[Bob Zelin]

Every system I build has a mixer on it. I would never use a $49 mixer, but you have a tight budget. As your system grows, you will need more inputs. A larger mixer will cost you between $150 – $300, which in my opinion, is still pretty cheap. I usually put in Behringer UB2442FXPro mixers, which are
$299 at most music stores, and mail order companies, like B+H. The UB1622 is
only $179, has a lot more inputs, and is excellent also.

I would DEFINATELY use a mixer if I was you.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Infohou is absolutely correct. 1280×768 is not 1920×1200, nor is it 1366×768. I am trying to STRESS the degridation of our market, and the continued “consumerism” of the professional market. The only way we will survive is to be above consumer products, otherwise, editing and professional video production will become like Microsoft Word (everyone can do it). I am anxious to see the Panasonic BT-HD1700, and love the fact that it has an HD wfm display on it, but the “concept” of the $15,000 eCinema 23″ LCD monitor is what we should strive for (not that I could ever afford this monitor). If we do not keep to these high standards, soon iMovie will be the “editor of choice”,AJA, Blackmagic and the others will go out of business, and most of us will be unemployed, replaced by the secretaries at the Food Channel (for example), because they took a 2 day course on iMovie.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

I need to purchase either the Kona 2 or LH for the following purposes:

REPLY
buy the Kona 2, which will let you do up conversion – you will be happy.

My main concern right now is that I seem to be getting mixed responses on what type of controller card and drive system to purchase to handle this type of project. Some claim a Firmtek SATA-type solution is fine, and will handle the sustained data rates needed to capture HD footage. Others say I need a fibre-channel type controller, or SCSI, or something faster than SATA. Just trying to get some more information on that issue.

REPLY – the Firmtek SATA host card is my favorite card, but it is NOT FAST ENOUGH to do uncompressed HD. Currently, you need EIGHT DRIVES to do uncompressed HD, and if you want to tie up only one slot, you are stuck with the (excellent) Sonnet Tempo 8 eSATA and 8 SATA drives. The Firmtek will let you do 8 and 10 bit SDI uncompressed, and DVCProHD, BUT NOT UNCOMPRESSED HD. If you use TWO 4 port Firmteks, you can do it, but you better have 2 slots free in your MAC G5.

IF you want uncompressed HD, get a nice Fibre array from HUGE, Medea or the Xserve RAID (ugh !). The HUGE 4210 is great.

Also I wouldn’t mind verifying that the Kona cards I’m looking at will do what I’m expecting them to do as described above?

REPLY – just get the Kona 2, you will be happy.

bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Juan –
You need a software patch from AJA. You must call AJA support to get this. I urge AJA to post this patch on their website permanently.

I am greatful to AJA for developing this patch, so you can use the older Panasonic DVCPro VTR’s with FCP with no issues.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

The Behringer UB802 will let you monitor all 4 channels for $49.95. The cables cost more than the mixer. The labor to install it cost more than the mixer. Your lunch and dinner today cost more than the mixer. Your internet connection to read this cost more than the mixer.

bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

you can certainly reconfigure the output of the Decklink Extreme so you get composite out of the Y output, but if you are going to ultimately feed a Beta VTR, you will not accurately reflect the signal going to the Beta machine (as well as you can’t feed the Beta in CAV while you feed your scope composite from the same Decklink card). May I suggest that you simply monitor the output of your Beta VTR composite output into your scope. This way you can see the signal E/E thru your Beta VTR. This will ultimately be what a station will look at when you deliver the tape to them anyway (they will get your tape, not your MAC !).

Right now, simply hookup your Y output to your composite scope, and make sure that when you bring up SMPTE color bars, you have the correct levels. You may notice that on used scopes (I don’t know if your scopes are used, but I am assuming this) – that older scopes lose their calibration, and you may not be looking at an accuracte display. What model do you have – an old Tektronix 528?, or a Tek 1410 ? It will be painful if you are trying to measure levels on a scope that is not accurate.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Hi –
the resolution of this monitor is 1366×768. Go to the Kona Control panel, and switch the output to HD (1080i or 720p) and bring up HD Bars – it should be sharp as a tack.

This is what I bet will happen- you will look at HD bars, and they will look great, and then you will switch back to 525 in the Control panel, and you will say “hey, the SD signal looks soft and crappy”.

WELL GUESS WHAT – Standard Def signals look like CRAP on ALL LCD monitors !!!
This is every damn monitor on the market. There is no mismatch – you will not find a good LCD monitor for standard def signals – period. Want a good picture – get a used Sony PVM-20L5/1 CRT monitor.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

as many people have stated (and as I have observed), the Dell 2405FPW is teriffic, and I have not observed the “dropped frames” that Apple reports. I don’t believe that anyone on this forum observed it either.

The Sony SDM-P234b is an excellent choice as well, as is the HP 2335.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Are you using a Sony PVM-20L5/1, a Sony PVM – 20M4U, a Sony PVM-20M2U,
a Sony 1954Q, a Sony BVM series monitor, an old Ikegami monitor, or a consumer TV set. How are you monitoring your signal ?

Also, you are not clear as to what you are exactly what you are looking at.
Are you looking at the FCP output, or are you dragging a Photoshop image onto
to Kona output, etc. ?

The Kona output is a sharp as a tack (there is nothing on the market that makes a better picture, so I am questioning what you are looking at).

Please let me know.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

there is NO PROBLEM letting your CPU run 24 hours a day ON ALL THE TIME. Back in the stone age of linear editing, when electronics were every unstable, equipment ran 24 hours a day – even on weekends, when no one was at the facility. Fast foward to today – the 21st century – things don’t break or drift like they used to. Macs draw hardly any power – and don’t worry – 3 years from now, your MAC will be totally worthless, so if your MAC can run 24 hours a day for 3 years, on all the time, with no problems – there is no issue. Again, you will not kill your drives, you will not kill the power supply of your computer, you will not heat up your room, and you will not create a huge energy bill for yourself. Just leave your computer on.

Bob Zelin