Thought I got a great deal on SDHC cards the other day, and I did; it's just that I can't use them for what I had hoped to use them for. I bought 2 16 gig SDHC cards for use in the Panasonic HMC-150. They are class 4, the minimum requirement for use in the camera as outlined in the manual. I have since read posts and heard from others in the field that Panasonic recommends class 6. I'd like to know what the use is of writing in a manual that the camera will work with class 4 but neglect to write in that class 6 is recommended in order to avoid drop-outs in video recording.
I also ran some tests to compare class 6 and class 10 on the Panasonic yesterday. I didn't notice any difference. No dropouts in either class and the file transfer rate between card and computer was exactly the same. (1 minute for a gig total of 16 files) Not sure there's any use to going up to class 10 with this card.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Using DimDim for Webinars
What I really like about DimDim is that you don't have to download any software on your computer, except for the occasional plug-in if your computer is missing a feature (I had to download a plug-in to enable the whiteboard technology). You can create an account and sign in from anywhere.
DimDim has great collaborative tools as well. Users can switch to a shared whiteboard and flip to Internet web pages, as well as share PowerPoint presentations and other files.
The screen capture that it comes with is not as convenient to use, so I would suggest using a separate program if you are after video quality and you need the file right away. The company emails you a link after your recorded session so that you can download it. However, it is difficult to say how long you may have to wait. I waited for over an hour and decided to go to bed. The email had come to me the next day. The other difficulty I had was while using my MacBook Pro. It really had a hard time recognizing the webcam and then keeping it hooked up was also a problem. My Toshiba Satellite had no problems. One caution is that when you go to full screen on the web cam feeds, the program has to go through the process of re-recognizing the device again, which can cause a bit of an interruption in the connection.
When sending e-vites out for people to join you in a web room, it can take up to half an hour to receive, so it is best to use your own email or tell your guests in advance what your room name is so they can find you that way instead. I experienced that as a test between two computers in the same home. I'm wondering if it's because I was using a free account. Dr. Tracey Alloway sent me an e-vite form Stirling University in Scotland and it was immediately in my mailbox.
DimDim has great collaborative tools as well. Users can switch to a shared whiteboard and flip to Internet web pages, as well as share PowerPoint presentations and other files.
The screen capture that it comes with is not as convenient to use, so I would suggest using a separate program if you are after video quality and you need the file right away. The company emails you a link after your recorded session so that you can download it. However, it is difficult to say how long you may have to wait. I waited for over an hour and decided to go to bed. The email had come to me the next day. The other difficulty I had was while using my MacBook Pro. It really had a hard time recognizing the webcam and then keeping it hooked up was also a problem. My Toshiba Satellite had no problems. One caution is that when you go to full screen on the web cam feeds, the program has to go through the process of re-recognizing the device again, which can cause a bit of an interruption in the connection.
When sending e-vites out for people to join you in a web room, it can take up to half an hour to receive, so it is best to use your own email or tell your guests in advance what your room name is so they can find you that way instead. I experienced that as a test between two computers in the same home. I'm wondering if it's because I was using a free account. Dr. Tracey Alloway sent me an e-vite form Stirling University in Scotland and it was immediately in my mailbox.
Applian review
I used Applian Screen Capture yesterday for an interview with Dr. Tracey Alloway on new media technologies and the effects on students' working memory (she says multi-tasking with new media is actually good exercise for the working memory, by the way, but that's another post and hopefully a podcast to follow). Anyway, back to Applian.
The visual quality of Applian's Replay Video Capture is excellent. You do have to remember to set the window you want to record in advance and you can't change it mid-recording. This can make it a little tough if you haven't gone to full video screen on your interview subject. (DimDim has some of its own issues with this, but again, that's another story). Applian is so user-friendly. The settings are easy to use and the user controls are pretty self-explanatory. I'm not sure if they have a tutorial on their site on how to use it. They probably do, but honestly, you won't need it.
