[Bob Cole]

The issue for which I wrote the original post above happened on a friend’s EX1R that I was borrowing — this issue is on MY camera, just back from Sony.

I just got my EX1R back from Sony repair. In addition to a new lens (for a backfocus issue, which may or may not be fixed) they updated the software. Today, without changing anything except for putting my SxS (Sony brand) cards into the camera, I tried monitoring the audio – nothing in the headphones, just as with my friend’s camera last week. I restored my old settings from my SxS card – and just as with my friend’s camera, audio monitoring returned, & worked perfectly all day long. So I wonder whether it is just some software issue.

Ooookay. I can’t blame myself or my friend for this one. The audio monitoring on my camera worked before I sent it to Sony; it didn’t when it came back; it works now. I’m not doing anything exotic – just line in audio monitoring and no adjustments to the audio menu At All. (I also tried monitoring the camera mic – same problem, fixed by same system restore.)

What is going on with these cameras to cause audio monitoring to stop working? Two separate cameras now, same issue, same fix.

It’s as scary as a creaky door in a haunted house.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

This has evolved into a thread about projection. I really meant it to be more about the politics of dealing with clients, but the thoughts about projection are very useful to me too.

[Bill Davis] “there might be a way to stomp out ALL the potential failure points in one fell swoop.”

Sending an iPad is a great idea, Bill. Don’t be surprised, though, if the projectionist turns on aspect correction (“It’s 16:9, right?”) and your HD becomes CinemaScope. I’ve had it happen both ways: 16:9 became 4:3 (local public tv) and 16:9 became 2.4:1 (international conference).

Perhaps including a file with a test pattern, in the same pixel dimension and codec as the program, would help. With a circle, just to catch the aspect ratio problems as well.

This is beyond my expertise, but in regards to projection, is there a frame rate test as well?

Does anyone know of a utility to generate test patterns? I have not found one that works on an Intel Mac.

Thanks.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Thanks Todd. Good to know I’m not alone anyway. What file formats would you all suggest my including in this folder?

Thanks again.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Thanks all. This is really valuable information. I will be deleting a lot of clips from now on, rather than formatting. I had always thought formatting was the way to go.

Again with hypotheticals (because five hours ago this was not hypothetical at all!):

When the camera seems to have an intractable problem, and no amount of depowering/repowering avails, would it be okay/advisable to take out the battery in the base (which I assume maintains the long-term memory)?

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Ian Cook] “your Setup file loaded your settings “

Ian, what would I have been able to do, had I not had the SxS card with the settings stored on it?

Does formatting the card in the camera remove the stored settings? Can I move the stored settings to a hard drive or a CD?

Those settings are valuable! It was a total afterthought to store the settings when I sent my camera off to Sony Repair.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Rick Wise] “the Lux or foot-candles for light intensity at 3 feet, 6 feet, and 10 feet. “

Acc. to the specifications tab on the BH website: 6,800 Lux @ 3.3′ (1.0 m). No other distances were given.

Customer reviews mentioned noise when dimmed, but these still look like very interesting fixtures.

Thanks!

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

I guess I’m in the minority here. I wouldn’t watermark.

But it depends on the material. If the doc. has some incredibly newsworthy and exclusive material, that’s one thing. But even so, I would hesitate before watermarking it. It’s like saying “I don’t trust you.” If you’re marketing a documentary, in most cases you’ll need all the goodwill you can get.

In retail, they say you shouldn’t treat the 98% of your customers that don’t steal as if they were the 2% that do.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

This particular example has always amazed me. According to a Washington Post story on the subject, the foundation that built the King monument on the Mall in Washington, DC paid the estate $700,000 to use his words and image on the memorial. I can understand a desire to protect King’s legacy, but imho the King estate has long since crossed the line between enhancing his reputation, and profiting shamelessly from it.

I’m trying to understand this from the King estate’s point of view. It reminds me of the assiduity with which Disney protects its copyrights (and lobbies Congress to extend the copyright period whenever expiration threatens one of their products). The upside, I guess, is that in the U.S.A., brazen self-interest only gets you more respect, not less. Rich people are admired here more than aristocrats in other places. It’s an interesting country.

Speaking of which, remember that John F. Kennedy said, “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

OOOOPS.

[Bob Cole]

Thank you and Paddy so much for such thorough answers. I appreciate the advice and agree with all of your suggestions for better management.

[Craig Seeman] “Standard Def frame size”

That is a great idea, and for safety’s sake I will create an SD version. For digital projection in an SD size, should I assume square pixels? And if so, should I be using 720×404 or 640×360? I’ve looked online for projector manuals, but have not found an answer to that question.

As a born coward, I will be outputting a playable DVD as well.

Thanks again.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Paddy Uglow] “I usually create h.264/MP4 as a practical codec/wrapper “

A big thank you to Paddy and Craig. Interesting that Paddy uses the term “wrapper,” as that can be deceptive.

I take it, Paddy, that you aren’t using FCP as your compression vehicle. Using “Quicktime Conversion,” the first option provides a file with the “.mov” extension. You can specify h.264 here, but the file stills says “.mov.”

At the bottom of list under “Quicktime Conversion” is an MP4/h.264 option which yields a file with the “.mp4” extension. When I try to run the resulting file on my Mac, it plays through MPEG Streamclip. But I can change the extension from “.mp4” to “.mov” and it will run fine through Quicktime Player. Is that a dangerous practice?

Do you have any recommendation about data rates/frame rates/pixel dimensions? (btw, I totally agree with you, Craig, about the unavailability of the final user being inconvenient, but in this case there was a totally unforeseeable medical issue so I’m trying to do the best I can without adding to the stress level. On another level, dealing with this lack of ability to test is actually a useful question, as I would really like to know a good baseline solution for digitally-projected files.)

Thanks again.

Bob C