check out

www.granitedigital.com

they offer firwire cases with the oxford 911 chipset for $159.also swappable bay FW drives and raid systems.
i have one of these with an ibm 60GB IBM deskstar and although its not my main media drive i have used it with FCP &iMovie with no problems whatsoever.

i never heard of a warning on not buying the 911 chipset????

I believe CS is still alive.
 

I tried going back through the CS newsgroup to see what was said about this (end-of-life). There are rumors of a new CS offering in the future, but I have not seen anything that I could call 'official.'

That said, CS3 is still being sold and there are no new releases indicating any new activity past about May 2002.

If you have version 2 of EditDV, you can upgrade to CS3 for about $150 (according to their website).

Hope this helps,
Nathan Gifford

so if you have mac osx AND os9, and "classic," would you just run fcp3 and the rt mac in os9? that's the situation i'm in. i have a pal xl1, g4, fcp3, and i need to output to vhs (conversion to ntsc will be done with dvfilm atlantis when i get it).
i could get another dv camera (ntsc) for output to vhs, instead of relying on rtmac...but the dual display, real time, analog input, and other features have me leaning toward plunking down the cash for the rtmac.
what are some other solutions guys?
p.s. maybe i'll just get dazzle to output to vhs? that's the crucial thing for me right now, moreso than real time or dual display support.

The Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge is a respectable product. It will do what you want and it runs between $250 and $300. Other products that are similar are Formac studio http://www.formac.com/2k/products/studio_products.html. The Dazzle http://www.dazzle.com/products/hw_bridge.html and Formac are the only two 3rd part hardware devices qualified for FCP 3 by apple. The Sony DVMC-DA2 has been widely used with FCP but i'm not sure it is still available. A search on Sony's site showed no results.

Jeff

thanks, Jeff. i'll check those out.

Try OWC enclosure and WD 120gig 8mb drive
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Keith Loh : I'm pretty sure that I'm going to go for a FireWire enclosure and then use it to serve up a 120g hard drive. I haven't yet seen a recommendation on an enclosure brand or vendor aside from warning to get one with the Oxford (#?) chipset. Anyone have a favourite? -->>>

I just bought the OWC Eilite Firewire enclosure and have slapped a WD Caviar (Special Edition) 7200 Hard Drive with 8mb buffer and it screams connected to my Mac. I have not yet experienced any problems so far in digitizing to it via FCP.

I recommend going the enclosure route because then you can always upgrade the internal HD later on in the game. I paid $300 for both the enclosure and drive and I am very happy with the performance.

For more info:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Item_Specials.cfm?ID=3479&Item=OWCMEFW
http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=4095&Item=WDGWD1200JBSE

Happy filmmaking!

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : I hope they run the same tests after Jaguar is released. I'm currious to see if the OS will make a difference.
Jeff -->>>

Maccentral just posted a fairly thorough review of Jaguar at:
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0208/16.jaguar.php

Worth the reading. There will be performance boosts using Jaguar ie: Quartz Extreme on compatibile Macs. My sense is that the refinements to the interface and naming and navigation will improve all of our workflows, for those that utilize the refinements.

Re: I believe CS is still alive.
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Nathan Gifford : I tried going back through the CS newsgroup to see what was said about this (end-of-life). There are rumors of a new CS offering in the future, but I have not seen anything that I could call 'official.
Nathan Gifford -->>>

CineStream is dead, at least that is the word from the Discreet contacts I have spoken with. It's unfortunate that Media 100 did not have the follow through it should have had with CineStream dev.

My suggestion is to finish and back up your present projects with the software, and then switch to FCP 3. If you feel you can stay with the program for the time being, all the power to you.

Re: no problems with firewire
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Jason Bagby :
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. -->>>

Treat your external space as an investment and opt for a compatible 7200RPM drive. I just bought an OWC Eilite Firewire enclosure and have slapped a WD Caviar (Special Edition) 7200 Hard Drive with 8mb buffer and it screams connected to my Mac. I have not yet experienced any problems so far in digitizing to it via FCP.

I recommend going the enclosure route because then you can always upgrade the internal HD later on in the game. I paid $300 for both the enclosure and drive and I am very happy with the performance.

For more info:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Item_Specials.cfm?ID=3479&Item=OWCMEFW
http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=4095&Item=WDGWD1200JBSE

FCP Qualified for Use With QuickTime 6!
 

Straight from the Apple website at:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

FCP and QuickTime 6

Final Cut Pro 3.0.2 has been qualified for use with QuickTime 6 included with Mac OS X v10.2. Users running earlier versions of Mac OS X should continue to use QuickTime 5.x .

