Ron Shook
Forum Replies Created
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JD,
[jdwilkin] “I came accross a Matrox PDF on their site last night that announces that the upcoming 3.0 release of RT.X2 (not SD model) will include support for P2 and Sony HDV CODECs.”
Excellent! I didn’t know that, but it makes sense. Note that it says nothing about the other MXF, XDCAM, even though the support for both current varieties of MXF for Axio came at the same time. I suspect that there are several things at play here. Other than Apple, Matrox’s primary competitors are Canopus and Cineform. Cineform is about to deliver P2 support and Canopus has had both P2 and XDCAM support for some time if you purchase the broadcast version of their Edius software. Matrox had to deliver P2 support because the RT.X2 is aimed squarely at the corporate, small facility, religious, etc. markets and the inexpensive Panny HVX-200 handicam camcorder fits squarely in those markets. Currently there is no XDCAM camcorder that fits those market niches because they’re too expensive. However, if the $8k XDCAM HD EX is a hit later in the year, Matrox is liable to deliver XDCAM support to RT.X2 sometime next year.
[jdwilkin] “On the P2 side, it is a little more hazy. They mention the HVX-200 but also comment on support for “Panasonic P2 cameras”, so, maybe all P2 models will be supported.”
P2 is P2, right, whatever the camcorder? Well not exactly. Some of the newer, much more expensive P2 camcorders from Panny use the new AVCHD codecs within their MXF wrappers. Any P2 camcorder that uses DVCPRO codecs in their MXF wrappers, like the HVX-200 should work fine with the RT.X2 but I very much suspect that the AVCHD P2 support will be limited to Axio for some time, at least until there is an under $10k camcorder that uses it. And of course it depends to some degree what the competition does as well.
[jdwilkin] “So, in light of this, do you still feel that the price difference (Axio LE vs RT.X2) is worth it? I guess there is still some hardware assist in the Axio and of course, the XLR and SDI in/outs are very helpful.”
I don’t know what your business is and where you want to take it, so I can’t really say, i.e., I can’t read your future any better than I can read this industry’s. (g) While the RT.X2 also assists in rendering like the LE I think there are some bandwidth limitations that probably make it not quite as good in that respect. Also, while the RT can use the Matrox MPEG2 I Frame codecs, it’s limited in HD to 100 mb/s and while the Matrox codec is good at this rate it’s not excellent like the same codec on the LE at 2-300 mp/s. You have to take other HD formats other than those that’ll input via firewire into the RT via component rather than SDI and convert them to the MPEG2 I frame at a rate that isn’t pristine, so look at the RT as a great HDV editor and not so great as an editor for much other HD. If that suits what you will use it for, great, but if you envision more, not so great.
The other thing to take into account, because we can’t see the future clearly is that the various versions of Axio are Matrox’s flagship products and Axio will adapt to new industry developments well before the RT.X2 will. You’ll stay closer to the literal cutting edge if you need to have those new capabilities.
Ron Shook
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JD,
[jdwilkin] “Althought the price point seems to bump up a lot for relatively small differences, I plan to go with Axio LE to get the added CODEC and format support. Otherwise, RTX2 is a no brainer.”
Very good choice, IMO. If you were to get an RT.X2 and eventually run up against MXF codecs like P2 and XDCAM which it can’t handle, you’d regret not going Axio LE.
You do have another choice that you may or may not be aware of which could roll down the initial cost of the LE system. Most LE systems are quoted with Raid arrays capable of handling multiple tracks of totally uncompressed 8 bit HD. The Matrox MPEG I frame codecs are excellent and using them at 200 mb/s or above (max is 300 mb/s) is virtually indistinquishable from full uncompressed. If you don’t have anyone demanding an uncompressed HD edit, then you don’t need the throughput of a Raid capable of uncompressed and the Raid subsystem need not be nearly as as beefy or expensive.
Discuss this with your vendor. As far as Matrox is concerned this is a perfectly legitimate discussion, and you can go this route as long as you understand from the git-go that the Raid you purchase with the system is not capable of typical Axio LE real time performance with uncompressed HD, but is capable of that real-time performance using the Matrox codecs. If the Raid is capable of giving you real-time HD editing using the Matrox Codecs, it is also capable of editing fully uncompressed HD but you’ll have to do hardware assisted rendering on transitions and compositing involving more than one uncompressed HD video stream, i.e., you can still edit uncompressed if the need comes up unexpectedly (a client demands it), but you’ll be a little slower getting the job done. (But still faster than with an AJA board. (g))
I hope I haven’t wasted my wind on something you already knew. (g)
Good Luck,
Ron Shook
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Mr. ICVideo
[ICVideo] “Canon zoom controls “$.50″, with change.”
