[Bob Zelin]

Hi Mr Cole –
you write –

Within FCP, for reasons that I don’t fully understand, the experts on the FCP forum recommend the DVCPro50 format. But in order to digitize to that codec, I have to export from my Z1 camera in component video and unbalanced audio.

REPLY – I would like to know what “the experts on the FCP forum” means. There are experts in AJA, Blackmagic, and Aurora capture cards, but not general FCP experts that don’t know these specific cards. Without knowing the exact cards used to capture the signal, there are no experts. DVCPro50 is a STANDARD DEF format, not a HD format. If you want to capture in STANDARD DEF, DVCPro50 is a fine choice, but it is not an HD format.

I now realize that even if I buy the M25 deck, audio is exported as unbalanced. On the Kona LHe, with the breakout box, I’d have to use an XLR adapted for unbalanced audio.

REPLY – if you use the camera RCA audio out, or if you use the HVRM-25U HDV VTR, you will have a low level -10dBu signal, that will be TOO LOW for the Kona LHe. You will need to boost this level up with a small audio mixer or line matching amplifier to +4dBu level. A simple RCA to XLR adaptor aint’ gonna do it for you.

So I’m asking for input as to whether I should use the iLink (Firewire) feature of the Z1 camera and edit in DV, or whether I should export component video/unbalanced audio from the Z1, and edit using DVCPro50. Or… can I import using FW, and still somehow use the DVCPro50 codec. Or is that too much of a hassle?

REPLY – I am not a fan of Firewire capture – PERIOD. You have a wonderful AJA Kona LHe card – use it. Capture either standard def or Hi Def analog component video with the audio signal. If you want to go in HD-SDI, you can get the AJA HD10AVA, which will convert the analog component HD signal into HD-SDI AND embed your analog audio into the HD-SDI video signal – so you can just use one video cable to go into your Kona LHe from your camera or HVRM-25U. If you want to edit standard def, the DVCPro50 codec is teriffic. If you want to edit HD, the DVCProHD Codec is teriffic.

Obviously I’m new to the FCP world (indeed, to DV in general; I’m a late convert from Betacam). So I think my question was a little more naive than you expected! But I would appreciate your input.

REPLY – I know how confusing all this stuff is – its confusing to pros that do it all day long ! There is always something else new to learn.

You never learn until you make mistakes, and ask questions.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

David –
I work with SATA all day long, and install Sonnet products on a weekly basis. I would like to discuss your issues with you. As you see from others, Sonnet products are ROCK STABLE and have no conflicts with AJA (or any one elses) products.

If your Sonnet X4P card is in slot 2 or 3, your Kona card must be in slot 4. You cannot have your storage card, and your AJA card in slot 2 and 3. One of these cards must be in the PCI-X slot (slot 4).

All port multiplier chassis – (I don’t care who they come from) use the Silicon Image chip set, and they all work the same. On the back of your Sonnet Fusion 500P, you will see 5 Blue LED lights in a horizontal row. Shut down your computer, and start it back up again, and you will see these blue LED’s cycle up one at a time. It takes about 15 seconds per LED (per drive) for them to cycle up, or mount. Once all the LED’s are lit, your drive array is mounted. It does not mount instantly. This is the nature of the chip set, not the metal box, or your SATA drives. You can see that if your drive array is not mounted, look at these LED’s on the rear of the chassis. If all 5 are not lit, your drives are not mounted on your desktop. The whole process takes between 60-90 seconds. This is perfectly normal.

As you know, there is NO SOFTWARE to install for the Sonnet X4P. The E4P needs the current driver for the Mac Pro, but other than that, it’s plug and play with the MAC products.

Once your drive array is mounted, run AJA Kona System Test. You should get about 178mb/sec write speed, and about 220mb/sec read speed with 5 drives stripped RAID 0 using Apple Disk Utility. If you do not, you have an issue with one or more of your drives.

This “delay” behavior is normal, and happens with EVERY PORT MULTIPLIER CHASSIS from every manufacturer.

NOW, as for your other chassis that seems to disappear – eSATA cables suck – they get loose very easily. To prove this to yourself, open up the side of your MAC while it is running and look at the Sonnet X4P card. You will see tiny little LED’s right on the board. Feel free to yank out your eSATA cable HOT while both the drive and computer are running. The LED’s go out for that port. Now plug it in. You will see that you have to REALLY GET THE eSATA CABLE FULLY SEATED to get those LED’s to light up. As for your “disappearing drives” – either you have a bad eSATA cable, or you don’t have the cable plugged in all the way. If you feel the cable is good, next time it disappears, pop open the side of the MAC, and look at the X4P card – are the LED’s on. Push in on your eSATA cable – I bet the LED’s come on, and the drives mount.

