steve, how is it going?

Hi Obin
 

I sent a detailed explanation with camera requirements to a Sumix engineer, I also sent him a link to this discussion to get a grip on people's needs :)
I reckon the guys have started the development. According to them, they need at least 3 month to come up with a prototype.
As soon as I get any news, I'll post here.

To Wayne
 

My pleasure :)

steve...got a lead on a GREAT single CMOS chipcam!

http://www.siliconimaging.com/Sample...0DO%20lens.jpg

check that out! that is sinlge chip CMOS...I am going to buy that system, 60fps 30fps and 24fps and 48fps...that chip is lightyears ahead of the quality you can get from the IBIS5 chip!

it is 1/2inch..a bummer but better then 1/3inch and I think I may just build a mini35 for it and use standard Canon 35mm lenses

ohhhhh...look at this!

3mp image

http://www.siliconimaging.com/Samples/3170%20Flash.jpg

I am not sure if it can do 24fps or not

Hi
 

Hey Obin,
I saw siliconimaging on the web; they've got pretty nice stuff to offer. I am not sure about their current prices, but a year ago I had to back up for the money considerations.
I just got back from Taipei, - bought a PCI USB 2 card for a web cam that has 1.3 MP CMOS on it, - not sure whether or not it does 30 fps at full resolution, but it definetely outputs this many at 640 X 480.
here it is. I paid about 65 US$ for it :)
http://asiamajor.com.tw

Definitely impressive, they definetly seem to dliver some interesting products. I imagine that Sumix can do the same, just to keep up with the market, but at the quality that we need. That lens picture, is that taken with the camera, the colours look a little over satuated (but simular to what film normally does in post), dark areas squashed, and latitude seems down a bit.

Steve, the cam does look interesting, show us what you get. It is cheaper, but I imagine you really are getting what you pay for, the better filter and better chips of that resolution would cost a fair bit more.

About the filter (for a possible single chip model). Would a complementary like scheeme let in more light than a primary filter scheeme?

I went through my archive night before last, and spent last night writing a few things up that might help. If anybody knows of more suitable products let us know:

I don't want to side track the issue too much, but I think we should also consider storage issues. If we do 5:1 filming (or worse 30:1) we have to store it somehow. Thats around 239GB per hour, so we are talking about $100 * 5, or even 30, of hardisks to backup, at the moment (looseless compression, divide by 3 or so). Even blueray disks are going to be a pain to back up a production. So the cheapest backup will most likely still be a tape mechanism, does anybody know of a cheap one? Does anybody know of any more techs? The backup technologies they use for computer servers might be a good place to look for cheap technology.


Storage:

Holographic Disk
http://www.eetimes.com/at/news/OEG20020328S0018
Nab 02 announcement "At NAB, we will introduce the industry to the kind
of low-cost, long-life, high-capacity, ultra-reliable removable medium for which they've been waiting years."

I think Nipon, Nikon, or NTT, developed holographic film, around a
simular time, I had a New Scientist with it in.

A 100GB disk based on exisiting CD technology (In research, and I don't
know if there will be a recordable version (the Chineese should use
this for there new DVD standard).
http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/OEG20020524S0063

An old article at this address:
www.3dhardware.net/features/dvdead

Is no longer there (1998-1999), but mentioned a 3D storage technology on the brink of comercialisation. FMD-ROM bt C3D (Constellation 3D)
with 10 layers and 140GB (also write once). They actual had a small clear card tech as well. I think there was a number of other such techs, one of these are part owned by Bill G (he is a busy boy in the background), but I lack the docs on them Most of the other stuff I have is just a HD/Flash replacements.

Problem with most of these sorts of things is that somebody announces them, and they will be avialble in a year or two's time (maybe), and dissapear (politics or failure) or turn up several years latter.

Mainboards and small computers:
If you go to www.via.com.tw and look around at their ITX motherboards, if you look at appliances using their mainboards, there are a number of small book computers etc. These are the lowest powered desktop mass market mainboards available (also portbale use). There are smaller mainboards but these are ussually specialist devices for the engineering sector (controllers) and cost 4 to 10 times more.

Very Small computers and mainboards
http://www.saintsong.com.tw/

http://www.norhtec.com/products/index.html
Specialist audio manufacturer, with small computers (for those interested in the audio side). The guy is an audio engineer. They seem to have dropped allt he audio stuff from their site.

Or any suitable cube case.

