Enhancement/restoration software to increase footage quality.
 

There is not really a place to put this where the right people with the knowledge can get to see it, as they might be in several groups, and I can't cross post.

I have an idea that could increase, say, HDV footage detail to the level of Sony HDCAM most of the time, even increase the colour accuracy to 4:4:4 some times.

I am interested if there are any programs out there that could take footage and do this, especially open source programs, even upscalers that could also increase the resolution.

Some years ago I had an idea that you could process footage to get a higher quality more detailed version. It has come to my attention recently that film restoration houses are using these sort of techniques to restore old film with better detail etc.

I think this is possible with video, because thew codecs don't record all the detail because of compression and noise (low light particularly) but while it might miss a pixel of detail in this frame, the next, or previous, frame might have accurately recorded it, and as the camera moves more detail is revealed and recorded.

It might even be possible to process the footage from the cheapest HD camera, like the Sanyo, to produce detail as good as DVCPROHD, except in motion because the codec gets swamped with information there.

So, does anybody know of any processing software that could be applied here?

Workflow questions
 

Wanted to see if anyone has some suggestions as to a better workflow

We are doing skating competitions and obviously have to cut lots of small DVD's

Earlier we did this by using the MiniDV tapes and a MiniDV VCR as well as a DVD recorder. the DVD record controlled the MiniDV VCR and it was a direct copy

easy fast workflow.

Now we switched to useing the Firestore

I am not sure if the firestore can be used the same way. Guess i have to go back and find that manual ;-)

But if i go to using the computer i guess there is nothing faster than loading the clips into the NLE (i use vegas) and then make a movie and create a DVD

even without any fancy work in the NLE it still takes a lot longer than simply copying directly or maybe i am missing something

thanks for any tips

Movie created by cell phone
 

Someone created an entire movie using a cell phone. Here's a story from AP.
I guess this ends the debate of what camera to buy and just rely on old fashioned creativity....

06-14) 12:44 PDT ROME, Italy (AP) --

The theme may be familiar but the technique is new: A standard cell phone camera to shoot an entire feature-length documentary on love and sex.

Italian filmmakers used a Nokia N90, a higher-end cell phone sold around the world, to produce the 93-minute "New Love Meetings," which they say is the first feature film to be entirely shot with such a tool.

The technique underscores what has become a fixture in today's world: The use of amateur video and cell phone cameras to immortalize moments in people's lives.

"With the widespread availability of cell phones equipped with cameras, anybody could do this," documentary co-director Marcello Mencarini said in a telephone interview from Milan. "If you want to say something nowadays, thanks to the new media, you can."

In news gathering, early footage is often shot with a cell phone, and, in the case of major events, authorities and news outlets have been known to call on amateurs to come through with video.

When it comes to movies, though, cell phone cameras present limits, such as the difficulty to film in darkness or the lack of high-quality microphones.

As a result, the movie mostly features close-ups, and the image, while overall clear when seen on a computer, is slightly shaky. Mencarini said the movie could be viewed on big screens, though "it wouldn't be high-definition." The movie's directors said no post-production manipulation was made on the image.

Low costs and greater flexibility were among the reasons why Mencarini and co-director Barbara Seghezzi decided to use a cell phone.

The filmmakers say the project cost only a few thousand dollars, including their travel and accommodation expenses and the production of several DVDs.

Although no professional lighting was needed, a pocket flashlight was used at times, said Seghezzi.

The approach offers the advantage of being intimate, leading people to open up a little more easily, directors say. In a documentary about love and eroticism, that doesn't hurt.

For two months last year, the directors interviewed some 700 people across Italy — at bars, open markets and on the beach. About 100 of them ended up in the movie.

"To use a small instrument that belongs to people's daily routine allows you to establish an intimate dialogue, instead of using a regular camera," she said. "The interview becomes more like a chat."

Mencarini said some people were intrigued that such a familiar item was being used to shoot a movie.

The phone had enough memory for about an hour of footage, and scenes were transferred to a computer approximately every two days, Mencarini said.

Now, producers are looking at ways to distribute the film.

The directors' idea was to do a modern version of the 1965 documentary "Love Meetings" by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the famed film director and writer found beaten to death 30 years ago.

In his documentary, Pasolini interviewed Italians to find out their views about sex in postwar Italy. Attitudes across the country showed people had taboos and self-censorship was widespread.

