coming from a mixer into channel 1 and then had a shotgun for ambiant into channel 2. On the DV Rack screen, the main audio was showing up on the Right channel (which is usually Ch.2) and the shotgun was on the left channel (which is usually channel 1). I'm wondering why?

Thanks,

David

David,

I'm not sure whats going on with your audio channels, but I can address the laptop screen question.

All LCD panels whether on a laptop, desktop, or LCD television have native resolutions. This means that at that resolution the images, video, text, etc will be at its finest. This is because the laptops have a defined number of pixels that turn on and off to display the image. They are stationary and part of the panel.

Its likely your laptop's native resolution is 1280 x 1024 if you're saying the image looks good at 1280.

Once you start resizing the resolution on your laptop to anything less, i.e. 1024x768, 800x600, etc. you are basically telling it 'fake' those other resolutions by playing games with the pixels thus getting a blockier / grainier image.

I would recommend leaving it at 1280 for maximum image quality - but as you correctly state - it doesnt affect the video being captured so it doesnt really matter.

Thanks. I keep forgetting about the native resolution of LCD screens. Now if I can figure out the audio thing.

Very Good question. I'm trying to figure out the same solution, although I don't use an HVX. It is a pain working between ultra2 and FCP.

I like Serious Magic and their products, but decided that the above work flow was too long for my own taste. I'm now editing greenscreened footage using a ReflecMedia screen with a blue light ring and Mattennee. I have been happy with that process.

sorry I didn't respond earlier - I was waiting for some important data regarding DVCProHD and how we want to support it for ULTRA on the PC. I still don't have an exact answer on that, but did want to comment on the above workflow.

Since right now the DVCProHD codec is not universally readable by all editors and compositors, it typically does need to be transcoded to another format before you can bring it into ULTRA. I wouldn't recommend H.264 as an intermediary codec. We mostly see Apple Animation codec being used, but this does result in very large files that are difficult to transfer back and forth.

Keep an eye on ULTRA for the future - we are looking at ways of improving the FCP workflow for the future.

DV Rack and laptop noise (audio concern)
 

Never used DV Rack but have been reading about it for a couple years now. Just bought a DVX100b and would like to use it with this software, but am concerned about having a laptop on set and the noise it might generate.
I've spent way too much time trying to clean up audio from crappy environments to ever want to introduce more noise to a set. But, I haven't really used a laptop in years and years. So, I was wondering if people here find laptops today sufficiently quiet for field use and if y'all find any restrictions with regards to audio.
Also, are there any other recommendations for getting a quiet laptop? Such as, is a 7200 drive generally more quiet than say a 5400 drive? Really, any advice is greatly appreciated and thanks ahead of time for any insight!

Ultra 2: How do you do the tracking shots?
 

I know that I have to lock the camera down for shots that will be composited onto the virtual sets. I see that your examples show what appear to be camera pans and dollies. I assume this is done in software but I'm not sure how.

Do you have a tutorial that demonstrates this in sufficient detail so that I understand what the limitations of these methods are? This has been preventing me from making the decision to buy Ultra.

I would like to use this in our theatrical shoots. We often shoot with two cameras to get two over-the-sholder shots in one take. (We shoot a 30 page script in 6 to 8 hours twice a month.)

What would I need to do to build my own virtual sets? What if I use a 3d package such as Lightwave, build the virtual room with flat walls and then apply still photos to the walls? Do you supply details about how to build my own virtual sets?

Does Ultra require the camera to be locked off for all chroma key work or just for the virtual set work?

All your products look very intriguing. I'm sure that I will at least be buying DV Rack soon.

Rob:-]

We do have multiple tutorials on making sets available on our support site here: http://www.seriousmagic.com/help/tuts/tutorials.cfm?p=2 This should give you a good idea how most sets are created.

Right now, you can do a lot with your own sets. You can create sets with B-source monitors, foreground and background layers, and even add in certain camera motion using ULTRA's built-in Pan/Zoom tool.