A throw in:

www.zfmicro.com

Battery:

I wantted to use a fuel cell battery (6* battery life), but it looks like they are still too far behiind to fit in a 51/4inch drive bay (pluss, something goes wrong you get soaked in ethanol and burn seriously, or you can sufficate from oxygen depletion in confined places).

Compression codecs:

Loosless compression and one wavelet. The site has audio, capture, and editing software (but I have not checked to see if any of it is non consumer grade multimedia).

http://www.divx-digest.com/software/index2.html#codecs

http://www.divx-digest.com/software/index3.html#encoding_conv

http://www.alparysoft.com/prod/compression/index.php

Supposed to have good compression (2:1-6:1, I think):

http://www.alparysoft.com/prod/compression/compress-compare.php

The fastest loss-less compresion (38 mbytes a second on a 416Mhz Celeron, HD at 850Mhz+??):
http://www.avisynth.org/index.php?page=HuffYUV


Others:

Mlllki Super Compressor (file compressor, very good):
http://www.miliki.net/index.html
http://www.bytesector.com/data/bs-article.asp?ID=147&ct=Latest%20Resources
Check out the benchmark results.

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/site/techsupport.htm

http://www.mindbend.ro/Product_MindVid.htm

http://www.bitjazz.com/

A heap of looseless compression stuff, and HD be aware that visually lossless comrpession will reduce image quality needed for some advanced forms of image processing, like upscaling:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/howto/articles/capturingforhd.aspx

http://www.codec-download.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=12

http://www.wordtally.com/codec.htm

Jpeg2000 (Wavelet):

http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20010511S0029

http://www.alparysoft.com/prod/jpeg2000.php

Wavelet:
http://rududu.ifrance.com/rududu/

Audio loosless codec comparison:

http://members.home.nl/w.speek/comparison.htm

Well I have information on diffusers in my records that might be usefull for the lense adaptors (I had done research on veiwing screens a while back).

awesome stuff wayne....what form of compression is workable with editing systems I think is the BIG question..for now I will be happy with the setup I am building because we do ALOT of very shortform work 900frames to be exact..so storage will be less of an issue then someone doing feature work

I will buy!!!!!
 

I'm definitely interested in this, and will definitely buy.

This is great!

Here's the specs I'd want.



MOST WANTED:



3 chips, each 2/3" CMOS with true 16:9 imaging capability on the chip so we don't need anamorphic lenses.

I'd like the lowest compression (uncompressed if possible) that allows a true 24p, and the ability to overcrank.

I don't care much for undercranking, so I don't mind leaving that out.

I'd prefer a mount that allows me to use 35 mm SLR lenses.

I would VERY MUCH PREFER an on-camera viewing system of some kind, for it would make production much more convenient. Just a small screen or eyepiece for frame reference is all I need.

Minimum of 4:2:2 color separation

Minimum bit rate of 100 Mbs




HOPEFUL ADDITIONS (NOT AS IMPORTANT):



2 video signal outputs? One for uncompressed signal and one for compression recording ability straight to a laptop? (If only one I guess I'd go for the least compression that went to a laptop)

Have you guys considered recording straight to an attachable Hard Drive?

Some form of sound recording, even if it is poor, just so there will be some reference to sync sound with.

For storage, I would need some software that could record to a computer/hard drive. Someone mentioned that Boxx technologies makes something that can record a nearly compressionless data stream. If they do, that's my vote.



ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT, I WILL BUY THIS CAMERA!!!

This is great!

Here's the specs I'd want.



MOST WANTED:



3 chips, each 2/3" CMOS with true 16:9 imaging capability on the chip so we don't need anamorphic lenses.

I'd like the lowest compression (uncompressed if possible) that allows a true 24p, and the ability to overcrank.

I don't care much for undercranking, so I don't mind leaving that out.

I'd prefer a mount that allows me to use 35 mm SLR lenses.

I would VERY MUCH PREFER an on-camera viewing system of some kind, for it would make production much more convenient. Just a small screen or eyepiece for frame reference is all I need.

Minimum of 4:2:2 color separation

Minimum bit rate of 100 Mbs




HOPEFUL ADDITIONS (NOT AS IMPORTANT):



2 video signal outputs? One for uncompressed signal and one for compression recording ability straight to a laptop? (If only one I guess I'd go for the least compression that went to a laptop)

Some form of on-board recording mechanism? I prefer a camera that has both a non-comprssion output and an on-board recording mechanism of some kind, even if the onboard is compressed and has a lower bit rate. For on-board, 100 Mbs 4:2:2 would be fine. Have you guys considered recording straight to an attachable Hard Drive?

