[Tom Matthies]

I’m running the Lacie card on two systems (G4dual 1Ghz & G5Dual 2.3Ghz) and a pair of SIIG PCI Express on the Quad G5. All work well with no problems at all.
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

If you have the option of terminating with a switch rather than a 75ohm termination plug, use the switch. You don’t need a separate plug. Try a longer preroll. I run my 1800 at three seconds and have never had it abort an edit yet. If the machine is working correctly, it should be OK. Try a longer preroll just to be safe. I’m still wondering if you can hear or see the machine trying to lock during the rollup to the edit. Does it seem to speed up and slow down as it attempts to lock?
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

Try using MPEG Streamclip for ripping. It has a function that will ask you if you want to fix timecode breaks and then will automatically do it for you. It works pretty well and it’s free. Just Google it or go to Apple’s web site to download it.
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

Hi Chris. Noticed the email you sent me until later Sunday night. Sorry I didn’t see it sooner. Let’s see now…I’m guessing you definitely have a sync/reference issue. I don’t have a Kona card so I’m guessing a bit, but here goes. Make sure that you are feeding the same reference signal from your black burst generator to both the deck and the card. Also double check the reference input to the Kona card. It almost sounds like the card is trying to lock to the tape deck as a reference. When the deck prerolls and tries to do an ETT, it should be using the output from the Kona card as it’s reference for both the servos. If it is referencing the black generator, that should work OK as well. I don’t see anywhere in the menu on the UVW-1800 where you have the choice of setting the input reference to the deck. Most decks have a menu setting or a switch allowing you to select between internal reference, external reference or “auto”. The auto setting will allow the deck to “pick” it’s own reference based on whether is is playing back or recording. Check the back of your deck and see if it has a switch enabling you to select this setting. You describe your video as jumping around and loosing it’s color. This is the classic look of a bad or missing subcarrier or reference either to the deck or the card. Again, double check the menu settings on the Kona card and make doubly sure that the reference setting is correct. In the control panel for my Io, I get the choice of freerun or reference in. Make sure that the reference to the Kona is in fact black burst and not some other signal. Some black burst generators can also output a “sync” signal. “Sync” is not the same a “black burst”. Black burst is a composite signal that combines sync, blanking, color burst and other signals onto one output. “Sync” is usually a 4-volt signal that does not contain the other components and will cause a device expecting black burst to malfunction. The classic clue is usually a jittery picture and a loss of color lock…looking like a black and white picture.
If the reference to the Kona is either “sync” or the video output of your deck, it would create a feedback loop between the two devices and all Hell would break loose.
Just for grins, disconnect the reference to the Kona and see what happens. Your UVW-1800 may actually do the edit but will display a horizontal black bar while recording. It’s OK. It won’t actually get recorded that way. All will be well upon playback of the tape. The deck locks to the incoming signal while the decks internal TBC does not.If it works, then the reference to the card is the problem. If it continues to malfunction, your are back to square one. Are you feeding individual signals from your Horita to each device or are you looping them? Incorrect termination could be a problem, but not likely. Most devices are very tolerant of incorrect levels of their reference. That’s not to say that they will work perfectly, but they usually do work.
It is always suspect that this happened after a software upgrade. Take a good look at the documentation that came with the upgrade and make sure that some feature or setting wasn’t changed to cause this. Look for anything having to do with external reference inputs and make sure they are set correctly.
And, again, make tripley (is that a word?) sure that your references are correct to both devices. Run separate cables to the deck and to the Kona card to be safe. Make sure that both cables carry a black burst signal and not “sync”. Make sure that both drvices are on external reference. Or, in the case of the deck, try to set the reference to “auto” if you have that option. I’d check on my deck, but I have it in a rack against my wall and without rack sliders on the deck, it’s difficult to get at the back of it. Most Sony decks that I’ve seen have this switch somewhere, either as a hardware switch or in the setup menu. The UVW-1800 doesn’t have color framing select switches but it does have an edit field select switch, but this shouldn’t effect much in this case. It should still edit OK.
Hmmm, just kind of thinking outloud now…
Try those things and quadruple check your references and I’m guessing things will sort themselves out if everything checks out correct. Input reference to the card is my guess. Sounds like a feedback loop somewhere. One more question. Using a long (5 seconds or so) preroll, do you hear or observe the decks servos speeding up and slowing down while trying to lock before the edit? Usually an “1800” locks in a second or two with little “searching” of the capstan or drum servos. If you hear them speeding up and slowing down during the rollup to the edit, that’s a sure sign of a reference feeback problem. Listen to the deck. The sould can tell you many things. Wow, very Zen-like.
Good luck and let me know how it’s going.
Tom
Also…were any cables move recently. If so, check them to make sure everything is plugged where it should be. Make sure the video out didn’t get somehow plugged into the reference in to the card by mistake.

[Tom Matthies]

I use Apple’s Keynote for exporting movies of a Powerpoint program. Just start Keynote and open your Powerpoint project. It does a pretty good job at playing back all of the effects and transitions. Then go to Export>Self-Playing Movie. Set in the times you want for duration and builds, pick your format in the lower part of the menu and it will export a Quicktime movie in the format of your choice. Pretty slick.
Depending on your use, you will need to play around with the dimensions and scaling a bit. Then remember the square/rectangular pixel stuff will figure into the end products. After a bit of futzing to get the size right, it works quite well. I’ve used it several times and it sure beats the scan-converter route to get your Powerpoint presentation to tape.
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

I assume that we are talking about -3db Full Scale in the digital world and not analog levels.
Levels are a funny thing when going in and out of digital devices. We have a stand alone Pioneer PRV-LX1 DVD deck with SDI input. It absolutely will not handle SDI audio at levels much above -8 without distortion. We try to keep it averaging around -12dbFS.
I just got a DVD from a touring group yesterday with severely clipped audio on the track. Upon contacting the production house, I was informed that it was burned right from the editing computer and that the audio levels never “hit 0dbFS” and there is no way it could be clipped. I told them to actually listen to their own DVD if they didn’t believe me. They called back later and admitted that it was in fact clipped. They couldn’t figure out how that could have happened.
Be careful with those levels.
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

Just a thought…
If you are running dual monitors on your desktop, check that your viewer or canvas are not spanning across both monitors…even a little but. Put either/or both windows entirely on one monitor or the other. I usually use the “fit to window” command except when moving over-sized graphis around the screen.
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

Man, I remember when “Control M” was added to CMX editors. Now, an automatic matchcut back to your source…that was awesome. And time code editing? WOW!
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

Amen, Brother!
Tom

[Tom Matthies]

Thanks Chris.
Boy, I hate to put my email address out there but here goes…
tmatthies@new.rr.com

I still have my Version 3 disks, but I don’t know if these were included separately on the disk or as a part of the FCP load.
It’s a little thing, but it will make the client happy. It’s got that “little sheen thingy, you know…”
Thanks again,
Tom