Not on my 2/3″ Canon Broadcast lens. But that’s another story isn’t it? My Heavens but that ZR2000 (I had to google it) is expensive for not much better performance. Have you tried 3rd party controls like Varizoom for instance?
Anyhow, thanks for the confirmation of my observations. It’s not impossible by any stretch of the imagination for a handicam type camcorder to have a very good variable zoom rocker. The best I’ve ever seen is on the little brother of the Panny DVX-100, the DVX-30 or some such designation. It’s almost as good as my broadcast Canon. Canon should be ashamed, IMO.
Ron Shook
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Chris,
[Chris Poisson] “hope you can get used to it.”
Me too, and thanks for your responses and discussion.
Ron Shook
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Chris,
[Chris Poisson] “you could use some double stick tape and a couple pieces of carefully trimmed black foamcore to raise the rocker arm.”
The reason for raising the rocker arm would be to allow for considerably more play between no/slow zoom and full zoom, not to make the rocker higher. Perhaps some folks have the physical agility and precision to hit one of 16 zoom speeds in the course of rocker play that isn’t much more than 1/8th of an inch, but I don’t. If the rocker had play that was 3/8 to 1/2 inch with a bit more stiffness, those 16 speeds would be more spread out and easier to address.
There is a workaround to this using the fixed speed and the speed finger wheel together, but it means learning and inculcating a whole new bit of muscle memory, not something I’d prefer to do.
[Chris Poisson] “Personally, this shortcoming doesn’t bother me, as I am trying not to zoom too much.”
Depends on what you’re shooting. For narrative and most documentary thats a fine approach. For interviews and presentations you sometimes need a slow creep and I can live with what the camera gives me for that most of the time. But shooting performance like dance, where you usually can’t script your camera moves ahead of time, having a solid, responsive variable speed rocker is essential. the movement of the performance pretty much masks the zooms and you sometimes need to go from full stage to sololist or the reverse with a feathered, quite rapid zoom on occassion. That feathering is impossible to do with this rocker.
Ron Shook
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HHV,
[hhv_pro] “So with this Data rate I would stick to Raid6”
Ask the author and builder, David Cherniak. He’s using Raid 6 which uses 2 drives for redundant data which is double safe because 2 drives can go down at once without lossing data. Or you could use Raid 5 which uses 1 drive, enabling 1 drive failure. This would make the raid slightly faster and give you another 1/2 TB storage to work with (assuming 500 GB drives.)
Ron Shook
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Zvi,
[Zvi_Twersky] “I think it’s called RX-200”
No such animal. Probably the RT.X2.
[Zvi_Twersky] “When I open a project I made in Matrox RX-200 on the newer computer, it says that it’s missing filters (effects).”
Rule of thumb: You can usually go forward with NLEs, but you can almost never go back. Either go from the RTX100 to the RT.X2 or get another RT.X2 if you want to be able to pass projects back and forth.
BTW, you’re on the wrong Forum. Go to the Matrox Editing COW Forum for questions about Matrox hardware systems.
Ron Shook
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[hhv_pro] “I’ve had yet to see an affordable (unless you are talking about dual Fiber Optic types) Raid config that can deliver uncompressed full HD in other then Raid0.”
Like Harm says, you’re behind the times. The newest Sata3 controllers, particularly Areca, are blazing fast and efficient. But Harm’s $1.8k is a little too optimistic just now. It’s closer to $3k for a top flight, quiet 12 drive (w/500 GB drives) BYO Raid 6 system that’ll give you 5 TB of double protected Raid storage. A system like this will do 2 tracks of uncompressed 10 bit HD, all day, and 3 tracks in a pinch.
See this thread that lays it out in detail although drive prices in particular have come down a bit since this system was built:
Ron Shook
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Terje,
[Terje A. Bergesen] “Since you go all digital from the get-go, you should see less quality loss.”
Depends on how you define quality. I’ve found that an analog pass in the digital chain to have a nice smoothing effect on the video in spite of a bit of bandwidth loss. And I’ve had enough clients compliment the look to never fear an analog pass if that’s the easier method of dealing with something. Try it, you might like it.
Ron Shook
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Paulo,
[Paulo Viana] “I need to subtitle four 20 min video every month (and print to video). Today I manually do it (copy/paste on the text and create every text file on Vegas). Is there a better way for this? Or a plugin or a script? Thanks.”
You might want to look into this Photoshop CS plugin if you have a version of PS CS (PS version 8 or higher.) It looks like it may do what you want. It adds a TV specific pallete to PS with batch processing:
https://www.toolsfortelevision.com/pro
You can download a trial and they’re running a special with a new version intro for $129 (regular $179.) I don’t know when the special ends. I haven’t used this and am in no position to do so right now, but would appreciate a report if anyone wants to give it a try.
Ron Shook