Assorted posts from 2001Q4
 

Howdy from Texas,

Has everybody heard about Sony's new MPEG-based MV format? Digital 8 has been discontinued (that's right, folks) and my guess is that this new MV will most likely also be short lived. I'm willing to bet it's strictly a consumer-only format, with no semi-professional gear planned. But of course, I love a healthy debate. Any takers?

See Hollywood feature in progress
 

Hi everyone.

For all you movie buffs (and wannabe filmmakers like me) there's a site that is showing the step-by-step progress of a soon-to-be-released SciFi movie called "Radius." The URL is http://www.makingofmovie.com. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts when new production notes are posted, or new samples of soundtrack or special effects clips posted.

They're already in post-production...but still lots to see.

Stand Alone Dvd Recorder
 

Anyone know anthiung about these STAND ALONE DVD RECORDER?

I am looking at the PANASONIC DMR-T2020
http://www.panasonic.com/PBDS/subcat..._01/01_82.html

And the PANASONIC DMR-E20
http://www.prodcat.panasonic.com/sho...MR- <br /> E20

Let me know if anyone have any info on these STAND ALONE DVD RECORDER.

Thank you
Mark Chiocchi

Assorted posts from 2001Q4 -- more
 

Hi everyone....

I read somewhere that NTSC DV uses
4:1:1 sampling and PAL uses 4:2:0
sampling.... Now I understand that the
it is nice to have twice the resolution
in the U (R-Y) sampling.... but what I
don't understand is how the signal can
get better if it uses zero (0) samples for
the V (B-Y) pixels....

Can someone shed some light on this?

Thanks in advance

Location Preview
 

I need something to preview footage on location. Since alot of the stuff I shoot is surfing and snowboarding, it has to be portable and battery powered. I have a Dell Laptop that I use for my photo stuff, does anyone know of a way to preview from my XL1 using that. Will a PCTV card do the job. I don't want to capture it with the Dell, just use it as a monitor

Miro/Pinnacle DV 300 16/9 import
 

I own a Pinnacle DV 300 and Adobe Premiere 5.1c and i want to work with the XL-1 in 16/9 mode in the future. I tried to import a 16/9 clip (not from the XL-1) and tried to work with it in Premiere. But it doesn't seem to work - i get an error. I heard that the DV 300 together with Premiere 5.1 and 16/9 material doesn't work. But i also heard that it is supported together with Premiere 6. Does someone know if that is true ?

Right
 

You're so right. The term blockbuster has to be redefined. A move that releases in 2000+ screens and makes $50 million in a weekend can no longer be considered a blockbluster. Why? Consider "Jaws", released in the 70's. It opened in around 450 screens and stayed on those screens a long time. Made millions over months. That was a blockbuster. An example of the 2000+ screen blockbuster illusion? "Pearl Harbor". It made millions the first weekend then died. Justifiably so. A stinker of a movie. Unfortunately, that is what the studios are hoping for. Make the money in the first weekend then whatever comes after is gravy. Too bad it is strictly quantity over quality. Thank goodness for the "art cinemas".

Spatial not frquency compression
 

4:2:0 denotes what I would call spatial sampling reduction as opposed to the frequency sampling reduction of 4:1:1.

Basically, color is sampled on every other line of a field.

For a better and more thorough explanation see:

http://www.adamwilt.com/DV-FAQ-tech.html#color_sampling

Field monitoring...
 

Well, if you get some type of input and install Premiere (IEEE card is good) you can start a capture, but don't actually capture.

First, turn off DV Device control. Then start a capture and make sure your input is set to DV. The capture preview window should show the video as you play it back.

I don't like that option at all though.

I would try to use a portable monitor. You can get some LCD monitors meant for hooking up to DV camera's, they typically run from the camera power. You can also get a small TV. I have a $40 5" B/W TV from radio shack. It takes D batteries. You can, budget permitting, get a pro field monitor. Many of these will run off of NP-1 or Anton Bauer batteries.

All of those are far better choices than the Laptop screen in terms of giving a real idea of what you shot.

YMMV

SP vs. LP
 

Hey everyone...

I've seen on a couple of camcorders (XL1 for example)
that you can record in single play or long play... What
every article I read does not tell me is what the dis-
advantage is in recording in long play... Every option
has it's disadvantages... so this one too :) What I
remember from the VHS days... long play cuts your
quality drastically... is this the same with DV?