Some form of sound recording, even if it is poor, just so there will be some reference to sync sound with.



ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT, I WILL BUY THIS CAMERA!!!

Well I was just looking through some of the Slicon Imaging pages, and think that the their sensors (like 12bit 3.2Mp) defintely are worth looking at for the camera (but we have to find out real life perfoamcne characteristis first, the fooage I've seen doesn't do anything for me yet, but great for a consuemr grade camera, hint, hint).

BUT LOOK AT THIS:
(Visually Loosless compression warning again, that is simular to what Mpeg and MP3 claim(chuck away the bits your not going to miss, but you do, especially when you have to process it, previouse post):

http://www.siliconimaging.com/SPIHT.htm#Lossless.

I must say beautifal, I have been waiting for wavelet to get this good for a while, I definitely can even see the difference, but with compression like this we can afford to 8Mp at low comrpession ratios (less than 20:1, only a stabb in the dark here).

Had a look at some of the specifications of the cameras, 2 lux at F1, 66db Dynamic Range, 67.7db SNR 4* gain for the 3.2Mp camera (that's just the ones I can read for the moment), not the best figures (the F! lesne would cost a bit), I expect a bit of niose with gain. I haven't looked properlly, but I think the chips closer to HD have much better figures. The Smal hi-res sensor had 120db Dynamic range, and just fantastic for difficult lighting situations. Now if Foveon could do an X3 chip with the performance of the Smal sensor, and the speed of the Silicon Imaging sensor, we would be set. By the way, who manufactures the sensors for them. Well I'll have to look at the rest of them after I get some rest.

They also talk about a number of interfaces we could consider using (industry standard low cost camera link, usb2.0, ehternet, ad probaly Firewaire somewhere in there). They also calim 150MB/s sustained serial ATA?? (which I, and others here, would think was impossible, maybe there is a special mutihead/platter drive that can do it).

Now the question on what codec to use with editors, if it's free and good editor I like it. Now some of the lossless codecs list support for editors. I think if you look at the microsoft mediaplayer hd link in the last post you will get some info. I think the Black Magic might be one, and the alparysoft is another. The comrpession routine above might also be good, if it can be true looseless at 3+:1. We can choose the level of compression we use.

( http://www.blackmagic-design.com/site/techsupport.htm )
( http://www.alparysoft.com/prod/compression/index.php )
( http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/howto/articles/capturingforhd.aspx )

Now I must retire for a while, spending this many hours on stuff like this is not fun. So guys feel free to discuss these things and decide.

By the way, definetly a 4:4:4 mode for keying special effects (like sci-fi).

Thanks

Wayne.

To Wayne
 

Wayne, thank you for your time and support. I just got the camera yesterday, I'm going to install USB 2 PCI card now to check out the quality of monochrome output. I'll upload sample frames to my site with a reference here.

kinetta
 

Hi everyone -

I think we are the future of image acquisition! The new modular camera will allow us the lenses of our choice, the chips of our choice (CCD, CMOS), raw capture, and eventual output to the codec of our choice.

All this with repair and upgrade similar to a PC.

This is a link to what that camera will look like: http://www.kinetta.com/home.php.

That HD SDI would probably be very expensive, as apart from the cost of the HDSDI board for the mini computer (which may not have a free PCI slot) all the equipment using HDSDI will be very very expensive.

Those interfaces suggested on the Silicon Imaging site are probably the way to go (I don't think that HDSDI can keep up, I think it might be limited to match the speed of compressed HD, and wont do raw images, there is a more expensive technology that does that).

I have had a look at that camcorderinfo site, and it looks like that is the suggestion of virtually one or two people (not a terribly great interest there). Can we list out links to the recommended pc hardware,capture, editing software and the costs, I supposed there is room for people to choose Boxx, but I need something cheaper and smaller, preferably 4:4:4 and lossless (not near lossless, the price difference will not be too much, except for the extra HD space).

Here is a minature handheld PC gaming system (with embedded Windows XP) example runing at around 500Mhz. Via can go as high as 1.2Ghz in a design like this (higher in the future), anybody fancy a HD handheld ;):

http://www.ministrymobile.com/MoMAweb-technology.html

By the way there is another thread that has started looking at a film camera adaption, a home made camera thread, and the Jaun thread, they have links to many designs and sensors.

Now somebody mentioned getting a camera and trialing it, how is that going?

