Jason Livingston
Forum Replies Created
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Free monitor calibration on any Mac:
Let your monitor warm up for at least 10 minutes before starting.
Go to System Preferences > Displays > Color > Calibrate…
Check “Expert Mode” box on the first page. Read and follow all the instructions very carefully. It helps to stand back a few feet and squint your eyes while adjusting the sliders.
When you get to the “Select target gamma” page, make sure gamma is set to 2.2 (Standard), do NOT check “Use native gamma.”
When you get to “Select target white point”, you can try D65 but depending on your monitor and room lighting, it may be better to stick with “Use native white point” checked.
Continue through the final steps and save your calibration. It will not be 100% accurate, but it will get you pretty close. Can’t beat it for the price.
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
Hi Luke,
If this is for DVD and you’re using DVDSP, simply set the View setting to On for that subtitle track. They’ll be on by default but the user can turn them off too.Also if this is for DVD, some DVD players are set to enable certain language subtitle tracks by default. E.g. my DVD player is set to display Japanese subs by default if available. In that case the DVD player settings can override the View setting you set in DVDSP. Keep that in mind if you’re not seeing the results you’re expecting based on the settings in DVDSP.
If this is not for DVD, what is your destination format, i.e. what are you delivering as the final product?
Hope this helps,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
[EDIT]
Actually Wendell, if you could contact me at CPC (see link below) I have some information for you. Thanks. -
Hi Darren,
Let’s focus on the “Beta -> Blackmagic” workflow since it is the most simple. (The DVCPRO deck might not be set up to pass thru CC data.)If you have Final Cut Pro 7 and the latest Blackmagic drivers, then the line 21 data will get converted to a QuickTime CC track on capture. If you play the file in QuickTime Player and go to View > Show Closed Captions, they should appear just like the CC works on a TV. Now if you need to get those closed captions back out to tape, edit or convert to another format, or create new closed captions from scratch, that’s where CPC software can help.
Older Blackmagic drivers used to have the option to capture the line 21 VBI as part of the image. It only worked if you captured full raster 720×486 (not 720×480 and not DV codec). But I think this capability was disabled or removed in the recent drivers to make way for the new FCP7 workflow I mentioned above. So for FCP6 you might need to use an older version of the Blackmagic drivers which preserves the line 21.
Hope this helps,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
Hi Erik,
CPC has software technology to encode AFD when using a Matrox MXO2. Any service or user with MacCaption-DTV or higher can generate the AFD track for the MXO2. To my knowledge this is the only option for baseband output with AFD from FCP.We can also encode AFD using Avid Media Composer 5’s D-track feature via a Mojo/Nitris DX.
For file-based workflows we can add AFD directly to XDCAM-type MXF files if you can deliver a MXF file or XDCAM disc, and also add AFD directly to MPEG-2 files.
Hope this helps,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
Hi Stuart,
Sorry if this is off topic, but just curious as to why you’re considering legacy hardware for closed captioning? The AJA Kona 3 can already do the same thing in software, unless you’re doing live broadcasts.https://cpcweb.com/hdtv/aja.htm
Hope this helps,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
Hi Dan,
Sorry for the late reply. You’re correct that it can’t be done with FCP alone. However this is easily done with MacCaption. MacCaption can extract the closed captions from the source MXF, and automatically conform them to match your FCP edit decision list (XML) without having to re-do the captions.See: https://cpcweb.com/hdtv/assemble.htm
And: https://cpcweb.com/hdtv/xdcam.htmIf this is a one time need, CPC can do it for you as a service rather than selling you the software. Please feel free to contact us for more details if you’re interested.
Hope this helps,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
Hi Shane,
Thanks for mentioning CPC! I just wanted to chime in that you mentioned the price of our highest end Enterprise-level software. CPC does have a lot of HD closed captioning software which is much cheaper than this! We also offer captioning and conversion services for smaller jobs. Please contact us directly for more information.Thanks,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
[Dave LaRonde] “[Tucker Lucas] “Is it true that those six lines of res are used for closed captioning? ”
No. Closed captioning information is found in the scan lines of a TV signal that aren’t even a part of the picture, in Line 21. You have been misinformed. I also find this to be an EXTREMELY illuminating question about your level of knowledge, and your company’s level of knowledge.”
Hi Dave,
Actually, Tucker’s understanding is correct.The extra six lines (well, two of the six) are in fact used for SD closed captioning as the OP stated. Virtually all NLE systems (including all of the video cards that work with FCP) will map one of these 6 lines to VBI line 21 on capture and playback. This is the basis of how NLE closed captioning has been possible for the past several years (the technology was pioneered by CPC and eliminated the need for old linear deck-to-deck captioning hardware). For a visual explanation, please see: 720×486 NLE closed captioning.
Since DV is 720×480 and lacks the extra 6 lines, it doesn’t contain a line 21 as part of the picture data, but DV video does store closed captioning in a separate data area called DV VAUX. So if you are working with DV video over firewire and need closed captioning, it can be done: DV VAUX closed captioning.
I hope you find this information useful.
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning -
Hi Rich,
They’re referring to the new CC feature in FCP7, which as they say, is not supported by the Io LA.However, the “black movie” method invented by CPC will work since it doesn’t require any special support from the NLE software or card.
You just need the CC company to generate the black movie file correctly. If they can’t do it, CPC can convert the SCC file to a working black movie for a small fee.
Hope this helps,
Jason Livingston
CPC Closed Captioning