Again, you ALWAYS can look at the back of the chassis, to those blue LED’s to see the status of the drives, to see if all 5 are lit, and your array is mounted.

Let me know if there are any further issues. I do this stuff all day long.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

if you are working at 59.94 (either 1080i or 720p), all you need is your cheapo NTSC black generator. If you shoot at 23.98, and let your VTR do the 2:3 pulldown to input into your edit system at 59.94, all you need is your cheapo NTSC black generator. You only need tri level sync if you are editing at 23.98, and will lay back to your VTR at 23.98.

bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

wait – you are buying an HD CAMERA ? correct – this is a Sony HDV camera, correct ? DVCPro50 is for STANDARD DEF, not HD, and DVCProHD is for HD, not standard def. DV is for standard def as well. If you want HI DEF, this requires more bandwidth, and faster drives than standard def. If you own the Mac Pro, and can put two cheapo SATA drives inside the MAC Pro to record the HI DEF signal, what is the problem here? If you are trying to understand why you can’t use a FW400 drive for this media, (and I apologize if this is not your intention, and I am mis understanding you) – I won’t participate in this conversation anymore.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Peter –
I am making a GUESS here – so don’t kill me if I am wrong. I believe that your computer is not even seeing the AJA I/O box. Can you get a VTR to pass video thru the AJA I/O box ?
When you go into the Audio/Video Settings under “Playback”, does it say MISSING ?

Let me know .

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

I agree with Stuart – in real life, I am now only installing Leader LV7700 waveform monitors. I was loyal to Videotek for a LONG TIME, but ever since Harris took over, and went crazy with the pricing and product line, I gave up, and went with Leader, which has always been a great company. I NEVER knew anyone in all my years of doing this, that would spend $17,000 on a scope.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – there is a WIDE OPEN MARKET for “someone” to have a $3000 rasterizer HD waveform monitor (no features) for sale. It is beyond me why someone doesn’t do it.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

If you have no money, you can stick THREE SATA drives into the MAC Pro (leave your boot drive alone), and do SD and DVCProHD all day long. The CalDigit S2VR is an excellent choice as well.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

listen, the best thing to do today is not the cheapest thing. If you want cheap, you can get a FW800 drive, and get away with it. But if you get a CalDigit SATA array like the S2VR or a Sonnet SATA card with a Sonnet Fusion 500P chassis and 5 SATA drives, you will have a smoking system, that will blow the doors off of a FW800 drive. And if you REALLY spend the money on a HUGE SYSTEMS fibre array, the FW800 drive will seem like a joke. But how much do you want to spend. $3000 – $4000 will get you into SATA with 2.5 Terabytes. $500 will get you a good FW800 drive. It always comes down to how much money you want to spend.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

The least expensive HD scope on the market is the Leader LV7700, which is about $7000. This scope will do HD-SDI and SD SDI, but no analog formats. The Astro systems HD scope is about $9000, and no where as good as the Leader. The Hamlet is a piece of crap, and it ain’t cheap either. Scopes from Tektronix and Videotek that do HD are teriffic, but cost over $12,000, making the Leader LV7700 a best buy. Soon, Walter will tell you to get Final Touch software, which will display a real time scope in software. Others will tell you about the built in waveform monitor display on the Panasonic BT-LH1700 and BT-LH2600, but these are waveform monitor only, not vectorscope function (if that is what you are asking about).

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Tim writes –
What is the best and most reliable drive to work with in HDCPRO format without have a bunch of dropped frames and chaos? scsi? firewire 800 external?, SATA raid? Fibre Channel drives? I would assume this would be uncompressed in realime, 8 bit and 10 bit.

REPLY – if you want to work at DVCProHD, you can use Firewire 800, or SATA raid, or Fibre Channel, or SCSI. All of these will work for you, without Chaos ! Firewire 800 is the cheapest, in my opinion SATA is the best bang for the buck (I use it all the time), and of course Fibre and SCSI are teriffic, but more expensive. They will all work. What won’t work – FIREWIRE 400 !!!!! or the internal boot drive of your MAC.

Bob Zelin