Time to buy that copy of Jaguar!

Thank you Apple!

<< Man Chris Hurd rubbing elbows with Robert Rodriguez! >>

Actually I was in film school at UT-Austin the same time as Rodriguez, although we never met. He had already built a bit of celebrity for himself drawing the highly popular comic strip "Los Hooligans" for the student newspaper, The (almost) Daily Texan. Plus his student film, "Bedhead," was a huge hit at the student film screenings at the end of the year. He spent most of his time in The Box Car, or Building CMA, at our College of Communication campus at the corner of 26th and Guadalupe. I spent most of my time next door, in CMB, taking every writing-intensive course I could get, plus as many video production classes as they would allow, because I couldn't afford the costs of the Film Production track. About the only thing Rodriguez and I had in common was that Charles Ramirez-Berg was my favorite instructor, and his as well. I completed my RTF degree there in 1990. Hope this helps,

Regardless, CS3.1 works pretty darn good. You will need to make a choice for yourself.

If you do check out Ron Bridegroom and Claire Watson's CD on Cinestream: its excellent. That CD will show you how to do things no one though possible CS.

Let us know how it goes.

Nathan Gifford

Chris,

Man that is a great story. I've read his "Rebel without a Crew" which talks about his college days. I had a chance to catch "Bedhead" on the DVD version of El Mariachi. Very funny short movie.

What's the best?
 

Daniel,

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. I think this site is great.

For the last couple years, I have edited downtown on an Avid 9000 and paid the high hourly rate. But now I have several people telling me I can get the same quaility from a home system like Avid Express 3. Is this true?

What's the best editing system for indep. producers like myself?


Thanks,

Dave

I guess you are refering to Avid Xpress DV. That's a FireWire/DV native NLE. Your stuck with 5:1 compression DV. The more high end Avids does less compression on the video footage. But Avids does not by any mean produce the best video image. If you'd like 10-bit uncompressed D1/digibeta you should look into an AJA SD card (or perhaps the Digital Voodoo cards) and Final Cut Pro 3. This will bring you way ahead of most Avid systems image quality wise. FCP is really a great app. I use it for commercials, music videos and feature film editing. It handles OMF, EDL's and has a great media manager.

You can view codec comparisons at http://www.onerivermedia.com/codecs/index.htm

Thanks Martin. I'm afraid I have failed to learn all the tech stuff, I'm on the creative side.

I do know that the Avid 9000 gives us a show that has a 1 to 1 ratio and zero compression. I have to stay away from compressed masters because the fooage can be compressed once and not look bad, but compressed twice looks like a show shot on VHS.

Problems is, more and more of the networks I deal with are going to auto systems where they load the footage on a server where it is compressed.

Best,

Dave

FCP 3 Gives you Options
 

I concur with Martin in that you should take a look at the uncompressed options that the AJA Kona card and FCP 3 give you. You can learn more about the AJA card at: http://www.aja.com/. The Kona card is the first 10bit uncompressed card built from the ground up to work with OS X. What do you presently have for storage?

Final Cut Pro is a pixel pusher. It'll take whatever you throw at it. For that reason, FCP gives you a lot of options when you consider how many third party uncompressed cards currently supprt it. And FCP 4 is now entering beta stage and I look forward to what that will bring us as editors.

Right now I am editing in 5:1 compression because I presently do not need more. But I am thankful that FCP does not constrict me to one set of solutions as the Avid does when you choose to upgrade.

A lot of networks are using FCP uncompressed in their production workflows. MTV is a great example.

If you would like to learn more about uncompressed options with FCP, let me know and I'll post some links for you.

Seriuously give FCP and an uncompressed card a look as your solution to your uncompressed needs.

Final Cut Pro and Canon XLS-1
 

I have heard that Final Cut Pro is the best editing program for the Canon XLS-1.

--Does Final Cut Pro work on any computer as long as it has the
DV terminal that conforms to IEEE 1394 for digital transfer?

--What wire do I need to connect my Canon XLS-1 to my computer in order to use Final Cut Pro? Please provide a link to where I can purchase this wire if possible.

Thank you

Re: Final Cut Pro and Canon XLS-1
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Todd Dilley : I have heard that Final Cut Pro is the best editing program for the Canon XLS-1.
-->>>

Todd,

Welcome!

Final Cut Pro is absolutely the best editing program on the Macintosh for editing with a Canon XL1S.

You need a 6 pin to 6 pin FireWire cable to connect your XL1S to a Macintosh equipped with FireWire.

