Chris Blair
Forum Replies Created
-
Iknow there are solutions that will work for Mac Final Cut and Avid on PCs. Not sure about Digidesign and whether it could access the same shared environment. I know that on our Apace vStor you can setup separate volumes for each unique software application and as long as you have the correct setup and software aps (included in purchase price), you’re good to go. I believe Editshare is very similar in how they work their stuff to. Best thing is to contact some of the turnkey companies like the two mentioned above and just ask.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Thanks…I’ve looked into the Videohub (about a year ago), and the typical patchbay solutions. Doing it via existing ethernet just seems like it would be such a no-brainer. What intrigued me about it is the ability of anyone in our facility to control a raw tape and log and transcribe it for later digitizing without tying up an edit suite (where we typically log/transcribe tapes). Plus the ability to have any of a half-dozen computers connect to the VTR by just initiating a little software utility from their desktop.
The other device that does this (besides the DNF unit) is the Nexio Ingest Server from Harris. It actually looks a lot like the device I bought (except larger) and it controls up to 16 VTRs via ethernet. They actually call it the same thing (a device server) in their .pdf brochure and they describe the hookup exactly like I have mine hooked up.
So I know it’s possible…it’s just a matter of getting everything configured so the device server “talks” to the VTRs. Thanks again. If I get it working I’ll post back.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Yes..we realize all that…my question was, why the 4 different options on the preview dropdown? It’s very confusing and the manual doesn’t clearly explain them or explain what the optimal settings should be.
We get real-time playback using the “good” setting with multiple channels of SD video (DVCPro50 equivalent resolution) sent out to an NTSC monitor using the Blackmagic Decklink, so quality isn’t a huge issue. In fact, it looks fabulous when played back that way without any rendering, RAM preview or pre-rendering.
It just seems that the computer we’re using should be able to do simple 10-15 frame dissolves between video considering it can handle layering 2 and sometimes 3 channels of video with transparency and pan/crop events on them. I just don’t understand why a simple dissolve seems to tax playback and stacking two clips with transparency and pan/crop doesn’t. It’s not a huge issue and it doesn’t slow us down that much, just an annoying one that really doesn’t make technical sense.
We’ve checked all the typical things like affinity and tweaks per the link I put on the original post, and it only slightly helped.
I just figured there’d be someone using a similar system that perhaps has some insight on the magic settings for the preview and it’s 4 confusing options, along with some PC tweaks.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Wow…where I live, if someone just responds to me thanking them I’m usually impressed. None of the responses people list as peeves would bother me in the least. Most people don’t even think about what they’re saying and whatever they spout out has been ingrained in them since they were kids.
I truly don’t think anyone responds with “you’re welcome” or “no problem” or even with a “thank you” in response to your “thank you” to imply much of anything other than an attempt to be polite. I’d have to be having a pretty shitty day to let that get under my skin!
Like Bob…when clients hand me a 5 figure check…they can put me in ceremonial garb, spank me with a paddle and make me say “Thank you sir may I have another!” if that’s what they want to hear.
I think it’s perfectly A-Ok for a vendor to tell you “you’re welcome” if you thank them for the work they’ve done. I rarely thank a vendor…but when one does a particularly good job and goes above and beyond what their fee dictates, I often send them words of thanks…and I often talk them up in forums and in conversations with colleagues as a show of appreciation. Good service, good people and good companies are in short supply. They deserve to succeed and I don’t mind helping them along if they’ve gone out of their way to do right by me.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Yes windows can see flash but their site is not a flash site so they do not have the capabilities to post this type of file.
You can insert flash content on any type of website, HTML, PHP, you name it.
Also whether its QT or VLC they’re looking for a format that the most people out there won’t have to download something. That was why the .wmv guess on my part.
