Help with tech requirements at DVinfo.net

Bruce A. Christenson · October 10th, 2003, 09:31 AM

I have to get a commercial transferred from my miniDV master onto BETA SP so it can be sent in to the network. I've never done this before ;)

There are a couple places around here who I think can do the transfer for me, but the network has given me a list of tech. requirements, and I want to make sure my miniDV master meets as many of these as possible, and I'm not sure which I have to do, and which are done when the transfer is done. Here's the list (my comments in parens):

1) Tape Format: BETA SP

2) Auto- Channel 1 & 2 mono composite mix (do they mean audio? I suspect they want a mono audio mix because lots of TVs only have 1 speaker)

3) SMTPE- Drop frame time code recorded on address track with first video and audio at TC # 01:00:00:00 (do I do this with Vegas 4? Or is this done when we make the BETA SP copy ?)

4) Maximum white level gain-100IRE

5) Black Pedestal- 7.5 IRE

6) Head Format
:60 SMTPE Color Bars w/ 1 Khz Tone
:10 Slate
:10 Color Black

What do they mean by Slate ? The color bars and black headers are things I can add with Vegas, I think.

Thanks!
[bac]

Rob Wilson · October 10th, 2003, 09:53 AM

Bruce,

Slate is the title of your project. Usually the name of the advertiser with a subject. Not a bad place to toss in your logo/contact info too! Most are just simple white text on black background.

Mike Rehmus · October 10th, 2003, 03:16 PM

Everything but the timecode start point makes sense. Having the video and audio start at one hour sounds like a load of BS to me. The rest is easy although you will have to be careful.

What looks to be missing is the level requirement for Tone although one can assume tone is at 0 dB in analog.

Hopefully the folks who transfer your work will know how to manage the timecode.

Glenn Chan · October 10th, 2003, 08:19 PM

The timecode start point at 1 hour makes sense to me. With bars and tone, slate, and black you program will have to start at 00:01:20;00 or later since you can't have negative timecode. Starting at one hour is better since one hour is one hour whether you're using drop-frame timecode or non-drop frame. If you accidentally get non-drop frame timecode onto your master then your segment will start a few frames off when not starting at 1 hour.

Does that make sense?

Bruce A. Christenson · October 10th, 2003, 08:34 PM

Wow, now I'm confused.

Does the actual commercial start at 1:00:00:00, and the bars/slate/black go before that? Or is that the timestamp for the start of the color bars.

The bars/slate/black values are in seconds, not minutes, right?

Also

If I use the 'conservative' broadcast filter in Vegas 4 with the 7.5 IRE flag checked, will that satisfy the black/white requirements?

Thanks all !

Jeff Donald · October 10th, 2003, 10:57 PM

Having worked in broadcast for a year or so and having produced programs for broadcast for 15 years, the requirements are customary. TC can start at any time from 00:00:00;00 to 23:59:59;29. There is no negative TC. Stations like the program (commercial) to start at exactly 01:00:00;00 so that the TC indicates TRT (Total Run Time).

The times for black, slate etc are in seconds, not minutes. Start the TC at 00:58:40;00 and add 60 seconds of bars and tone (00:59:40;00) then 10 seconds of slate (00:59:50;00) cut to black for 10 seconds and start the program at 01:00:00;00.

The slate should include name of commercial, client name, date, producers name, company that produced the commercial, and TRT.

Mike Rehmus · October 11th, 2003, 12:37 PM

I understand the requirement but I've yet to see anyone that runs tape as-received. It is almost always spun off to disk or a master tape from which it is played. That's whey the requirement that the timecode start at 1 hour, not 1 minute is strange. Or any precise start point.

Jeff Donald · October 11th, 2003, 02:32 PM

It's just for uniformity, it's easier on the tech if all submissions are set up the same. Every station I've ever worked with (except small, local cable outfits) wants their tapes set up in a similar manner. If the tape starts at one minute, the TC will not give a correct TRT for the program.

Bruce A. Christenson · October 11th, 2003, 03:00 PM

Thanks everyone, I think I have it all down.

See y'all on the Outdoor channel !

