[Steve Brown]

Hey Jon,
I’ll do my best to help you here. Set-up (pedestal) isn’t actually needed with today’s TVs… if they are adjusted for a signal without set-up. My understanding is that set-up was originally added in the early days of TV to provide a “buffer” between luminance and sync. Unfortunately, anything that is going to be broadcast, cablecast or played back in a venue with other programs that are using set-up should also have set-up included. Otherwise, people would have to re-adjust their TVs between programs.

With that said, if you’re recording on a digital format, there’s no need for set-up to be used in the original recording (in most cases). If you’re transferring to a NLE (especially if you’re going in SDI or Firewire), just add pedestal when outputting to tape. I found some of this out the hard way. On a regular program I shoot, the signal I was capturing live to an AVID Adrenaline via an analog component input was fine… no set-up problems. But, whenever the editor would capture footage from one of the ISO VTRs via SDI, pedestal was always added again. That was resolved by making a different choice on the VTR we were capturing from (AJ-SD93). It was kinda buried in a set-up menu on the deck, but after a little head-scratching, I found it.

Here’s the best advice I can give if you are uncertain. Record color bars on the camera and play back on the VTR in question or capture to your NLE. When you view the footage on a waveform monitor, see if the system has added set-up. If you recorded without set-up and it’s being added only once on playback, that’s good. If it’s being doubled, you may need to change the setting on the playback VTR or in your NLE. On a Panasonic AJ-SD93, I believe the playback setting should be “thru”, but check your operator’s manual to be certain.

On the SDX-900, there are a couple of settings for set-up. One records set-up on the tape. Another setting doesn’t. In the 50mb/sec mode only (I think), there is a third choice. That choice doesn’t record set-up, but it does output set-up to the monitor-out signal for convenience.

Do you have the Goodman’s Guide for the SDX900? If not, you should have it… it’s worth every penny if you have to buy it. As far as I know, Panasonic is still giving it away to anyone who purchases the camera, but you have to ask for it… contact Jan Crittendon at Panasonic. That’s how I got mine.

Someday, we’ll be able to do away with set-up altogether, but for now…

I hope this helps!

Steve Brown
10-20 Productions