Here are the minimum requirements for FCP 3 on the Macintosh:
- Macintosh computer with a 300-MHz or faster PowerPC G3 or G4 processor and built-in FireWire
- 500-MHz or faster single or 450-MHz dual processor Power Mac G4 or PowerBook G4 required for G4 realtime effects
- 667-MHz PowerBook G4 required for mobile G4 realtime effects in DV format
Mac OS 9.2.2 or Mac OS X v10.1.1
- QuickTime (included)
- 256MB of RAM (384MB recommended for G4 realtime effects)
- 40MB of available disk space required for installation

I believe you can purchase a firewire cable from one of the DVInfo.net sponsors:
- Professional Tape and Communications Supply
http://www.pro-tape.com/
- Zotz Digital
http://www.zotzdigital.com/

FCP is the best program to edit xl1s footage on a MAC.

If you have a pc there are at least 10 others.

Thank you Dan for the great information on Final Cut Pro.

I do have one more question about Final Cut.

Are you able to turn your footage into black and white or add titles on the screen?

I just wanted to make sure because I have heard you can.

Thank you for your time.

Final Cut Pro needs Macintosh?
 

If you don't have a Macintosh are you able to use Final Cut Pro?

Sorry but the answer is no. It is a Mac only application.

If your greatest needs is to turn the footage into B/W and add some titles you don't need FCP. You can do it with iMovie wich is free and a simple plug and play app.

FCP is a pro app that handles complex compositing work with keyframe animation, has mattetools, support for third party plugins and AE plugins, FX script editor, OMF export and so on... You cold almost make a Star Wars movie with it if your stubborn enough.

Other options on the Mac are Avid Xpress DV, Cinestream, Premiere and Media100.

You'll need a 4/6 pin Firewire cable- not 6/6 as mentioned earlier.

4/6 pin is correct!
 

Apologize for the typo, I was thinking of the Mac when I typed it. Of course, 4 pin coming out of the XL1S and 6 pin going into the Mac.

iMovie is perfect for B&W and titles, but I sense you have the DV bug and soon you will want more than iMovie gives you. I reiterate that FCP is the best solution for DV filmmakers on the Mac.

Happy filmmaking and do ask more questions, Todd!

FCP is for the Mac
 

Todd,

Final Cut Pro was originally developed by Macromedia and subsequently purchased by Apple and developed further into a Mac only app. It's one of the great reasons to own a Macintosh. If you are thinking of editing on the PC, I recommend that you switch your questions over to the "Non-linear Editing for the PC" forum, you will be better served there.

Again, the minimum requirements for FCP:
- Macintosh computer with a 300-MHz or faster PowerPC G3 or G4 processor and built-in FireWire
- 500-MHz or faster single or 450-MHz dual processor Power Mac G4 or PowerBook G4 required for G4 realtime effects
- 667-MHz PowerBook G4 required for mobile G4 realtime effects in DV format
Mac OS 9.2.2 or Mac OS X v10.1.1
- QuickTime (included)
- 256MB of RAM (384MB recommended for G4 realtime effects)
- 40MB of available disk space required for installation

I encourage you to look further into what the Macintosh can do for you as a creative person and filmmaker!

Happy Filmmaking,

Dvd
 

I am about to embark upon encoding my final cut pro project to dvd.
I have no idea what to do. I will be using a g4 867 with os x. The dvd software will be the standard, idvd.
final cut pro 1.2.
Help?

Dealing with Timecode breaks
 

Hello,

First time with this group so let me say that I have found the forum interesting and look forward to learning more about the group as well as the subject.

As part of a project I shot some fifty hours of mini DV with a TRV900. Now I am attempting to log and capture these tapes in FCP 3 and have encoutered the "abort on batch capture because of timecode breaks".

The process of trying to capture around the breaks is laborious, and I'm still unsure what has generated all the breaks.

I've learned that one solution would be to dub the whole fifty hours of tape, creating a new master archive, all with continuous time code. The quotes I've gotten for this are around $25 to $30 per tape. Expensive, and then I still would not have two sets of media (cloning) that would allow for collaborative editing with shared project files or EDLs.

Anyone have experience with solving this?

Seems that FCP should have some algorithum that would recoginize a timecode break and interpolate a continuous code if instructed.

Look forward to meeting some of you in Boston this Thursday over at BU.

Thanks so much, Doug.

its pretty simple just export your movie IN FCP to a FCP movie with the highest render settings etc. then in iDVD just drag your FCP movies into the window and iDVD will take over from there . you can also import any video/audio for your background menu etc and set motion buttons for the movies.
iDVD will do all the mpeg encoding automatically as soon as u import the movies.

