i live in orlando.
thanks for the info. if you're in barnes and noble anytime soon, see if they have a copy of digital moviemaking by scott billups. on page 53, the picture of the "break-out accessory" can be found.
on the page before, he says, "For studio work, i often attach an RGB break-out box directly to my three-chip camera and feed the uncompressed RGB component signal directly into a Targa videographic board which digitizes, compresses and lays the video directly to disk. This method maintains a high level of color integrity..."

I will check the book, but I'm pretty sure I know what your looking for. Pro type broadcast cameras have a 26 pin out put. Among the various signals out put is an RGB signal. A very few, high end boards can accept RGB in ( the board on my old Avid had one). We also had a very high end encoder/transconder the would accept Betacam SP, S-Video, Composite and several other types of signals and converts them into RGB. We ran several subjective tests feeding the RGB signal from the 26 pin out put directly into the Targa board and feeding beta into the transcoder and looking at the results on broadcast monitors. The bottom line was we couldn't see a difference. My engineer told me that on a vectorscope he could see a difference in the chroma.

These type of devices are made and I believe Laird * http://www.lairdtelemedia.com/products/firewire.html#5000 * makes a decent one. The Targa board would take the RGB and convert it to the Avid JPEG Codec. The Avid software could then manipulate the data. When we went back to tape the transcoder would take the RGB from the Targa board and convert it to Betacam SP for masters.

Jeff

thank you very much. that's exactly the information i've been looking for...bottom line: it's not going to fit in my budget(s) any time soon, and i'm not missing out on anything for the kind of projects i'm doing.
as far as the book, it's a very good one if you're at my level of knowledge of the "digital cinema" enterprise. it does, however, seem to go in depth into some areas and stay shallow in others, which is frustrating.
thanks again.

if i want to shoot straight to a portable hard drive, using a laptop (instead of firestore), how much RAM and storage and everything else do i need on that laptop, just to get my footage past the laptop and into the hard drive? (i have a G4 at home to edit on).
i'll be using a pal xl1.
do these requirements change if i'm shooting digibeta/beta onto the hard drive? (i think they do, since it's more kbps).
another question: if dv can be stored at 13 gigs per hour of footage, what's the space/time ratio for "higher" formats, like digibeta/beta?
thanks guys.

I'm doing this from memory, so if I'm a little off, I hope someone jumps in and corrects me. Digital Beta SD is something like 30megs per second. This does not include audio. At the very least IDE RAIDS are required, something like 100 gigs per hour. Most operations would run SCSI, more expensive, but faster read/write. HD would require substantley more storeage and use the fiber optic SCSI.

The laptop is a great tool for capturing DV in the field. I know several shooters and producers doing just that with varying degrees of sucess. I would suggest the TiBook, the faster the better to get RT effects from FCP. The HOT internal drive is the 60GB drive with 5400 rpm speed. They only have 1 FireWire port. Some people connect a 7200 rpm portable and connect the camera to the drive. This configuration is getting mixed results. I think the more memory the better, 512MB would be the minimum I'd try. They support up to 1GB.

The little iBooks are not fairing as well. They are G3 processor based, so not as fast as the Ti's. Slower and smaller drives, less memory, slower bus, etc. etc. I think an iBook would make a good machine to off line on, but not well suited for capture of live video.

Jeff

Making DVD in iDVD
 

I am considering making a DVD for 30-minutes video in iDVD.

Does anyone know about how much time it will take for
encoding in mpg-2 and burning DVD-R in PowerMac 800Mhz, or Dual 1GigHz?

iDVD is really a very good DVD burner and will handle the whole encode/burn automatically. In fact, the encode process starts as soon as you add clips to the project and continues in the background until completed. I've burned many DVD's with iDVD and, off the top of my head, I'd give the burn process less than an hour on a dual 1GHz. That is, start the burn before dinner and it will be completed by desert. The encode will take approximately the same time but will do so relatively unobtrusively.

Depending on the media you use, the Pioneer (Apple Super) drive is 1x or 2x in speed. On the older drives, the time may be affected if the firmware has not been updated on the drive. I get 2x speed with the Apple and Pioneer media.

Jeff

looking for a good DVD-R
 

Less than an hours for burning DVD-R for 30 min video in PM 1G dual is great!

Does anyone know any reliable brands for DVD-R media and reliable dealers?

I heard the quality in same brand could be vary because the real manufacture could be different even in the same brand.

I heard that Apple's DVD-R media has some quaility problems recently after Apple switched its DVD-R manufacturer.

Does anyone know the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R?
I visited tapesource.com and they have DVD-R and DVD+R.

i've had no problems so far with the apple dvd-r discs. i've read on apple support page abut earlier discs having errors etc. but i think this problem has been taken care of. also the older discs had either a red or green apple on the inlay not the blue( i could be wrong here) and as far as i know still the cheapest at 5 for $25.

