[Kieran Matthew]

Floh,

Thanks for your help on this, it is appreciated.

[Floh] “And there is no real convention that defines where 0dB digital should be when converted tp analog, so there are various different ways to do this conversion.”

OK, but consider this. My PPMs read true on the output of my Media 100i. When I boot into FCP, -18db tone reads true on FCP’s level meter and on my PPMs attached to the AJA outputs. Do the same in Media 100 and -18db tone and the PPMs read high.

Also if I put tone out at -18db through the firewire, my DSR 40 reads high on its level meters.

[Floh] “I am not really sure that this is an issue, since different applications do use different headrooms. So what Media 100 shows as -10dB on its level display does not represent -10dB digital level.”

But aren’t Media 100’s audio levels locked to QT’s levels? Afterall Media 100’s own -18db test tone media reads correctly in both FCP and STP.

[Floh] “What version of Media 100, QuickTime and Soundtrack are you using?”

11.6.4 on Intel, QT7.2, whichever was the latest STP before FCS2 was released

Thanks again

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Floh

[Floh] “Hmmm, what do you mean by Media 100 is adding 4dB? Compared to what? How do you get your material into the system (your reference level)? How do you compare STP and Media 100s level?”

For instance I have a largely speech based programme with the Audio FX limiter set to -10db. The media 100 internal levels read that the audio is peaking at around -10db. I export the audio as an AIFF and open in STP. The levels are now showing at around -6db. If I lower the bus audio by 4db and re-export, the Media 100 shows at well below -10 but STP shows the audio now at -10.

As another test I opened the PAL -18 test tones from the Media 100i CD in STP. There it reads -18 (well -17.8 but you get the picture). Imported into Media 100 it reads -18 as you would expect. Exported out, and opened in STP it reads -14.

I did wonder if my fried brain was missing something about pan levels etc but I think I checked everything. Plus DVDs I have authored with the bus set to 0db do sound louder than usual.

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Michael,

Apologies for the delay in responding. In answer to your question, most PAL codecs with the exception of those based on the DV codec are top field first. So the PAL media 100i codec was made top field first, and to retain compatibility, this has carried over to Media 100 HD.

HTH

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Marc,

Here are a few things you might want to consider,

1. Processing power is only part of the equation.
RAM is very important in Mac Pros, anything below 4Gb actually causes a bottleneck on the bus affecting performance. When striking a balance in a tight budget, make sure you have enough RAM as well as things like a good screen and plenty of HD space. (Oh and FYI, don’t buy the RAM from Apple – buy it from Crucial or Kingston and fit it yourself – much more bang for your buck – same goes for HDs)

2. Not all software utilises all 8-cores.
For instance, on my HDe I use Boris RED for my graphics work – it doesn’t use more than one core let alone 8. All software is evolving and this will change with time, but as you have limited finance, is the money better spent elsewhere?

3. Is processing power key to my workflow?
Would the money you save going for a lesser model be better spent on other software to expand your range or make your workflow easier? If you are making the leap to Intel, have you factored in the other costs including upgrading to universal versions of software you already own. Would an upgrade to After Effects CS3 be more useful? Would buying FCS2(which happily uses the HDe hardware) give you greater flexibility?

Personally I have the Quad 3Ghz Mac Pro, which was the fastest machine you could buy at the time. I rarely get the chance to buy new machines so I wanted the fastest available so it would have the longest lifespan.

Another point to consider is a new MacPro is going to ship with Leopard (OS10.5). Media 100 is only compatible with Tiger (10.4). Media 100 are working on it, but until it is cleared, you would have to buy a copy of Tiger to install. Not much, but another cost for the budget.

HTH

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Jim,

In my limited experience of using the DV codecs in Media 100 HDe, I try to avoid them if i can. After a couple of jobs I decided to stick to the Media 100i codec if I could.

The main reason for this is that, at its heart, Media 100 HD is an evolution of Media 100i and there are still throwbacks to the colourspace and field order of the original software that seem to sit uneasily with the DV codecs.

Firstly, I make extensive use of the Render Range to Bin command, which just doesn’t seem to work with the DV codecs – Media appears jaggy and lower-resolution when it comes back in. Manually setting the “HQ” setting in Quicktime helps but doesn’t cure it, especially when you are matching media and comps together.

Secondly I use Boris RED a lot in my work. It isn’t aware of the colourspace and field order issues so if you use the “Bin Browser” or “Movie File” imports, the media must be gamma corrected and field reversed to make it play well with stuff on the timeline.

Thirdly, the constant field reverses damage the uppermost and bottom most lines of video, which become apparent when viewed on interlace monitors, and when you export to DVD, as fluttering.

Personally, I no longer use Bitvice as it is not universal and is slow on my Mac Pro. I use Compressor, and that’s where the beauty of a mixed codec system comes in. When I have finished my project in the Media 100i codec, I set rendering to a DV codec and render a title over the top (using it to mask off any unwanted crud at the top and bottom if I need to) and then export by reference. The reference file can then be used in Compressor without colourspace or field issues. And Compressor is very fast on a Mac Pro.

As I mentioned this is all because of a few kinks that are still present in my system (11.6.4, RED 4.1) which may be down to me, or software that is constanly evolving. I’m sure others here will have differing opinions and can put me straight if I’m wrong about anything.

HTH

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Paul & Floh,

[Floh] “Oh, I forgot to mention that we did not try it with FCP5.x, only 6.0. So I cannot really say anything about that.”

QT 7.2 running fine on my FCP5.x (whatever the last x before 6 came in) with no issues except the flip4mac problem you mentioned.

HTH

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Topher,

I running that same config under 10.4.10 with no issues to report. Although it is my back-up suite, I’ve done some reasonably big jobs on it recently.

HTH.

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Nick,

When you copied the file onto your system from the backup DVD, did you change its permissions from read-only to read-write?

I’m guessing here, but it might be trying to update the file unsuccessfully.

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Nickel,

I’m using three of the bays in my Mac Pro with 320Gb drives raided together. It has been fine for SD and has passed various test utilities for compressed HD, though I haven’t had the opportunity to test it in battle so to speak. I was going to use all four internal bays, but I couldn’t make the MacPro work well booting from an external drive.

One point though, if you have the opportunity, consider buying the drives separately from another supplier and fitting them yourself. Apple tends to overcharge for drives (and memory) and fitting them (and memory) in the MacPro is a real doddle.

HTH

K

[Kieran Matthew]

Hi Ajmetz,

Well Done!

Slight issue though, can’t get them to play at all in Safari on my Mac (with Flip4mac).

Any suggestions?

K