"New Love Meetings" explores subjects ranging from first sexual experiences to homosexuality and jealousy, in interviews that include transsexuals and a priest. And it found that not much has changed.

"When it comes to sexuality a certain malaise is still there, taboos and problems persist," Seghezzi said.

Jerky output
 

Hi, my output is jerky and I have no idea what to do.

I've made perhaps one of the least professional wedding videos ever, considering I've never seen one before and it was just a favour for someone who would otherwise not have bothered, then that's okay. It's reasonably well shot and edited and I am I pleased with the results.

So why is it unprofessional? Because I shot it before knowing what I was going to do. I shot on a Sony Handycam MiniDV, captured to AVI using MovieMaker 2, the only editing software I have now I've finished uni.

I also edited on MovieMaker 2 and rendered using a custom profile that was recommended at the Windows Movie Maker Forum, (all previous efforts to render resulted in faulty audio or frozen frames), this custom profile rendered perfectly, but...

When I watch the dvd on my projector it is so jerky. Its not that noticeable on the computer monitor, easily acceptable, but when the size increases it becomes increasingly less acceptable.

It is something I've found with DV before (is there a name for it?) that any camera movement (or significant movement withing the frame) results in this problem.

Can it be solved, or do I just tell the happy couple to watch it on a computer?

Thanks for any advice,

Alex

Movies In Production In Manhattan
 

Hiya comrades! I just spent a fabulous, decompressing two days in the Big Apple with Bravo and two other friends of his and had a freaking blast! During my travels hobnobbing it back around Bravo's old neighborhood (from whence they grew up) with the Man himself and Political Cousin Mario, I noticed two movies being shot. One was Spiderman 3 which was shooting on Times Square (couldn't get a peek at the actors because they were hiding in a small make-up tent) but I did manage to get some good, close cell phone shots of the camera operator prepping one of two Panaflex cameras. Also, during a hair raising, stop sign spinning, warp speed taxi ride back from an ass-kicking barbeque in Queens at one o'clock in the morning, I noticed another movie being made on 41st Street around Second Avenue. Couldn't make heads or tails of what that production could be. Anybody know what other movies are in production now in the City?

direct HD screen capture...is it possible?
 

Greetings,

I'm a multimedia developer working on a video-heavy exhibit for an architecture museum... and feel a bit out of my element. I've searched the forums for an answer to my (simple?) issue, yet haven't found anything that spells it out (perhaps I'm searching for the wrong thing)...

I'm hoping someone has done this before or knows how and can take a few minutes to educate me.

Basically, I want to capture a high-definition video stream from a computer; whatever's going on on the screen, I want to record to tape... full resolution, no dropped frames.

In my mind this should be simple; there has to be some way to capture the digital signal that goes to the monitor... (shy of filming the monitor itself )... in my mind, there should be video out-> magic converter box->DV recorder...

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Cool $50 teleprompter
 

Howdy...

Here's a link to a fun review of Bodelin's $50 GO! Prompter. It's a video podcast that reviews different products every week...

http://www.neo-fight.tv

For the money, it's a useful little gadget...

Best,

Benjamin

----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.neo-fight.tv [The "Techno-Debate" Video Podcast]

news reader
 

Is it possible to access the dvinfo forums using a news reader (e.g. Outlook Express News)?

Best,
Christopher

releases...
 

I know this has been much discussed before, but I'm wanting to start shooting some stories for our local public broadcaster, and I'm concerned about releases from anyone who may appear on tape.
What gets me is, the station says that anyone who is identifiable on camera has to sign a release. Well, I'm wanting to do stories like an up coming kite festival, or people windsurfing in the Gorge. If I'm going to get wide establishing shots, there's going to be tons of people that I'm supposedly going to have to track down and get releases from.
When I watch Discovery Channel, or series like "The Amazing Race" where they did a season mainly in the US, there are shots where people are watching what's going on and could be indentified. I can't believe that there is really some PA running around trying to get releases from all the people that were possibly in the shot. I mean, it could be adding up to hundreds of releases just to get a minute or two of footage. Take "The Apprentice" for example. The had shots of people waiting for a ferry, hundreds and hundreds, or people that the teams would talk to on the street, and would just ignore them and keep walking in a hurry. Does someone really go chasing after all those people, each and every one of them, and get a release form? You'd have to have a virtual army of PA's and thousands of releases on hand.
I wondering if someone out there knows what the real deal is. Not just speculation, but actually knows what the laws are for shooting in public. There is no monetary gain on my end, the work is voluntary.

