[R. Hewitt]

It depends on what type of drive and interface format you’re using. Firewire drives do work but they are not recommended by Adobe with Premier.

External SCSI drives definitely work. Avid specify an interface/drive combination that can supply a minimum of 5MBytes/Sec.

I’ve just tried using a Lacie D2 250GB Extreme and have had no problems yet connected via USB2 and Firewire 400.

[R. Hewitt]

Your best and safest bet is to consult the Adobe specs pages below rather than shell out and find something’s not quite compatible. Avid are very picky over what laptops they specify and require quite high end kit but lower spec machines do work. I’ve had no problem running Prem Pro on a DELL DL500 laptop but it’s much better on a wide aspect ratio screen.

https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/systemreqs.html

https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/dvhdwrdb.html

https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/6cards.html

[R. Hewitt]

The horizontal picture stretch shouldn’t be the problem. It’s more likely that the interlace field order dominance is reversed. You can correct this by exporting with upper or lower field first depending on which was set previously in your export options. Alternatively you can select the clip/clips and select Clip/Video Options/Field Options and select Reverse Field order dominance.

I had the same problem with a capture originally made using a Matrox RX100 card that uses upper field first. I had to change the export option to reverse it for PAL, which is lower field first.

[R. Hewitt]

An ‘Unknown Error’ is simply sloppy programming by Adobe. Adobe Encore still has the look and feel of an immature product. The same thing often happened with Adobe GoLive. I gave up using GoLive a long while ago but Encore is my main DVD burning app.

I’ve had the same issue a couple of times. In each case I started a new project and imported the same assets. The problem went away. As a test I created a copy of the errant project with the same media and the error followed it. Looks like it may be the project file or at least a setting within it is getting corrupt.

[R. Hewitt]

Production DVDs for feature films are stamped onto dual layer discs. The change from one layer to the next is often noticeable as a brief pause in playback. This give around 9GB per DVD. With MPEG2 compression this is quite easy to achieve.

Most DVD burners are single layer only. More recent versions are dual layer but most of the software for dual layer discs is playing catch-up. Many discs created with this software won’t play on the majority of current home DVD players and when they do they often freeze for long periods of time as they switch between layers. That’s if they manage to switch at all. It’s just like the days when DVD burners hit the market but anything they created had variable success in a DVD player.

I’m sure it won’t be too long before the issues get cracked so hang on in there!

[R. Hewitt]

No I certainly don’t work for Sony. I have however been using their broadcast and professional kit for over twenty years. I’ve used Panasonic and a few other ‘brands’ but nothing has matched the quality or reliability of Sony products, in my experience.

Sony has to differentiate its products like any other manufacturer and they have been pretty good at this. The great frustration is the product I’ve always wanted with the features I would have liked has always been in the next price bracket. As always it’s a case of aiming higher than I actually need.

I would agree that the add-on cards to enable extra functionality are expensive. Sony has long made it’s cameras and camcorders modular. This enables greater functionality for the people that need the options that don’t come as standard in their price range. It adds to manufacturing costs and I’m sure there are cases where mounting options such as SDI on the main PCB would be minimal cost. To counter this though it greatly increases the cost of maintenance of the camera should a part on the main board fail. This in turn leads to an increase in servicing costs. I personally believe Sony have struck a good balance on ease of maintenance and speed of getting a camera back on the road again. Sure, the optional cards are expensive beyond reasonable in my opinion but it is a trade-off that often has to be made.

The DSR-400 that replaces the DSR-390 is much more expensive but the greatest reason for the added cost, without greatly adding to the functionality, is the move from a 1/2″ CCD to a full 2/3″ chip as used by the majority of ENG cameras. For ‘me’ this is a great advance and the quality and detail in pictures is worth the extra cost. However, I would have preferred the option of 16:9 as well but that is the next model up.

I suspect Sony have had greater feedback from users of the 390 to go to the 2/3″ chip so they can use all their existing 2/3″ mount lenses. Often the cost of the lense is way above the cost of the camera.

I’m sure Sony have seen the increase in use of these cameras for non ENG purposes and they would certainly respond if there was a large enough market. I suspect it just isn’t economical for them to extend the feature set for a smaller market; functionality that the majority of users may not wish to pay extra for. I would but then I would love the 450 too!

What would be nice is another level of professional cameras above the likes of the PD range but below the DSR-xxx. I wouldn’t begin to guess at the cost of developing a new camera to fit that market but then the problem is people will either want some features available only on the higher range cameras or can’t afford a new ‘mid-range’.

If Sony could develop a shoulder mount version of its new HD camera without adding too much to the cost then I’m sure they may find a hit on their hands.

I guess at the end of the day it’s down to what people are prepared/can afford to pay and the economics of the cost involved in entering a new market that is already being mopped up by JVC and Panasonic.

[R. Hewitt]

Thanks again folks. DVD now created.

Thanks for all your help. Another foible added to the list of workarounds.

Cheers.

[R. Hewitt]

Recording to the same drive as the OS is never a good idea, partioned or not as disc activity by the OS overrides writing video data as a priority. Far better to use an external firewire drive. This also gives you security as a failed laptop is more likely than an external drive.

It is possible to use the laptop drive but it’s not ideal and a lot depends on the type of laptop and hard drive.

[R. Hewitt]

Sony Broadcast and Professional design cameras with specific tasks in mind and are engineered to the requirements of the broadcast and professional markets. Sony reps listen closely to what the users require within a camera for its intended purpose and those details are relayed to the designers for future cameras. Following the first professional camcorders to the current releases, it is very clear that Sony are including features that are required by the majority of their customers.

An example of feedback working is the poor design of the cassette mechansim on the DSR-390 and 570 that open out and require the side of a Porta Brace jacket to be loosened just to get a tape out. The 400 and 450 has followed the design of the tried and tested BetaSX camcorder by ejecting the tape vertically. This came about due to the number of complaints Sony received.

In this price range non of the options you mention are cheap, and for the majority of professional users they aren’t required. The only way to keep the prices this low is to include only what the majority of users require. Non of these cameras are mass produced and Sony has to charge the prices they do to cover R&D and production costs not forgetting the two-year worldwide warranty.

The DSR-170 etc are low cost semi-professional camcorders. Many are used by broadcasters but usually for cost reasons or where a larger camera cannot be used. These cameras are full of features that a serious professional cameraman would never touch but they are mass produced and are built no-where near as well as the top end cameras. They produce far more mechanical noise and use smaller, noisier CCDs.

Both the DSR-400 and 450 are designed for aquisition purposes and the majority of users will be using an external VTR for ingesting or the camera via firewire at a push. It is as cheap to buy an external VTR than it is to replace the heads on one of these camcorders. The mechanics of the camcorders aren’t designed for the kind of punishment that a capture application can through at it.

And finally… SDI is a complete overkill for a DV25 signal and as for component, why would anyone want to use an analogue output now unless as a studio based camera?

A bit long winded but I hope it explains the path that Sony choose.

[R. Hewitt]

It depends on your SCSI drive controller. Many only support seven devices, which includes the controller itself. You’ll need to check which you are using. If you have the 15-device version you should be fine.