Wayne, if you have better suggestions that give us compressionless HD video for cheaper, by all means do what you need to to make them a reality for us. Most of what I know of this techno-subject (creating a cam from scratch), I have learned from here in the last few days.

Look at the previouse posts and links, do research, discuss the options with everybody and decide. Sumix wants opinions and suggestions, otherwise they will do what they think might be best, and it might not turn out exactly how we like. We have laid down options (and there needs to be further research and discussion) for the calcualtions on processing power, costs, and hardware needs to be made, and options selected. There are likely upto 4 times more chioces than those mentioned, and some of them are going to be as much as 100% better. www.google.com is a good starting place, and picking up more technical terms along the way. All this stuff has to be done, preplanning helps, when you get that baby it will want the right setup ready to be attached to it, otherwise things can get painfull. Well it's 4:37am.

Does anybody know about this new Final Cut Pro HD? It claims 10 bit 4:2:2 uncompressed 1080p at 90-160 MBps via PCI transport . . . and from SOFTWARE alone (No additional hardware)?

I'm not sure I buy this. I will say that if it does what it claims, it would limit the 4:4:4 idea, but sure gives us enough for Hollywood level acquisition.

Somebody tell me what I'm missing here:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

you have to have pcix and a P4 2.8ghz atleast for full on HD capture..no handheld will do

It was abit of a joke ;) You should be able to capture HD on much less than a 2.8, there is 2Ghz version of the via technology to come out.

Here is the new "2GHZ and above" VIA processor, based on.o9micron IBM tech. At the moment it mentions the 1Ghz version. I have only scanned it, but they make it sound like a Athlon/P4 killer, of course well see how it goes, ohh yes, and I think I have just found my new MB with something like this (but when the 2 Ghz version).

http://www.via.com.tw/en/Digital%20Library/PR040518EPF.jsp

We must remember that while present computer tech might not be ideal, it might be by the end of the year, or this time next year.

Thank you for the link, Wayne

what is goin gto change computer tech by the end of the year?

Moores law, power doubles every 18 months. The VIA chip is a little behind, I don't have their release date map, but I am hoping the 2GHz version might be here by the end of the year ;), and hopefully definitely by a years time.

That's an embedded naked chip not for general purpose use. Or is that what you are wanting?

The core tech should also be available in their standard processor line, and integrated Eden itx form factor MB/s. So it should be available to all soon enough.

Hey Obin,

When you posted:

"you have to have pcix and a P4 2.8ghz atleast for full on HD capture..no handheld will do"


. . . was that a response to my Final Cut Pro idea? Please excuse that I'm not sure pcix means. P4 I assume is Pentium 4. If this was a response to the FCP idea, please be more specific. (I'm assuming that FCP would be okay for straight shooting with little fx work, just maybe some re-contrast for darker shaddows if needed and color timing.

Signed,

The Relative Layman

Yes, I am interested too, it also sounds like a reply to my handheld computer come palm corder jest.

PCI comes in a number of high speed versions aswell as the common 32bit 32Mhz version (132MB/s data rate). There is PCI 66Mhz (264Mb/s), PCI 64 bit 66Mhz (512MB/s), one other I can't remember (apart from the embedded formfactor versions, and the PC-Card hybrid version), at arround 1GB/s I think, and PCI Express, Intels new Serial bus that is coming to more and more motherboards soon (I forget the top end speed of latter vesion but more tha enough to handle Ultra HD (32+million pixel screens).

I have picked up Linux Format April issue (No:52), with a section on video progams for Linux, whch I will hopefully be reading over the next couple of days. It should be just ready to go off your shelves in the States. www.sourceforge.com is also a good place to search for these freeware editors. I have also relocated some of the cheap coprocessing tech that I mentioned (took another 20-40 hours).

If there is a good freeware editor for Linux, there maybe a free Windows version, and these people might possibly get interested in supporting custom formats for new alternative HD cameras, like we are hoping for. Free capture and edting software could save some of us $1K-2K.

The advantages of a true, completely, loosless codec, is that it is easiest to add editing support for, as all decompressed footage can be edited raw, and recomrpessed, as many times as you like without generational degregaion.

Now that wavelet editor that Silicon Imaging is supporting on it' s site, apparently supports true loosless compression (though I am not completely clear on this yet). They are trying to get it to be some sort of standard, and the lossy comrpession it supports is quiet good. So it appraently will do Lossless, and good lossy in one package, so we could get the best of both worlds.

http://www.siliconimaging.com/SPIHT.htm#Lossless.

