outputting final DVCPRO50 to Digibeta

R

Richard Sutcliffe

Well-known member
Can I get an opinion on outputting DVCPRO50 to digibeta deck via firewire. Im discussing output options with a dubbing fcility and they have suggested outputting from my suite to digibeta deck using a firewire deck as a passthrough.

Im assuming fw400 can accomodate streaming DVCPRO50 since it work ok for the firestore but will the passthru to component outs degrade the signal?

Anyone used this approach?

Thanks
 
You can't. Digibeta decks don't have firewire.

Does the digibeta deck have analog component inputs? If so, that'd be the best way to go.
 
Checking the signal degradation

Checking the signal degradation

Hook up your broadcast monitor to the firewire VTR and check your quality.

Hook up your firewire VTR to the Digibeta, then hookup the broadcast monitor to the digibeta and check your quality.

Then you can see first hand what difference (if any) you'll get. Being that you're going analog and having to route through something that isn't designed to be a router, you will likely lose something. Whether or not its is significant loss, you'll have to examine it yourself and decide, as its your project.

I think you'd be better off creating a digital file (MOV or such) of your timeline and taking that on a hard drive over to the post house. Let them put it on an NLE in house and then let them go straight out to the digibeta deck via SDI.

cheers.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

Thats good advice varicam life. I'd rather not rent the decks and then find out its low quality but if no-one has used a dsr as a passthrough into digibeta deck I just might have to.

We have a tight turnaround and technical issues with delivering a DVCPRO show from FCP on the mac to AVID on the PC are not what I need. If anyone has successfully done this and would care to share their experience and workflow it would be appreciated.

This is the first time we have worked with anything other than DV/DVCAM in post so I'm seeing problems which probably aren't there.

Cheers
 
My bad...

My bad...

Oh duh, why didn't I realize this before. Connect your machine to a DVC Pro VTR that has firewire (there is a DVC Pro 50 VTR that does, I've used it a bunch, just can't remember the model #, and there is the DVC Pro HD, AJ-1200, that can also take firewire). Then use the SDI from the DVC Pro 50 VTR to loop through to your Digibeta. Voila, no analog cables needed. Just make sure you're using clean cables and you should be good to go.

Also, if your timeline is in the DVC Pro 50 codec, and doesn't require rending at a higher end codec (due to high end visual effects, titling, etc.), you could also go out to a DVC Pro 50 tape first. Then go from there to digibeta. Yes its an slightly annoying two step process, but, it removes the whole looping through one deck to record to another situation. Might not really be what you want to do, but if issues arise with the first one, then might be a work around you'd have to do. Again, if your timeline was in the DVC Pro 50 codec you wouldn't lose quality going out to a DVC Pro 50 cassette. But if you did have a bunch of other stuff that you needed to render at a higher codec, then ignore this paragraph and hopefully the first setup worked.

cheers.
 
YOu can also just get an Aja I/O or some breakout box like that. I just onlined an MTV show to Digibeta and we used the Aja. Worked out great. IT was Firewire to the Aja and then sdi to the digideck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top