This technique shows you how to connect a video monitor to your computer. This is great for those situations where you don’t have access to camera or deck.
Confused about all the video monitor sizes? This article explains the difference between video monitor dimensions and video playback dimensions — and which is more important.
Monitors for HD video are not cheap. So why not just connect an HD television set via HDMI and let it go at that? In this short write-up, Dan May, president of Blackmagic Design, explains the potential problems with monitoring your HD video using this kind of setup.
Apple just finished its event for NAB 2007 — where they announced Final Cut Server, Final Cut Studio 2 and Color! And I thought you might be interested in some more immediate observations.
In this post-NAB 2010 report, I show how we covered this huge trade show for the Digital Production Buzz. 16 reporters, crew of 22, live hourly audio brodcasts, and daily one-hour show specials. This goes into the gear, the process, the file naming conventions…everything.
All DV audio is not created the same. A client had a problem with the NS light lighting; finding the solution took a few days of phone calls. Here’s the scoop.
Confused by all the different video outputs on your deck? This article explains what they mean, what they do, and when to use them.
A reader asks how to create a PAL DVD. In this article, I provide a reference for file conversion, then talk about the Compressor setting you can use to compress your files. (I also include a link to lots more training on DVD creation.)
Hard disks are essential to video editing. But, as this short article explains, what you thought you knew about maintaining your hard disks may not be true. Take a look.
(Updated Dec. 2024). RAIDs (Redundant Array of Independent Drives) are high-speed, high-capacity storage systems designed for video editing. However, they are often described using arcane terms like RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, and so on. This describes what those terms mean and illustrates real-world speeds.
Lots has been written about the benefits – or lack thereof – in shooting 24 fps video. Here’s a quick look at a complex subject.
Final Cut Pro is, most often, used for editing after the recording is complete. However, there are some situations where you need to record live and edit as soon as you can. This article talks about that and provides options to consider. There’s also some relevant reader feedback.
Addressing the problem of digital media “evaporating” when a hard drive is powered down and stored on a shelf, with additional advice from Bob Gobeille, who originally provided the terminal script to fix this problem.
In this article I discuss the criteria I use in judging which camera to buy, as well as factors that may not be that critical in making the decision.
This technique shows you how to get the most from your FireWire drives, from partitioning through formatting to daisy-chaining.
Trying to decide what hard drive to buy? This article explains the differences between FireWire and SATA, and how to select the one that’s right for you.
As we gear up for the 2010 NAB Show – where the Digital Production Buzz is the Official Podcast of the event – I thought you’d be interested in the gear we are using and how we are using it. Next month, I’ll report on what we did.
Creating good voice over recordings is part art, part craft, and part technology. In this short article, Ben Balser provides some suggestions on what kind of gear you need to make great-sounding recordings.
Hard drives are essential to video editing. Which makes it really, REALLY aggravating when they stop working. Here are two techniques you can use to trouble-shoot hard drive problems: having too many disks attached, and not being able to boot from the system disk.
DVDs are always standard definition video. Which means that if you shot your project in HD, you need to down-convert it to SD before you can put it onto a DVD. This short article describes what you need to know.
Recently, Apple announced a new video format – iFrame – and Sanyo announced new cameras that support that format. This article looks at this announcement and speculates on what this means for the video professional. (Note: Currently, Final Cut Pro does not support iFrame files.)
Apple has announced their new iPad, though as of this writing it has not yet shipped. What is the iPad good for? Should video professionals pay attention? In this article, I share some of my thoughts on where the iPad fits in.
With the recent release of new MacBook Pro laptops, I was surprised to discover that Apple is removing ports from the computer, making it harder to attach the accessories, like hard drives, that we need to edit. Now, the MacBook Pro has the same ports as a MacBook — which makes NO sense to me, In this commentary, I discuss the situation and provide some ideas on how we can contact Apple to get them to add more ports on future models.
The Matrox MXO offers a reasonably priced way to monitor and output HD video. Learn more about it in this review.
Following up on an earlier review of the Matrox MXO, a user contributes another application he discovered, while a word of warning on compatibility is offered by another contributor.
Frame offset was invented to allow you to compensate for the delays between your computer and an external device, like a deck. Here is how it works and why you should care.
While there is no one perfect codec, this article can help you improve your capture image quality, while reducing file size, when capturing SD (non-DV) video.
UK-based editor, Ben King, contributed a series of thoughts on the best options to consider when you need to convert NTSC video to PAL, or PAL to NTSC. This short article is a quick discussion of your options, along with suggestions on where to go for more information.