Our VirtualTrak shots are a special feature of the Master Set Libraries, and cannot be replicated at this time. Right now to create these, we use a combination of 3D Studio Max and some custom tools that are in an early phase of development. We do want to release some kind of set creation toolkit, but that is at least 6-9 months away.

Excellent! Looking forward to the release.

Best,
Christopher

I'm a little curious abou this as well. I don't have DV Rack yet, nor do I have a laptop yet, but that was my plan for field recording.

I'm working a shoot right now with DV Rack (with HDV Power Pak) and a Z1U, downconverting to DV. I'm using it with an external harddrive (Seagate). Both the laptop and the external harddrive are nice and quiet, and make just about as much noise as the camera. I'm not really that versed in laptops and drive speeds, so I don't have any real recommendations -- but most of the laptops I use at work (about a year old Dell's and HP's) are real quiet. On the set, we get more noise from the boom operator's fingers moving than the laptop.

If you don't have a production monitor, DV Rack is a godsend.

DV Rack Problems
 

I just downloaded DV Rack which sounds like a brilliant solution to monitoring and quality control on location. However I can not see any video from my Z1P (or Z1U) at all on my Toshiba P30 laptop.
Anyone had experience with a similar issue

There are 3 versions of DVRack, I'm not sure what's available for preview.

For HDV you want the "HDV Powerpack" version of DVRack. Perhaps there is a preview version.

You could try just outputting DV from your Z1 and see if that works.

I've been pretty happy with the HDV version, except that it doesn't pick up camera time code in HDV (all clips begin at TC 0:00). There is some latency that makes it fine for checking shots & lighting, but not quite right as a a complete replacement for an on-set monitor, especially for action. It does do most of what I need a monitor for. I LOVE having the waveform monitor.

***edit***
BTW, check out this forum http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisp...s=&forumid=107

I moved this to the DV/HDV Rack forum.

heath

Analogue input
 

Hi

Its great that DV Rack will be supporting the HVX200 however, it leaves us JVC HD100 folk a little envious!

Now we have component output at 8bit 422 from the camera. Could we have an update to DV Rack that would allow us to capture analogue? Or even SDI I suppose, but analogue would be preferred!

Thanks

Trevor

How would you get analog video into your computer? You'll need to add an analog video capture card for that specific purpose, and why wouldn't you just use the video capture software that assumingly comes with the card?

Chris

Thanks, that's a good point well made! What can I say, it's late!

Kind regards

Trevor

Will the software allow me to run it on two different computers (for example my laptop and my desktop) with just purchasing one copy, or will I need to purchase an additional license?

Yes, the activation process allows you to activate on your desktop and laptop simultaneously.

DV Rack does support the HD 100 now. Any HDV camera can work with DV Rack, provided you have the PowerPak installed.

Delay?
 

Does anyone else notice a slight delay between the action in real life and when it appears on screen in DV Rack? I was shooting some test footage and I noticed a delay about a half second long. I figured it's just the time it takes to pass the information via firewire, but no harm in asking.

Yep there is and the hardest thing is to explain to a client looking over your shoulder that it is not going to look like that. The first time I used this in an interview setting, I had to import the clip into an editor after the first take just to make sure.

That being said, this is such a great tool in the field. The HDV workflow is really working itself out with all of these great tools. It's amazing that I walked out of the shoot with the files ready to edit.

I have also used DV rack to log shots from tape. I can pretty much digitize and rename clips in real time. Great tool!

Standard DV can have anywhere from a 1 frame to a 15 frame delay via FireWire. It's just the nature of the connection - it buffers a certain amount of data.

HDV will have a minimum delay equal to double the length of the GOP, since the Group of Pictures needs to be encoded by the camera, and then decoded by the software. So, 720p cameras have a minimum 12 frame delay, and 1080i cameras have a minimum 30 frame delay because of the long GOP.

The delay of DVCProHD and DVCPro50 should be similar to standard DV. I'll get confirmation of this soon and post a more technical answer.

