DV Storm / Rex

[Mike Rehmus]

For those of you who don't know Mike Gunter, let me assure you that he is a Canopus expert and an Insider. While Canopus doesn't tell its Insiders everything, he knows a lot about what is coming. Mostly or all under non-disclosure. But as you heard, a new Premiere driver is coming.


BTW, an observation from an OLD computer hand (built my first one in 1977) and spent 30 years in high-tech work in Silicon Valley, about making bits work from multiple suppliers.

Canopus is very careful about what components they approve for use with their systems (Avid and the other high-end manufacturers are even more restrictive) for very good reasons:

1. There are no standard computers in the IBM PC compatible world because there is no standard.

Only completely vertically integrated manufacturers like Apple can claim to build a standard computer. But then you have to buy exactly what they offer.

2. Although every component may be designed to a common standard, the rules are often misinterpreted and even when the interpretation is right-on, one component may be designed at one end of the specs, another at the other end. So they may not play well together. Motherboard manufacturers qualify specific models of memory chips, etc., just to get around this problem.

3. Companies love to make their product just a little bit special. So we users find that from time-to-time their products don't play nice with others. Compaq and HP were probably the main computer supplier culprits for a long time.

4. When you mix in a motherboard, processor, memory, display card, I/O and all the other bits into one computer, it is no wonder they sometimes have problems. All of a sudden you are a Systems Integrator and get to solve integration problems. Or you pay someone else to do this.

5. Add in video editing, one of the more difficult tasks for the personal computer and one that demands more resources than any other application.

6. Even when one company certifies another company's products, problems can occur because of 1-5 above.

It is not surprising that those who run Premiere find their systems not as reliable as those of us who run native Canopus software. It is not surprising that there are those who run Premiere with Canopus drivers with no problems.

The only way to build an editing computer with some assurance that it will work when you get done is to:

1. Select the editing program/sub-system with which you want to work.
2. Select a computer or computer components that are known to work with the editing program.
3. Build the computer and/or set it up exactly as recommended by the supplier of your editing program/sub-system.

In almost all cases you will end up with a reliable editing system that works for you instead of crashing.

I'm on my 4th computer in which I've run the Canopus DVRex M1 (at first) now with the RT card. Except for the first computer* every one has been built with components certified by Canopus to be compatible with their editing products. I rarely have any problems with my editing systems (I now have 2). They just work.

DVRexRT with Edius 1.52 on both systems.

*for which the System Integrator decided to pick a motherboard with an integrated SCSI controller vice a PCI-based controller (same basic motherboard as the one recommended by Canopus) but, as we discovered, different.

[Desmond Sukotjo]

Can anyone help me with a little bit of info about your Canopus DV Strom 2 editing card running with Premiere Pro 1.5.
When using PAL project setting, is it set to Upper Field First or Lower Field First?
Can you still use Premiere Pro FX in realtime? (i.e. Premiere Pro Color Correction Filter).

Thanks in advance.

[Peter Jefferson]

no..
u cant use any prem effects without the storm falling over..
also in most cases depending on ur config, storm fx is killed off with 1.5...

if using s storm 2 i woudl recomend sticking with prem6.5, as it not only gives u all teh features of teh stor, but it also allows u to use DVCapture and capture from 3 decks at once.

I have heard of afew people being able to use storm fx with pro, but im yet to actually see it (i deal with these systems everyday and from the 30 odd storm configs ive seen, im yet to see storm fx and dv capture with PremPro installed...

[Desmond Sukotjo]

Thank for replying Peter. I was interested with canopus article at
http://www.canopus.us/US/pdf/ENGLISH_STORMPRO_PREMPRO_VA060404G_print.pdf

There it said on page 12. Preview of Native Adobe Premiere Pro Effects. Is DVStrom2 and DVStrom2Pro+ any different?

Thanks.

[Matthew Ebenezer]

Hi Desmond,

I've been using Premiere Pro 1.5 with a DVStorm2 for a couple of years now.

I've found that you can't use any of the native PPro effects/transitions etc ... and achieve real time playback. Any sections using the native PPro effects/transitions have to be rendered. The same goes for PPro titles or Photoshop stills.

This has only been a minor inconvenience over the years as the built-in Canopus effects/transitions have been more than adequate for the work that I do - mostly weddings, music videos, live concerts, tv commercials etc ....

The hardest I've ever made the DVStorm2 work is as follows:

11 camera concert shoot
1 video track per camera in PPro
File size approx 20Gb for each camera

all up the DVStorm2 was processing over 200Gb of video data in real time - amazing!!

I read page 12 of that document and I agree that is says that PPro + DVStorm2 should be able to handle real time playback of native PPro effects etc .... I'd be interested to know why I've never been able to get it working.

Hope this helps.

[Desmond Sukotjo]

Thanks for your comments Matthew. Could it be because of the card model? DVStrom2 and DVStrom2Pro+ Perhaps the "Pro+" here, is the one that does realtime PPro native FX. I'm just guessing.

One other thing Matthew. If you set your project to DV PAL setting, does it use Upper Field or Lower Field?

Thanks again.

[Matthew Ebenezer]

Desmond,

Just checked and my project settings are lower field first.

[Desmond Sukotjo]

Did you checked your project setting under PAL or NTSC?
Dang. I should really just get Canopus instead. I got Matrox RT.X100 and don't know why Matrox use Upper Field First for DV PAL setting, and Lower Field for DV NTSC. As far as I know all DVs are Lower Field First. Quite annoying.

Thanks Matt.

[Peter Jefferson]

hey des, i would suggest you flip ur settings to lower field or even better progressive....
the RTx100 is a good card... at this point in time prolly offering more than the Storm2 with PPro1.5

[Bojan Novak]

Hello forum!

Does somebody know if this would work together:

Canopus DVStorm 2 Pro + Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 + DELL Precision 390

I am moving to Avid Mojo + Avid Xpress Pro next year, but i would like to change my computer before that and
DELL Precision 390 is one of Qualified PC Workstations for using with Mojo+Xpress Pro (by Avid).

And now i am wondering if i can use the old videocard (Canopus DVStorm 2 Pro) with this computer to survive this year.

Canopus Regional Sales Office here have no idea about that, Canopus Support Center is not responding on my questions,
and my computer will die in the near future.

Please help,

thanks

[John Richard]

There is absolutely no Canopus Storm board plug-in support for Premiere 2.0.

You would be left with the choice of either editing in OCHI mode with AP2.0 with no board acceleration and use of certain video cards for limited output to an NTSC monitor or,

Changing to use Canopus Edius as your NLE and then your Storm board would funtion.

And this is all for DV25 .... the Storm board does not work with HDV.

Also be aware that their Edius NLE will not work when installing other hardware boards such as Blackmagic. I don't have any specifics as to it's functionality with Avid hardware as you are planning.

[Wade Spencer]

Everything John mentioned is true.....the last version of Premiere Pro that the DVstorm worked with is 1.5, and many users reported a lot of compatibility problems with various chipsets and motherboards.

Canopus hosts a great forum on their website...all of your questions can be answered there :

http://forum.canopus.com/

[Bojan Novak]

Thanks John, thanks Wade

I will finish this on Canopus forum.