Assumed SP/shot LP

A

alan b

Active member
I just got a DVX and I'm still trying to come to terms with its depth compared to the GL1 I had been using for years. Best part is I am learning it as I embark on a new project. Yes I know it's not the best idea. Good way to learn tho, eh?

Anyway, thanks to my unfamiliarity, I thought it-- as I assumed of all cameras--defaulted to SP recording. Apparently this is not true. 15 minutes into an interview this morning I saw I still had a great deal of time remaining on the tape. Quickly doing the math I saw I was getting 90 minutes total! How this happened, I have no idea. I always shoot at SP. I can't imagine how it got set to LP. Maybe while sleep walking. I dunno.

So now I have to check if this happened on my other tapes (fortunately we're early on in shooting). I was assuming my work-around for this is to dub this from the DVX to deck and re-record it at SP. Is this the proper response to this dilemma or does anyone have a better idea? Is this even necessary? How big a problem is this? Everything else from now on will be SP so am I correct in assuming that when I go to edit everything must be consistent? And what about when I go to capture?

I know. Too many questions. Take your pick. thanks

alan b
 
There's no difference in quality between LP and SP, the digital signal is the same. However you are more likely to experience drop outs shooting LP. I'd watch through the tape and see how it came out, then make the decision for yourself on how to proceed.
 
Definitely switch to SP. As Bryan said, there's no quality difference, just a more stable recording with better protection against dropouts. Plus, LP recordings may only ever play back in the DVX that recorded them; there's no guarantee they'll play back in any other device. Whereas SP recordings are compatible with every DV device.

You likely haven't done any harm to your project whatsoever, but you would probably be better off to shoot SP from now on. Capturing will provide no difficulties; SP and LP become identical once they're captured.
 
further SP/LP

further SP/LP

Certainly all that you've said is a major relief. Thanks much for that. I can assure you I will learn from this not to assume the transport speed.

But as you mention--and as I had read in Mr. Green's book (I have it right here next to me as I type this)--I may not be able to capture from a device other than the camera. From a workflow standpoint, how "inelegant," shall we say, will that be? I mean, I had anticipated capturing whole tapes and edit clips from those main clips and I meant to capture lo res for offlline editing only to go back to the tapes later for the hi res online.

Would it be a stupid idea to dub from camera to deck so everything is SP?

Also, I'm not clear on the drop-out issue. It almost sounds like you're saying it's a potential when shooting (as opposed to capturing) which I'd never heard of before.

Also--again, sorry for all these questions--what of the partial tape I shot that may be LP (haven't checked it yet). I removed it for a fresh tape to use for yesterday's interview, planning to return to it for further b-roll. Should I just stop there? Point being, one can't mix transport speeds on the same tape can one?

Thanks for your help

alan b
 
You can certainly mix speeds on the same tape.

Dubbing from LP to SP is fine.

Dropouts can happen during capture or during dubbing or during filming. Basically any time the tape is moving, if there's dust or something on the tape, or a particle flakes off of it, that can lead to dropouts. LP mode greatly increases the chances of getting hit with dropouts.
 
So if I should happen to have a tape with mixed speeds can the whole thing be captured en masse?

Since you sanction it, I am inclined to rely on your expertise and go ahead and dub that interview to SP just for convenience sake. I'm wondering though what your position is on the reuse of a tape? Would it be wrongheadedly cheap--penny wise, pound foolish--to turn around and black the tape for reuse?

Thanks for everything

alan b
 
Tapes can be re-used, but the wisdom of doing so lies in your own discretion. I can't think of a professional who would recommend using re-used tapes over fresh virgin stock. But it can be done. Each re-use may increase the potential for dropouts though.
 
Ach...I suppose you're right. I am too frugal for my own good sometimes. But I also hate to waste, ya know? Landfills and all...

Okay, well, thanks for everything. I guess we can put this thread to bed.

ab
 
Oh wait! Sorry. I spoke too soon. I am still wondering--just out of curiosity--is it possible to capture an entire tape that has mixed SP and LP?
 
absolutly.
The camera will automatically switch it for you.
I personally record anything important in Sp, however, I have noticed that I havn't had any dropouts yet, knock knock knock on anything that I have recorded in LP. Now maybe I am just lucky, but I do weddings for a little extra cash, and I have found that LP is great for these long events. Plus, I have two cameras rolling at all times, so even if there was a dropout, I have a second camera captureing the same thing.
 
Well I was just about to dub that LP tape over to another tape at SP and just when I was going to hit record something else occurred to me. I shot this thing at 24p. My deck, of course, is a standard miniDV deck running at, I assume, 60i, no? After that, I don't even know what question to ask. I mean, will this work??? And will I end up with usable footage?

Yeesh

ab
 
Okay. You da man...

Is this because of that crazy pull-down business that I still can't grasp fully?
 
Pretty much, yes. But all you really need to keep in mind is that what the DVX writes to tape is fully DV-compliant, and can be played/dubbed/digitized from on any DV deck.
 
I guess what I'm getting at by asking that is what about the film-look of 24p? Is it somehow lost or compromised by doing this dub?

ab
 
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