Anyone know how to build smart slate?

[oneinfiniteloop]

I was just curious if anyone knew how to build a smart slate. Considering the cost of one of these from a retail outlet, it would be nice to see a low cost DIY solution.

[Unsomnambulist]

This would be neat to see accomplished, but since these would need to synch with the cameras and require software in addition to electronic components sounds very challenging. Still, anything would beat the real cost of a smart slate.

Even if there isn't a DIY version, any creative work arounds?

[mikkowilson]

well you would need a clapper boared combined with an LTC or VITC timecode reader and accompanying display. of course if you wanted automatic run/stop based on clapper, then you'd need a bit more, like a reader with a "hold" button.
Then of course you would need some way of reading timecode from your camera or audio recorder - depending on how you where set up. So with the DVX you'd need a FirewireTC -> LTC converter.

http://www.christophers.org/clapper.jpg
+
http://ss.sc-a.jp/ese/es-491/491.jpg
=
http://www.denecke.com/images/ts3el.jpg

- Mikko

[oneinfiniteloop]

I was thinking more along the lines of reading from an external source, other than camera, primarily for music video work. Might be a little easier to read the timecode that way, like from a laptop playing back the song using 1/4".

[j]

The easiest solution would be to do a timecode window dub with the song, then use a portable DVD player on set to do play back, although some people just use audio playback and match the waveform (ouch!)

-j

[mikkowilson]

Not so ouchy.. without genlock/sync, the acuracy of timecode is only 1 30th (yeah yeah, or one 24th..) of a seccond. With a waveform you can slide it with mcuh higher acuracy.

- Mikko

[j]

Yeah but how do you cut? I cut music videos to an existing 2-channel track, and you can only slide the video to 1/30th.

I'm not saying that synching to wavform is a bad method, it's a perfectly viable method, I was just offering up the TC burn in method as another/supplimental method.


-j

[oneinfiniteloop]

How would you put the dub method with a portable dvd player into use? I'm a little hazy on how this works.

[j]

Film the portable dvd player screen just before each take, just like a smart slate.

-j

[oneinfiniteloop]

Use the portable dvd player as the playback device, correct?

i get it...makes sense. I'll have to give it a shot.

[thisiswells]

So with the DVX you'd need a FirewireTC -> LTC converter.
Where can you get one, Mikko?

[mikkowilson]

I was hoping you wouldn't ask.. I don't have a clue.. umm...

[mikkowilson]

Problem is I'm not allowed to download the details of how I did it, as I'm New and supposedly a risk!!!

huh? :shocked: :huh:

[mikkowilson]

Actually no one can post attachments, without special permission from the mods.

You need to post them somewhere else, like your own server or a free hosting service, like imageshack, and then link them.

- Mikko

[mikkowilson]

I'm sorry, seems litke a missunderstanding from the get go.. I was not taking any offence at all, just trying to help out the new guy that's all.

I think it's great that you have found the tools to do it!
And I'm just trying to help you find a way of making any other contributions you want to make, because I for one certainly want to hear them!
Heck, if you have an image you want to post on this topic, e-mail it to me and I'll host it on my persona web server for you to post!

We never diss the new guy here as every single new guy is potentially the greatest contributor ever. We may razz some up a bit if they are an ass, or ask questions that can be quickly answered with the search, but all those "razzing" posts are accompanied by lots of smilyes to convay the humor.
If ever there is anything with ill intent on DVXuser, it never lasts long as the perpatrator is sent packing.

We are all nice people, and definatly not out to get you. :thumbsup:

Welcome to DVXuser :)

- Mikko

[Erik Olson]

Fractalguy,

I'll host the images - email whatever you want online to:

eolson@expeditionfilmpartners.com

Welcome to DVXUser!

e

[oneinfiniteloop]

i would like to see these too. if you want you can email them to: outsiderlookingin@hotmail.com, and I'll host them as well.

fractalguy, about how much does your setup cost?

[MrBirdBoy]

The portable DVD player with a timecode burn window is a great way to do it on the cheap. To show my age we would do a window on a 3/4" and put a 14" monitor on a stand with wheels. Sloppy, heavy & not so accurate. The 80's ...The good old days ...

Mikko were you even born yet ?? *smile*

Steve * almost 40 * Karr

[mikkowilson]

Yes I was born in 82 .. I'm not *that* young.

..and I also still (on occasion) used a U-matic at work for crash editing spots from those (strange) companies that still send spots out on it.

Bonus points to the first person to post a picture of their new slate: A DVD player with a set of clap-sticks bolted on!

P.S. This would work much better with the XL-H1, or a pro camera, as you coudl also feed the video signal from the DVD player into the GenLock input to lock sync.

- Mikko ...Also knows how to crash edit, faster than NLE :)

[Unix]

fractalguy please don't feel like u can't post your stuff in here
I'm pretty sure Jared and Barry are eager to see what u can do as well as the rest of us.
so please if u can post your stuff and welcome to the board.

[Karl151k]

That might work

[j]

Here is a screen grab from a music video I gripped on where they used the tc burn window techinque. And no, that's not me holding the monitor! This was just before LCD tvs came out, I think we used a 14" CRT w/ playback on miniDV. Poor guy had to hustle into frame and then out again for each shot...

-j


http://flickerfactory.com/services/musicvideo/tguide/Toby1.jpg

[Unsomnambulist]

Would love to see the video footage of that guy hustling in and out of frame. Haha.

[JustinT]

not sure if this is the same thing, but as a student when we did multicam shooting for a musical, we had a monitor setup with TC running and at the end of each shoot each camera was advised turn around and shoot the monitor they stopped recording, worked quite well.... when the camera guys remembered that is :)