HD1200A DVCPro HD Tape Deck

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PunkMetalDrummer17

Carbonite Member
I have another question concerning the HD1200A..... What is the difference between HD-LP and normal HD.... I know LP means long play but will the LP format add any compression/ loss of quality ?

Also, can I use the HP126EXG (Extra Large DVCPRO HD Tape) with the HD1200A?

NEW QUESTION (POST 6 IN THIS THREAD.)
 
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Hi Punk:

Not sure at all as to what the differences in HD-LP and normal HD. If it's anything like regular DV, you would NEVER want to use any kind of extended recording mode. According to my contact at Birns & Sawyer here in LA, Panasonic used to make a tape that would give you 93 minutes on the 1200A. According to him, Panasonic has discontinued the tape, the longest you can get now is 63 minutes.

The 1200A does not take the extra-large tapes either, that's why you have to pony up $65k for the 1700 model.

Best,

Dan
 
Damn.....

From what I currently want to run stock just cost to much. I decided that my formula for the amount of tapes I'll need as follows (I know I won't be shooting 8 hours straight but I'd rather have extra stock than not enough.).


DVCPro HD (63 minute tapes) - roughly 8 tapes a day, times 2 Decks (from the HVX), times 28 days.

8 x 2 x 28 = 448

448 tapes at 75 bucks a tape

448 x 75 = 33,600


DVCPro 50 (33 minute tapes) - roughly 16 tapes a day, times two cameras (SDX900), times 28 days.

16 x 2 x 28 = 896

896 tapes at 46 bucks a tape

896 x 46 = 41, 216


$84, 816 for main cameras plus 1500 minidv tapes for behind the scenes (shot with 5 DVXs and a DVC80.)


$91, 316 just for tapes.
 
any chance you can grab the good stuff, or cut some of the bad, and recycle some of the tapes?
 
Yeah.... I could during lunch each day throw the tapes into Media Composer get rid of the non-useable stuff and then re-record the good stuff to the tape..... but then I have to think of what would I come out of each day as being useable, to budget how many tapes I need. I could get 2 hours of useable stuff from 4 hours of material one day..... but then the next day 3.5 hours could be useable.
 
Another Question......

When I use this (HD1200A) deck, I use 720/60P on the deck when running the deck over firewire? So I get 720P whatever framerate/ 60P

is it possible that I could get 720P say 12P over 24P over 60P? and get that into 12P over 24P at 720/24P

Cause I want to use Express Pro HD at 720/24P, as its portable, instead of editing in 60P.... or do I use this tape deck in post and then capture 1080/24p over Media Composer..... but then I have to edit at 10pm to 3 something every night..... and then get up the next morning for the next day of the shoot.
 
PunkMetalDrummer17 said:
Damn.....

From what I currently want to run stock just cost to much. I decided that my formula for the amount of tapes I'll need as follows (I know I won't be shooting 8 hours straight but I'd rather have extra stock than not enough.).


DVCPro HD (63 minute tapes) - roughly 8 tapes a day, times 2 Decks (from the HVX), times 28 days.

8 x 2 x 28 = 448

448 tapes at 75 bucks a tape

448 x 75 = 33,600


DVCPro 50 (33 minute tapes) - roughly 16 tapes a day, times two cameras (SDX900), times 28 days.

16 x 2 x 28 = 896

896 tapes at 46 bucks a tape

896 x 46 = 41, 216


$84, 816 for main cameras plus 1500 minidv tapes for behind the scenes (shot with 5 DVXs and a DVC80.)


$91, 316 just for tapes.
Click to expand...

PMD,

Tell you what...just hire me as your editing assistant.

Lets assume you are shooting 720p/24. I will sit and offload all the footage to 400GB hard drives that I will provide you...yours to keep! And just think, you will have a ready-to-go archive of your footage that you can keep on the shelf. I will charge you $2000 a day for my work and $30,000 for the drives, and you will still come out $5000 cheaper than purchasing all the tapes. :beer:

Just messin' witcha, but you can see where the beauty of P2 and hard drives can save you the bucks here.

Seriously, assuming the 720p rate of 1.56 min/GB per the $175 cost of 400GB bare drives, you can afford to hire an assistant to sit and transfer all the footage to drives, do the logging as you go, avoid the digitizing step so you can be ahead of the game when the edit rolls around, and save yourself or your production a bundle in the long run.

Call me when you are ready to pay me that rate!!!!

Regards,

Cre8tive
 
2000 hours of footage? Ummmm.... doesn't anyone else see this as being, perhaps, just a tad, INNNNNNNNSAAAAANE? (to qoute another Jersey guy some older members may remember, Crazy Eddie. I wonder if he's still serving time?)
 
cre8tive said:
PMD,

Tell you what...just hire me as your editing assistant.