Thanks for any response :)

take a look at thes article it talks about what you are asking http://www.zenera.com/reference/dvtape.html

The Right Track...
 

Rebel Without a Crew was the first book I read when I decided to transition from a screenwriter to a writer/director/producer. I got the usual negative BS... "you know how many Indies make it to the screen? You're crazy for even trying." You know what I said? Screw 'em. At least I'm doing more than just talking about it.

I'm making my "films" (dv) because it's what I do. I tell stories. And now I'm making movies because it's a natural progression. Like RR, I'm shooting everything. Short films. docs, interviews, anything to gain more experience. I've got a VX2000, a Mac, used Beachtek, a mic loaned to me by a friend strapped to a hockey stick for a boom and I'm dangerous. (Notice I didn't say good! That'll come)


The Japan thing? It freaked me out being a 6'4" 230lb white guy walking around Shinjuku, Ueno, etc. Train cars so packed you can literally lift your feet and not fall down. And EVERYONE has a DOCOMO phone, even the tiny kids! But one thing to beware of... the dreaded train station "box lunch"

I'm hoping to be in Tokyo in August as I'm trying to put together a documentary about a native Texan, Riley Lee, a grand master of the shakuhachi (bamboo flute)

BTW... the best sushi I've ever had was at 7am on a Tuesday morning at the Tskeje (sp?) fish market. Now THAT is some fresh fish!

Well Wayne, if I'm still here then I'll come hold your hockey stick for you.

Sennheiser Audio
 

Good Afternoon everyone!

I'm glad I found this forum for the XL1. I think I must be the only Irishman here ??

Can anyone help - I'm thinking of buying the Sennheiser ME66 ,ic with K6 adaptor connected to the MA100 XLR adaptor from Canon - can anyone advise ? Are there alternatives?

Also I'm looking to buy an LCD monitor - at leat 5 inches - what does everyone else use that I could purchase?

Many Thanks
Monkeyman

Howdy from Texas,

I thought we had at least one or two others from Ireland... great to have you aboard!

The Sennheiser is a very popular shotgun mic. It should serve you well if you need this particular type of microphone.

For an LCD monitor, I use the VariZoom 5.6 inch, and there is a PAL version available. They have dealers in the UK. See www.varizoom.com and go to their monitors section. I need to put a write-up of this monitor on my site very soon. Hope this helps,

Transfering analog to digital
 

I have 40+ Beta SP (30-minute) A & B roll tapes which I would like to transfer to DV format.

I also need to transfer two master tapes, currently on Sony D-2 format videotapes which I want to transfer to digital format for archival purposes.

My first question is what would be the most cost effective way to transfer the 30-minute Beta SP tapes to Mini-DV? I am considering either taking them to a company such as Allied Vaughn in Orlando Florida for transfering or renting a Beta SP deck and making the transfers myself using my Canon GL1.

I am not sure what outputs are provided on Sony Beta SP decks but hopefully they also have composite audio and s-video? Anybody know how I can get from SP to DV?

My second question is what other companies have people used to make video transfers and recomendations. When transfering from Sony D-2 masters to digital what format would be appropriate? DigiBeta? This would also be a good time to transfer from D-2 to DV?

Are there any pitfalls or problems that I am blissfully ignorant of and need to avoid or prepared for (ie frame rates, etc) ???

Thanks,

Ed

Ancient EditDv2 - print to tape speed?
 

I've just dug out a copy of editDv2 to use for a small project at home. All seems fine (new drivers etc for winME) EXCEPT printing to tape via firewire plays back about 10 percent fast. As a newbie to pc/dv editing - is this vast numbers of dropped frames, or am i doing something really stupid?! I'm running winME on a 650P3 128M laptop - built in 1394
any thoughts appreciated.

oops
 

i meant a built in firewire 1394 port...rather than the year of manufacture....although it might as well be, feels ancient now!

Titling Software
 

I have Matrox RT2000/Adobe Premier 6.0 which has Inscriber and Titledeko titling software included. I am not impressed with either.

Can anyone suggest some really good software that will expand my capabilities for really effective titles? Like "writing" titles out as if someone is writing them in long hand (revealing?), PIP of JPGs/Text?

Thanks in advance.

I have been using "Boris Graffiti" http://www.borisfx.com/products/GRAFFITI/graff_index.php. It has done everything I need so far.

Justifications for mastering w Mini DV
 

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question but here it goes.

