Michael Slowe
Forum Replies Created
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You just said it Bernhard, “Media 100’s simplistic character”. That’s the main attraction as far as I’m concerned, always has been since I switched to editing video rather than film (remember that you young guys?) in 1996. It does all I need for documentary production since I don’t need too many fancy composites, whirly twirls etc etc but I appreciate that advanced modern editing for TV commercials probably does.
Michael Slowe
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Yes, the obvious one would be the first of the EX cameras, the EX 1. (now re named the EX 1R and slightly modified). I have one and it is certainly lighter than the EX 3 although maybe not quite so easy to hand hold. The quality of pictures etc is identical. There are however other differences which you should check out.
Michael Slowe
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Mick, you are getting in a frightful muddle.
I am in exactly the same situation as you, living and filming in the UK. I shoot in the PAL format as I’m sure do you. Most modern cameras allow you to choose which, although I don’t know anyone here who shoots NTSC, unless all their output is destined for the US.
Unless this is the case you will be shooting PAL and therefore your project for your edit will be PAL. No problems there, that was decided by your choice of shooting format. You say you are editing with Vegas, fine, your situation again is exactly as mine, except I edit with Media 100, these are editing tools, nothing to do with DVD’s. Once you have your final timeline that is the time to decide your distribution or exhibiting medium. Could be tape (might well be anyway as an archive), could be by file (QT .mov) placed on a drive or, as you seem to require, by DVD, or, if you have an HD production, Blu-Ray. As you require your DVDD’s to be certain of being played in the US you need to make an NTSC version of your DVD. As both Eric and I have explained, your file needs to be converted AT THIS STAGE. If you are in London you can easily (and not too expensively) have this done by a production house in Soho, say Stanleys in Wardour Street or use a conversion software. Someone once sent me a way to do this involving I remember the H264 codec within Compressor but I’m not an expert in this.
You have to convert at some stage unless you shoot in NTSC. After your edit but before encoding for DVD is the time to do it. Alternatively let’s try and get the US to abandon NTSC and join the civilised world on PAL.
Michael Slowe
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Mick, to answer your questions. No difference in the blank discs, it’s just in the encoding. I use BitVice for my encoding and can choose PAL or NTSC. Without that option there are various conversion software apps. The safest thing to do is to provide NTSC to the US and PAL for Europe, that way you can be pretty certain that your stuff can be played.
Michael Slowe
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I don’t know about regions but PAL and NTSC DVD’s are very different and I don’t think that there’s any way you can overcome that. It seems that most modern DVD and BD players over here (UK) will play both PAL and NTSC but I’m often told that in the US it is rare that PAL discs can be played.
Michael Slowe
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Point taken Eric but if you want to ask someone to watch your production it’s so much nicer to hand (or send) them a disc, than to direct them to an on line site which they only may be able to view on a big TV screen. But you’re probably right, nothing stays the same for long, the technical developers have to think of how to ‘progress’, even if the new idea is less convenient than the old.
Michael Slowe
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Eric, I’m amazed, you watch films on line? On a manky small computer screen? How does that compare to a damn great plasma or LCD? By the way, a wedding videographer I know here in the UK produces great DVD’s with multiple menus, chapters, scenes, the lot and he uses Edius and Encore.
Michael Slowe
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Terence, like you I’m baffled by the apparent apathy regarding BD’s. As a film maker shooting and editing in HD I can find no better medium than BD for distribution and exhibition. I know that the industry likes to transfer films as HD files and indeed all the digital cinemas receive (encoded) files for projection. But, for the punter, how else to see an HD production other than by way of a BD? Admittedly the modern BD players automatically upscale DVD’s that can be viewed on HD screens but an BD of the same production looks so much better.
Any comments from the BD pessimists?
Michael Slowe
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Frank, I’m not even a 2nd grader so I understand your confusion. I find it’s always best to find one real pro who knows what he’s talking about and stop there – don’t seek further and further advice and don’t get compressed!
Actually I think that once the camera has done its compression no further treatment will restore the lost quality. Most cameras compress on acquisition but with the EX cameras you can take the signal (uncompressed) straight out via the SDI output. So although all the other devices you refer to are treating the signal as uncompressed and are passing it straight through, the original camera compression is retained. I think that’s right anyway!
Michael Slowe
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It almost certainly would be a time code problem. Are you getting anything in or will it just refuse from the start? If you are getting some in you may have to ‘skirt round’ any time code breaks. I have no doubt you will receive other more technical suggestions.
Michael Slowe