Serious Magic DVRack

Ed Frazier · December 31st, 2004, 06:55 AM

Just curious if anyone that purchased DVRack during the rebate period has received a check? I posted this question over on the SeriousMagic site and received no (useful) response. It's been at least six weeks since my request was submitted and still nothing.

Hart Boyd · December 31st, 2004, 01:42 PM

I got a confirmation by e-mail before Christmas confirming my submission was valid and in the final stages of processing but no check as of yet.

Mark Mapes · January 3rd, 2005, 03:42 PM

Ed,

Sorry that no one here at Serious Magic addressed your post on our forum two weeks ago. You caught us during an extraordinarily busy time--three product releases in a week followed by the usual scramble to tie up loose ends. That's no excuse for dropping the ball with a paying customer, though.

In any case, someone here contact the third party that handles rebates for us tomorrow to check on the status of yours. You should hear something from them or from us before the end of business tomorrow.

Ed Frazier · January 3rd, 2005, 04:02 PM

Thanks for looking into it Mark. I notice that Hart received a confirmation email after submitting his rebate request. I don't recall ever getting anything like that.

Sorry if you thought I was saying I had posted on your forum six weeks ago with no reply. What I meant was that I submitted the rebate request six weeks ago. That might not have been clear from reading my post.

Mark Randall · January 4th, 2005, 12:50 PM

The winners of Serious Magic's DV Rack "Give Us Your Best Shot" Contest have been announced! The winners are viewable online now at:
http://www.seriousmagic.com/bestshotresults.cfm

Along with production stills and notes.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to the many excellent entrants.

--- Mark

Doug Bischoff · January 20th, 2005, 09:43 AM

Hello, all!

During a shoot using the demo version of the DVRack software from Serious Magic, we ran into a possible problem.

We're shooting on a DVX-100A and were configured to be in 24 frames, progressive, advanced pulldown. The DVRack was acting as our hard disk recorder.

When we pulled the AVI files into Final Cut Pro HD for editing, FCP saw all the files as being NTSC standard 29.97 fps. Selecting the file and choosing "Tools->Advanced Pulldown Removal" got the error "there is no advanced pulldown to remove!"

Cinema Tools wouldn't even recognize the AVI files to open them at all.

Any ideas on how to get 24PA to work from DVRack into FCP?

Thanks,

Barry Green · January 20th, 2005, 04:34 PM

I've used DV Rack/24PA in Vegas and it works perfectly. DV Rack records what's coming out the firewire port, which should be an identical clone of what's on the DV tape.

I'd recommend posting this in the FCP forum, as I'm 110% certain that the files DV Rack records are perfectly DV-compliant 24PA files.

Karl Soule · January 21st, 2005, 02:09 PM

Hi Doug,

DV Rack records whatever the camera is feeding it, which will be a 29.97fps "pulldown" of the 24PA footage. It doesn't write anything special in the file header "flagging" the footage as 24PA.

Does FCP have any special "capture mode" when capturing 24PA footage, like a special setting you have to make to inform FCP you are capturing 24PA?

how does FCP handle 24PA footage captured in other programs, like iMovie?

Do you have any 24PA footage from a previous shoot on tape you can test with? Try playing back the tape, and capture with DV Rack in Quicktime format, and import the footage. Does it also give you the error message?

Doug Bischoff · January 21st, 2005, 02:14 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Karl Soule : Does FCP have any special "capture mode" when capturing 24PA footage, like a special setting you have to make to inform FCP you are capturing 24PA? -->>>

It does have a setting which will instruct it to remove advanced pulldown when pulling from tape, yes.

<<<-- Originally posted by Karl Soule : how does FCP handle 24PA footage captured in other programs, like iMovie? -->>>

Hmmm... I have never used another program to capture footage. I can give it a shot in Combustion and see what happens!

<<<-- Originally posted by Karl Soule : Do you have any 24PA footage from a previous shoot on tape you can test with? Try playing back the tape, and capture with DV Rack in Quicktime format, and import the footage. Does it also give you the error message? -->>>

DVRack can capture in QuickTime format? That is also helpful to know.

The trouble seems to be in that there is no option to remove advanced pulldown during an import session, only during a capture from tape session. There is a menu command for "Remove Advanced Pulldown" but that's where the error message comes up.

I'll do some more poking around and see what I can find. Thanks for your help!

Karl Soule · January 21st, 2005, 02:23 PM

Hi Doug,

If you are editing in FCP, you should definitely be capturing in QuickTime format. FCP prefers QuickTime, and it could be that the "Remove Advanced Pulldown" option only works with native QuickTime files.

