Studio Build out

[Jon Harrison]

Having lived some of the results of what you’re talking about I can say that this is very sound advice and shouldn’t be taken lightly. It also speaks towards your experience in the industry/market and not just your skill set.

Thanks again Mark!

Thanks,
Jon

[Jon Harrison]

ok – so I really like the Panasonic AG-HMX100 Digital AV Mixer. I think it has everything that I need as well as the ability to grow with our production. I’m looking at recorders now – any that you recommend? Are these are the same or similar to the type of DVRs that security cameras use? Can I uses something like a Drobo to record straight to? Also I noticed that the mixer output is SDI, and most recorders don’t have an SDI in, it seems to be mostly USB in – is there a SDI to USB converter – is this problematic?

Paint – I’m going dark gray, I’m assuming flat and not semi-gloss to control the lighting? We also have a drop ceiling and we’ll be changing out or painting those as well.

Thanks!

Thanks,
Jon

[Mark Suszko]

Drobos, AFAIK, are not rated to be used as AV drives, only as holding tanks for files once already acquired. I don’t know of any Drobo that has the speed to work as a real-time AV drive; that requires a dedicated RAID. Then again, I could be out of date about that.

Be careful if you think you’re going to use a consumer DVR as your master recorder – the ones used in security work are generally not going to be compatible with your needs. You’ll want to think about the recording duration: how long is the longest thing you’ll be expected to record, like a board meeting or something – and look at what the cost of the memory modules or drive modules is. You’ll want to have enough recording modules around to be able to hot-swap in new ones as old ones fill up, and enough on hand so that you’re under less pressure to immediately offload the recorder to storage and erase/re-use the modules. This was a problem early in our adoption of P-2 cards: too expensive to leave around on a shelf like you would with a tape: there was constant pressure to dump off the files so the cards could go back into the cameras for the next thing coming up. I’ve never been a P-2 fan; I prefer class ten or better SDHC type cards in terms of value for money.For a smaller setup like yours, you might look at a recorder like something in the line from Atomos. Or the Hyperdeck series from Black Magic Design. Just make sure your entire signal flow is considered, from how it comes out the camera, to how it comes into the switcher, to how it get into the recorder and finally, into the editing system. You could do HDMI as a standard, but the cool kids are all doing things via SDI: the connections are more robust, cable runs are easier, the audio’s embedded, it’s very clean.

We chose the Panasonic switcher because end-to-end we have Panny cameras that put out SDI; we keep an all-SDI signal flow for everything, from the camera to the satellite uplink dish. The recorders we use are the AJA KiPro, with removable storage modules. We also have stand-alone P-2 reader/recorders, which can also be used to directly read the P-2 cards used in our cameras, and import footage into the editing system. If HDMI is your flow, maybe the Roland switchers are more your speed:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=920173&gclid=CIKmtZ_U4MkCFRCGaQodfQULMw&Q=&ap=y&m=Y&is=REG&A=details

A consideration when debating what switcher to get: you’re going to use and own the switcher much longer than you will the cameras. Cameras these days get swapped out around every 2 years as better ones come out, though of course you can hang on to yours longer if they still work well for you. But from an accounting standpoint, 2 years, maybe 3. Don’t necessarily limit your switcher choice to compatibility with the CURRENT cameras you own, but rather, imagine what the next replacement cameras will be, what standards those may require, and choose the switcher that can keep up with changing types of inputs.

Regarding the ceiling tiles; depending on how you paint them, it may become a fire code issue. As installed, they are fire-rated. A paint coating over the top might void that rating. Work on the walls first. Flat non-gloss gray is right.

[Jon Harrison]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone, especially Mark, on your guidance with this. Update on this project – we start the build out in 2 weeks. We ended up having to get permits but it’s for the better. Most if the equipment is already here. It’s very exciting. I’ll try and post before and after pictures for everyone to see.

Thanks again!

Thanks,
Jon