HVX Operational questions

[robweiner]

Could someone in-the-know please clarify the following questions:

1. Do the composite and y/c output connectors work while shooting HD? Can I work in HD while using my old Sony 8044 field monitor and use it for composition and basic color judgement. I won't always want to lug a 24" Dell around looking at HD analog component.

Can I check "playback" off the P2 cards and see it on the same monitor (8044 through the composite out?)


2. Are audio channels 3 and 4 always slaved to the internal camera mic? Can their levels be adjusted? Where and how? Can the mic be turned off so we can make snide comments about the client while shooting b-roll, and not have the audio end up on tape in the edit room? How is the quality of the mic for ambient audio?

3. Someone mentioned that Firewire in NOT bidirectional on the HVX--it is out only. Does this mean that if I leave my HVX hooked up to my Final Cut system, I will not be able to pass video out of FCP and through to another picture monitor, as many of us do with our DVX100s or other camcorders?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

[Minh]

same questions here!
Thanks!

[khmuse]

Could someone in-the-know please clarify the following questions:

1. Do the composite and y/c output connectors work while shooting HD? Can I work in HD while using my old Sony 8044 field monitor and use it for composition and basic color judgement. I won't always want to lug a 24" Dell around looking at HD analog component.

Can I check "playback" off the P2 cards and see it on the same monitor (8044 through the composite out?)

It is my understanding that an interlaced output from both the Y/C and composite outputs will be available, however, I have not confirmed this during my limited time with the camera at the show.


2. Are audio channels 3 and 4 always slaved to the internal camera mic? Can their levels be adjusted? Where and how? Can the mic be turned off so we can make snide comments about the client while shooting b-roll, and not have the audio end up on tape in the edit room? How is the quality of the mic for ambient audio?

Well if it can't be turned off, then I guess it will be a hell of a lot less fun shooting in a multi-cam environment. Grumble grumble... :angry:


3. Someone mentioned that Firewire in NOT bidirectional on the HVX--it is out only. Does this mean that if I leave my HVX hooked up to my Final Cut system, I will not be able to pass video out of FCP and through to another picture monitor, as many of us do with our DVX100s or other camcorders?

I doubt that it would end up being a uni-directional interface as then it would be non compliant and couldn't be called a 1394 device.

[evinsky]

The only question I can definitively answer is that you will be able to view an SD signal out the composite and y/c out while recording HD.

[Barry_Green]

1. Do the composite and y/c output connectors work while shooting HD?
Yes. And the component connectors can also be configured to cross-convert or downconvert also. Obviously the composite and y/c signals will be SD only.

Can I work in HD while using my old Sony 8044 field monitor and use it for composition and basic color judgement.
Yes, for composition. Not 100% sure about using it for color, since HD and SD use different color spaces. But absolutely you can use the 8044 for composition; on the 720p "karate guy" footage we used a long jib arm and a Sony 9L3 (the latest version of the 8044) for monitoring, so I can guarantee you it works.

Can I check "playback" off the P2 cards and see it on the same monitor (8044 through the composite out?)
Absolutely. I've done it.


2. Are audio channels 3 and 4 always slaved to the internal camera mic?
Yes and no. If I remember the manual correctly, two audio channels are slaved to the internal mic, but it doesn't specifically have to be 3 & 4. For example, if you set the XLR switches so that channel 1 is "internal", then channel 3 comes from the XLR 1 jack. Same with channel 2 & 4.

Can their levels be adjusted? Where and how?
I don't believe so. I think it's pretty much auto or default gain at that point.

Can the mic be turned off so we can make snide comments about the client while shooting b-roll, and not have the audio end up on tape in the edit room?
Um... well, no, not unless you use a set of pliers and pry it off! That's a good point however -- gotta remember to not make snide comments when shooting HVX footage!

How is the quality of the mic for ambient audio?
Looks to be the same mic as the DVX, so -- reasonable for an on-camera mic.

3. Someone mentioned that Firewire in NOT bidirectional on the HVX--it is out only.
Not true, it's fully bidirectional.

Does this mean that if I leave my HVX hooked up to my Final Cut system, I will not be able to pass video out of FCP and through to another picture monitor, as many of us do with our DVX100s or other camcorders?
I believe this will work for DV50 and DV25, but not for DV100. DV100 will show up on the cam's LCD, but I don't think firewire-input DV100 makes it onto the outputs.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Barry, do you happen to know how many footcandles your key was on the 60-frame footage of the karate guy?

[Neopics]

3. Someone mentioned that Firewire in NOT bidirectional on the HVX--it is out only.
They may have confused this with the analog component out connector. It's the only one that's output only.

[Barry_Green]

Barry, do you happen to know how many footcandles your key was on the 60-frame footage of the karate guy?
Nope. All I can say was it was a 1200w HMI PAR, probably 80 feet away. And for fill, we had a 650w tungsten fresnel situated probably 40 feet away, trickling about six photons of light onto him.