The visual quality of Applian's Replay Video Capture is excellent. You do have to remember to set the window you want to record in advance and you can't change it mid-recording. This can make it a little tough if you haven't gone to full video screen on your interview subject. (DimDim has some of its own issues with this, but again, that's another story). Applian is so user-friendly. The settings are easy to use and the user controls are pretty self-explanatory. I'm not sure if they have a tutorial on their site on how to use it. They probably do, but honestly, you won't need it.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Screen Capture Using Applian
Got a tip from Dana on what screen capture works best on PCs so that I can record a webinar with Dr. Tracey Alloway of Stirling University in the U.K. He suggested Applian. The program will allow you to conduct two minute tests with its free version so I tried it out. I downloaded it to my Toshiba Satellite which uses a Mobile Intel 945GM graphics card Express chipset and an IBM laptop which uses a Mobile Intel 965GM graphics card Express chipset. I was going to run some tests and compare .movs by recording a minute of video and creating a side by side test edited in Premiere Pro but I decided to check the forums instead. After finding the first site that compares the two two graphics card, my computer screen froze with a warning of multiple viruses affecting my computer and prompted me to press "a button" to fix it. I tried to exit out of Internet Explorer but the viral web page froze all actions. I ended up turning off my computer and checking my programs file on restart to make sure nothing had gotten on my computer. My Rogers virus scan turned up nothing which was a great relief but took my time up for getting my tests on the computer done. So, I found another reference that suggested the newer IBM's graphics card was an improvement over the others when it came to gaming. That was enough to sell me on using the IBM tomorrow when I record the webinar. I tested out the record and the video looks good. The audio will not map through the computer and the advanced audio settings on the computer do not allow me to "record what I hear", possibly due to the fact that I don't have full administrative rights on the computer. There are no options for adding different audio settings that I can see but I will play with a little more. In the meantime, I have my Marantz USB recorder as a back up and record the audio.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Testing MTS with Premiere Pro CS4 and Encore
I did some test runs this morning on importing raw .MTS 1080p 30 frames, 48 K audio (from a Panasonic HMC-150-AVCHD, progressive) and set up my Premiere Pro sequence to Edit in AVCHD 720 30 frames as it matched the correct frame size. I decided to run the raw file through Premiere out to Encore and tried three different types of burns all to standard DVDs. Here are the results:
In Blu-ray authoring mode:
I tried 30 frames and 1280 which would match the native file… with both h.264 and mpeg II automatically defaulted to 720
You can go down to 720 or up to 1920 so I decided to go up all in an effort to keep the project at 30 frames per second as the motion blurs with 24 frames as I found out in previous tests
NTSC 1920 x 1080 30 frames mpeg II…took 8 minutes through Encore to burn with no edits, no pre-renders from Premiere Pro needed. Took up 52.3 MB of DVD space (half of native file).
NTSC 1920 x 1080 30 frames H.264… took 8 minutes through Encore to burn with no edits, no pre-renders from Premiere Pro needed. Took up 52.3 MB of DVD space (half of native file).
Regular DVD authoring mode:
720 x 480 NTSC DV 30 frames using mpeg-II codec… took 8 minutes through Encore to burn with no edits, no pre-renders from Premiere Pro needed. Took up 51.28 MB of DVD space (half of native file).
Conclusions:
Quality of all 3 looks exactly the same and took the same amount of time to burn. Difference between 1920 and 720 is nil in quality and 1.02 MB less in 720 for the 50 seconds of footage. No difference in quality or file size when using mpeg II or H.264 codec for burn.
Applying New Knowledge:
I have learned that native .MTS files for the Panasonic HMC-150 in the setting 1280 x 720 29.97 frames, 48 K creates a file size of about 145.8 MB/minute, or 8.54 gigs for an hour of video recording. Burning non-rendered and uncut files takes up half the raw file space but to burn a fully edited video will really be determined by how advanced the editing is. I bought 2 16 gig SDHC cards online from a Canadian store for $38.99 each, which should last me for each shoot. Dave bought me a Western Digital My Studio RAID 4TB, Quad connectors (eSata, firewire 800 x 2, USB 2.0) for me for my birthday. What a great husband!!! The RAID will speed up editing with native files and will back up my files safely. I also have the option of daisy chaining another firewire 800 external HD if I need to (maybe for the extra back-up?) I'll have to research this one.
In Blu-ray authoring mode:
I tried 30 frames and 1280 which would match the native file… with both h.264 and mpeg II automatically defaulted to 720
You can go down to 720 or up to 1920 so I decided to go up all in an effort to keep the project at 30 frames per second as the motion blurs with 24 frames as I found out in previous tests
NTSC 1920 x 1080 30 frames mpeg II…took 8 minutes through Encore to burn with no edits, no pre-renders from Premiere Pro needed. Took up 52.3 MB of DVD space (half of native file).
NTSC 1920 x 1080 30 frames H.264… took 8 minutes through Encore to burn with no edits, no pre-renders from Premiere Pro needed. Took up 52.3 MB of DVD space (half of native file).
Regular DVD authoring mode:
720 x 480 NTSC DV 30 frames using mpeg-II codec… took 8 minutes through Encore to burn with no edits, no pre-renders from Premiere Pro needed. Took up 51.28 MB of DVD space (half of native file).
Conclusions:
Quality of all 3 looks exactly the same and took the same amount of time to burn. Difference between 1920 and 720 is nil in quality and 1.02 MB less in 720 for the 50 seconds of footage. No difference in quality or file size when using mpeg II or H.264 codec for burn.