Well over 90% of computers worldwide have flash installed, including Macs, Windows, & Linux, so Flash by far has the widest installed user base and will give you the highest playback compatibility. Some estimates put the number above 95% in fact. And Flash has had native mp4/H264 playback for almost 3 years, since version 9 something or other. There have been half a dozen Flash updates since then. My 12 year old Windows 98 PC that sits in my kitchen alcove can play H264 movies in Flash (albeit they stutter and stammer since it’s a 500Mhz computer with a whopping 64MB RAM!)
Now if you’re looking to have people download the video, Flash probably isn’t the best option, but you can always put a .wmv file as a download option.
The only thing that’s a little testy about using H264 is getting it into a player that controls playback (often called a skin). But if there are tons of people in the Web forums that can help you with that.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Update Quicktime and make it the default for playing Quicktime based files. We had a client with this same problem today. They updated Quicktime (from 7.5 to whatever the current version is) and it fixed the problem.
Just last week they could play Quicktime’s fine with the 7.5 version…so who knows what happened.
As Craig said, it could also be a file using an exotic codec that’s not native to the Quicktime install, a corrupt movie file or indeed crappy programming on the site.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Well I’m both an owner/manager and a creative director so I can certainly relate. I’ve always hated excessive meetings. I know they’re necessary to organize people and projects, but I get irritated by clients that just seem to feel a meeting is necessary for everything.
We work with one client that insists on meetings for virtually every phase of a project. We ultimately end up doing 2, 3, sometimes 4 location scouts of the SAME locations. We’ll meet to organize thoughts from the 3 meetings we had last week (I’m not kidding). It’s exhausting…and I find myself (like the article said) forgetting about the meetings because they’re so positively ineffective and soul crushing.
Just trying to fit them into people’s schedules usually results in scheduling confusion and people often show up on the wrong days and times, or not at all because the days and times get changed so much.
I find that people who need to have lots of meetings are usually extremely insecure and unsure about their abilities or they’re unqualified to be leading the project in the first place.
I’m no meeting expert by any stretch..but when I attend a meeting I’ve called or am a principal participant in, I typically take extensive notes, and as soon as I return, I type up a summary listing relevant issues and the action that’s to be taken concerning each one. I then send it to every relevant person who attended so each point can be addressed. What usually happens? The client wants another meeting to review what the meeting summary addresses. I’m only half-kidding, but I’ve said for years that excessive meetings get in the way of American productivity more than anything else.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
Sorry to stray…but speaking of the daVinci surgical robot mentioned earlier. We did a spot for an area hospital that bought one. Their CEO saw a sales video where they showed the device doing miniature origami…so guess what we had to build a TV commercial around.
You got it. ORIGAMI and a SURGICAL ROBOT!
I didn’t like the concept, but here’s the result.
https://www.videomi.com/clients/Deaconess/daVinci/daVinci_Preview.wmv
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
My initial enquiry was regarding mixing our SD DVCPRO recorded material with our SD DV recorded material and whether we should be capturing all the footage in any format other than DV due to the sampling of these formats, all PAL.
To reiterate, there is virtually no difference between SD DV and SD DVCPro in terms of quality. For that matter, there is no difference using DVCam at 25Mb/sec either. DVCam has a wider track pitch for data so the data is spread out over the tape, which means less data fits on it. So while you can record 60 minutes on a standard DV or DVCPro tape, you can only record about 40 on a DVCam. Some people argue that the wider track pitch results in less dropout, and while it may have been valid 6 or 7 years ago, as tape has gotten better, most engineers say that’s hogwash.
Here’s a nice website (Adam Wilt) that helps explain it.
https://www.adamwilt.com/DV-FAQ-tech.html#DVformats
Hope that helps.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
This probably isn’t a thought-provoking insight regarding this thread, but we had a jib shoot a while back at a large aluminum manufacturing facility and during the shoot a robot on the manufacturing floor ran amok, slammed into the jib arm and knocked it over. Luckily, the camera wasn’t on it and it was only built to one the shorter lengths.
The robots were supposed to be able to sense when they were about to run into something and automatically stop.
This plant literally had robots that roamed the floor doing all sorts of things that 5 years ago humans did. It was both surreal and a little comic.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com