We shoot mainly with Beta SP although we do a good deal of Mini DV shooting. We've even mixed the two with no noticeable differences. Our productions are distributed over the air, on VHS, DVD and CD-ROMs as QT movies. We edit on Avids. Okay, that's the background, now for the dilemma.

A project just walked in through the door. The budget can't go over $300k. The material consists of 48 dramatic vignettes with a max of 4 actors mainly interiors with 8 exteriors. All with sync sound dialog. Total runing time is 90 mins approx. The material will end up on the Internet and CD-ROM.

Here's the "problem" -- the client is demanding it be shot on Mini DV thinking that's the only way to come in on budget and no better quality is needed. Of course we can do that but we've done the math and the difference in cost between mastering on BetaSP and MiniDV is roughly $5000 (for camera rental and raw stock). The client is adamant we don't need any more than MiniDV quality for something that will end up as QT movies on the Internet. I agree BUT the thinking that Mini DV will save tons of money is faulty. Although the cold number yields a $5k difference, work tends to slow down when shooting with Mini DV - to yield good results more attention has to be paid to lighting; depending on the camera used, moves have to be planned with delicate care; handholding is not as good with small, unbalanced cameras; sound monitoring can be a nighmare; rack foucusing is next to impossible, etc.

Still, we're going along with DV because the client seems to be demanding it. We'll be shooting with an XL1 (which we own) with the new lens that's sharper and can track a zoom (can someone tell me the lens model? we have the old one) and we'll be using a SONY TRV900 for pickup shots.

Shooting on DV can yield a profit IF I'm the director AND the DP AND camera operator which I love to do but can be counter-productive with dramatic scenes. The crew can be reduced by one - a great grip is all I need and an film school intern can be my AC. Audio is no savings at all. I wouldn't do that any differently, especially when mics need to be mixed live and dialog must be crisp.

There's a question here somewhere - I guess I'm looking for a strong argument for NOT mastering on Beta SP. I'm looking for strong arguments why shooting high quality dramatic material can be achieved with Mini DV. Quite frankly, shooting drama with Mini DV scares me. I see David Lynch and a number of feature directors are shooting with Mini DV for aesthetic reasons but are the savings significant (between Beta and Mini DV) when the crew makeup remains largely the same?

Any opinions are most welcomed.

Fast StudioDV for PC /purple.field
 

Hi!

Does anybody has experience with one of these programs? I think about buying one of these.

Thanks, Markus

What are the differences between mini DV tapes ?
 

I'm wondering what the differences between miniDV tapes are. Is there a significant difference in the picture quality itself or do cheap tapes just have more dropouts ? Panasonic tapes for example. There are about 6 different 60 minute tapes from Linear BK to Super Linear Plus - Semi Professional Tapes XK. I suppose i should use the more expensive tapes for professional filming and the cheap ones for testing and whatever. Am i right ?

I'm curious to see a logical answer to this myself....

XL1 problem
 

Hi, my name is David and I am a partner in a small DV production co. We have just started to use the Canon XL1 and are experiencing a problem. During recording everything looks fine through the viewfinder but on playback there appears 5 thick black lines running horizontal. These lines last for between 5-15 seconds before disappearing. This does not happen all the time but on odd occasions. Can anyone throw some light on this.
Regards to all,
David Phillips

Run a head-cleaning cassette through the tape transport mechanism for about five seconds or so -- the problem should disappear.

Help w/ capture card for PAL DV!!
 

I have a PAL camcorder(XL1) and i need to buy a capture card which can capture PAL DV.I don't want to buy any of those cards that come w/ a bundle of software because i got a hold of a guy that sold me adobe premiere 6.0 & aftereffects for a really low price(he's acctually gave it away almost) so i just want to buy a capture card for my PAL video which i also can use w/ adobe premiere& aftereffects.
The PYRO DV OHCI is very affordable and i heard it's certified for use w/ premiere(5.1/6.0?).But does it work also w/aftereffects?Does it capture PAL?
I'm looking for a solution for this.What capture card(alone, not the bundles like dv500 or RT2000 since i already have premiere& afftereffects ) could i buy for my needs?Any help will be immensely appreciated!

Thank you very much!!!

EZ CD Creator and HP cd16i CDRW
 

Hello,

I got just got Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum today from CompUSA ($39.95 after rebate). It seems that it will not recognize my HP cd16i IDE burner. Anyone else had this problem?

