Paul,

We all get started at the beginning...don't sweat it. That's the beauty of these boards...you've got beginners and seasoned veterans all in the same place...and all willing to help.

I'm relatively new in DV (two years), but have using Macs since the 80s. I learn new stuff here every time I visit...even with the Mac stuff.

So...never hesitate to ask.

What camera did you record with? Can you play the original tapes and see if they have a problem? If your editing nonlinear, use the camera originals to transfer to the hard drives. If you editing linear try cloning again and see if the problem persists. The artifacts you describe can be tape path alignment problems or dropouts on the original or the clone. The different players have different alignments and are playing them back differently.

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I shot on a Canon XL1. The artifacts come up only on the Sharp I just bought and the Sony playback deck that we use occasionally. The JVC we bought seems to play them just fine. I am going to run it through the Xl1 to be sure. I will be back to you very shortly. Thanks very, very much.

Hi Jeff, I played a known artifact section back through the XL1 and it played fine. Should I send my Sharp cam back. Here is the kicker, we shot with 2 cameras and it has shown up on both! On different playback units! We really thought we had a contamination problem but then it played just fine through the JVC camera from both XL1s.

It sounds like tape path alignment. The spec for playback is loose enough so that tapes from different units can be interchanged and still playback. However, you will occasionaly get a unit that is adjusted at on end of the spec and another unit that is adjusted at the far end of the spec. The tapes from these respective camcorders (VCR) can't playback each others tapes (I hope this is making sense). A service technician can adjust (in almost all cases) one of the camcorders to playback the others tapes. When you send one in, enclose a tape that has problems playing back. They can use it as a guide in adjusting the tape path.

Jeff

Fonts - Getting a List (Mac)
 

Is there a way to print my fonts for reference. When I am in FCP, it would be nice to look at a list and make a font selections. I don't really want to create a document and type each individual font.

Thanks,

Paul

Font management programs like FontReserve and Suitcase will allow you to print out a type book of all your fonts in a variety of formats, I'm not sure if OSX has this feature built in or not. Anyone else?

Barry

I wish I was totally new on Macs again. It was great fun to learn them. Enjoy it :)

Well it is kind of fun, but I hate the slow down in production. It is going to take me a bit of time to get used to the Mac world. After being a "PC" guy forever, it is almost counter-intuative (sp?) to use a Mac.

I like the easy of navigation on the Mac. My concern was that this would take a bit of time, but it really has not. The thing that I am not used to is how the operating system works. Having grown up from DOS to XP, the steps to learn it are the same.

I use Extensis Suitcase http://www.extensis.com/ but it is fairly expensive just to use to print a book of fonts for reference. FontBook is a shareware program that does exactly what you want http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=11418&db=mac I used it for printing a book of my fonts and it worked just fine. You can download it and try it, the registration fee is only $10.

Jeff

Thanks for the help so far guys... One thing is.... I've been hearing different things about firewire drives. Some say its perfectly alright for capturing and editing DV, but there are also some others that say that its not fast enough, resulting in dropped frames etc. I'm a little confused by that. If I remember correctly, Apple didn't used to support any firewire drive for video capture (I read that some time ago, while doing research for my 45Gb Deskstar) Are things different now?

Adrian

A resonably-spec'ed drive (5400-7200rpm) will be just fine for capturing. Just make sure that your OS is up-to-date (you're running OS 10.1.5?) and your FCP3 is up-to-date. Dropping frames in FCP is generally caused by other factors.

If you're concerned, and want to use a FW drive, spend a bit more to get a 7200rpm drive. Maxtor has a 120Gb 7200rpm drive for a reasonable price. Others worth looking at are FireWireDirect.com and Weibetech.com. I have FW drives from both places and can tell you that they're good outfits, particularly WeibeTech.

I went to a freeware / shareware font location and was able to print off each page of example so I could see what they looked like for future ref. and also to see it they were free or not

Yep, I'm running OS 10.1.5, and FCP 3. OK, another question here... what if I decide to go the ATA route, I'm considering the IBM Deskstar 120 Gb, I suppose that will go into the 3rd bay in the CPU, and I will have to get a HDD controller card as well that supports Ultra ATA 100 right? If i remember correctly, apart from plugging the ATA (IDE?) cable into the drive, there is also another power cable to be plugged in. My question is, is there an available power cable in my G4 (considering I've got 2 drives in there already) or will the HDD controller card come with its own power cable? Sorry if I'm rambling but I'm a bit ignorant about this whole thing.

