Sunday, February 24, 2008

Sticky: Traveling with batteries, Pro Apps Updaters, etc.

Stuff to watch out for; tips ‘n’ tricks

• FAA rules on lithium battery transport
• Apple Pro Apps - save those updaters!
• PMW-EX1: XDCAM Transfer 2.5.1 for Mac Released; fixes CLOCK-mode timecode import bug.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Aperture 2.1.1 Won’t Preview Raw Photos

If you shoot raw stills, and use Aperture, don’t update to 2.1.1.

I use Apple’s Aperture to import, organize, and do simple processing on digital pix. I just updated to 2.1.1, and now the image import window won’t show raw images—only dashed rectangles (JPEGS still show up properly). The raw images’ metadata is shown correctly, except for the consistently goofball pixel size of 128x128. If I select raw pix blindly and import them, they show up properly once imported, but importing them blindly ain’t fun.

Aperture 2.1 didn’t have this bug; my Nikon D200 and D300 images showed up fine in the image import window. And I’m not the only one with the problem; Apple’s discussion lists are filled with similarly unhappy upgraders, mostly those using Nikons, but I saw Ricohs mentioned as well.

I can confirm that the bug afflicts Aperture 2.1.1 on both 10.4.11 and 10.5.4.

Solutions? I haven’t seen any evidence of a solution, but several workarounds have been suggested:

• stick with 2.1,
• roll back to 2.1 using Time Machine,
• use Image Capture (or Finder drag ‘n’ drop) to read in photos,
• shoot JPEGs.

Fortunately for me, I usually shoot JPEGs, otherwise I’d be hosed! Read my tale of woe, and maybe you won’t get hosed the same way.

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Post Production • (5) Comments • Most recent comments by: billS, billS, Adam Wilt, billS, billS, • Permalink

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

AJA Io HD drivers updated

Important fixes and enhancements in the version 6.0 driver

AJA has released version 6.0 drivers for the Io HD, AJA’s external video I/O box and format converter connected using FireWire800.

Version 6.0 adds a bunch of new features:

• Support for true progressive (in addition to PsF) 1080p capture and playback.
• Support for 720p/23.98 and 525i/23.98.
• Stand-alone mode for format conversion with no Mac attached.
• “Plug and Play” on FireWire without needing to reboot the computer.
• Simultaneous component and composite outputs.
• Audio delay controls for better A/V sync.
• Io HD’s LCD can be set to show timecode instead of secondary format.
• Better active output format listings in Io-using applications.

It also fixes a long-standing bug with frame-level metadata in ProRes422 captures: Io HD-captured ProRes now shows up as 10-bit video in Shake (and other apps that look at frame-level metadata), whereas before Shake saw the video as only being 8-bit. (The Io HD’s ProRes has always been 10-bit, but it didn’t look that way to Shake without an intermediate render in FCP.)

I had discovered the 8/10-bit issue back before NAB, and bothered the daylights out of AJA’s long-suffering support folks about it (with a tip of the hat to the unfailingly responsive and polite Rudy Van Kol), so the first thing I did when I saw the V6 driver was download it and test it. I can’t yet vouch for everything on the feature list, but I was able to install the software and upgrade the Io HD’s firmware just now without any problems, and I have verified the 10-bit metadata fix in Shake.

Huzzah, therefore, for AJA and version 6.0 Io HD drivers!

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Accessorizing RED ONE

It takes more than a body and a lens to make a shooting package.

Today most of the items on our RED ONE order changed status from “Backorder” to “Completed”, so it seems like a good time to discuss kitting out the cameras for real-world use. 

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Review: Panasonic BT-LH1760 17” LCD Monitor

The highly capable 1760 is a worthy upgrade from the 1700W.

The $4500 Panasonic BT-LH1760 is a 17 inch, 1280x768 video monitor with multiple analog and digital inputs and a 100/120 Hz refresh rate for crisp motion rendering. It displays NTSC, PAL, 720p, and 1080i/p signals in both analog and digital, and offers a high-resolution waveform monitor for all video inputs, as well as a vectorscope, timecode, and audio level monitors for SDI inputs. It also has a wide selection of aspect ratio and safe-area markers available.

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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

RED notes: Build 16 released; “nearly ready”

Build 16 is ready to ship, and so are our cameras, almost.

The science project continues: back in mid-June when we looked at RED build 16 beta firmware, we saw some must-have enhancements, but some showstopper bugs. That was then; this is now: here’s how build 16 has evolved…

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Hardware • (1) Comments • Most recent comments by: BobEdot, • Permalink

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Non-Locking Connectors Considered Harmful

A rant, a sad story, and—gasp!—some possibly useful suggestions.

All hail the progress of inexpensive CE (Consumer Electronics) and IT (Information Technology), and the cost benefits they bring to production! Unfortunately, they also bring some gotchas, like a plethora of non-locking connectors. Most us have probably struggled with the diminutive and easily-disturbed four-pin FireWire connector, and who hasn’t had a 1/8-inch stereo audio miniplug unplug itself at some point? 

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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

How Important is Resolution?

It’s all about pixel counts… or is it?

SD, 408p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p… 2k, 4k, UDTV… it seems like the big push is to get ever-higher resolution. It’s true that given two pictures, identical in every other way, that the higher-res image will look better—if you’re close enough to see the difference. But it turns out that resolution isn’t as important as you might think.

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Hardware • (17) Comments • Most recent comments by: Maarten Toner, Maarten Toner, peter, peter, Adam Wilt, Adam Wilt, peter, Ray Paunovich, Adam Wilt, Ray Paunovich, • Permalink

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