Remote Pan Head for Cobracrane?
 

Hi all!

I'm shooting from a Cobracrane II+ (which I've owned and loved for two years) and am in need of a pan head that can be affixed to a jib. Never needed it before, due to the extremely flexible nature of the CCII, but now I'm working in close quarters and want to perform pans while the camera is hoisted high.

Does anyone here use, or know of such a product? Simple is ideal, and only panning is desired, since the camera platform already tilts beautifully.

Any help here is greatly appreciated!

Chris ~

dv expo east 2006
 

It looks like there is no DV Expo East planed for 2006, while there was NAB 06 and Expo West is also scheduled in November, in L.A.
Does anybody have information if DV Expo East is going to happen at all this year?

Need advice on editing software
 

Hi all. As this is my first post, a small intorduction. Living in the UK, I'm a keen(ish) amateur whose done all the normal home movie, holiday movie stuff. I currently use a sony DCR-HC90E which is a little basic, but it does what I need it to do for the moment. Hopefully in the future with a little more time (and cash !!!), I'll be looking to upgrade at some point.

My issue at the moment is editing software. Up until now I've used Pinnacle 7, then 8 and now 9. However I'm desperately looking for something else as I'm utterly fed up with this package which is just too flaky and forever crashing or needing to be uninstalled and reinstalled due to the latest incomptibility it's decided to find.

I've been looking around and there seems to be little or no consensus on the web as to what is the best package to go for; Adobe Premier Pro seems to be popular, but is it really worth 3 or 4 times the price of other packages. Ulead also seems popular, but some give it good reveiws while others don't, so I just wonder whether the good reviews were "paid" for. This seems to be true also for the competitors.

Also there seems to be a big gap between the entry level packages, where competition is obviously keen, and the more advanced options like Premier. Is there anything in between that could be recommended, or is it once again a case of getting what you pay for.

I'm not looking to start creating blockbusters, but if I do upgrade my camera in the future then I don't want to then have the double expense of buying more software as well. So what I'm after is a good intuitive product that I can learn on now, but which will provide me with all the functionality I will realistically need for the future.

I'll be really grateful for any advice, recommendations.
Thanks,
Malcolm

How can I network 2 workstations together for video editing/ not online?
 

I want to be able to Network together 2 workstations that arent conected to the internet, so I can share files back and forth. And do this as fast as possible.

These two computers are used for video editing. Most of the time they are not connected to the internet in order to save recources and also so I can edit without having a firewall or antivirus running at the same time. That way I know Im always safe from the risk of a virus ruining a clients project.
So the Ethernet jacks are available. Also I have heard of USB 2 cable conecting the 2 together. - Which is best, faster?

My hope is to be able to have a project and be editing differnt parts of it on 2 machines, and then render the entire thing out on one machine. I know this is possible but dont know what I need or how to do it. Specs follow. thanks.

---------------------------------------------
Workstation 1:
Tyan Thunder K8WE w/ dual Opteron 270s.
2 gigs of Corsar RAM.

Workstation 2:
ABIT IC7-G w/ Pentium 4, 3GHZ
2 gigs of Corsar RAM. Matrox RTX100.

New Yahoo web commercials for yahoo dragNdrop email - how do they do that?
 

There is a couple of new webcommercials with Yahoo DragNDrop Email, one in particular I like is the lady picks up a car and drops it in a parking space. The movement of the person looks real. I am just wondering if anyone knows how they did it?!?!
There is also one where a burgular is crushed by a giant elephant foot that is great looking as well...

Greenscreening HD - any tips?
 

I have done some greenscreening on miniDV before - is there anything different I should be doing with HD for greenscreening? Anything to look out for?

French Flag Dilemma!
 

Hello Everyone,

I am not sure if this is the right place to put this, but it does touch on a variety of different topics.

I recently purchased a used Formatt FM-500 mattebox off of Ebay (at a really cheap price!!). When I got the item, it was in great condition, and appeared just as described. But then the problem hit me- there was no french flag. Going back to the ebay listing, I discovered that the ad did not say anything about a french flag, so it's kinda my fault that it's not here. (The seller's rating was good, so they appeared to be good people-plus the box was listed as used).

