Hello all,

I am curious to those of us that are shooting with the PDX-10 using the 16:9 mode.. What are you editing with?? What do you use to display your 16:9 video?? I am looking at one of the Samsung 17" LCD TVs to possibly use as my 16:9 NTSC output in my edit suite.. And am curious as to what others are doing..

By the way i use Vegas on my laptop, and Newteks VT3 on my main desktop edit system... Both work very well..

Mike M.

I edit with Final Cut Pro 3.0.4. Someday I will probably upgrade to version 4, but not really in any rush. I have 3 computers; a PowerMac G4/1.25ghz with 1.28GB RAM and 21" CRT monitor (1600x1200) is my primary machine. For mobile work I have a 1ghz Aluminum PowerBook G4 with 768MB RAM. As a backup machine, also for rendering 3d models, etc. I have a PowerMac /733mhz with 768 GB RAM and 15" Samsung LCD screen (1024x768). I have a large assortment of internal and external firewire drives, total approaching a terrabyte. The PowerBook and G4/1.25 are running OSX 10.2.8 while the G4/733 is still on MacOS 9.2.2. Soon I will probably use that machine as a test bed for Panther which has been sitting in the shrinkwrap ever since its release :-) All this stuff is connected to 3 different UPSes.

While editing I generally have my computer connected to a Sony RDR-GX7 DVD recorder via firewire. I have this set to output progressive component video (480p) to a Sony SDM-V72W 17" 16:9 LCD screen (1280x768). I'm really fond of this screen, which will also accept VGA and s-video input, but you need to see it with 480p component to fully appreciate it. It was the least expensive native 16:9 screen I could find when I got it last summer, but has dropped even further in price since then - last I checked J&R was advertising it for $550 after rebate (that price was for the black plastic model which is perhaps a little less attractive than the two-tone one I have, but the guts are the same). I have to say, based on my experience with the 4:3 Samsung SyncMaster 151MP LCD that I have (which also takes component, s-video and includes a TV tuner), I wouldn't buy another of their LCD's. Perhaps they've improved, but that one is really terrible - especially with the s-video input.

I still don't have an edit deck, but since the PDX-10 has become my primary camera I've been using my VX-2000 hooked up to the computer for capturing from and exporting to tape.

Some of this stuff has changed since the photos were taken last summer, but this will give you an idea of the overall setup: http://www.greenmist.com/misc

Thanks Boyd for the response.. And I will look into the Sony Monitors.. Whan you are editing do you see the output of your 16:9 on an NTSC monitor??You have a pretty impressive setup.. Is that a personal setup, work setup, or both?? Judging from the pictures, you have a nice edit room, with a nice looking view out the window to!

Mike M.

I'm using a JVC 9" monitor with a 16x9 switch (PAL and NTSC etc. etc.). It's a small picture, but a nice on. For watching the edited finished product, I'm using a multi-standard Sony TV that also has a 16x9 mode - great picture.

Graeme

I edit with Vegas 4 on a Dell 3.06 Pentium 4 hyperthreading turned on, 1 gig ram, total of 380 gig hard drive 7200 rpm, 5:1 surround sound, a 20 inch UltraSharp LCD, and I use a Sony TRV6 as a deck and use an el cheapo Sony TV that does NOT show 16:9 so I’m interested in other peoples set-up also. I need to purchase some kind of 16:9 end point monitor and I'm saving my pennies for a home theatre type projector.

John

Mike: Final Cut Pro is set to use firewire as the external video device, and the DVD recorder transcodes this to 480p component which is shown on the 16:9 monitor. If needed, I can also connect the 16:9 screen directly to my camera(s) via s-video. I'm not using a CRT studio type monitor though, if that's what you mean. At this point I'm not doing anything for broadcast, and am a bit of a contrarian in this respect. I found that the image on my LCD screen was really a pretty accurate facsimilie of what I saw projected on a big screen with a 10,000 lumen Barco DLP projector. Recently we rented some equipment, including an expensive 14" Sony CRT studio monitor, and I was really "underwhelmed" by the image I saw there. Now admittedly I didn't take the time to properly calibrate it, but it didn't inspire me to go buy one. But yes, I know the advantages to using a "real" monitor and no doubt someday I'll spring for one. But before that, I want a nice big widescreen LCD HDTV :-)

The studio is in my home, but I do both personal and work projects there; it's all my own equipment. I live out in the woods on a few acres of land, something that surprises a lot of people who have an image of New Jersey as a toxic wasteland ;-) My town borders on the pinelands preserve which encompasses around a million protected acres of woods, but is still a reasonable commute from downtown Philadelphia.

I use the Apple 20" monitor (and edit in Final Cut Express) which is attached as a 2nd screen to my Powerbook 17" widescreen.

In FCX, there is a dual monitor 16:9 editing setting. Some of my projects are 16:9 and others are 4:3 (all in PAL being in Europe)

For display purposes, I burn dvd on the apple and play in a geing Panasonic DVD player on a Band&Olufsen 28" widescreen Avant TV.

For casual monitoring I use a Philips 15" LCD which looks awful. If it looks half decent on this then I know I am ok!!


P

I'm using good 'ol iMovie. While it's not trur 16:9, for simple cuts, it's terrific and fast. I then write out to iDVD.

Then use a hack (http://videosystems.com/ar/video_alternative_methods/index.htm)
to ensure that the files have the correct MPEG2 header so the DVD players know it's 16:9 and voila - 16:9 DVDs on the cheap.

I purchased a 2 year old zenith hdtv that must weigh in at about 210 pounds...i can hook it up to my computer via dsub or composite...but not bnc...it cost me about 700 dollars and is very limited as computer monitor as it will only display 600 x 800 however will accept 16:9 and for what its worth department...does a fairly good job of showing me what many consumers end up seeing or might be seeing in the near future...it doubles as a fair entertainment system and the sound is surprisingly good...better than i expected from zenith!!
Lots of custom settings in both video and audio but in my opinion any source except direct from camera seems a bit waxy to me.
I own a small computer company so probably no need to go into details on computer equipment...just imagine walking into a computer store and helping yourself...my editing software is on a very slim diet however and could find lots of room for improvement...just wanted to mention the playback options offered by an old zenith...frankly its way under 1000 bux and offers a particularly interesting look at what consumers will soon be seeing...salt to taste