[Eric Hansen]

There is no SATA version of the Xserve RAID (yet). the Xserves are SATA, but the RAIDs are not.

4 G5s, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1, Kona LH
Xsan: Xserve 2.0 G5, 3GB RAM, 2 7TB Xserve RAIDs, Sanbox 5200
Quantum SDLT600A
decks: Sony HDW-M2000/10 HDCAM, HVR-M10U HDV with HD-Connect, DSR-1500 DVCAM, UVW-1800 BetacamSP
MacBook Pro: 2.33, 2GB RAM, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1
cameras: Sony FX1 and A1U, Arri S/B 16mm
skis: Volkl Gotama 183s with 914s and Lange Fluid 120 boots

[Eric Hansen]

i’ve installed OWC memory in 5 G5s (still running after 2 years) an Octocore, and a few laptops. never a memory problem.

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4 G5s, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1, Kona LH
Xsan: Xserve 2.0 G5, 3GB RAM, 2 7TB Xserve RAIDs, Sanbox 5200
Quantum SDLT600A
decks: Sony HDW-M2000/10 HDCAM, HVR-M10U HDV with HD-Connect, DSR-1500 DVCAM, UVW-1800 BetacamSP
MacBook Pro: 2.33, 2GB RAM, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1
cameras: Sony FX1 and A1U, Arri S/B 16mm
skis: Volkl Gotama 183s with 914s and Lange Fluid 120 boots

[Eric Hansen]

definitely save both the Raw files and the Quicktime files. FCP will ask for the Quicktime files on a reconnect. also, if you changed any shots, you’ll want to save them too. for example, on our last edit (we’re still on FCP 5.1.4) we converted all the 720p shots to 1080i60 so they could be dropped into our DVCPRO HD 1080i60 timeline without rendering. editors hate rendering! so we saved all those too. so we used about 4 times more space that with the MXF files alone, but it will make any future reconnects easier.

as far as logging names, we have traditionally used a convention where the name of the project, the shooting format, the shooting trip, tape number and shot number all contribute to the file/clip name. for example, LFhdvCORSICA01-22, means project “Lost and Found”, HDV format, trip to Corsica, tape number 1, shot number 22. to modify this for P2, we switch out HDV for P2, then save the MXF file name (0001EY.MXF) to the “Angle” part of the log and transfer, since we never used that column before. we fill the Log Note column with notes about the shot, so if you do that too, i would recommend saving the MXF file name to a different space.

hope that helps

e

5 Dual 2.7 G5s, 8GB RAM, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 5.1.4, Kona LH, Xsan storage
Xsan: Xserve 2.0 G5, 3GB RAM, 2 7TB Xserve RAIDs, Sanbox 5200
Quantum SDLT600A
Sony HDW-M2000/10 HDCAM deck
MacBook Pro: 2.33, 2GB RAM, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1

[Eric Hansen]

i should also add that we use Autocat 3.0.8 (Mac shareware) to catalog our archive. all it does is turn an entire directory into aliases and preserves the folder structure and icons. i catalog the files and folders before i transfer them to SDLT. i then put the catalog on our server, one for each SDLT tape. this now makes our SDLT tapes searchable through Finder. if you go with hard drives or Blu-Ray or whatever, definitely go with a locally searchable catalog such as this. it has made looking for offline files infinitely easier than loading every single individual tape. i have tried other catalogers that make their own database and need a program to search that database. since Autocat just makes aliases, its searchable by any networked Mac’s Finder, no special program needed. lifesaver! a 300GB tape will make a catalog of aliases no more than 10MB in size.

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4 Dual 2.7 G5s, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 5.1.4, Kona LH, Xsan storage
Xsan: Xserve 2.0 G5, 3GB RAM, 2 7TB Xserve RAIDs, Sanbox 5200
Quantum SDLT600A
Sony HDW-M2000/10 HDCAM deck
MacBook Pro: OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1

[Eric Hansen]

i use the Quantum SuperDLT SDLT600a, which is gigabit ethernet and MXF-aware. the tapes are 300GB, and i can access the tapes from any computer, Mac or PC, from a web browser on my local network. its convenient and cheap for video storage (compared to HDCAM and DVCPRO HD tape decks) and can of course store data too, but is only one of many alternatives. the deck was about $5k and the tapes are $75 each for 300gb with a 30 year shelf life. you can get server-level hard drives that are guaranteed for 5 years, but i wouldnt store stuff on a sitting hard drive for more than 2 or 3.

i researched this for a few months before dropping in on the SDLT technology – i had about 4TB (and growing fast) of external drives spread all over the office and i needed to go with a more permanent solution. for you, i would suggest waiting it out. theres a lot of cool archive technologies coming out soon such as Quantum’s LTO-based MXF-aware tape drives (which are $7k for the deck and about $45 for 400gb tape), and 300GB Holographic discs ($18k for the deck, initially), which Panasonic has gotten behind and called the official P2 archive solution. this will become popular and much cheaper in the coming years.