Marc Sacco · January 26th, 2005, 02:36 PM

just wondered, can the incoming video be "FLIPPED" and recorded that way? reason being anyone using the adapters (like the micro35 or other "homemade" adapters) to get better DOF using 35mm lenses for a "film' look has the problem of the image being upside down(others can describe this more acurately than me) . this requires us to "flip" it in post. (unless they have used a prism device or other relatively expensive approach) it would be great to have a program like this that would record the image directly from the camera (with this adapter) already flipped.

any chance this is already something that can be adjusted in Dv Rack?

if not, please put it on the list. there is a large number of people out there trying to achieve a more filmic look using these adapters and would find your product an invaluable tool if this were part of it (see the alternate imaging forum).

thank you,
Marc
www.zenimage.com

Barry Green · January 27th, 2005, 02:35 AM

Not with DV Rack, no. DV Rack records the raw unmodified signal, and only the raw unmodified signal. It can't and won't do anything to the signal. DV Rack's tools let you monitor the signal in all sorts of ways, but not modify the signal.

Mark Mapes · January 27th, 2005, 01:06 PM

Marc,
That's a new one on me. I've added it to the list. As Barry explained, DV Rack records the DV stream directly without touching it in any way, so I seriously doubt we will be changing anything in the recorded clip. However, we may at least be able to flip the image for display in the Field Monitor.

Thanks,

Dennis Sladek · January 28th, 2005, 12:11 AM

Just flip it in your NLE. You're gonna' stick it in your NLE anyway.
That's how I do it.

Marc Sacco · January 28th, 2005, 06:54 AM

yes thats how i (we) do it now but it requires that the footgae be rendered. if im shooting a whole feature with a 35mm adapter then im going to have a lot of footage that will need to be rendered before editing. i am looking for an easier way to manipulate the image without having to waste all that render time in edit. it would be easier for us (adapter users) to be able to record the flipped image directly to hard drive during the shoot. it would be nice to have that option in a program like Dv Rack.

but having Dv Rack at least be able to flip the field monitor image would be nice though.

maybe someone out there will be able to write a HD recording program that can simply flip the image as it records. ;}

thanks, i like the program and will get it and the ultra program for my next project that needs it.

thanks, marc
www.zenimage.com

December 31st, 2004, 06:55 AM	#76
Ed Frazier Major Player Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Las Cruces, NM Posts: 343	DVRack Rebate Just curious if anyone that purchased DVRack during the rebate period has received a check? I posted this question over on the SeriousMagic site and received no (useful) response. It's been at least six weeks since my request was submitted and still nothing. __________________ Ed Frazier

January 3rd, 2005, 03:42 PM	#78
Mark Mapes Serious Magic Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 68	Ed, Sorry that no one here at Serious Magic addressed your post on our forum two weeks ago. You caught us during an extraordinarily busy time--three product releases in a week followed by the usual scramble to tie up loose ends. That's no excuse for dropping the ball with a paying customer, though. In any case, someone here contact the third party that handles rebates for us tomorrow to check on the status of yours. You should hear something from them or from us before the end of business tomorrow. __________________ Mark Mapes OnLocation QA Manager, Adobe Systems

January 3rd, 2005, 04:02 PM	#79
Ed Frazier Major Player Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Las Cruces, NM Posts: 343	Thanks for looking into it Mark. I notice that Hart received a confirmation email after submitting his rebate request. I don't recall ever getting anything like that. Sorry if you thought I was saying I had posted on your forum six weeks ago with no reply. What I meant was that I submitted the rebate request six weeks ago. That might not have been clear from reading my post. __________________ Ed Frazier

January 4th, 2005, 12:50 PM	#80
Mark Randall Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 47	DV Rack Contest Winning Videos Now Viewable The winners of Serious Magic's DV Rack "Give Us Your Best Shot" Contest have been announced! The winners are viewable online now at: http://www.seriousmagic.com/bestshotresults.cfm Along with production stills and notes. Congrats to all the winners and thanks to the many excellent entrants. --- Mark

January 20th, 2005, 09:43 AM	#81
Doug Bischoff New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Providence Forge, VA (USA) Posts: 24	DVRack and 24PA incompatible? Hello, all! During a shoot using the demo version of the DVRack software from Serious Magic, we ran into a possible problem. We're shooting on a DVX-100A and were configured to be in 24 frames, progressive, advanced pulldown. The DVRack was acting as our hard disk recorder. When we pulled the AVI files into Final Cut Pro HD for editing, FCP saw all the files as being NTSC standard 29.97 fps. Selecting the file and choosing "Tools->Advanced Pulldown Removal" got the error "there is no advanced pulldown to remove!" Cinema Tools wouldn't even recognize the AVI files to open them at all. Any ideas on how to get 24PA to work from DVRack into FCP? Thanks, __________________ Doug Bischoff Ceridwen Productions

December 31st, 2004, 01:42 PM	#77
Hart Boyd Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 148	I got a confirmation by e-mail before Christmas confirming my submission was valid and in the final stages of processing but no check as of yet.

January 20th, 2005, 04:34 PM	#82
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	I've used DV Rack/24PA in Vegas and it works perfectly. DV Rack records what's coming out the firewire port, which should be an identical clone of what's on the DV tape. I'd recommend posting this in the FCP forum, as I'm 110% certain that the files DV Rack records are perfectly DV-compliant 24PA files.

