Help setting up a broadcast monitor
 

I have just purchased a sony PVM-14L1 monitor and I am having problems setting it up for avid. I am using xpress pro HD and thought that with my nvidia 7950gt that I would be able to preview my timeline via the s video cable. Now I have my camera connected to the computer via firewire and set to vcr mode, and the monitor connected to the camera via s video. Yet with this I still can't avid to start previewing on the monitor. I think this is a simple problem I just can't figure it out since most of the searches I do show how to do it with a deck.

I don't know about using the svideo straight from the card, but it you want to, you would need to enable TVout in the card driver settings.

If you want to see it through the camera, you need to enable the DV/AV out in your camera menu. At least, that's what I think it's called on Sony cams. You'll have to check your manual in the section where it deals with making dubs from the computer.

Oh, and check that you have the right input selected on your monitor, hehe...

You should also know that none of the various HDV formats will play back to any kind of monitor. Their GOP structure doesn't allow playback unless re-encoded. So your setup is SD only.

Good point, Jiri. If you have a Mojo, it will output SD from an HDV timeline to a client monitor for you, though.

Not to my knowledge, Vito. Mojo doesn't work with HDV at all. To ingest you actually need to unplug it and while working in HDV or DNxHD, Mojo is not functional. I am currently editing a project shot in HDV1080i60 and eventhough my Mojo is physically connected to the computer, above my timeline AXP only shows the 1344 button option, no DNA.

The Mojo might work once you convert the HDV format into SD via the Format option. I haven't tried that yet, so I am not sure.

Hi Jiri,

Look up "Playing Back HDV Media" in the AVID help menu.

Who loves ya!

Vito,

I think that you are referring to the switching of project type between HDV1080i60 and DV - under the Format tab. Playing back 'native' HDV through Mojo is impossible - unfortunatelly. Ditto for DNxHD. Only Adrenaline HD can do that on the Avid side of the tracks.

Jiri

Yes, I am.

Did you look in the help menu? It says clearly that:

"On systems with Avid Mojo hardware, in a 1080i HDV project you can play back through the Mojo by doing the following:
In the Project window, select Format tab > Project Type menu, and select a project type as described in the following table.

HDV Project Type Select to play back through Mojo hardware
1080i/59.94 HDV 30i NTSC
1080i 50 HDV 25i PAL

The media is downconverted and plays in SD with an anamorphic squeeze."

So as I said, the mojo will output SD from an HDV timeline.

Cheers,
Vito

We are in full agreement, Vito. :-)

HDV 1080i (and only that, not 720p) can be played back only as downconverted SD/DV. 'Native' HDV won't be processed through Mojo at all. I just wanted to make the distinction for the original poster James to make sure that he understands the difference. Then again, James didn't mention HD/HDV, so perhaps his issue si something else.

Jiri

Yes, Jiri. That's exactly what I said in my original post:

"If you have a Mojo, it will output SD from an HDV timeline"

Your response was that it was impossible.

Anyway, we're highjacking the poor guy's thread. Seems like we agree anyway. Problem with semantics.

All the best,
Vito

Vito, in my next life I will try to learn how to read better, eh? :-)
Take care,
Jiri

So there is no way with my monitor to preview hdv? Well I might be selling this monitor then.

Not that I know of...Perhaps someone with more experience will kick in with an opinion.

That's what I worried about - that you might want to view HD/HDV via Mojo. No. There is no way. Nada. There have been numerous discussions on the Avid board regarding this and as Vito and I stated, the only way of viewing HD content on an SD monitor with Avid is as downconverted via the Format tab (and that is ONLY from interlaced content - HDV1080i) or with Adrenaline HD box ($20k+). The other viewing option is using your second computer monitor as a client preview via the 'Full screen mode' - I am not in front of my Avid to be sure I got the name right but it is a function under the same option tab as workspaces (i.e. colour correction, capture, etc.)

Oh, and I should add that for viewing HD you should really consider an HD monitor. The PVM 14 is at best a fairly low rez SD monitor. There are some pro HD LCD monitors in $2-3k range but there are also smaller LCD HD panels that do a pretty good job for basic HD monitoring in the $300-500 range. I use a 17" Sony LCD that works very well and even has two DVI and one HDMI inputs (on top of component and composit).

