Video Production and Hardware: January 2008 Archives

I have been asked many times to explain the difference between Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame. I found a fairly detailed explanation the will hopefully help you understand the difference. US TVs display 29.97 frames a second. When NTSC was defined, they found out there were some problems with the video signal carrier fequency running at 30 frames per second (fps). So they decided to shift things by 1/1000 to 29.97 fps which is 0.999 of 30 fps.The two of the more commonly used combinations of time display settings are 30 fps drop-frame timecode and 30 fps non-drop-frame timecode. When the frame rate is a non-integer number as is the case with the NTSC frame rate of 29.97 frames per second a compromise of one sort or another must be made in displaying time. Either the time display can accurately show clock time (after one hour, the time display shows 1:00:00:00) or the time display can be continuously numbered (frame n is always followed by frame n + 1, modulo the number of frames per second). Drop-frame timecode does the former; non-drop-frame timecode does the latter. In the case of NTSC 30 fps drop-frame timecode, two frame numbers are skipped for each minute, except for every tenth minute. Drop-frame timecode is conventionally indicated by separating the time units with semicolons. The most common case for which drop-frame versus non-drop-frame timecode is relevant is 29.97 fps NTSC, but it also applies to 23.976 fps and 59.94 fps.

Sony's SxS PRO Memory Card will change the way event, corporate, and industrial video is captured and posted. In addition to faster transfers, smaller size and longer record times than the standard PC card, the SxS PRO Memory Card increases workflow efficiency, with seamless transition from camcorder acquisition to PC or laptop for editing and archiving. The SxS PRO Memory Card is about half the size of a PC card and fits in ExpressCard 34 and 54 slot sizes. It will initially be available in 8GB and 16GB storage capacity, with higher capacity planned for the future. Providing reliability, durability and expansion flexibility while offering improved performance, the SxS PRO Memory Card may be defined as the flash media of choice , and the definitive media for high definition. ExpressCardâ„¢ media technology,  the replacement standard for PC cards, supported by PCMCIA, the industry-wide consortium that standardized the PC card. Enter the ExpressCard of the future: Sony's SxS PRO Memory Card. Because it uses a serial interface, it transfers at a faster bus speed, is more reliable and comes in a smaller size resulting in a significantly lower storage cost per minute of high definition video when compared to conventional PC parallel cards. And it’s designed to work with Sony's latest, groundbreaking, handheld HD camcorder, the XDCAM EX  model, which houses two SxS PRO Memory Card slots.

Sony's SxS PRO Memory Card will change the way event, corporate, and industrial video is captured and posted. In addition to faster transfers, smaller size and longer record times than the standard PC card, the SxS PRO Memory Card increases workflow efficiency, with seamless transition from camcorder acquisition to PC or laptop for editing and archiving. The SxS PRO Memory Card is about half the size of a PC card and fits in ExpressCard 34 and 54 slot sizes. It will initially be available in 8GB and 16GB storage capacity, with higher capacity planned for the future. Providing reliability, durability and expansion flexibility while offering improved performance, the SxS PRO Memory Card may be defined as the flash media of choice , and the definitive media for high definition. ExpressCardâ„¢ media technology,  the replacement standard for PC cards, supported by PCMCIA, the industry-wide consortium that standardized the PC card. Enter the ExpressCard of the future: Sony's SxS PRO Memory Card. Because it uses a serial interface, it transfers at a faster bus speed, is more reliable and comes in a smaller size resulting in a significantly lower storage cost per minute of high definition video when compared to conventional PC parallel cards. And it’s designed to work with Sony's latest, groundbreaking, handheld HD camcorder, the XDCAM EX  model, which houses two SxS PRO Memory Card slots.

Lacie has just introduced the latest hard drives that will satisfy all of your needs. If you edit with Avid, Final Cut Pro or Adobe Priemer, theses hard drives will fit your needs. Fully loaded with all the best interfaces:  eSATA 3Gbits, FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0. This all-in-one professional hard disk offers universal connectivity for PC and Mac users. They are offered in 320gb, 500gb, 750gb and the massive 1tb. The unique, fanless aluminum heat sink design with 60% more surface area for heat dissipation keeps it quiet and safe. Perfect for digital content creation, audio/video editing, DVD authoring, and web animation, etc., the d2 Quadra can handle multiple demanding professional tasks. It can be daisy-chained via FireWire or connected to your DV camera and is even bootable in FireWire for Mac and in eSATA for Mac/PC.