So, I figured I'm going to need a french flag, so I started contacting those who might have them. First, I e-mailed B&H, and they told me that they did not have extras, and that I would have to get it as a service part from Formatt directly. I had already mailed Formatt asking them if they had extras I could buy from them. Their reply was that they only have one metal flag, but it will not fit on the plastic FM-500. So, I now have a Formatt mattebox with no flag.

Since it does not appear that I will be able to get the Formatt flag, are there any other flags which you know that I could use on this mattebox? I've looked at getting the type which has a clamp and a bendable arm, but I would prefer a flag which could directly attach properly to the mattebox (less light leakage). However, the Formatt box is quite wide, and the Chrosziel, Vocas (C.Optics), and other company's flags appear too slim to fully cover the top of the box.

Well, that's my problem. I know this is a really difficult situation, and I really appreciate any help. Until then, I will continue to look at other options. Thanks a lot,

Clint Grant

O.T. info
 

Sorry if I'm OT

I need a info

in pal world I need to connect a dxc 327ap with a bvv5p I have found a ca-511 on ebay from US is the same for ntsc and pal ?
I need a ca-511P ???

thank you
Francesco

Head Cleaning issue/question
 

question:

I just bought a new sony pd 170 and want to use my old cheap JVC as the deck to transfer video to my computer.

I did a quick recording on dvcam in my sony and then put it in my JVC. When I play it back in my JVC the video is very choppy and the JVC is telling me Head Cleaning required--and still says so after 3 cleanings.

A. Is it ok to use the JVC as a deck with DVcam tape even though its a minidv camcorder?

B. Does the fact that it says head cleaning required mean that my DVcam tape im putting in it could get soiled?

in-line audio attenuators, how likely I'd need them?
 

As a videographer, I'm attempting to accumulate the best assortment of audio adapters, attenuators, etc. to have with me for various locations where I might want to hook into the house sound, a DJ's board, etc. I do a variety of projects, including but not limited to stage performances, weddings, convention center programs, etc.

Audio techie stuff is my weak area, combined with the fact that spec info is lacking in many of these equipment manuals - add to that the unknowns of what kind of audio equipment I might find at different locations. I want to have what I might need in my bag, but don't want to waste money on something that is never likely to be needed.

Typically I'd be plugging into one of my wireless transmitters (Sony UWP or Samson U1. The Samson transmitter has a balanced mic input and its receiver can be switced to -10, -20, -30. Apparently the Sony UWP transmitter's mic input is unbalanced, and does not have an attenuation switch.

So far I haven't learned about when to use the Z1's audio input Trim Levels available in the menu, so have left them at 0.

Occasionally might hook directly into my Z1U (mic/line switchable on the camera or vx1000 (which has a Beachtek audio adapter with xlr inputs, mic/line switchable),

I might explore what cable/adapters I need to hook into an iRiver MP3 player which can be set to mic or line input, though I'd prefer to leave it at mic input to avoid making last minute menu changes in it's quirky menu - maybe that arrangement would need an attenuator?

I have XLR, RCA, and 1/4" plugs which I know will always come in handy. But I'm not sure if it's overkill to also get a barrel line lift, switchable attenuator -15. -20. -25 for lo Z mic inputs and another 50dB attenuator.

I'd appreciate input from anyone who has experience in these settings and hooking into house, or DJ sound, etc. What are you using most frequently? Suggestions for a good collection to keep in my bag?

"Bubble camera model?
 

Hi
Does anyone know how "Bubble" was shot, I mean, with camera was used?
Thank you
Ron

HDV capture for pc+ mac compatible
 

Hi all you smart knowledgeable people I wonder if anyone can help. I have collected 30 hours of HDV footage in Tibet and want to begin logging. It was shot on sony hdva1u. My edit system on PC is premiere pro I also capture using the DV raptor card. If I log footage on PC with this system. Will it be availabe to be read on MAC final cut pro. I will offline on PC myself and possibly have the edit done on MAC is this possible?????. Can I possibly capture on quicktime and bypass the raptor will this be readable on both systems
Thanks
Help
Chris Macneil

AV output to RCA
 

I couldn't find a correct cable for AV output to RCA. Instead i found regular 3.5mm stereo plug to RCA. It worked fine for video EFV. Black(sometimes White) line to EFV. Red just not connected anywhere.
Any bad experiences? Smoke? Because AV has 4 connnectors but stereo plug only 3. So something is shortcutted. Maybe it's not issue at all because of high electrical resistance? What is AV's electrical resistance?

