Posted on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 @ 11:33 AM
Archiving old tape formats to digital file takes a bit more than just finding the proper deck to play back your video tape, connecting to a computer, & begin transferring. There are a few variables that need to be taken into consideration other than pressing the play button. Most old tape formats or VTR decks such as ¾” U-Matic, D2, 8mm, VHS, & even BetaSP or DVCPro tapes are not all alike due to when and where they were recorded and how they were stored over the past several years. Just playing back a tape and watching on a monitor without verifying several key levels can cause several issues later on during your Digital Media Production. Having external broadcast measuring equipment and qualified technicians other than just an operator to evaluate the quality of the audio & video is always good practice to get the best quality possible. Below are a few bullet points that should be taken into consideration while playing back & capturing your older video formats.
VIDEO
AUDIO
Older video formats are more difficult to “tune in” than the newer digital video because the older video for archiving relies on adjustments to be made manually before and sometimes during playback. The older the video the more time will be needed to evaluate the tape & equipment while playing back during the capture process.
Posted on Tue, Jan 17, 2012 @ 09:17 AM
New and old video is good to hold onto considering your investment into creating the content. If your footage can stand the test of time and can return on the investment time after time than you may want to archive your video footage while retaining the original quality. Video archiving is a way to save your files for future editing or proofing without having digital “hiccups” also known as artifacts due to compression. In order to avoid the danger of having artifacts in your video is to avoid compression completely although this can prove to be difficult considering new video camcorders utilize compression technology such as MPEG-4 AVC/H.264. This compression format has great video quality with bandwidth optimizing technology and saves space although you will have to take the chance of trusting that these codecs will be available and work properly in the future with new and improved editing suites, or they may become extinct much like the VHS or U-Matic ¾” VTRs. There is really no way of knowing what the future will hold for digital media production in terms of standards, resolutions, or aspect ratios with this fast paced technology driven era. In order to avoid having encoding errors or artifacts in your video in the future would be to save your files in an uncompressed format. Uncompressed files take up space but they have the best chance of being acceptable in the future. When archiving video footage in an uncompressed format you will need to calculate how much space your video will consume on your hard drive. Below are several simple formulas used to give you an idea of how to determine the space you will need for video archiving.
SDTV Uncompressed
- Uncompressed 8-bit SD video, 720x486, 29.97fps can take up to 70GB per/hr.
- Uncompressed 10-bit SD video, 720x486, 29.97fps can take up to 95GB per/hr.
HDTV Uncompressed 720p
- Uncompressed 8-bit HD video, 1280x720, 59.94field, can take up to 380GB per/hr.
- Uncompressed 10-bit HD video, 1280x720, 59.94field, can take up to 500GB per/hr.
HDTV Uncompressed 1080p
- Uncompressed 8-bit HD video, 1920x1080, 29.97fps, can take up to 420GB per/hr.
- Uncompressed 8-bit HD video, 1920x1080, 24fps, can take up to 340GB per/hr.
- Uncompressed 10-bit HD video, 1920x1080, 29.97fps, can take up to 560GB per/hr.
- Uncompressed 10-bit HD video, 1920x1080, 24fps, can take up to 450GB per/hr.
Posted on Wed, Jan 04, 2012 @ 03:07 PM
The start of a new year is a time of reflection and new beginnings. Based on the n
umber of colleges offering digital media production classes it is safe to assume several people are entering this field. What does it take to have a rewarding career in digital media production? Working around the audio and video production industry for 30 years has provided me a bird’s eye view of 5 key qualities that together can lead to success.
Persistence: In the audio and video production industry it can be challenging to get your first break. Be persistent and practical. When you first enter the digital media industry you are competing for jobs with many other candidates. Be prepared to accept an internship or apprenticeship as a way to get your foot in the door and showcase your talents. I know a successful and Grammy Award winning audio engineer who started out sweeping floors at a recording studio.
Passion: In a January 1, 2012 Parade Magazine article by Martha Beck she shares insights from her book Finding Your Way In A Wild New World about how to pursue your passion. She describes work we are passionate about as an activity that causes you to forget time is passing. Jobs in digital media production often require long hours and crazy work schedules. A burning desire to do this work will help keep you going through long production days. If you are not passionate about digital media production Martha Beck recommends finding your passion. In my experience, most of the people in digital media are passionate about their craft. The next key to a rewarding career is often more difficult to develop than passion for the work.
Discipline: It is a kick to hear a song you produced on the radio or see a commercial you edited on TV. Better yet, to be on the production crew for a successful TV series or blockbuster movie provides a sense of accomplishment. A lot of people dream about this level of success, but it takes more than passion and dreams. The difference between those who are successful and those who never make it is discipline. Many starting out in digital media production have been following their dream in a basement or bedroom studio where they work on projects for days and sometimes weeks. Transitioning to a working production facility requires a discipline they are not used to. They no longer have days or weeks for editing and post production. The client needs the project by noon.
Creativity: Whether you are editing a marketing video, wedding or indie film, clients do not want their project to look like all the others. Incorporating fresh creative ideas into every project is a key to longevity in this industry.