Applying New Knowledge:
I have learned that native .MTS files for the Panasonic HMC-150 in the setting 1280 x 720 29.97 frames, 48 K creates a file size of about 145.8 MB/minute, or 8.54 gigs for an hour of video recording. Burning non-rendered and uncut files takes up half the raw file space but to burn a fully edited video will really be determined by how advanced the editing is. I bought 2 16 gig SDHC cards online from a Canadian store for $38.99 each, which should last me for each shoot. Dave bought me a Western Digital My Studio RAID 4TB, Quad connectors (eSata, firewire 800 x 2, USB 2.0) for me for my birthday. What a great husband!!! The RAID will speed up editing with native files and will back up my files safely. I also have the option of daisy chaining another firewire 800 external HD if I need to (maybe for the extra back-up?) I'll have to research this one.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Audio Issues and Boom Mics
Searching for a professional-sounding boom mic at a price that doesn't make my husband's left eye twitch was a bit of a chore. I bought an Audio Technica ATR-55 for 100 bucks, which took 3 and a half months to arrive and was replaced by a ATR-6550 model (which always seems to be on sale for 60 bucks) I've since learned that it is best to do online ordering from B and H Photo...they saved my bacon by delivering within 4 days.
ATR-6550
The hyper-cardioid setting (for distance) makes recording sound like it's going on in a bathroom. The regular cardioid pick-up pattern also has a slight mechanical sound (even when pulled far away from the camera mechanism...I was 4 feet away and still heard noise). The connector is mini which plugged right into the camera without a problem but the coiled cord was kind of strange and I made me keep wondering if the connection would stay-put. It was still better than using the camera's built-in mic which always picks up camera and shuffle noise and I would recommend it to secondary schools introducing students to the world of live shooting and recording. It is powered as is usual with boom mics, by a double A battery.
AT-897
Because the company I bought the ATR-6550 from was so late in delivering, I decided to buy an Audio Technica AT-897. It performed much better and cost about 250 bucks. There is no mechanical noise when held on a boom and it has a nice warm and clear sound in the regular pick-up pattern. The hyper-cardioid pattern does introduce more room noise and sounds a bit hollow. The connector is XLR. It is powered as is usual with boom mics, by a double A battery. On the standard pick-up pattern setting, this mic sounds professional and is at the right price.
ATR-6550
The hyper-cardioid setting (for distance) makes recording sound like it's going on in a bathroom. The regular cardioid pick-up pattern also has a slight mechanical sound (even when pulled far away from the camera mechanism...I was 4 feet away and still heard noise). The connector is mini which plugged right into the camera without a problem but the coiled cord was kind of strange and I made me keep wondering if the connection would stay-put. It was still better than using the camera's built-in mic which always picks up camera and shuffle noise and I would recommend it to secondary schools introducing students to the world of live shooting and recording. It is powered as is usual with boom mics, by a double A battery.
AT-897
Because the company I bought the ATR-6550 from was so late in delivering, I decided to buy an Audio Technica AT-897. It performed much better and cost about 250 bucks. There is no mechanical noise when held on a boom and it has a nice warm and clear sound in the regular pick-up pattern. The hyper-cardioid pattern does introduce more room noise and sounds a bit hollow. The connector is XLR. It is powered as is usual with boom mics, by a double A battery. On the standard pick-up pattern setting, this mic sounds professional and is at the right price.
HDV downconvert versus DV on Canon Vixia HV40
I shot using my Canon Vixia HV40 in DV, HDV and HDVp 30 on mini-HDV tape. The camera downconverted the HD footage using the firewire 800 to SD. I processed the footage in Adobe Premiere Pro (Sequence Settings: DV NTSC wide 48k, used in all tests) and upconverted on output to DVD disk to the setting for blu-ray 1920 rez. I played the footage on my big screen TV on a regular DVD and there was no visible difference between the standard DV and the HDV capture formats. The picture colour was slightly better with the HDV 30p.
Using Premiere Pro, I played with the 2 capture settings and tried the following:
Attempted HDV but it would not show up in the capture viewer. I read the manual and determined that the camera needs to be on Automatic HDV/DV or DV Locked in order to capture through firewire 800. Further reading on the internet suggested I would have to get a Black Magic HDMI card and go out through the HDMI port in order to get HDV so I let the camera donwconvert to standard def and selected Quicktime .mov for capture.
Quicktime
1. capture compression settings DV/DVCPRO-NTSC 60p, best, wide 45 second clip 1300 frames dropped
2. capture compression settings DVCPRO50 NTSC 60 p wide 45 second clip 1300 frames dropped
3. H.264 60 frames, best (no set frames or bitrate, no option for wide) 45 seconds 900 frames dropped…looks stretched upwards and 4:3.
4. MPEG-4, 60 frames, best (no frames or bitrate set, no option for wide) 45 seconds 1250 frames dropped…looks stretched upwards and 4:3.