October 10th, 2003, 09:31 AM	#1
Bruce A. Christenson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Forest Grove, OR Posts: 122	Help with tech requirements I have to get a commercial transferred from my miniDV master onto BETA SP so it can be sent in to the network. I've never done this before ;) There are a couple places around here who I think can do the transfer for me, but the network has given me a list of tech. requirements, and I want to make sure my miniDV master meets as many of these as possible, and I'm not sure which I have to do, and which are done when the transfer is done. Here's the list (my comments in parens): 1) Tape Format: BETA SP 2) Auto- Channel 1 & 2 mono composite mix (do they mean audio? I suspect they want a mono audio mix because lots of TVs only have 1 speaker) 3) SMTPE- Drop frame time code recorded on address track with first video and audio at TC # 01:00:00:00 (do I do this with Vegas 4? Or is this done when we make the BETA SP copy ?) 4) Maximum white level gain-100IRE 5) Black Pedestal- 7.5 IRE 6) Head Format :60 SMTPE Color Bars w/ 1 Khz Tone :10 Slate :10 Color Black What do they mean by Slate ? The color bars and black headers are things I can add with Vegas, I think. Thanks! [bac]

October 10th, 2003, 03:16 PM	#3
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Everything but the timecode start point makes sense. Having the video and audio start at one hour sounds like a load of BS to me. The rest is easy although you will have to be careful. What looks to be missing is the level requirement for Tone although one can assume tone is at 0 dB in analog. Hopefully the folks who transfer your work will know how to manage the timecode. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

October 10th, 2003, 10:57 PM	#6
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Having worked in broadcast for a year or so and having produced programs for broadcast for 15 years, the requirements are customary. TC can start at any time from 00:00:00;00 to 23:59:59;29. There is no negative TC. Stations like the program (commercial) to start at exactly 01:00:00;00 so that the TC indicates TRT (Total Run Time). The times for black, slate etc are in seconds, not minutes. Start the TC at 00:58:40;00 and add 60 seconds of bars and tone (00:59:40;00) then 10 seconds of slate (00:59:50;00) cut to black for 10 seconds and start the program at 01:00:00;00. The slate should include name of commercial, client name, date, producers name, company that produced the commercial, and TRT. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

October 11th, 2003, 12:37 PM	#7
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	I understand the requirement but I've yet to see anyone that runs tape as-received. It is almost always spun off to disk or a master tape from which it is played. That's whey the requirement that the timecode start at 1 hour, not 1 minute is strange. Or any precise start point. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

October 11th, 2003, 02:32 PM	#8
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	It's just for uniformity, it's easier on the tech if all submissions are set up the same. Every station I've ever worked with (except small, local cable outfits) wants their tapes set up in a similar manner. If the tape starts at one minute, the TC will not give a correct TRT for the program. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

October 10th, 2003, 09:53 AM	#2
Rob Wilson Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 473	Bruce, Slate is the title of your project. Usually the name of the advertiser with a subject. Not a bad place to toss in your logo/contact info too! Most are just simple white text on black background.

October 10th, 2003, 08:19 PM	#4
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	The timecode start point at 1 hour makes sense to me. With bars and tone, slate, and black you program will have to start at 00:01:20;00 or later since you can't have negative timecode. Starting at one hour is better since one hour is one hour whether you're using drop-frame timecode or non-drop frame. If you accidentally get non-drop frame timecode onto your master then your segment will start a few frames off when not starting at 1 hour. Does that make sense?

October 10th, 2003, 08:34 PM	#5
Bruce A. Christenson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Forest Grove, OR Posts: 122	Wow, now I'm confused. Does the actual commercial start at 1:00:00:00, and the bars/slate/black go before that? Or is that the timestamp for the start of the color bars. The bars/slate/black values are in seconds, not minutes, right? Also If I use the 'conservative' broadcast filter in Vegas 4 with the 7.5 IRE flag checked, will that satisfy the black/white requirements? Thanks all !

October 11th, 2003, 03:00 PM	#9
Bruce A. Christenson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Forest Grove, OR Posts: 122	Thanks everyone, I think I have it all down. See y'all on the Outdoor channel !