About loosless, I also include key framed losssles in my support, as long as it allows us to edit reproduced raw proficently.

<<<-- Originally posted by Wayne Morellini :
If there is a good freeware editor for Linux, -->>>

There is a free/open-source editor called Cinelerra for Linux.

I believe it supports 10-bit video using an uncompressed QuickTime file format. It also supports multi-channel audio (surround sound).

http://www.heroinewarrior.com/index.php3

http://cvs.cinelerra.org/

<<<-- The advantages of a true, completely, loosless codec, -->>>

HuffYUV yields about 2:1 compression in my experience, but it's not wavelet-based. I believe it is limited to 4:2:2 8-bit; however, since the source code is available it may be possible to develop a 10-bit and/or 4:4:4 version.

http://www.avisynth.org/index.php?page=HuffYUV

http://neuron2.net/www.math.berkeley.edu/benrg/huffyuv.html

i think all we need is an app like after effects / combustion / digitalfusion for COLOR work and then we can just output to SD at 4:2:2 or whatever and do our editing on a SD based system like FCP or Premiere pro or AVID...no need in my mind to edit HD 4:4:4 at all UNLESS it is for FILM work...I don't work with film I work with VIDEO and all I want is a way out of dv dvcpro and compressed HD for color and greenscreen work..after that give me 4:2:2 SD allday long ;)

Yeah, there it is pn page 53 (it also mentions Broadcast2000). The others mentioned , from my scan are:

Cinlera is reccomended as having "..power functions to take your videos to the next level.".

Unfortunately they don't give links to them all:

Kino "to start" with

Avidernux "quick modifications"

Main actor "for ... ease-of-use":
www.mainconcept.com

It will take time to research them though, anybody want to do it, I'm researching a couple of othr issues at the moment?

Anout the SD, I think we are all intrested in film/HD work here. But I have a recommendation, I have heard of a hidden secret port on the JVC GY-500/5000. I don't remember wherever it was supposed to give uncomrpessed video off the head or just 4:2:2 or 4:4:4?? video, but it does deliver superior video. I suggest the Juan Pana DVX100 project though.

Thanks

Wayne.

<<<-- Originally posted by Wayne Morellini : Kino "to start" with -->>>

As I recall, Kino is DV-only. I haven't tried using it.

http://kino.schirmacher.de/

Here's some detail on the capabilities of Cinelerra:

http://www.lmahd.com/cinelerra.html

You might take it with a grain of salt, since it's from a company that bundles the software with high-performance Linux software.

Well, I have gone to the site and found links to most of the other editors (nice of them) and this Nab Tribute:

http://enews.primediabusiness.com/enews/videosystems/bob_turners_the_cut/current#cinelerra

Yes, HD NLE, HDTV 6 channel sound, and true 24p (plus render farm etc etc), AND IT'S SO SMALL, AROUND 11 mb. Maybe these people would like to make a seperate capture backend for the Sumix camera :) with some pro colour/lighting effects for Windows and Linux (have to read this thing). But alas, no present Windows version :(. Maybe we can put together 20 of those VIA nano-itx 1GHZ MB, for a portable render farm with simular power consumption as our present systems ;) .

From the site:
------------------------------
"There are two types of moviegoers: producers who create new content, going back over their content at future points for further refinement, and consumers who want to acquire the content and watch it. Cinelerra is not intended for consumers. Cinelerra has many features for uncompressed content, high resolution processing, and compositing, with very few shortcuts. Producers need these features because of the need to retouch many generations of footage with alterations to the format, which makes Cinelerra very complex. There are many more standard tools for consumers like MainActor, Kino, or Moxy, which you should consider before using Cinelerra."
--------------------------

http://www.virtualdub.org/

Mainconcept has a DVCpro codec, and the MainConcept MPEG Pro plugin for Premier PRO will allow editing of HD10 footage. Present version of maainactor does not mention HD on it's page either.

<<<-- Originally posted by Wayne http://www.virtualdub.org/ -->>>

VirtualDub is an excellent video/audio processing utility, good for things like filtering, deinterlacing, smoothing, re-compressing, etc.

I use it to smooth/deinterlace video from my cheap DV camcorder to remove interlacing artifacts. There are some excellent plugins, including several "smart" deinterlacers that do a good job of detecting motion -- not just blurring two fields together (or removing one field entirely).

It can also remove 3:2 pulldown and convert between frame rates.