Traffic Noise
 

Hello,

I need help reducing traffic (automobile) noise, either thru FCP 3 or Peak DV 3.1

TIA,
Mark

Export as FCP Movie
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Chet Hardin : I am about to embark upon encoding my final cut pro project to dvd.
I have no idea what to do. I will be using a g4 867 with os x. The dvd software will be the standard, idvd.
final cut pro 1.2.
Help? -->>>

What you need to do is to Export as an FCP movie in FCP 3, and, to save space, export the movie as a render file. Here's the recommended settings:

FILE>EXPORT>FINAL CUT PRO MOVIE:
- Setting: DV NTSC 48 khz Superwhite
- Quality: HiRes (1)
- Include: Audio and Video
- Markers: None
- Recompress all frames: LEAVE UNCHECKED
- Make movie self-contained: LEAVE UNCHECKED

Click OK.

When you UNCHECK "Make movie self-contained," you actually export a reference movie file that points to all of the media in the timeline. If you were to transfer this exported "reference" movie to another mac, it would not play correctly because it would be looking for all of the media files that you left behind on the other Mac. What is great about this is that iDVD will recognize the reference file with no problems and it'll be substantially smaller in file size than if you were to make the movie self-contained.

When you are in iDVD, you merely import that reference file and it appears as an icon on your iDVD project window. Once you do this, iDVD will encode an MPEG 2 file in the background so that you can continue to build your iDVD project. At any point in time during the encode process, you can click on the side pull-out window to verify the status of the encode.

iDVD treats your imported reference file as an asset; if you import multiple refernce or self-contained movie files from FCP, they will be qued to encode on after the other in iDVD. It's a pretty straightforward process and at any point in time you can preview your project to check your work.

Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you.

Doug,

THis seems to be apretty common problem wiht FCP, and I think most guys get around it by capturing with Imovie. It's more forgiving in the TC area

Welcome Doug
 

Capturing via iMovie, as my colleague Adrian recommended, will indeed work since iMovie is forgiving of t.c. breaks. But there is a caveat. Footage captures via iMovie is apparently in a slightly different format which, after importing into FCP, will require a render. Additionally, you will also have to re-render each time you change audio on these tracks. From my experience this was a pain in the caboose on a short project. For culling through 50 hrs. of footage it would be equivalent to a felony sentence.

But if you are using FCP version 3 I have good news. In this current version you can tell FCP to ignore t.c. breaks during capture. The dance steps to achieve this are:

Final Cut Pro > Preferences > (General tab) > un-check "Abort Capture on Time Code Break"

It's not quite as smooth as iMovie's eternally forgiving capture (it can occasionally scold you) but it does the trick.

Good luck!

If you have recorded a few seconds at least of only the noise
you might be able to cancel it out. But I do not know if those
programs can do that, or which one can for that matter.

Another solution is copy camcorder to camcorder using a firewire jumper. This elminates the t/c breaks. It also beats paying someone $25-$30 a tape to do the same.

In the future (and maybe you are already doing this) is to do pre and post rolls. Using record review, make sure the camera has backed up to a valid t/c before your next shot. This helps prevent discontinuous t/cs.

I wish my Cinestream could ignore t/c breaks like FCP does.

Apple macs?
 

Hi all, just been looking at the Apple website and their new range of macs. I must admit it's very tempting to buy one but what gets me is the difference in price between the UK and the US. For the 1GHZ one in UK it's £2000 in the US it's $2500 which works out at £1635 a saving of £365. I know that I'd still have to pay shipping and tax but it would still save me about £200. Is it worth me thinking about doing this or would their be problems in runnig a US mac in the UK, I can't think of any.


Cheers


Peter

It should be okay, you can change the preferences to have your system in British English with the British style of numbers. not really sure what that is but you select the British flag in the International prefs in the system prefs.

I buy my macs in the states and have it shipped to me by a friend because it is cheaper plus I want my whole system in English. Luckily now with OS X I can write text and titles in Japanese for my videos and graphics, but before when I got my first mac, I bought it in the states as well just to have an English system.

hope this helps.

Yeah thanks for that it's something I'm going to consider.


Cheers

Peter

i can suggest trying the notch filters and low/hi/shelf filters or parametric eq etc. . but if you are trying to keep some dialog that has been recorded with the traffic noise you wont be able to seperate the 2 . and whatever you do with the audio filters will more than likely alter the dialog in some way as im sure it will share some frequencies with the traffic noise.