Interesting Profile on Ed Burns
 

Here's an interesting profile on Ed Burns on the Apple Website (yes, it is also a promotion for Apple's products)

For those of you who don't know or remember, Ed Burns' first film, "The Brothers McMullen,” won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 1995.

http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/burns/

The DV Challenge #6 - like film school but free
 

DV Challenge #6 sign up thread is OPEN!
Put your camera where your mouth is. No, not literally. Or maybe. I haven't picked the theme yet. :)
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=71324

SIGMA VT5 5X Teleconverter
 

I want to know some info about the quality of this lens. Anyone?

thanks

DVD player codec only for the PC
 

I would like to keep my editing PC as clean as possible by installing only the minimum of software needed for the specific purpose, so instead of installing a complete DVD player software, I would prefer a codec only, that would be recognized by the already installed players (WinMedia and QT) to play DVDs.

Is there such a thing out there? Maybe a free one? I don't need all the frills, just plain DVD functions.

Thanks,

help: import Widescreen on iMovie
 

Hey everyone. I have iMovie HD v5 on my Power Mac G5 and I just finished videoing on my Sony 3-CCD DCR-TRV900 with 16:9 on. I don't thinkn it's true widecreen cuz when I switch back and forth on the camera settings it looks like it just letterboxes. Anyways, everytime I import on iMovie HD v5 it scrunches it and moves it back to 4:3. So I did the whole New Project then DV Widescreen thing and imported. But then it pillarboxed and still made it 4:3. I've been trying to figure it out and most people just say to deselect the "Automatic pillarboxing and letterboxing" but I can't find that and think it might just be on iMovie HD v6.

So... can you guys help me?



PS: I also have Final Cut Express HD and I've tryed switching it to Anamorphic then capturing but everytime I hit "esc" to stop it just sits there saying there's a timecode break and it never does anything. I was planning on editing this movie in FCE but I was gonna import it into iMovie 5 then move it over to FCE. So... yeah. Just thought I'd let you guys know in case you have another way for me to do this.

Thanks,
PW

HD DVD encoding with VC-1
 

I just recently downloaded Microsoft's free beta Media Encoder but haven't had time to play with it. Anyone have any experience with this program ? Will it encode DV or AVI files for recording onto a HD DVD using a HD DVD burner (when they come out) ? Can it be used to convert DVCPRO HD to a HD DVD recordable format ?

Green screen canon XL2
 

i know there's been a lot of work on chroma key and DV and most of the threads I read suggest it isn't a good way to go.

OK, here's the deal. I have FCP 5 and a small green screen room and am shooting at 30P 16:9. The Chroma keying I am getting is "almost" acceptable. Is there any options for me? I am trying to drop the talent into a still and have it look real - and not having a lot of luck. I can't buy a new camera, but would consider new software if that helps.

Appreciate the dialog. The only cure I have found so far is multiple mattes using keyframes to tie them together. This is REALLY tedious.

Thanks

Is there a DV codec needed for sonyHC46?
 

Just as titled.

Quakecon anybody?
 

anyone here going to quakecon in downtown dallas this weekend?

Could this be made to work with video?
 

Check out this New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/03/te...html?th&emc=th

It made me wonder. Could this same principle be applied to video? Cameras already have 3 ccds. What if each ccd had a different shutter speed? Couldn't you produce a very high-contrast (black and white) image?

Live show recording for music video
 

Hi members of DVinfo, next friday a got a a big work to do. A friend call me to direct a live show video recording of a rock band and creat a DVD of it. They only have money for the cameras. I have experience with corporate videos, family, travel,some TV but my first time with a band. The Dvd will contain a small version of the show with 5 tracks. Also it will have a music video with the images of the friday show, saturday show and "backstage" images of the weekend. The friday show it will be recorded for the 5 tracks small version of the show. The Saturday show, daylight foottage and backstage images of the band will be used to creat the music video. Specifications:

The location where the shows will hapend is a big island on the brazilian coast.