I've had the best luck with Apple, Pioneer and Verbatum. Apple switched suppliers earlier this year and for a short while would only burn at 1x, not 2. The last several boxes I bought burned 2x with no problem.

jeff

<<<-- Originally posted by Joe Redifer : What if I want full duplex digital audio going all over the place? USB's bandwidth isn't exactly stellar, especially when it has to share it with mouse, keyboard and printer functions. I will settle for zero compromises in my audio. -->>>

In that case you'll need to pick up a MAC with ProTools.

jizzer

here's the links...
 

http://www.digidesign.com

where you can get "uncompromised" audio quality. If your willing to compromise a little, there's the Digi 001, a $1000 rack-mount unit that interfaces to a PCI-card located inside your computer.

Good luck!

jizzer

p.s. oh yeah...the ProTools system will set you back about $10,000 for the entry level package. Nothing else even comes close (given your high standard for audio)

I use the Apple DVD-R and haven't had any problems.

I got two red apple DVD-R free with the G4 almost a year ago and since then I have bought Purple Apples and Blue Apples. I think the Blue Apples are the newest stock. In Australia $A55 for 5.
iDVD is good and easy but I'm gonna get DVDstudioPro soon.
I want 5.1 surround sound.

MAC and USB audio
 

In reply to USB for audio; the MAC G4's (including the Cube) have two USB controllers, one can be dedicated to audio only giving the full bank width, which is CD standard at 16/44.1, and can even handle 24/48. To go higher, a sound card (with DA/AD converters in an external box) or firewire sys like the MOTUs. Sounddesigns has a box for under $500.00 the USB Pre 2.0 that will give two pro-quality mic inputs for post, two bal/unbal line ins and spdif in and out, along with tape out. Sample rate is upto 24/48, but only 16/48 if going through sound manager. Check it out. Al.

The USB pre is a "Sounddevices" product, not sounddesigns, my error; also Degidesigns has their new "M" Box out, which would work also, but is not designed for portable use & Glyph has a rugged firewire hard drive avail that matches the M Box. al.

Re: iPod for capture/storage
 

While it is possible, it doesn't appear practical t me. Devices like my Wiebetech drive are similar in size (slightly bigger), 4 times the capacity and a lower cost.

Don't pay for the MP3 driver and audio out if you are going to use it as a storage device.

Just my .02

Jeff is right, the I-Pod would make an expensive storage drive, you should look and some of the new 2.5" firewire mini drives that are coming out. Also Toshiba makes PMCIA card hard drives that go up to 10 gig (same dirve as I-Pod). But, remember, theses dirves are not as fast as 3.5" (they usually run at 5400 rpm, vs 7200 which is best for video.) al.

CD tracks in FCP 3.0
 

I have had some trouble importing CD tracks directly into FCP 3.0 using the same method as I did with 2.0. Because of differences in the sampling rate, the tracks play erratically until I do a mixdown. The method I have been using in the meantime is pretty clunky but it works:

Import the track from the CD.
Export it as an AIFF file at 48 khz.
Re-importing that file.

Is there something simpler I could be doing?

Re: Anyone using Boris Red?
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Aaron Frick : I just upgraded on my media100 from grafitti 1.0 to boris red 2.1 and every title I had in my system is now way out of whack. Any suggestions on how to open grafitti once I have installed red? -->>>

I was wondering the samething myself. The application seems excellent (except for the price). Before I go and drop the cash on it, I would sure like to hear some opinions on it.

Paul

MUST HAVE - NLE DV Software for the Mac
 

Ok, my new G4 is on order and will be here in 10 days (bummed about the wait). The only thing that I have ordered with it is the following:

- Final Cut Pro 3
- DVD Studio Pro

What else will we need for cool VFX, titles, and web streaming? I am considering the following:

- Boris Red
- Commotion
- Cleaner

Would this be a good trio of apps? If not what would you suggest? Thanks in advance for your input.

Paul

Minidisc and the Mac
 

What is the best way to transfer audio from a MiniDisc to a Mac G4? Is there a firewire connection or possible a board that I should consider?

Thanks,

Paul

What type of out puts does the MD have? If USB an OK solution is iMic by Griffin http://griffintechnology.com/ It adds a little noise in my opinion, but it is very modestly priced. You can also transfer to DV and then inport through the firewire. A media converter, like Dazzle's Hollywood Bridge converts analog to Firewire and Firewire to analog with good results. Higher end solutions are available from Degidesigns http://www.digidesign.com/ and MUTO http://www.motu.com/

Jeff

i have yet to order these plugins myself but i any boris product will work well within FCP and ive messed around a little with the commotion that came with FCP2 and its a really good compositing tool but im sure the full version can do much more.

Wow! Some pretty heavy software. Boris Red does not support OS X yet. There may be an upgrade path for FCP users so check out their site. It may save you some bucks. Cleaner is an excellant software based MPEG encoder. Better than Quicktime, but much slower. Commotion is not my favorite, because i don't know it and don't use it much. I prefer After Effects, it's somewhat similar to Commotion as are parts of Boris Red. I would combine Boris Red with AE for a more rounded video package. Commotion has some strong followers here, so i hope they will chime in.

Other software I use for video include, Echo Fire and Color Finesse http://www.synthetic-ap.com/ Automatic Duck http://www.automaticduck.com/products/index.html (Hey, I don't name 'um, just use 'um). There are a couple more i use now and then that just don't come to mind.

