HDV on XL-H1?

Kevin Wild · December 2nd, 2005, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander Ibrahim

Its rack mountable VTR sized.

I could just tote my Xserve G5 dual 2.3 GHz along! (If I had one) Its "only" $6500 configured with 2GB RAM and 1.5 terabytes in an array, plus $600 for a SDI input card. Oh, and $30 for Quicktime Pro (freaking Apple nickel and dime-ing me over here.) $7130 all told.

Yup. The price for portability. Here's an example of a system...it's not THAT easy to bring your G5 and drives on the road.

http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bi..._hd/index.html

Alexander Ibrahim · December 2nd, 2005, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Wild

Yup. The price for portability. Here's an example of a system...it's not THAT easy to bring your G5 and drives on the road.

http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bi..._hd/index.html

Insanity.

You have to wonder why the guy didn't actually use an Xserve

http://www.apple.com/xserve/

I mean really- it would have fit better in the rack and all.

Insanity- have I mentioned that ?

I just couldn't cut up my $3000 computer. Much better to use one meant for the task.

Gosh, I hope that wasn't his only computer.

Have I mentioned the insanity ?

Dan Robinson · December 2nd, 2005, 02:31 AM

OK, I found the thread I remembered reading.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=52870

According to this, the device will take component input from any camera and record direct-to-disk in Cineform Intermediate (with a notch in quality *above* DVCProHD at that).

Assuming that a portable version of this becomes available in the next 1-2 years for under $5k or so, I can see this being a viable alternative to HD-SDI in going beyond HDV quality - without having to upgrade to a new camera, expensive decks and a monster capture/NLE system.

Of course, by then we'll probably have new cameras all recording in better (tapeless, large storage capacity) formats for under $5k anyway, so it might be a moot point.

Alexander Ibrahim · December 2nd, 2005, 01:36 PM

Well, if you haven't guessed I'm a Mac guy so Cineform is of no interest to me as of now. Only works on PC's. If they fix that I'll get interested.

Still I was only half joking about using an Xserve- or other rackmountable PC.

Experience using laptops on SD productions has shown me that they are absolutely invaluable.

Its a monitor, a waveform, a vectorscope and a rough assembly editor/compositor all in one. If you do a rough edit on set you can notice gaps in coverage or mismatches that can be solved easily before you strike- that's cost savings versus trying to fix it later.

While the specs for Laptops are getting closer and closer to really being able to handle HD, especially in compressed formats, HD is still a bit heavy for current laptops.

So, Xserve or other rackmountable computers form a great intermediate solution. They are more expensive, but they also end up bringing more capability to the table. For example the Xserve can handle 1.5 Terabytes of storage. It can also take PCI cards, so you can have HD-SDI and SD-SDI i/o going on simultaneously. A lot of my HD work is bridge work- SD deliverables for right now with HD deliverables planned, so it helps to see both right away.

I am a mac guy, so that's what I am yammering about, but a racked PC does the same thing for you. IN fact, if you use a PC you can use Cineform there directly, with more capability for less costs- think about that.

For half the price of the Cineform/Wafian DTE you can shoot using the same techniques people like Lucas and Rodriguez have pioneered.

Please excuse me if I seem dismissive of the Cineform/Wafian product, but I don't see how its an advantage for me or my clients. It costs more and does less for what seems like a modest increase in portability.

Alexander Ibrahim · December 2nd, 2005, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Robinson

I can see this being a viable alternative to HD-SDI in going beyond HDV quality - without having to upgrade to a new camera, expensive decks and a monster capture/NLE system.

How do you think we'll be getting video into the Cineform/Wafian ?

HD-SDI or component analog. I prefer the former.

If you use the firewire output of your camera you will just be getting HDV anyway, so its wasted effort. Get a Firestore or a laptop instead.

Also the Cineform/Wafian DTE seems WAY overpriced. As I just said you can build a "monster" capture/NLE for half the price. Use a PC like the Xserve and its pretty darn portable to boot.

December 2nd, 2005, 01:36 PM	#19
Alexander Ibrahim Major Player Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Washington D.C. Metro Area Posts: 384	Cineform/Wafian DTE vs portable computers Well, if you haven't guessed I'm a Mac guy so Cineform is of no interest to me as of now. Only works on PC's. If they fix that I'll get interested. Still I was only half joking about using an Xserve- or other rackmountable PC. Experience using laptops on SD productions has shown me that they are absolutely invaluable. Its a monitor, a waveform, a vectorscope and a rough assembly editor/compositor all in one. If you do a rough edit on set you can notice gaps in coverage or mismatches that can be solved easily before you strike- that's cost savings versus trying to fix it later. While the specs for Laptops are getting closer and closer to really being able to handle HD, especially in compressed formats, HD is still a bit heavy for current laptops. So, Xserve or other rackmountable computers form a great intermediate solution. They are more expensive, but they also end up bringing more capability to the table. For example the Xserve can handle 1.5 Terabytes of storage. It can also take PCI cards, so you can have HD-SDI and SD-SDI i/o going on simultaneously. A lot of my HD work is bridge work- SD deliverables for right now with HD deliverables planned, so it helps to see both right away. I am a mac guy, so that's what I am yammering about, but a racked PC does the same thing for you. IN fact, if you use a PC you can use Cineform there directly, with more capability for less costs- think about that. For half the price of the Cineform/Wafian DTE you can shoot using the same techniques people like Lucas and Rodriguez have pioneered. Please excuse me if I seem dismissive of the Cineform/Wafian product, but I don't see how its an advantage for me or my clients. It costs more and does less for what seems like a modest increase in portability. __________________ Alexander Ibrahim http://www.alexanderibrahim.net

December 2nd, 2005, 02:31 AM	#18
Dan Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Charleston, West Virginia Posts: 131	OK, I found the thread I remembered reading. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=52870 According to this, the device will take component input from any camera and record direct-to-disk in Cineform Intermediate (with a notch in quality above DVCProHD at that). Assuming that a portable version of this becomes available in the next 1-2 years for under $5k or so, I can see this being a viable alternative to HD-SDI in going beyond HDV quality - without having to upgrade to a new camera, expensive decks and a monster capture/NLE system. Of course, by then we'll probably have new cameras all recording in better (tapeless, large storage capacity) formats for under $5k anyway, so it might be a moot point.