Can a MacBook Pro and DVRack HD 2.0 be used as a real-time monitor the HVX?
 

Hi all. . .

I'm tearing my hair out trying to figure out what to do regarding a larger monitor for my HVX.

I thought about buying a Marshall. I thought about buying a Varizoom. I thought about buying a high-end Panasonic monitor, but they don't do image flip. And then it hit me. I already have a MacBook Pro. Can I hook up my MacBook Pro to my HVX via the Firewire cable and run DVRack HD in REAL TIME using Boot Camp or Parallel software? That is, is it possible (and desireable) to use the MacBook pro for real-time monitoring through DVRack HD? DVRack HD 2.0 has the image flip function built-in to the software. This seems the natural solution provided I can mount a laptop holder on my tripod.

If it CAN be done, why in the heck isn't everyone doing that now? Indeed, the outboard Panasonic monitors cost almost as much as a new MacBook Pro and DVRack HD combined!

Finally, can I record 24pN to the P2 cards while monitoring through the Firewire cable at the same time?

I'm at the end of my rope on this monitoring subject. Either the resolution is low (Marshall) or they don't flip (Panasonic). I figure that this might be the best way to skin this cat.

Stephen

I know folks are using DV Rack as a monitor, I don't know how good it works with a Macbook. I reall there is a lot of discussion on the HVX forum at dvxuser.com

I wouldn't say that the image is "low" on the Marshall. I have this monitor and it is so much better than the viewfinder. You can flip the Marshall by just turning it upside down and switching the mounting plate.

Hi James. . . I didn't mean to 'dis' your monitor.

What I meant to say was that the Marshall's resolution isn't true HD (I believe it is like 600 by 400), whereas I think that using DVRack HD I would be able to monitor in true HD for about the same price as the true HD (720) Panasonic monitor.

I'm just dying to know if DVRack can really be used in this way in real time. If so, I'm buying a second MacBook Pro for use during shooting.

Thanks much.

Stephen

A friend of mine has been using Scopebox for Mac. He seems to like it. I haven't tried it, so no opinion either way, but I think there's a free trial version.....

http://www.scopebox.com/

Stephen, no worries. I do admit that it's not up to "true" HD standards, but it's a great monitor for the price. If you want true 1080, then you really have to look elsewhere. BUT, have you tried one? You'd be amazed at the quality jump.

James. . .

I have not tried one. . . indeed, I've never seen one at all. Kansas City is a bit of a hinterland for such gear.

My thinking is to try the DVRack or Scopebox approach. If they will work, I'll go that way, because not only will I have the monitor, I'll also have the metering capabilities.

But it will be interesting to see how well that all works!

Stephen

Scopebox needs add-ons ...
 

It's an interesting monitor alright but with the add-on plug-ins you are looking at over $1000 for this to work! Not dissing the product as I'm sure it works fine but compared to DVRack it's a bit on the expensive side when all is done!

Stephen
Macbook pro running bootcamp, XP, and DVRACK HD works great.
I've used this set up on a couple shoot already, I did not get into any problems.
go for it.
e.

These last two posts lead to two more questions!

Dean: What "extra pluggins" are required? I was hoping that Scopebox worked out of the box on the Mac with no extra software.

Eric: Have you heard of any comparisons between Scopebox and DVRack? Are there specific features that one has that are valuable that the other one does not?

Thanks so much for all the great advice!

Stephen

These two required plug-ins ...
 

http://www.gluetools.com/purchase.html

http://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/movielogger/

The best thing about Scopebox is that there is no resolution limit (2k, maybe 4k)~ the developers think! That's cool if true!

Not sure what you mean by this ...

Looks like the HD version is $699. Yeah, this is $200 more than DV Rack HD (except that I suppose you'd also have to buy a Windows license to run dvRack on a Mac), but there wouldn't be any addtional plugins for it as far as I can tell. Am I missing somthing?

I'll ask my friend what he's using.
In the meantime, looks like they have a free trial version that might be worth checking out.

I re-read the ScopeBox site and couldn't find the reference to the plug-ins but read it recently. I've asked the developers about it and will get back with an answer!
Don't mean to mislead anyone.

got this from Mike Woodworth of ScopeBox:
"Nope, neither are required to preview live video. Gluetools would be required if you wanted to playback DPX movies, which I doubt you need to do. Movielogger is something you could use to log your shots after capturing them in ScopeBox, but you can just as easily import them directly into FCP and start editing."
So I guess I was wrong about the necessity for the plug-ins! Sorry about that!

Scopebox is looking better and better all the time. Does anyone know the latency I'd experience with the fastest MacBook Pro?

Thanks much.

Stephen