This article spells out the rules I use for reviewing products — both software and hardware. It is my goal to provide objective, fair, and honest reviews you can trust. Reviews based upon life in the “real-world.” This article explains the rules I use in determining what products to review and the role that potential sponsorship plays in determining what I review.
In the past we obsessed about the rotational speed of a hard disk, how much cache it had, or even the controller chip it used. While these are important, they pale in significance when compared to the impact of how you connect your drive to your computer.
Have you ever wondered why a 1 TB drive never has 1 TB of free space? Or why a 500 GB drive stores much less than 500 GB? Well, it isn’t your imagination, it’s that engineers and marketers use two different numbers – but the same words – to measure the storage capacity of a hard drive.
Data Robotics is aggressively going after the audio and video market with a series of devices marketed using the Drobo brand. We’ve already reviewed the Drobo. Here we review its big brother – the DroboPro. The speed and flexibility of this device make it very attractive. This article gives you much more detail.
Are dropped frames driving you nuts. Here’s a checklist of tips you can use to resolve your dropped frames problem — before you drop your computer out a second-story window.
Barring a hardware problem, dropped frames are almost always caused by a hard disk that’s too slow. But what if the problem is with your render files? In this article we provide some ideas to try as well as references to more detailed articles that can walk you through almost any problem.
A common complaint about matching audio between DSLR cameras and digital audio recorders is that the audio sync drifts. This article provides three references you can use to resolve this problem.
Nothing lasts forever, and that includes DVD media. This article discusses what you need to know to make sure your backups and precious data survive for the long-haul.
The worst time to discover you have a problem is at the end of editing, when you have no time and no money. In fact, the best time to solve these problems is before production even starts. Here’s short article that provides guidelines on what you need to do to prevent problems down the road.
Yes, Virginia, analog video tape still exists. And if you’ve ever wondered whether you can edit to a Betacam SP deck, this article will reassure you that Final Cut Pro works great with it.
In the category of “you don’t know what you don’t know,” here’s an interesting piece of trivia. Ever wonder what that checkbox called “Little Endian” means when you are saving audio? This article tell you so you can now impress your friends.
Recently, Euphonix invited me to their LA offices to take a look at a suite of new products designed for video and audio editors. — a series of external control surfaces. Control surfaces have been a fixture in the audio industry for many year, but for video editors, this is a fairly new concept. This article takes a detailed look at each of the four units Euphonix provides, along with thoughts on where they fit into a post-production workflow.
What do you do when you have locked yourself out of your own computer? Well, besides screaming and yelling… This short article shows you the backdoor you can use to get access to a computer you are locked out of.
Having problems capturing 24 fps video from the DVX camera? This article tells you what you need to know.
Without a doubt, the question I get asked the most is “what should I buy?” This article explains all the different gear you may need for your editing sytem along with links to companies and products to consider. This isn’t a commercial, rather it’s a tutorial on what you need to know to make some good investments.
When capturing from tape, Capture Now should always be your last choice, not your first. Sometimes, when using Capture Now, your audio may drift. If that happens, read this article.
Setting the correct audio recording levels on a video camera is crucial to obtaining the best sound during production. This short article explains some of the choices and what you need to know.
AVCHD Discs are a nice compromise between full-HD Blu-ray Discs, and the standard def DVDs we’ve all been using for the last 20 years. While, currently, Final Cut Studio can not create Blu-ray Discs, it can create a version of Blu-ray called “AVCHD.” This article explains what AVCHD Discs are, why you would use them, and how you create them.
One of the easiest questions to ask, and one of the hardest to answer, is “What’s the Best Camera?” The problem is that tricky word “best.” In this short article, I provide some general guidance, along with a list of a dozen questions you need to answer before you can find the camera that’s best… for you!
There are two questions I get asked a lot: what’s the best camera, and what’s the best hardware. This article explains why answering the hardware question is so difficult. It isn’t that there’s no answer, its that the answer is TOTALLY dependent on what YOU need. Take a look here at why.
Folks that have worked with video for a long time are often confused about where to set the black level for digital video. This article explains what you need to know — and, relax, it isn’t that hard.
In spite of the hype, optical media is not dead. The two variations for HD media – AVCHD and Blu-ray Discs – are still valuable tools in an editor’s toolkit. In this article, David Scott writes about his success in using Blu-ray Discs to meet the needs of his project.