Some FEATURES to consider for DVrack
 

HI Karl and everyone else who might be interested:

I wonder if SM would consider taking the meta data from the firewire data stream and displaying it during monitoring and capture. It would be IMO very very usefull to be able to see the camera settings. All this info is in the data stream but for some reaon most developers seem to ignore it.

In addition it would be very helpful to possible capture it and create an additional file that would contain the information, it could be a simple file that has the initial settings, and then creats a new record with the associated time code for reference when the values change.

I think you have a wonderful took, just hoped you might consider how bringin in and using some of the data the camcorder has stored might make it even better.

There is another point that might be worth considering.
Firewire has of course in camcorder mode the ability to re send a block of date based on an error. As I understand it, errors are corrected on playback v ia an error correction/reconstruction system. AFAIK no one is displaying this information for the user, so for instance if you are playing back a tape that has a large number of errors that are being corrected, there is no metric that shows just how much error correcting is going on, or if you are transfereing and there is a high error rate on the transfer you also do not have any indiction. Some of the camcoders will display head clogged, of the recovery gets completely out of line, but a feature similar to what ws implimented in digital audio recorders (a confidence indicator) that showed you just how much error correction was going on even in simpy corrected blocks would IMHO be very usefull.

Has anyone else seen a requirement for these types of added informational displays?

THANKS
Sharyn

Problem with DV Rack
 

Hi, I have a big problem with DV Rack and I was hoping someone on here had a solution. When I try to record either through DV Rack or my camera (DVX 100a), the monitor indicates that there is no video signal. However, if I close out DV Rack, while my camera is connected to my comp, then open it up back again, then I can see the video on my monitor and it seems to be automatically recording video. If I press record again, it stops recording. If I press record one time, then it says there is no video input. So, in other words, the only way I can get any video to appear on my monitor is to open up DV Rack while my camera is connected and not to touch the record button again, or recording will stop, never to be started again unless I close and open the DV Rack software again.

Any suggestions??

Michael,

This is very aberrant behavior. DV Rack should only start recording when you press the Record button in the DVR, or press F2 on your keyboard.

Just guessing with the information in your post, I would first look at CPU usage, and then look at the FireWire cable being used. However, I would recommend a quick call to Serious Magic technical support. They are very good at what they do, and can usually figure out the problem in a single call. 916-985-8050, ext 2.

I'm a new DV Rack/HDV PowerPak user - just bought it to work in tandem with my HD100, and I must say, it works like a charm.

There are a few features I wish it supported, though...

1) The codec isn't directly supported on Macintosh. I have to transcode to HDV QT in order to get the footage into FCP. It would be nice to lay off directly to the HDV codec.

2) Timecode - I know it's sort of redundant for directly digitized files, but it would be nice to have clips match the tape for ease of logging and sharing tapes with producers.

3) The interface is a little slow to pan around on - and I wish the objects were resizable. As it is now, I have to zip around a good bit to get to all the objects I use.

Still, overall I'm very pleased - I'm surprised at how easy it is to learn how to use, and how well it works in both HDV and DV modes on the HD-100.

DV Rack 2.0 hd Problems
 

I've just got DV Rack 2.0hd installed on my Dell Dual Core lappy (2g ram). The problems I'm having...

1/ I get live monitoring for exactly 35 seconds before it freezes. I switched Windows settings to "Adjust for Best Performance" as per the Serious Magic FAQ. No change.

2/ Using the conversion tool on my desktop I ended up with a file that played back at twice the speed (in media player and vegas). The file brought in from P2 card to internal hdd. On the laptop I get a file with no video (in wmp and vegas)

3/ The aspect ratio of the converted file on my desktop plays in its native aspect ratio in wmp rather than 1280x720. This may be unaviodable but it's a bit of nuisance. I like cineforms conversion tool (correct aspect, smaller file size, less demanding on the processor), but I don't want to shell out another $200 for no good reason.

I've read somewhere that 2g ram may be a problem, but I can't find the thread.

I've emailed Serious Magic but I'm needing a quicker response.