Friday night
Location: open soccer field with 2 meters height stage located at end.
Sound tower located at the center of the field
Live show basic ilumination
2500 people expected
Video setup: 4 or 3 sony Pd 150 recording on camera tape and an old sony TRV 1CCD
Audio setup: It will be recorded all instruments on a pc beeing feed from the master to sync later with video

Saturday night 3 hours show with 2 breaks
Location: Small bar no stage
Video and Audio setup: 1 sony Pd 150 recording on camera tape and an old sony TRV 1CCD

The music band images record during the weekend will be recorded with 1 sony Pd 150 recording on camera tape and an old sony TRV 1CCD

For editing and post i got a P4 2.6 2gig of ram 1hdsata80gb 1Hdsata250gb Premiere Pro 2 Aftereffects(plugins) and Encore DVD

I read/study this forum every week and other 2 but I´m not 100% confident on recording live show, music sync for video show and music video, multicamera editing.
I would like to hear some advices,tips and toughts of people that had some experience with jobs like that or have crazy usable ideas on all the process freom rec to dvd delivery.

Scene detect/AVIsynth troubles...
 

I've been working on a new HDV workflow. I'm using HDVsplit to capture the footage from my HDV camera. It can split the files based on scene detection, but this isn't working too well because in order for me to convert the clips to DV in Virtualdub, I need to manually make an AVIsynth script for each file I wish to re-encode. I re-encode to DV so I can do an offline edit in PPro 2.0 and re-link to the HDV files when finished. So ideally, I want to capture one big HDV file, make one AVIsynth script, do one encode, and split the resulting DV avi file. Is there a program that can split DV-avi based on scene detection just like HDVsplit does with HDV files? Or better yet, is there a better workflow for this whole thing? Is there some way I can automate the AVIsynth script so I don't need to type one up for each scene?

capture pricing question
 

I have done some searching for this one, but I am still not sure about it. I have a client who wants me to capture 10-15 hours of old vhs, Hi-8, etc. and put to DVD. No problem with hourly edit pricing. My question is: how do most of you charge for capture rates and for rendering times that would take hours? It looks like it should be less than my standard rate when I am in front of the computer, but still enough to cover costs. Thanks for any advice.

Chris

PAL footage to NTSC customer-
 

Aloha!

I am going to freelance some action footage that I have been gathering on my Sony HDR FX1E (PAL) and sell it to companies from the states (they do the editing and my footage is just a small part of the whole).

I was wondering what might be the best way to record and sort it out for them? Can they capture it and convert it or should I do it beforehand?

Thanks!

Anyone shooting in PAL and then converting to 24p
 

With the lively discussion of 24p I wondered if anyone was working in PAL and then converting over to 24p for use in the US?
Pal with the additional 100 lines of vertical resolution raises a few questions, for instance if you shoot in PAL sd with a created wide screen for instance on anm XL1 pal or a trv900 pal, in theory, the masked off part of the image and the resulting loss in resolution might be off set with the additional 100 lines, so a clever convert to ntsc "might" be able to be close to full ntsc resolution

With pal being 25fps, slowing down to 23.97 for say a dvd production "Might" be practical??

Anyone doing this? anyone work out a work flow in Vegas?

Sharyn

Time Code Sync
 

I need to sync video to a computer that is recording audio for a live theatre production. I can send either midi time code or SMPTE time code from the computer. Three cameras are switched live using a video mixer. The sound will be remixed in post and a DVD will be made. What is the best thing to record the video to that will sync to the timecode sent from the sound computer? Is there a way to record directly into FCP using time code from the sound computer? Can a Firestore sync to the time code from the sound computer? This is for a high school, so the budget is limited.
thanks,
Will Abele

How to pitch an idea?
 

Okay, so I'm just a lawyer and obsessive video amateur.

I've got an idea for something that I think I could be of use to one of the
Discovery channels, and I've got enough well-produced material to provide 3
or 4 examples (I don't mean a demo reel, but full-length, fully produced
"pilots"). My projects are shot in SD -- HD isn't a possibility unless the
idea sells, in which case I would invest in HDV (but not HD) equipment.

I was wondering how best to pitch this -- would a DVD with a cover letter to
who ever does development at Discovery be the right approach, or would this
mark me as a hopeless amateur? I'd assume that, at this point, 3/4" is
obsolete. Do I need to get the projects transferred to Digibeta or
something similar, just for the purpose of pitching?

Any suggestions (other than, "leave it to the pros") would be appreciated.

iKan PT1000 Teleprompter
 

Have read a post on these boards somewhere I decided to check this out.

Not much information on B & H site so I have a few questions (doing field work where power is inconvenient)

Teleprompter must be hooked to a laptop to generate the text, using the mouse wheel to advance text?

And without using the AC Adaptor one must have the battery pack to have the prompter work at all.

Once again thanks for the help

Jim