Do you have any links to one of those monitors? I may just exchange this monitor through bh (where I purchased it) for a monitor that can do hdv.

edit- this may be off topic but my next assignment is one where I need to make a commercial for broadcast. So wouldn't I want my project to be SD? I planned on filming in hdv with my Z1 and then down converting at some point. Would I be able to preview my timeline with the monitor if I capture my footage down converted from my camera or down converted at some point?

I think this gives HD playback form HDV...
 

I installed a PNY Nvidia Quadro FX-560. It seems to provide real-time HD playback from a 1080i (24P with pulldown) timeline using the "full screen playback" setting.

If it's not HD when on the full green quality button, it is very nice SD, good enough for client presentations.

If you buy one, make sure it is the "PVE" or Professional Video Edition spec, or you'll get the card without the component breakout box. They can be had for $250-275 or so and also accelerate the Marquee titler and all your Open GL stuff.

You must dowload Avid's approved v91.85 Nvidia driver or you will have sketchy results. It is not easy to setup, but I have it working ONLY in the "full screen playback" toolset.

Weird thing: If I open the effects pallette into this toolset (or the command pallette), it kills full screen playback. Anybody know how to overcome this?

Tip

Tip,

are you using this setup with the full screen client monitor as your third screen? On top of your regular two screens with bins and timeline?

I don't have an additional video card, just the stock that came with my G5 and the full screen on my second monitor will play but it's not very fluid and I don't find it very clean either.

Anyone with any further experience with the Matrox MXO box running on AXP as a client monitoring for HD/HDV?

One WIDE monitor works fine...
 

Jiri,

One of my systems (Twin dual core Opteron) uses the Matrox Parhelia which gives me two monitors and HD component output. I have two 19" computer monitors, both roughly 4:3 aspect ratio. Works fine.

My other system (Pentium D) has the Quadro graphics card. It uses a 22" widescreen monitor at 1050x1680 rez, and quite frankly I'm equally comfortable with it. But yes, the Quadro does not support two computer monitors AND the component output. You get a total of two.

Both of my systems are PC with Avid Express Pro HD and Premiere. My Pentium D system still has Premiere 1.5, while the Opteron has PP2.0 with Cineform Prospect, which works very, very well now with XDCAM HD -- so does Avid on this machine.

Bottom line: the Quadro F-560 is not a bad way to go if you have a big enough single monitor.

Tip

Thanks Tip.

Well what I think I am going to do now is film in hdv and then downconvert from the camera into avid and/or premiere into a dv timeline.

Edit- Even when I try this I can not get an image on my sony monitor. I have set the dv/av out on my Z1 and nothing. I have also connected the s video calbe directly to my video card (nvidia 7950 and only 1 other monitor is connected also) and there is still no picture. I am thinking about buying this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Converter.html hopefully with that my monitor will work and I won't have to always have my camera on when I am editing. I am getting extremely frustrated with this whole monitor thing.

Avid DV Codec on Canopus Device
 

James,

You might call Grass Valley/Canopus and check into codec compatibility issues with Avid DV codec before you buy. The reason is that what comes out of Avid Xpress IEEE 1394 is encoded in Avid Codec and may or may not be recognized by the device. In fact, in the specifications/features it mentions "Flexible Canopus Codec". I'm not saying it won't work just that what comes down the pipe is Avid DV not Canopus. You might have to transcode into Canopus codec in order for it to have a chance to work. Which kinda defeats your purpose.

So just a heads up. A well known problem with Adrenanline is outputting to a monitor when working with DVCProHD and DNXHD mixed even though it is supposed to be compatible. Even DVCProHD by itself sometimes has problems.

But let us know if it does work.

David

James, what you are describing doesn't sound like a monitor problem. Let me get this right:
-you are capturing DV (in standard definition) through firewire into Avid?
-you have a DV timeline that plays in Avid?
-your DV device (the camera) is connected to Avid via firewire and all setting are set to DV (not HDV)?
-your camera is switched to VTR mode?
-when you play your timeline you don't see the picture through the camera's LCD?

Please, check all this. If all of this is correct then the problem is somewhere between Avid the the firewire device, not with your monitor.

You can also try to ask for help at one of the Avid forums. There are some very knowledgeable people there.
http://www.avid.com/exchange/forums/

Good luck.