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House Sync
In this world of multiple formats how are folks dealing with supplying house sync to various edit bays? I’ve got Disceet systems, Avid and Final Cut systems that on any given day need NTSC, PAL or some flavor of Tri-Phase sync. How are others dealing with this? patch panels? Routing systems? What works best in a multiple format environment? Thoughts are appreciated.
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2 Replies
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We have a tri-level sync generator and an NTSC sync generator (creating composite black) that go through their own distribution amplifiers to where they are needed. Our cabling is spec’d for either HD or SD. The tri-level goes to D5 and HD Cam VCRs, the studio cameras and studio control and NTSC goes everywhere else. We edit on Discreet and they reference house sync, which is composite black. The HD or PAL projects can still use the house sync reference. Because sync runs from machine to machine on a daisy chain from the DA cables, we can also input tri-level to smoke and fire if needed. We’ve never had a project that needed it. HTH
Del
fire*, smoke*, photoshopCS3
Charlotte Public Television
del underscore edits at wtvi dot org -
In Florida, almost everyone uses standard black (29.97), even for working in HD (which is typically 59.94, which works fine with standard NTSC black). Now that the AJA GEN10 is available for a mere $390, that offers both NTSC black (or PAL black) and tri level sync, it is inexpensive to have both signals available with almost no expense.
Historically, I have simply run the NTSC black to a video DA (like an inexpensive Kramer composite video DA) to distribute black to all the AVID, AJA or VTR Ref Video inputs, but most recently, products that may require tri level sync, I have for the first time brought these SPECIFIC PRODUCTS (like the AJA Kona 3, or the Sony HDCam or the Panasonic AJ-HD1400) Ref Video inputs up to a manual patch bay (Canare 242U-DVJAW), so I can have NTSC black normalled to them, but if the need arises for 23.98 tri level sync, I simply patch it in. The tri level sync signal (out of the AJA GEN10) simply goes into a generic analog composite video DA.
Even in the stone age (3 years ago), when Evertz was the only game in town for tri level sync, the Evertz 7750 “package” was with an inexpensive Evertz analog video DA, that could distribute the tri level sync signal.
So after this long boring rant, yes – patch bays are the simpliest cheapest way to switch between tri level and standard external reference to your critical edit controller and HD VTRS.
bob Zelin
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