I've been to Roxio site, but my guess is that I will not get an answer from them until Monday. They indicate that they do support the cd12i drive, but nothing on either the cd16i or cd24i. I'm guessing the cd12i would work, but since it looks like Roxio actually reads the cd16i string I'm not sure how to convince it to use this.

Any help is appreciated...I hope migrating to DVD is not worse!

Thanks,
Nathan Gifford

Camera prices
 

So with the slow down in the US economy does anyone think camcorder prices might fall? I've seen some offering rebates.

I have used a Matrox with excellent results. Probably it is a bit of an overkill if you are not planning to go pro but it works very, very well.
Yours
Jose A

dv lighting + power
 

I was wondering what everybody was using as
a lighting kit for their DV shooting.... I hear a lot
of things like tungsten, lowell... But I need some
help to grasp it all... What are good kits to get?
Any articles or books i might want to check out
on this topic? How can I use my lights while i'm
on location where there isn't any power available?

Thanks for any help!

Best Wide Angle Adaptor for XL1s?
 

I read somewhere that there are wide angle adaptors that you can zoom through and would be considered better than a wide angle lens?

I'm new to the XL1s and don't have either but I need a wide angle solution.

Can anyone give me their opinion/feedback? Thank you.

Canon MV400i and StudioDVplus?
 

I have a problem with my Canon MV400i camera when I try to use it with a Pinnaclesys StudioDVplus. I cant find the camera from neither Adobe Premiere or Studio 7.

My configuration is this:

Intel Motherboard (D850MV, P4, RIMM)
Canon MV400i
Pinnacle StudioDVplus
Windows 2000 (also tried Win XP)

Anyone who knows what to do?

You have a European camera model. Tell the computer the US equivalent (Optura, Elura, etc.). Contact your dealer or the nearest Canon office to find what the US equivalent model is. Make sure your editing system supports PAL, because that's the system in which your camera records and plays back. Hope this helps,

NLE Buyers Guide website improved
 

For anyone interested in nonlinear video editing, we have just launched a redesigned website for the NLE Buyers Guide at http://NLEguide.com, which, thanks to user feedback, is simpler and faster to use.

New features include an enhanced Search page with a 'System Name' field that allows you to select from more than 200 NLE products. Additional Browse features have been added, and the whole site has been re-designed to be much quicker to load.

Background
The NLE Buyers Guide covers all types of NLE product, including turnkey systems, hardware platforms and software packages, and covers prosumer/professional video editing applications from DV editing and content creation for DVD/Web, to high-end finishing for HDTV/film. The Guide also covers disk recorders and servers designed to work with editing applications.

You can search our database by application, system type, host platform, video input/output, cost range as well as manufacturer and system name.

With kind regards
-Yasmin Hashmi
NLE Buyers Guide @ NLEguide.com
DAW Buyers Guide @ DAWguide.com

JVC HRDVS2-U - Any Problems?
 

Any problems using theJVC HRDVS2-U deck for playback and capture to save wear and tear on my XL-1 ?

What about software settings and such.

Am using DVRaptor, RAPTORVIDEO (v 2.01) for capture and ADOBE PREMIERE v5.1C for editing.

Once the season is over, I will upgrade both DVRaptor to 2.11 and Premiere to 6.1 (or is it 6.01 ?).

The Best NLE NoteBook
 

I have always experienced just NLE in PC's. I'm actually working whit a Pinnacle DV500. But I'm Looking for a Note Book in wich I can perform profesional editions from DV material. I'm atraccted by Power Books and for FCP 3. But I dont Know how to compare it whit the posibillities of a Sony VAIO Whit Premiere 6.0 . There are someone of you that can enrinch my judment? If I go MAC, should I trust in Promax?

Thanks in advance, from Colombia.

Carlos Mario Urrea

Howdy from Texas,

I noticed on the Canopus message boards that all of this has worked out for you... congratulations!

Howdy from Texas,

ProMax is without a doubt the *top* dealer of Mac editing systems in the world -- and they are one of my sponsors. Yes, by all means, you can trust them!

Ask them for a PowerBook laptop Mac with Final Cut Pro 3, now that would be an impressive portable system. Hope this helps,

EBU, PAL color bars
 

Hi everyone!

I'm going to pick up my XL1s PAL this evening! (yummie)..
Hope all goes well. One question I have is how to calibrate
with PAL EBU color bars! I have seen many NTSC SMPTE
color bar calibration tutorials, but not one on these PAL
bars. Any help, pointers or URLs would be greatly
appreciated!

Thanks!