Thanks!
Adrian

Yes, you would need to get another controller to install a 3rd drive into your chassis. Open the Mac and you'll see that you have another cable.

Ken Stone's site has some instructions on the process:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/install_third_ata_drive.html

Hi Ken--

Is the below true for rendered titles that weren't part of the captured footage? Are they saved as part of the project file?

Thanks



>>Remember that you do not have to keep footage online when a FCP project is completed. The small project file has all of the information required to re-capture and recreate the project. You can dump your capture and render files when you're finished.<<

Vic,
Yes, the project file "knows' about every clip including clips that were generated within FCP. Like any other clip that requirea a render, though, you will have to re-render such synthetic clips upon re-creation of the project.

osX's hidden powers and programs
 

I am new to osX and keep reading threads where someone shares functions of osX that are really usefull. . . like how to capture a screen shot or how to turn on a system resource meter, both of which can be done with osX right out of the box, but what I want to know is are there any online resources like forums or sites that specialize in osX features and functions. Mac seems so proud of the fact that osX is super easy to use and intuitive that they make their instructions about 10 pages long. I would like to know how better to exploit the functions and power of this very awesome os. Thanks in advance for any links or useful tips you might have learned.

Make that two of us. I am also new and struggling to get up to speed with the Mac OS. If you have any web sites that you could recommend, I would greatly appreciate it!

OWC enabler update
 

At Apple's request, OWC has pulled it's iDVD enabler. The details are here http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0208/12.owc.php

Jeff

DITTO...

try this site: http://www.macosx.org/
I've had OS X installed for a couple of months but haven't really used it, I should make the jump and switch all my work to it so I'm still learning myself. hope this link helps.

<<<-- Originally posted by chorizosmells : try this site: http://www.macosx.org/
I've had OS X installed for a couple of months but haven't really used it, I should make the jump and switch all my work to it so I'm still learning myself. hope this link helps. -->>>

Rik,

Thank you for the assist. It appears that this site will go a long way towards helping me learn the OS. The other sites that I found have not come close to what this one offers.

What I did when I made the switch from OS 9 to OSX was to spend a couple of hours at Borders reading OS X Bible (or some instructional book like that) I didn't think it was worth buying but just reading through the book at the bookshop, I was able to see what the OS was capable of, and made some mental notes about things to try out. I read it once and now I'm using the OS a lot more efficiently. A low/no cost tip, hope it helps.

Adrian

DVD audio tested and compared
 

Well, I didn't have time to re-encode the AC-3 audio, but I did burn a test disc with both the Dolby Digital and PCM streams on it, and here's what I've found:

The difference in quality is less noticable on my surround sound system than what it was on my studio monitors. I image there would be no noticable difference when played back through standard television speakers.

The AC-3 audio was, however, noticeably lower in volume.

I suppose I'll just put both audio streams on the final disc and let the users decide which one to use; PCM for a better audio experience, or Dolby Digital for smoother playback on some systems.

Someday I'd like to try a 5.1 surround mix and compare that with the PCM stream.

The Maine Workshops
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : Welcome Daniel!
Interestingly, I was recently considering attending one of the workshops up in Maine (the 2 week documentary class). I think Charles Papert, one of our other moderators here, has also been an instructor up there in the woods. -->>>

Hi Ken,

The Maine Workshops is an excellent learning enviroment and community unto itself. The summer FCP classes have basically winded down now, but they will continue again next season and we will have a good time being there.

For those who want to know more, visit:
http://www.theworkshops.com

Happy filmmaking,

Dan
--
Daniel Berube
Apple Certified Trainer
Member, Apple Consultants Network

noisybrain. Productions
digital_storytelling/
www.noisybrain.com
(781)-740-5012 tel/fax
(617)-331-8991 cell
----------------------------------------
President/Apple Ambassador
Boston Final Cut Pro User Group - BOSFCPUG
http://www.bosfcpug.org
Email: dberube@bosfcpug.org

Mac OS X Resource sites
 

For those who wish to learn more about the power of OS X, add these following sites to your favorites list:
Apple's OS X page: http://www.apple.com/macosx/
Apple's OS X Support page: http://www.info.apple.com/usen/macosx/
Mac OS X Hints: http://www.macosxhints.com
Mac OS X Resource Center: macos.about.com/library/blmacosx.htm

This is a good start!