for now, i would suggest storing your footage on bare hard drives (always at least 2 in case one goes down) which is what most people on this forum do, then after 2 years, transfer all that footage to a new medium. by then, there might be a better solution to fit your needs. remember that hard drives are not designed for archive, but make sense for short-term storage as they are getting so damn cheap. i’ve seen bare 500gb drives for $80!…

i should also say that i suggest hard drives over Blu-Ray because of the 50GB limit. we use SDLT to store our online projects which very often will have final timelines well over 100GB in size. its been very nice to store our HD projects at a quality and resolution thats higher than HDCAM, but on a data tape thats easily brought back online if needed. the Blu-Ray disc wouldnt be able to do this, but if you dont anticipate having files bigger than 50GB, Blu-Ray might work for you.

hope that helps.

4 Dual 2.7 G5s, OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 5.1.4, Xsan storage
Xsan: Xserve 2.0, 3GB RAM, 2 Xserve RAIDs, Sanbox 5200
MacBook Pro: OSx 10.4.10, Final Cut 6.0.1

[Eric Hansen]

we use the Sennheiser ME64 with a Lightwave fuzzy and it works great for run and gun. we also spread it across 2 channels and run one at a lower level than the other to make sure that it doesnt distort. in post it so much nicer to to be working with a good mono mic (at 2 different levels). those stereo on-camera mics dont just sound bad, but the stereo spread can be very difficult to add to the mix.

btw, the on-camera mic on the HVX is much better than most.

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[Eric Hansen]

i know i’m going to get countered on this, but here’s a suggestion. in our office, we have all of our Macs (Xsan editing systems and non-Xsan towers and laptops) connected via a Gigabit Ethernet network. we have our P2 footage loaded on the Xsan RAID drives. for logging, our laptops running FCP access the P2 footage on the Xsan drives through the Gigabit Network (via the Metadata Controller). for logging and simple editing of 720p clips, the Gigabit Network can keep up just fine. at 1080i (DVCPRO HD), the Gigabit Network starts to hiccup and drop frames. for small projects that can be done on a laptop (DVD Extras, Web video, etc), our editors will gather all the footage from the Xsan they need onto a FCP timeline, then media manage that timeline to a Firewire 800 drive for local editing.

so if you are looking for NAS (network attached storage) to hold all of your footage, the above will work, but you will need high-speed local drives for your systems. but if you need constant high speed access to a single array, NAS will not work and you’ll need to look at a SAN solution as Shane mentioned. it can be very expensive, so i thought i would throw out the above suggestion.

[Eric Hansen]

thanks for the clarification. i’m actually trying to find an alternative to shooting the Red or another 2/3″ CCD camera. as much as i would like to drop in on a Red, F900 or Panasonic’s new 2/3″ P2 HD camera, i dont really have the budget. but i’m looking to get a similar short depth of field effect as the F900 with a good long HD lens, on the HVX200. it looks like a 35mm adapter like the Redrock could be the way. although the loss of light is a bit concerning to me.

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[Eric Hansen]

I’ve worked with a few different broadcasters and its always different and usually outlined in the contract as percentages. but a lot of it is subjective. one company i worked with said no small format HD (FX1 or Z1), but changed their minds after they saw the footage because it was shot better than they expected. some will be hard asses and say only “true HD” meaning a CineAlta at 1080i, not even a Varicam at 720p. but this attitude is changing.

i have not shot the XDCAM (i’m a little scared off by its compression scheme), but i imagine it would produce great images with a nice lens. that would be the overriding factor for most broadcasters that i’ve worked with. they care more about the feel of the image (composition, depth) than the format or res it was shot in.

also, they can be concerned with delivery. one broadcaster we work with requires all raw on HDCAM, even the stuff shot on HDV and P2. another broadcaster is accepting our raw P2 on hard drives because they’re not sure how they’re going to store it yet.

every broadcaster is different and their requirements are changing project by project. ask around or get it in writing before taking the plunge on new gear.

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[Eric Hansen]

everything everyone has suggested is great. i personally recommend the Vinton Vision 3 head. they offer different springs for different levels of counter-weight, so make sure you get the right spring. i would also recommend getting a tripod with a 75mm bowl. its so much easier to level than adjusting the legs. we use the Gitzo Mountaineer carbon fibre legs. that combo is a fairly light weight package and gives us very stable shots. this is the setup we use for our 16mm cameras. we used to use a smaller head/tripod combo for our FX1 and HVX cameras. we still use some 501 heads for them. but we decided pretty quickly to use the same pods as the 16mm for steadier shots. people will notice a shaky shot. its worth the money. the 501 is a good head for the money, but its build quality is less than the Vinton and it really shows on the zoomed in long shots as small shakes creep up at the beginning and end of pans and tilts.

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