Jeff

I import and export in Quicktime to do the conversion. It works. I hope the next version of FCP has a more elegant method of dealing with audio variables.

Jeff

Steadihiccup, I have zero problems dealing with audio in FCP 2. What I do is use a simple shareware program called "Track Thief" to rip the tracks from a CD. Any CD ripping program will do however. Then just import the files into FCP and use normally with whatever other audio you are already using. No need to upconvert them to 48khz. You can mix and match the CD audio with the camera audio and do all sorts of stuff. Simply could not be easier, but people tend to think that they MUST upconvert the CD audio or do something complex for it to work. Nope. FCP takes care of you.

Maybe FCP 3 is worse than FCP 2? Sounds like it (pun not intended). Have you made sure to enable multiple audio tracks to play back from the timeline in the FCP preferences? My personal default is 8 tracks. It'll do that fine until I start to add more. You're not using a G3 are you?

Don't buy any software unless you know exactly what you are going to use it for. Experiment on the demos and trials first.

The strength of Commotion is in rotoscoping. Not all people need that and certainly not all projects.

Hi,
The quicktime method is also suggested in

------------------------------------------------------------------------*
JULY 02, 2002
Final Cut Pro Quick Tip #3

Import your music the right way
by Stephen Schleicher

Need to import audio files into your Final Cut Pro 3 project? At some point you will need to, and who wants to spend valuable time flipping through four different manuals to find the answer?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
it is available at
http://www.creativemac.com
select Tutorials from the menu at the left and scroll down to the acticle...

Making Audio Sound Like Telephone Call
 

Anyone have any quick 'n' dirty tips/tricks on how to make plain ole' in-the-room recorded audio sound like it's "telephone" audio? We were going to record straight from the phone's earpiece but the talent can't do it today and we have the lines recorded "plain."

Any ideas are much appreciated!

Mark

Joe:

Yeah, it sure was easier in 2.0 than 3.0. Not sure why this all happened, but it did. It sounds we are all doing basically the same thing to make it work in 3.0, thanks guys for the confirmation.

(G3, yikes! I got the dual 1ghz when I upgraded to 3.0, only to find out that the realtime effects only function when external video is switched off--that was a disappointment. Looking forward to the next upgrade for all these reasons, importing audio included).

and uh..."steadihiccup"????

Oh yes, almost forgot... I'm editing on a Mac (FCP 2.0), have After Effects, Sound Edit 16 (old school), some version of Peak somewhere, and a PC with Soundforge, so I've got some options for modifying the clips.

Wha..? You mean that's not your name? Don't make me start reading things more carefully! :)

DVD PRO templates
 

Does any know where I could get hold of some templates for DVD PRO. I found it a little confusing to use. I have so little time, I wind up using iDVD. Lock & Load baby! It's not what I'd like to see for a completed DVD after dedicating quality work to the project but...

I would like to able to "exchange" template footage for my footage, stills, music, etc. Having some nice buttons already in place; Photoshop work already done...

Anyone willing to barter?

Linwood B.
lbmaestro@yahoo.com

FCP3 and XL1S "Frame Mode"
 

Perhaps a bozo question but how is Canon's XL1S 24fps "frame mode" related to the Final Cut Pro capture process. Should footage shot in "frame mode" simply be captured at the NTSC default of 29.97 fps or at 24 fps (by creating a new preset)? Heretofore I've not worried about it but my recent capture of a long (one hour) piece of MiniDV tape resulted in audio shift late in the capture. I suspect it's just problematic with MiniDV that long FCP captures probably aren't a great idea but I began to wonder if frame mode has something to do with it.

Telephones lack a great deal of frequency responce. If you adjust the EQ to just use middle tones that will do part of it. The signal to noise ratio is low so use something for background noise. Some kind of white noise that you can put on a seperate track so you can control levels. The mic may need to be muffled a little to reduce frequency response. Experimentation is your best bet. Post back how it works and what you end up doing.

Jeff

In FCP you need to check the box in preferences>sync adjust movies over 5 minutes. NTSC DV is 29.97 frames per second. Setting the camera to frame mode can not alter the frame rate of a NTSC camera. Frame mode uses inerpolation to simulate motion picture film shot at 24 fps. It in no way changes the NTSC DV spec of 29.97 fps. Capture using DV specs and edit like usual. The loss of audio sync is result of Canon audio not being a perfect 48KHz. Instead it is something like 48.004KHz, I don't remember exactly. Setting the proper preference works for most people.

Jeff

I don't know of any pre-made templates. I build mine in photoshop. However, try Bruce Nazarian http://www.recipe4dvd.com/ He has some graphics and kits on his site. He has a good reputation for his knowledge of DVDSP and DVD's in general.

Jeff

thanks. I think the Pro Pack 1 has just what I need. "Pre Made projects"

Thanks for the response. I'm actually about to get on a train for NYC (Macworld Expo) so I won't have a chance to try this until I get back Monday week. Will let you know how it works then, though.

(Yes, we missed our self-imposed deadline. :) )