• Quadruple interface for full PC/Mac compatibility
• Superior burst transfer rates up to 115MB/s (eSATA)
• Sturdy aluminum d2 heat sink & ergonomic design   
  

Check out this latest hard drive from LaCie and give your editing bay the space it deserves.

Sony has just announced the release of their latest HD tapelss camcorder. This camera is about to set the industry on it's ear! The Sony PMW-EX1 is a flash-memory based high definition camcorder capable of a variety of frame rates and resolutions using Sony's new XDCAM-EX intraframe codec. The Exmor 1/2" CMOS sensors used in the PMW-EX1 provide unprecedented levels of image clarity previously unavailable in the prosumer market. Sony's sophisticated SxS Pro memory cards add a unique dimension to almost any production. Enhancing both usability and workflow efficiency, the PMW-EX1 has an extensive set of features that push the boundaries of traditional handheld cameras, including a continuous record time of up to 140 minutes! Whether shooting in 720p, 1080i, or 1080p modes, the PMW-EX1 has it all covered. Its bevy of output settings lets users take advantage of fast and slow motion, as well as popular framerates such as the "film-like" 24p mode.

With the popularity of Final Cut Pro and Apple's new line of Macintosh's it is often necessary to move files back and forth between a PC and MAC.  Fortunately, Apple's operating system will read FAT 32 and NTFS file systems. There is one catch.  OS X can only read from an NTFS formatted device.  It cannot write to it.  Therefore, It is recommended that you format your hard drives as FAT 32, to you can read and write to your drive on both a PC and MAC.

 

However, keep in mind that if you format a device as FAT 32 using Windows, the maximum partition size is 32 Gigs.  This is relatively small for today's storage requirements.  Therefore, you should use the hard drive manufacturer's formatting software so you can format your hard drive with a larger FAT 32 partition.  I myself, prefer one giant partition.

 

Unfortunately, if you've formatted your hard drive on a MAC using 'MAC OS X Extended', a PC cannot natively read the hard drive.  However, there is an excellent program called MAC Drive that will allow a PC to read/write to a drive formatted as 'MAC OS X Extended'

 

With the popularity of Final Cut Pro and Apple's new line of Macintosh's it is often necessary to move files back and forth between a PC and MAC.  Fortunately, Apple's operating system will read FAT 32 and NTFS file systems. There is one catch.  OS X can only read from an NTFS formatted device.  It cannot write to it.  Therefore, It is recommended that you format your hard drives as FAT 32, to you can read and write to your drive on both a PC and MAC.

 

However, keep in mind that if you format a device as FAT 32 using Windows, the maximum partition size is 32 Gigs.  This is relatively small for today's storage requirements.  Therefore, you should use the hard drive manufacturer's formatting software so you can format your hard drive with a larger FAT 32 partition.  I myself, prefer one giant partition.

 

Unfortunately, if you've formatted your hard drive on a MAC using 'MAC OS X Extended', a PC cannot natively read the hard drive.  However, there is an excellent program called MAC Drive that will allow a PC to read/write to a drive formatted as 'MAC OS X Extended'

 

You have to be careful using your cell phone near digital video equipment. In production and post production some cel phones can cause interference. I recently captured 10 minutes of video, and when I brought it into Final Cut Pro I noticed that 3 minutes in the video was jittery, and the audio was crackled. I had noticed this a couple other times over the past year, but this particular time I remembered recieving a call when that portion of video was being captured. An Avid editor in Las Vegas told me of having the same problem, primarily with audio pops. This is easy enough to fix by simply recapturing, the real issue comes when the interference comes when shooting. Some cell phones can interupt the camera recording process, which embeds the distortion on the tape. Whenever possible turn your cel phone off, especially the the ones with the direct connect feature.

You have to be careful using your cell phone near digital video equipment. In production and post production some cel phones can cause interference. I recently captured 10 minutes of video, and when I brought it into Final Cut Pro I noticed that 3 minutes in the video was jittery, and the audio was crackled. I had noticed this a couple other times over the past year, but this particular time I remembered recieving a call when that portion of video was being captured. An Avid editor in Las Vegas told me of having the same problem, primarily with audio pops. This is easy enough to fix by simply recapturing, the real issue comes when the interference comes when shooting. Some cell phones can interupt the camera recording process, which embeds the distortion on the tape. Whenever possible turn your cel phone off, especially the the ones with the direct connect feature.