Any help (especially on the first 2 problems) would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

Hi Steve,

1. The live monitoring freezing after 35 seconds is the "over 1GB" RAM issue. We should have this fixed by the end of next week.

2. What recording profile did you use to record this clip? Currently, there is a known issue with 24PN and 30PN clips that we are aware of. It should've only affected the audio, however. Did the video also play back at an incorrect speed?

3. The Pixel Aspect ratio is in the AVI files. Other programs, such as Premiere Pro, will display the files in the correct aspect ratio, but for some reason, WMP is not reading the value.

1.Is this the same issue I see with my HD100 when previewing, that the monitor output lags after a while and keeps stuttering until I stop the input and let the internal buffer to play until the last frame? I have 1Gbyte RAM on my Laptop. It happens after a few minutes in 720p monitor mode.

2.Secondly is it normal that my sound devices pop-up in the devices list? When I click on it DVrack 2.0 HD locks my system until I reboot.

3.I have crashes of the DVrack 2.0 HD software when I change tapes or if I turn off my HD100 in HDV mode.

Any news on this? Does somebody else experiences the same stuff?

dvrack use for audio monitoring
 

We're using dvrack, and it's incredibly useful for framing shots, etc.

We're always contending with monitoring how much background noise we're picking up, cars passing by outside, etc.

I know it has an audio monitoring component... is the best use for that bit basically to visually tell you how much other noise you're actually picking up? If the actors aren't talking at that second, you see a bump in the volume meter, you know you picked up some other noise?

IMHO there is no substitute for monitoring your audio with headphones while shooting. Conventionally, this would be by the camera op with headphones plugged into the camcorder, or by an audio engineer who is listening to their mixer with headphones.

What DVRack does enable is:
Another place to monitor with headphones. There are options to turn the laptop audio on or off during recording, turn it on and plug the headphones in there.

Instant playback to headphones or speakers to see if your takes were good.

The audio monitoring module is more oriented to catching pops and other overdriven audio.

The visual display of the spectrum analyzer might help identify background noise that is too loud...

But, if the sound matters, there is no substitute for monitoring with headphones. Good headphones on good ears will tell the story of what's going into the recording.

That gouged and let down feeling
 

I hope I'm not coming across as a whiner but it has been a whole month since anyone from Serious Magic posted on this forum, coinciding with the Adobe acquisition announcement.

OK, so there haven't been that many new questions raised, but there are outstanding questions that haven't had any kind of response.

I have just pitched for and won a job which would have been a perfect opportunity to try out Ultra 2. While it may mean extra work, I'm going to do the chromakeying in After Effects, for two reasons:

1. because, busy with acquisitions or new releases or not, Serious Magic have a user forum here at DVi and I think they have a responsibility to be active in it and to at least acknowledge requests for help in a timely way. It seems a fair exchange for them using the forum to tell us about new product developments etc.

2. (and this is the main reason, to be honest) because the price of Ultra 2 in the UK is almost £100 ($180) greater than in the US. That, in my opinion, is a ridiculous hike and I cannot believe it is based on any shipping or tax costs. I understand that Ultra 2 does not ship with any Master Sets Libraries (in my opinion making it less attractive) so presumably a download version would be around the same size as the demo - 250Mb (smaller even, as the demo includes samples of MSL's and video clips that could be ditched). So why is there no download version?

I dunno, maybe I'm I'm being petty, but at the moment I feel let down by Serious Magic. Maybe they're bound by Adobe's rules now and aren't allowed to demonstrate a personal approach to customer care. And that, coupled with the disgraceful gouging of their international customers does mean, I'm sad to say, that they are unlikely to do any more business with me.

Ah, but that's probably the root of the issue - it's not their problem any more!

Either way, the cheery face in the Serious Magic website videos is now hacking me off. Actually, it hacked me off from day one but I'm only now prepared to admit it ;=)

That could very well be true, Ian. Some companies do not allow their employees to post on forums as representatives of the company.

Also you should bear in mind that no company has a 'responsibility' to post on the forum. It's always an act of generosity on the part of companies who choose to participate and interact directly with their end-users.

-gb-