January 21st, 2005, 02:09 PM	#83
Karl Soule Serious Magic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 106	Hi Doug, DV Rack records whatever the camera is feeding it, which will be a 29.97fps "pulldown" of the 24PA footage. It doesn't write anything special in the file header "flagging" the footage as 24PA. Does FCP have any special "capture mode" when capturing 24PA footage, like a special setting you have to make to inform FCP you are capturing 24PA? how does FCP handle 24PA footage captured in other programs, like iMovie? Do you have any 24PA footage from a previous shoot on tape you can test with? Try playing back the tape, and capture with DV Rack in Quicktime format, and import the footage. Does it also give you the error message? __________________ Karl Soule' Product Marketing Manager, Serious Magic Professional Products Group. ksoule@seriousmagic.com

January 21st, 2005, 02:14 PM	#84
Doug Bischoff New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Providence Forge, VA (USA) Posts: 24	<<<-- Originally posted by Karl Soule : Does FCP have any special "capture mode" when capturing 24PA footage, like a special setting you have to make to inform FCP you are capturing 24PA? -->>> It does have a setting which will instruct it to remove advanced pulldown when pulling from tape, yes. <<<-- Originally posted by Karl Soule : how does FCP handle 24PA footage captured in other programs, like iMovie? -->>> Hmmm... I have never used another program to capture footage. I can give it a shot in Combustion and see what happens! <<<-- Originally posted by Karl Soule : Do you have any 24PA footage from a previous shoot on tape you can test with? Try playing back the tape, and capture with DV Rack in Quicktime format, and import the footage. Does it also give you the error message? -->>> DVRack can capture in QuickTime format? That is also helpful to know. The trouble seems to be in that there is no option to remove advanced pulldown during an import session, only during a capture from tape session. There is a menu command for "Remove Advanced Pulldown" but that's where the error message comes up. I'll do some more poking around and see what I can find. Thanks for your help! __________________ Doug Bischoff Ceridwen Productions

January 21st, 2005, 02:23 PM	#85
Karl Soule Serious Magic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 106	Hi Doug, If you are editing in FCP, you should definitely be capturing in QuickTime format. FCP prefers QuickTime, and it could be that the "Remove Advanced Pulldown" option only works with native QuickTime files. __________________ Karl Soule' Product Marketing Manager, Serious Magic Professional Products Group. ksoule@seriousmagic.com

January 26th, 2005, 02:36 PM	#86
Marc Sacco Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: new fairfield, CT Posts: 65	can Dv Rack flip the image? just wondered, can the incoming video be "FLIPPED" and recorded that way? reason being anyone using the adapters (like the micro35 or other "homemade" adapters) to get better DOF using 35mm lenses for a "film' look has the problem of the image being upside down(others can describe this more acurately than me) . this requires us to "flip" it in post. (unless they have used a prism device or other relatively expensive approach) it would be great to have a program like this that would record the image directly from the camera (with this adapter) already flipped. any chance this is already something that can be adjusted in Dv Rack? if not, please put it on the list. there is a large number of people out there trying to achieve a more filmic look using these adapters and would find your product an invaluable tool if this were part of it (see the alternate imaging forum). thank you, Marc www.zenimage.com __________________ www.zenimage.com The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all....

January 27th, 2005, 02:35 AM	#87
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	Not with DV Rack, no. DV Rack records the raw unmodified signal, and only the raw unmodified signal. It can't and won't do anything to the signal. DV Rack's tools let you monitor the signal in all sorts of ways, but not modify the signal.

January 27th, 2005, 01:06 PM	#88
Mark Mapes Serious Magic Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 68	Marc, That's a new one on me. I've added it to the list. As Barry explained, DV Rack records the DV stream directly without touching it in any way, so I seriously doubt we will be changing anything in the recorded clip. However, we may at least be able to flip the image for display in the Field Monitor. Thanks, __________________ Mark Mapes OnLocation QA Manager, Adobe Systems

January 28th, 2005, 12:11 AM	#89
Dennis Sladek Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 40	Just flip it in your NLE. You're gonna' stick it in your NLE anyway. That's how I do it.

January 28th, 2005, 06:54 AM	#90
Marc Sacco Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: new fairfield, CT Posts: 65	yes thats how i (we) do it now but it requires that the footgae be rendered. if im shooting a whole feature with a 35mm adapter then im going to have a lot of footage that will need to be rendered before editing. i am looking for an easier way to manipulate the image without having to waste all that render time in edit. it would be easier for us (adapter users) to be able to record the flipped image directly to hard drive during the shoot. it would be nice to have that option in a program like Dv Rack. but having Dv Rack at least be able to flip the field monitor image would be nice though. maybe someone out there will be able to write a HD recording program that can simply flip the image as it records. ;} thanks, i like the program and will get it and the ultra program for my next project that needs it. thanks, marc www.zenimage.com __________________ www.zenimage.com The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all....