Peter Sartwell
Forum Replies Created
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Hmm, the video mixdown- is that required, or more likely to work? I think that keeping all the clip info totally intact would help at some later conform steps.
I need the BMD card to recapture at full res and review on a broadcast monitor.
You guys rock!
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Thanks Gustavo and Michael,
Resolve is indeed tempting. What I’m not clear on is how it will handle speed changes and warps from Media Composer 6 sequences. The sequence I have speed changes on probably 60-75% of the shots.
In this workstation I’d have to dump the Kona card and switch to a BMD card, but it’s feasible, so long as the BMD support for MC6 works. I’ve read of troubles, but haven’t tried it yet.
It sounds like Resolve saves the day for several workflows…
Oh, and the conversion needed is offline/offline. I’m offlining DNx36 captures from HDCAM-SR, but I need the full resolution media to generate the DPX’s to match the online HDCAM-SR compression.
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Thanks, Michael. The TIFF export isn’t horrible, but I can’t rely on file conversion to keep the color information matching to the online system (Avid DS v11). I tried some conversions, and compared against the previous Avid DS exports, but couldn’t get them to match. GlueTools? Maybe as a last resort, because I don’t have a configured MacPro and storage available. My GlueTools DPX export with FCS wasn’t exactly smooth either.
I’m trying to do a conform/export with PremierePro CS6, but every step has major problems.
In Avidland, I’d keep using the Avid DS for this process, but it’s not available. When I was using it, it worked great for a couple years.
But surely there’s a tried and true pathway for DPX creation from an MC6 sequence?
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Hi Max, in general I don’t move CPU’s out of suites unless the CPU or storage is loud or hot. It’s simpler for me to manage as a one-man tech department. Our MacPro’s are very quiet, and easy to troubleshoot on the spot, and we have a Unity to store the media.
As Bob, Drew and Andrew have noted the extender is a possible failure point. Actually it’s a team of failure points- connectors, power supplies, additional cables, and physical mounts.
The biggest negative consequence of this is the additional time required to troubleshoot and manage the fixes to extension systems. This additional time is not to be underestimated, because as Murphy would have it, failures occur at the most expensive times, or in the middle of another problem on the system. Keeping spares is essential, because not being able to type or mouse is one of the worst problems for a client and sys admin under pressure (makes remote admin very important).
There are some interesting advantages to getting CPU’s out of suites though. Less chance of physical harm from users, and looking much cleaner come to mind. So long as the capacity A/C in the machine room exceeds the BTU output of the machines, and you have a thermal alarm of some kind you’re safe from overheating.
For extenders, one important spec is maximum screen resolutions or single- vs. dual- link for DVI. The way things are going, it’s easy to spec one that’s okay now, but won’t be later on with an upgraded system. Aim high.
And the Gefen DVI extenders without Gefen cables have been dodgy- or I should say sparkly- for me also. I’m sure it was my fault, though 😉
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Sure thing.
I should add that best practice says to consolidate a copy of your sequence, just in case something goes haywire.
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I haven’t setup a bridge to ISDN since I started here, 2 years ago. We use Source Connect exclusively with a phone patch backup. For remote sessions we look exclusively for studios who run Source Connect, or are willing to install. You can rent Source Connect for $250 for 1 week.
SC does need a decent network that’s not dropping or colliding packets, so it’s not free if you have to do some network or ISP upgrades to handle your throughput. But the network upgrades are useful to your business in other ways, whereas an ISDN line and equipment are dedicated to a single task.
$1k per year for ISDN seems cheap to me, as far as ISDN goes. In our remote studio, we will soon have a dedicated DSL line for Source Connect (no other high speed service available), and we can justify the added expense because it’ll pay back in spades. It runs okay on the existing 7M/0.6M service, but other users in the studio can clog the upload pretty easily.
Skype, huh? It’s hard for our directors to give up that almost-live Source Connect experience, but I like the idea of using Skype for backup. I’ll have to give that a try.
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Consolidate makes copies of the media, so it won’t go offline in your original project. Just make sure to not enable the delete original files option, because if the application fails during consolidation (or you run out of space) you’ve lost the original files.
+1 on Media Mover, it’s a very useful tool to move all your project media, not just the consolidation. It’s worth the $150 price tag if you’re using MC professionally. Beware though, that it can take media offline for you that you don’t want offline, if you’ve mixed media between projects. We use it very carefully because the media on our Unity can find its way to unexpected places very easily. By carefully I mean, once you let MM scan for projects, move one project offline at a time. Then check your cut and bins. And repeat until you’re sure your current projects are intact.
In the future, for your sanity, it’s best to actually copy the media if you’re sharing media between projects. It takes a few extra minutes, but you’re not going to have last minute panic when you delete an old project.
Or better yet consider making a common elements project/bin, so you can delete a project and not worry about whether you’re losing media.
Good luck and patience!
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Sorry I forgot to say- I don’t know if having only one stick of RAM will make it fail boot. No RAM will fail, I know that.
Did you try one “good” stick in each of the two slots? Maybe one slot is dodgy?
Once you’ve identified the bad RAM, it’s best to replace that first before doing much else, unless you can confirm that it’ll boot from one stick.
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Ah well now you’re in troubleshooting mode.
My suggestions:
1. Swap the ram and run the AHT again to verify your fault
2. reset the PRAM and NVRAM
3. Try starting in safe mode( startup holding shift key).Do you have another mac? If so that opens up your fixing options because you can run your mac in target mode if any of the above point to trouble with the hard drive. At the very least you can move your data to another drive.
You are not the first person to have this problem, so there are resources on the web that detail how to fix your PowerBook G5.
Don’t know your tech level, but if you’re new to this kind of thing, and this machine is important to you, and none of the above get you near a fix, I’d hand it over to a mac tech to fix. That will save some grey hair.
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