It is not a full NLE, however, and does not have color-correction features. It's also limited to 8-bit video (per channel).

----------------

You also might check out Jahshaka ...
http://www.jahshaka.com/

It's still under heavy development, but appears to be similar to After Effects. I don't know if it will support 10-bit video and/or color correction.

Supposedly, future plans include NLE features.

Understood, it was just an interesting editing (processing) technology.

<<<-- Originally posted by Wayne Morellini : Understood, it was just an interesting editing (processing) technology. -->>>

Yeah, VirtualDub is a terrific piece of software! I can't recommend it highly enough. There are also a couple of alternate versions (such as VirtualDubMod) that support things like Ogg and Matroska "container" formats and MPEG encoding.

Apologies if I came across as a know-it-all. I've been learning about this stuff for a few years and haven't been involved in many forums. I'm going to shut up now. :-)

No your fine, have a look at all the stuff I've put in here, unless sombody else does it, I may lend up doing it.

Keep researching and talking.

Thanks

Wayne.

As a side note, since someone mentioned editing and end product in SD, I say I'm tired of SD. There's only so far I can go with it as a filmmaker. It's one thing if I wanted to do TV or straight to rental or what not, but I DON'T. The only reason I do any of that is for money. I want to make major theatrical releases man, high concept story-telling, the biggest of the big. So for my 2 cents, I say let's try to achieve that here and then downscale if we feel like it. If I want SD, I can walk one room over into my office.

By the way, one of my concerns in a system for capturing is dependability and user-friendliness. Wouldn't it be risky to put a system together that the programing-unsavvy might have trouble with? I've spent YEARS working on a system that crashes ALL THE TIME and don't intend to get caught up in that again.

By the way, again, if someone could check out the possiblities of that Final Cut Pro HD on a standard Mac G5 and let me know what they think, that would be awesome.

Thanks

Yes, this is why I am putting such time into prompting people to think about working out a system, because one thing that will stop this from going large volume is te ease of use and reliability (apart from wanting to see the product succeed). Most people will go to a simular priced HDV then put up with hard to workout crashing super HDD HD. That leaves enthusiast and inde film makers, still profitable but 10 times less so (I believe). Most people want a plug and play (or install and play in this case) no brainer, reliable system, that is why I am hoping for good free Windows software aswell as Linux, because most people know how to handle the Windows beast allready.

If a flexible capture and/or editing system is worked out now, then it can be used for the Sumix or any other future project.

One note Steve, is that if Sumix could supply a seperate cheap, capture to disk board with camera controls, Lanc control port, and LCD support (with user configurable capture for any alternative input/camera module imaging format), in that price then all we would have to do is buy the drives, and connect them to the main computer for editing. It could be a bit much for them but well worth it for us if they feel inclined to attempt it. The right board could even be resold to people to put any module they like on it. That Russian guy has some of this in his freeware design.

It would be good to have completely lossless compression mode (that will allow 1080) and/or twin usb 2.0 (three for SHD). If a capture board i]s used then all we need is a straight "camera link" to the capture board (this would allow SHD imaging in future). While I think we will do fine with 720p we should aim for 1080i/p upgradability in the future (SHD would even be better).

If you could pass on these suggestios it would be good. Well, how is it going on the hardware front Steve?

Thanks

Wayne.

Is 1080 considered SHD? I thought it was regular. If it's possible to do a 1080 24p chip, I think it would be better, as the difference on the screen (given multiple edits and color correction and the like) would be quite noticable. Of course, I won't balk at 720p, but I figured I'd mention my preferences.

Man, I think connecting straight to the board would be awesome!!!

By the way, I know that everyone seems to be trying to get this whole system up and running for a few grand, but truth be told, that may not be realistic if we are talking a reliable user-friendly system on a short time line. I'd be willing to pay 10 grand if that provided ample storage and the camera with it. This would most likely clear the editing system as well, but I'd go up to 15 grand for the whole thing. I know that sounds like a lot to some, but we might be considering that if it takes us 2 years or more to finish the thing (even a year for that matter), that the dollars we saved really weren't saved at all, they were spent via time wasted. The way I see it is, I'll sell a few things here, a few things there to upgrade. That'll knock down the price down some for me.

The rest of the cash will be some extra time at work and eating out less for a while, or it will be a relatively small bank loan.

The way I see it is this. Most people pay big money to drive a lusher car, but won't pay money to do what makes them happy. What makes me happy is having a real career in filmmaking. If we can swing it without it breaking us, I think we should.