Lets assume you are shooting 720p/24. I will sit and offload all the footage to 400GB hard drives that I will provide you...yours to keep! And just think, you will have a ready-to-go archive of your footage that you can keep on the shelf. I will charge you $2000 a day for my work and $30,000 for the drives, and you will still come out $5000 cheaper than purchasing all the tapes. :beer:

Just messin' witcha, but you can see where the beauty of P2 and hard drives can save you the bucks here.

Seriously, assuming the 720p rate of 1.56 min/GB per the $175 cost of 400GB bare drives, you can afford to hire an assistant to sit and transfer all the footage to drives, do the logging as you go, avoid the digitizing step so you can be ahead of the game when the edit rolls around, and save yourself or your production a bundle in the long run.

Call me when you are ready to pay me that rate!!!!

Regards,

Cre8tive
Click to expand...

The problem with that is I want to sync all of my cameras (via timecode obvously.) and the HVX200s only run timecode on Firewire.... So if the firewire cable is used up by a harddrive.......


With the deck I get TC ins and outs that I can connect with the SDX900s.
 
I was suggesting you shoot the HVX footage with the P2 cards...just cycle them to the assistant as they are done and keep shooting. If you just need to plug in firewire occasionally to sync the timecode, the SDX footage could be shot with Firestore or DV Rack setups. The DVX footage could definately be shot with Firestore or DV Rack, as timecode cannot be generated on this camera.

Cre8tive
 
cre8tive said:
I was suggesting you shoot the HVX footage with the P2 cards...just cycle them to the assistant as they are done and keep shooting. If you just need to plug in firewire occasionally to sync the timecode, the SDX footage could be shot with Firestore or DV Rack setups. The DVX footage could definately be shot with Firestore or DV Rack, as timecode cannot be generated on this camera.

Cre8tive
Click to expand...

The 100B does run timecode through Firewire, but I don't need it since its just behind the scenes stuff.
 
The 1200A records in the EX mode (aka LP). The EX mode records DVCPRO HD at 9um track pitch. The Varicam, and older Panasonic HD decks record at the 18um track pitch. There is no difference in quality. The HDX-900 and HDX-400 cameras record in the EX mode.

The EX mode on the 1200a allows you to get 66 minutes of record time on one tape.

Chris Bell
(Varicam / HVX owner)
 
Hi Chris:

We went over to Birns & Sawyer in Hollywood yesterday and tested the HVX-200 into the 1200A. Works great and yes, you are spot on with the EX thing. Man, Panasonic is confusing as heck, you load a tape labeled 126 into the 1200A, but if you are shooting DVCPro50, it is half the running time. If you are shooting in DVCProHD, it is 1/4 of the running time but since Panny created the .9 micron head pitch, you can double the 1/4 running time. Sheesh. Very confusing.

Another gotcha is when shooting with the HVX-200 into the 1200A, you will get a "twitch" where the picture you are monitoring from the 1200A jumps about every 6-9 seconds. We tested it and it does NOT go onto the recording, it's a 1200A glitch that Panasonic is aware of but has not yet addressed with a firmware fix. So don't have a coronary when you see this when using the 1200 as a field deck.

We are moving forward with purchasing a 1200A to use for all long sit down interviews versus using P2, the tape thing just makes more sense. We will still use P2 cards for B-roll, action, slow-motion, time-lapse but for sit down LONG interviews that are our bread and butter, we are moving back to tape. By the time we archive the P2 media to DVD-R, hard drive and DLT, it is taking a LOT of time and money compared to shooting tape.

Best,

Dan
 
There is no glitch in the 1200a. It is the reality of firewire and HD. It's a bit irritating, and I have been told there is no way to remedy the issue. Maybe the new 1400 deck has a work around?

I use a Blackmagic card to monitor from FCP as opposed to firewire.

Chris Bell
 
PunkMetalDrummer17 said:
Another Question......

When I use this (HD1200A) deck, I use 720/60P on the deck when running the deck over firewire? So I get 720P whatever framerate/ 60P

is it possible that I could get 720P say 12P over 24P over 60P? and get that into 12P over 24P at 720/24P

Cause I want to use Express Pro HD at 720/24P, as its portable, instead of editing in 60P.... or do I use this tape deck in post and then capture 1080/24p over Media Composer..... but then I have to edit at 10pm to 3 something every night..... and then get up the next morning for the next day of the shoot.
Click to expand...
Bump
 
Hi Chris:

Hmm...that's strange, I don't get it when I capture with my laptop with the HVX-200 and FW. The engineer at Birns & Sawyer mentioned it was a deck issue as did the Panasonic technical bulletin but who knows?

It would suck if this is the way it will always be when shooting with this camera and this deck.

Dan
 
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