5. No compressor, 60 frames, best 45 seconds 1100 frames dropped…looks stretched upwards and 4:3.
6. DV/DVCPRO-NTSC 29.97p, best, wide 45 second clip 0 frames dropped
Conclusion: Best for capturing footage DV/DVCPRO-NTSC 29.97p, best, wide 45 second clip 0 frames dropped
Overall conclusion: Not much difference between HDV converted to SD and regular SD. HDV P30 downconverted to SD had a nicer colour tone but the look of the pixel quality was the same.
Using Premiere Pro, I played with the 2 capture settings and tried the following:
Attempted HDV but it would not show up in the capture viewer. I read the manual and determined that the camera needs to be on Automatic HDV/DV or DV Locked in order to capture through firewire 800. Further reading on the internet suggested I would have to get a Black Magic HDMI card and go out through the HDMI port in order to get HDV so I let the camera donwconvert to standard def and selected Quicktime .mov for capture.
Quicktime
1. capture compression settings DV/DVCPRO-NTSC 60p, best, wide 45 second clip 1300 frames dropped
2. capture compression settings DVCPRO50 NTSC 60 p wide 45 second clip 1300 frames dropped
3. H.264 60 frames, best (no set frames or bitrate, no option for wide) 45 seconds 900 frames dropped…looks stretched upwards and 4:3.
4. MPEG-4, 60 frames, best (no frames or bitrate set, no option for wide) 45 seconds 1250 frames dropped…looks stretched upwards and 4:3.
5. No compressor, 60 frames, best 45 seconds 1100 frames dropped…looks stretched upwards and 4:3.
6. DV/DVCPRO-NTSC 29.97p, best, wide 45 second clip 0 frames dropped
Conclusion: Best for capturing footage DV/DVCPRO-NTSC 29.97p, best, wide 45 second clip 0 frames dropped
Overall conclusion: Not much difference between HDV converted to SD and regular SD. HDV P30 downconverted to SD had a nicer colour tone but the look of the pixel quality was the same.
Adobe Encore: The Program I Love To Hate
Spent a lot of time playing with Encore over the weekend and I have to say the program is not user-friendly at all! But, once you figure it out (like I said, it took me the weekend), it really is a powerful program and there's talk it's the best for burning to Blu-Ray.
Top peeve:
Automatic button routing (selecting the path you want the arrows to work on your DVD player remote). This feature would work great if the program tried to follow a default algorithm linked into numbering the buttons, unfortunately this program is not intuitive enough to keep dummies like me out of trouble. I even tried adding my buttons to the menu in the same order I wanted them to route through the remote control arrow buttons, thinking the program would pick up on what I was trying to do. Eventually I gave in and scanned through Creative Cow for some answers which still were not thorough enough for me but at least got me pointed in the right direction. I learned to make sure the menu was selected in the project window, then I checked that all my buttons had the correct numbers applied to them in the properties window for each button. Then, I selected the icon on the menu viewer screen that looks like the 4 arrows on a remote (if you look real, real close). The icons pop up on each of the buttons. Next, and here's where I had trouble, you hover over the icon until you see a hand and drag to the next button you want the remote to go to. Sounds easy. Wasn't for me. You actually have to work backwards. This is key. Choose the button you want to go to first, click on the arrow direction and drag back to the button you want it to come from. Don't even try doing this forwards...trust me. Just remember WORK BACKWARDS and you will be okay. Oh, and remember you need to select all the directions one at a time at each button location...forward, back, up, down.
Top peeve:
Automatic button routing (selecting the path you want the arrows to work on your DVD player remote). This feature would work great if the program tried to follow a default algorithm linked into numbering the buttons, unfortunately this program is not intuitive enough to keep dummies like me out of trouble. I even tried adding my buttons to the menu in the same order I wanted them to route through the remote control arrow buttons, thinking the program would pick up on what I was trying to do. Eventually I gave in and scanned through Creative Cow for some answers which still were not thorough enough for me but at least got me pointed in the right direction. I learned to make sure the menu was selected in the project window, then I checked that all my buttons had the correct numbers applied to them in the properties window for each button. Then, I selected the icon on the menu viewer screen that looks like the 4 arrows on a remote (if you look real, real close). The icons pop up on each of the buttons. Next, and here's where I had trouble, you hover over the icon until you see a hand and drag to the next button you want the remote to go to. Sounds easy. Wasn't for me. You actually have to work backwards. This is key. Choose the button you want to go to first, click on the arrow direction and drag back to the button you want it to come from. Don't even try doing this forwards...trust me. Just remember WORK BACKWARDS and you will be okay. Oh, and remember you need to select all the directions one at a time at each button location...forward, back, up, down.
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