Happy Filmmaking,

TRY THIS...
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Simon Davies : Hi there.
I was inside a room filled with fluorescents and although there was no noticeable effect through the PD150 viewfinder or screen, when I got the footage back home and watched on my PAL Tv there is a distinctive flicker.-->>>

Simon,

Many people strive to get the film look and it looks like you did it without even trying!:)

You might wanna give the Flicker Filter in FCP 3 a try, although I cannot guarantee the results without having seen your footage. In FCP 3, go to the EFFECTS menu, select VIDEO FILTERS, then select VIDEO, and then select FLICKER FILTER.

Give it a try and experiment with the values pertaining to the filter. Let us know how it works out!

Well that should keep me busy!
 

Thank you all so much!

no problems with firewire
 

I went most economical way i could with 80gb laCie drive @ 7200rpm
(they have a 120GB 7200rpm now)
has worked all but one time in 6 months of heavy use.
the time it didn't i was encoding a iDVD project to the drive using files that were also on that drive because mac HD was nearly full, and it froze up,
i had to do the 5 second power-down and it crashed my imac real hard,
had to boot up w/out extensions in 9 and then boot again in osX and then mac wanted to check and repair the disk,
so now i've taken to trying to work from mac HD and transfer video files i wasn't using to the 1394.
my buddy has western digital firewire drives strung around his suite like christmas lights on Clark Griswald's house, so he must think they're okay.

also I don't know if i'd settle for 5400 rpm's- video files are so picky and if you have a segment with a couple of audio tracks the read arm has to jump from the video to the audio to the other audio track, and 7200 will surely eliminate some dropped frames, but i have no proof.

New G4 Desktops
 

Apple has released new desktops today! http://www.apple.com/ Also, all the iMacs are available, including the new 17" LCD model.

Jeff

:(

Amazing - I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Less than a month ago I bought a new G4 Dual.

Jeff - Now you have ruined my day! J/K

Actually I think your in pretty good shape Paul. You won't need to upgrade for 2 years and maybe not even then. In 2 years Apple will on to G5s or even G6s (or the rumored Intel chips). My lowly G4 dual 450 is starting to show it's age after 2 years. I'm waiting to see how Jaguar runs on it. If it's not up to my expectations I'll be selling it and getting a new dual 1GHz or maybe the 1.25. I have a feeling the next upgrade to FCP (4?) will require more umph than the dual 450 can provide. I think multiple streams of RT Effects are just around the corner. I think your machine should handle it without a problem. I'm faced with a new machine now and then in a year or so when the new processors come out.

Jeff

It seems like an odd time for Apple to introduce new desktops, doesn't it? Almost like they planned to do this at the recent MacWorld but were held-up by some glitch in their supply/manufacturing chain.

I would say that's a good possability. Motorola has had its problems lately and IBM isn't ready with their new chips yet.

Jeff

Jeff,

I guess my frustration stems from the fact that the "new" G4 would have only been a few dollars more. If I would have known, I would have waited. You are right regarding the horse power, as I expect that it should be enough for a few years. I am still very happy with the machine...

Ken,

Have you checked the lead times on the ultra fast machines. They are between 6-8 weeks out. Amazing how they could be back logged and the machines were just announced.

<< Paul: Have you checked the lead times on the ultra fast machines. They are between 6-8 weeks out. Amazing how they could be back logged and the machines were just announced. >>

Good point. I suspect that Apple, like other mfrs., makes sure that it's direct supply chain is filled first, followed by corporate pre-orders (if any, in Apple's case), followed then by on-demand forecasts. Add it all up and you end-up with a month of initial backlog I suppose. (One of Apple's recent SEC filings indicated that they are having trouble with at least one of their Asian suppliers, so that might account for some sluggishness.)

I, too, recently updated to the Dual 1Ghz but feel no remorse on today's 1.25Ghz announcement. This honker will certainly meet my needs at least until Apple begins to (inevitably) introduce it's Intel-based systems in 2004-2005. <g>

<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : << I, too, recently updated to the Dual 1Ghz but feel no remorse on today's 1.25Ghz announcement. This honker will certainly meet my needs at least until Apple begins to (inevitably) introduce it's Intel-based systems in 2004-2005. <g> -->>>

Really?? An Intel based Mac. Now that would be something to write home about! That would be perfect timing for the replacement of my current machine. Are there articles that talk about this or is this just leaked gossip?

Partly speculation but mostly just logical forecasting based mainly on looking at the business factors surrounding the ailing PowerPC environment. The maneuver onto a Unix platform was a key step towards platform flexibility. Apple instantly became the largest Unix vendor in the world.

http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0208/02.intel.php

Very interesting article. I wonder what size chunk Apple could take out of the PC world with the Intel move??