Mic options?
 

Hi DVC/DVX users......

I know next to nothing about mics and would like to get a mic for my DVC80. How do you go about getting a mic with xlr connectors with the right length cable for the DVC? Do mics come with a certain length cable and the end user is supposed to cut it to fit the application? The DVC/DVX would need a very short length cable to go into the xlr input....and i would prefer a mic that would fit perfectly in the holder the DVC comes with....how do I go about making a choice and getting the right length cable?

(PS- I'd like a mic that would zoom out as i zoomed out with the camera- I want to pinpoint audio as accurately as possible to capture what I am zooming at- like a bird chirpping in a tree 20 feet up and only the chirping- I guess to whatever degree of audio pattern the mic s able to acquire)

Also- has anyone tried using a parabolic mic with an XLR connector into the DVC/DVX?

Parabolic seems like the best option for distant audio sources.

dvx heads
 

i just got my dvx100 a few weeks ago. i keep reading on hear how people are using decks or other cameras as capture devices (or to fast forward and rewind tapes). I'm about as newbie as they come so could any of you please exlain why i would go to the trouble of getting an extra camera or a dv deck to do these things? How much does this cost to replace heads on the camera? How soon will the heads wear out?

also is there a disparity in how hard recording, playing(capturing to pc), and rewinding and fast forwarding is on the camera or do they all wear out the heads the same amount? It seems fast foward and rewind would be the hardest on the heads but is one of them worse then the other?

-peace-

I also would like to know the answer to James question, as I will pick up my DVX100 tomorrow.

Is it true that the tapeheads are being used during fast forwarding/backwarding the tape without seeing the image in speed-up motion? I can't image that.

I think have read in some Panasonic brochure that they incorporated the mechanism around the heads etc that's the same as in the pro/dvcam machines they sell. You could presume that this is also an advantage, not something that makes the DVX100 critical with tapes.

Peter Sieben

25P vs 50i tests
 

If anyone cares to comment and find logical faults in below I would appreciate it!

I did some tests with DVX100 25P setting ON and OFF, using Matrox 100 and premiere Pro. Here is the strange conclusion:

It doesn't matter whether you
- capture with progressive or field first
- export with progressive or field first
- set specific clip settings to interlace or non-interlace

The end result is the same: 25P material will have smooth, filmlike blur in moving objects, and 50i will produce TV interlace stuff which looks smoother only in broadcast environments. The 25P blur is superior in all environments.

This, in my understanding, is due to the fact that in 25P recorded version 50i consecutive frames are identical. Correct?

Any experiences out there?

Yes, that's correct. The same is true with 30P and 60i on the NTSC model. Both field are captured at the same moment in time in 25 or 30P, so they work seemlessly in an interlaced post environment.

Cuts on a 29.97 timeline
 

Is it possible to make cuts anywhere on the timeline from 24p Standard footage in any nle when not on a true 24 frame timeline? I read in the Long/Schenk book that unless it was reverse telecine'd, it woulnd't be possible to make proper edits (because it'd be on a 29.97 timeline). Is that true?

You have to avoid cuts on judder frames (see 24p white paper) where on 24p frame split across 2 29.97 frames.

Advice on backing up tapes?
 

Was wondering if there are some default settings used to back up dv tapes.

I have the pv-dv53 and dvx100. I was going to use the dvx100 as the record deck and dv53 as the play deck. I was wondering what settings, if any should be used on the cameras. On the dvx100 I have the “1394 tc regen” ON. I assume you just start the playback deck(dv53) and press record on the dvx100.

This seems how to do it but just wanna make sure before I start backing up endless hours of footage. If this is wrong or if there is a better way of doing it please let me know. Thanks.

I think this is the way indeed. The option on whether you want
new timecode or the original timecode is probably a personal
preference.

One audio channel affecting the other?
 

I'm editing a wedding I shot recently. I had a wireless receiver on one channel and my shotgun on another channel. and I've noticed that whenever the groom breathed heavily on the wireless lav, and causing a clipping on the wireless channel, it would cause a drown-out of the audio on the other channel. Anyone noticed this? any idea why it would do this? AGC was turned on, so could the AGC circuitry be doing it's work on both channels if it's detecting one is clipping?

I'm pretty sure AGC is not channel selectable so it would cause a reaction on all channels being recorded at the time.

Adam Wilt reviews the DVX100A
 

Howdy from Texas,

The pre-press version of Adam's article is flawed by various typographical errors (not of his doing -- blame his editors); however it is available at dv.com. Enjoy,

Thanks Chris.. it's a great article, written by one of the gods of the industry.

stutter look - gladiator - frame mode ?
 

I am looking to buy between the dvx 100a or the xl1s but the only feature stopping me from the dvx at the moment is the "frame mode" feature on the xl1s - which supposedly creates that fast hi-energy stutter look - like in gladitor or saving private.. & more recently "28 days" danny boyle, in an article here:
_
http://www.28dayslaterthemovie.co.uk/video/featurette_hi.html
_
he talked about using "frame mode" on the xl1s to acheive this mad fast stacatto effect - that I have seen on a few music videos also.
Is this possible on the dvx100 or dvx100 a ?