[Bob Cole]

[Bob Cole] “When the defragging is finished (which may not be for many hours), I’ll try moving the edit point to see whether that gets rid of the clicks.”

Okay. Defragging is complete (ten hours later). Click is still there. But rolling the edit point worked. I know that’s not the solution but perhaps it points to one.

Here’s the structure of the affected area:

Clip A: 4 seconds
Clip B: 20 frames
Clip C: 10 seconds

When I roll the outpoint of the edit between clips B and C forward by 4 or more frames (making Clip B 24 or more frames long), the clip disappears. Rolling by 1, 2, or 3 frames doesn’t work.

Rolling the edit point back (reducing Clip B in size) doesn’t work – click still there, perhaps even louder.

I was originally working with subclips. So I went back to the master clip and re-edited with it. Same exact results.

Any ideas? I’m totally flummoxed. I can edit around this particular problem by rolling the edit 4 frames, but I sure don’t want it rearing its ugly head during a deadline, esp. if a client is saying, “No, I wanted the edit point right THERE.”

The codec is Apple ProRes422, captured via Kona LHe SDI. I wonder whether anybody at Apple monitors this forum, or how I can get the news to them.

My next test is to recapture with ProRes422 and also with something else.

Thanks again!

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

[Sean ONeil] “Try increasing the number RT audio tracks in you user preferences. This could also be a genlock timing issue. How are you monitoring the audio? Is it looping through a deck? Is the AJA control panel set to freerun?”

number of RT audio tracks in user prefs: (I forget – I’d guess 4)
number of audio tracks in timeline: 2
monitoring audio directly from AJA Kona LHe, to powered speakers
AJA Control Panel: freerun

When I double-click the audio to bring it up into the Viewer and play it there, no clicks can be heard.

Another odd thing: When I double-click the video, only the video goes into the Viewer. Same for audio. Yet when I try to link v+a, they show up in the drop-down menu as already linked, and they are not.

I’m in the middle of a major experiment: using iDefrag on the RAID. I’ve never defragged in the year or more that I’ve had this computer.

When the defragging is finished (which may not be for many hours), I’ll try moving the edit point to see whether that gets rid of the clicks.

Thanks for your help, guys.

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

I agree – PSD has been quite problematic for me. Why do you recommend it?

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

Thanks for the suggestions, Sean.

I forgot to mention I trashed prefs. The 3-drive RAID has worked fine before. Did I mention I was using subclips?

Bob

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

Good idea (if I had one), but I really don’t think it’s the monitor; the same scene on the same monitor is pin-sharp when rendered 8-bit uncompressed.

Thanks!

Bob

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

Thanks. I spent a lot of time looking at that same monitor and was very impressed.

But I am having a hard time visualizing what you’re saying here:

[Bruce Alan Greene] “I have had custom made a hard case that holds the monitor and has a bale that attaches to the case and mounts the monitor on a baby sized light stand.”

Has anybody tried using a laptop? I’ve used what is now called Adobe On Location on a PC, but I just learned about something that looks even better, though the HD version is a bit pricey: Scopebox, which runs on the MacBook. Here’s the link:

https://www.divergentmedia.com/scopebox/index.html

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

I appreciated your post, because you may have answered a question I posted on the Cinematography forum: what do you use for your HD field monitor?

two questions for you: how did you decide on Scopebox? and did you consider the 17″?

re: your glossy vs. matte question: if the primary purpose is to check focus in the field, you have to balance ease of use (matte wins due to reduced reflection) and sharpness of image (glossy wins). Seems to me that for exteriors you’ll wind up using a hood of some kind anyway, in which case glossy would win.

I don’t own a MacBook, but I use a client’s about three times a year for location shoot-and-edits, and the glossy screen poses no difficulties at all (but I’m just using it for editing).

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

[FischTale] “it’s being used as a continous light, not a flash.”

I don’t recognize it, but maybe you should post that pic on a forum of still photographers. Is it possible you’re seeing a strobe that has a modeling light, and is being used as a continuous light?

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

I appreciate the info. There are other ways of achieving separation — a big scrim between the subject and the background, for example. (I’ve tried it and I can tell you it isn’t easy either!)

I think Steve W posted recently that DOF isn’t the be-all and end-all. I have a feeling that these DOF devices are marketed heavily to indies doing narrative pieces, with the implication that because “Hollywood” features use shallow DOF, a Redrock will help your video be much better. I doubt it. I would imagine that a device which provides shallow DOF would probably make most indie features worse, not better — because it’s an added cost in time and money, and a distraction from the factors that really matter.

Most features (even fairly well-budgeted ones) are really bad. And I have NEVER seen a bad feature where DOF is the main problem: it’s the story, the acting, the direction, the editing, and the lighting, and did I mention the story?

Thanks again. I’m still very intrigued by these devices, but with the low light sensitivity of my current camera, I don’t think it’s going to work that well for me. I think I’m going to keep waiting for my 2/3″ camera for a moderate DOF.

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Bob Cole]

Nice website! thanks for the link.

re: roll off, other terms. I’m assuming he means that if you had an eleven-step black-to-white chart, with roll-off at the ends you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the last few chips on either side. iow, the camera can’t reproduce the full tonal range accurately.

BC

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650