A Learners Mind: Production equipment and techniques are always changing. A learners mind is the last but certainly not the least important key to success in digital media production.
Posted on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 @ 11:09 AM
So, you’ve got great songs, and a great look, but if you’re going to make it in the music business, you’ve got to play live. Play more gigs…sell more CDs…Play more gigs…sell more CDs…It’s that simple!
Well, almost…
Gigging is the single best way to get your music heard and to build a fan base. Perform at as many venues as you can. Take advantage of the crowd’s approval by having your CDs available for sale after the performance. Maybe even give one away in a drawing. Selling your CDs directly at the gig will capture the most profit for you.
If you have a demo CD, be sure that your contact information is easily recognized on the CD, as well as the case or sleeve. Venue managers and booking agents receive a lot of demos and it’s easy to get them all mixed up.
Even if you don’t have a big budget, it doesn’t mean your CD packaging can’t have a professional look. There are CD packaging options to suit every project and every budget. Don’t order more than you need and spend too much up front. Find a local company that specializes in short run CD duplication, you can always reorder and have more available in a few days. A professional CD duplication company can often help you with the design and layout of your artwork for the CD label, as well as various CD packaging options. You can even thank your sponsors on the CD packaging.
Play more gigs…sell more CDs…
Posted on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 @ 07:21 AM
AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) video cameras were introduced by Sony and Panasonic a handful of years ago and is now the basic standard for HD consumer video cameras and some professional high definition video cameras such as the AVCCAM & NXCAM which use the AVCHD high profile codec. AVCHD uses the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression scheme that enables several hours of recording on inexpensive flash memory cards and hardware media. AVCHD allows the user to adjust the bitrate and image resolution for specific delivery methods such as social networks, DVD, or Blu-Ray while retaining good quality. AVCHD was slow to take off when the high definition video cameras were introduced due to the processor power the format required to render & playback on a computer. Some Computer manufacturers have adopted the AVCHD format and have added the format to editing programs and video players for playback and to perform basic edits without having to install additional third party software. Today’s computers have the appropriate processor power with the multi core chips to take full advantage of the AVCHD format which makes editing and final delivery of your product quicker which in return is more cost effective while retaining high video quality. If you are looking for high quality HD video to view on your widescreen display, AVCHD may be what you are looking for. Below are some advantages of using AVCHD video cameras.
Advantages of using AVCHD
- Assign a bit-rate and image resolution before recording for specific delivery needs.
- Thumbnail image displays for quick reference previews.
- Eliminates concerns about accidental or unintentional overwriting of recorded footage.
- Data file size reduction while maintaining high picture quality of the HD recording.
- Enables numerous hours of video to be stored on hard drives and inexpensive storage media.
- Burn your AVCHD files directly to a Blu-Ray without the need of transcoding for viewing on most Blu-ray players.
Posted on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 @ 02:43 PM
Do you have video tapes you want to edit, but don’t know where to begin? Mac and PC computers with editing capability enable us all to edit audio and video material but the video editing process can still be a challenge the first time.
An article by Michel Goldman in DV Magazine about the making of Pearl Jam Twenty for PBS’ American Masters series presents some of the challenges even experienced editors encounter. The article, Pearl Jam, Piece by Piece: Editors Sort Through 20 Years of Footage for PBS Documentary recounts an interesting story about how editors sorted through over 3,000 hours of concert and candid footage. The footage came from several sources including MTV, boxes from garages, band members and other sources. The footage was recorded on film and video formats from 35mm, 16mm and Super 8 film, to HDCAM, Betacam, DVD, VHS, Hi8 and various digital files. Film and video footage was transferred to digital video files for editing. The video to digital transfer process was outsourced to a post house. This freed up the editing team to focus on logging and organizing material. A big board was used to lay out the story time line on index cards. The index cards were a crucial organization tool in the video editing process. When the 2 year documentary building process was completed the final deliverables were recorded on HDCAM SR and Digital Betacam.
While your project may not be this large the video editing process is much the same. Whether you have 30 years of corporate video to sort through and edit or 15 years of family videos the tapes are transferred to digital video files and put on a hard drive for editing. When your project is finished, the digital files can be transferred to DVD, Blu-Ray, video tape or internet friendly digital video files.
Posted on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 @ 06:35 PM
High Definition Flash memory camcorders utilize a removable flash memory card to record video. Flash memory is a solid-state chip that maintains stored data without using an external power source. The flash memory card has been around for several years with digital cameras and has really taken off the past few years with the introduction of the High Definition flash memory camcorders into the consumer market. If you understand basic computer technology and the different types of memory cards available then you should be fine using a flash memory camcorder although, not all flash memory camcorders are created equal. Different manufacturers utilize different flash memory cards and styles such as the Multi Media Card (MMC), Secure Digital (SD, SDHC, SDXC), and Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSPD) to name a few. Unlike the tape format camcorders changing out the removable flash memory card is a smooth and quick process with no more fumbling around with mini DVDs or tape cartridges, all you need to do is insert a card and begin shooting. The fun part about flash memory camcorders is that when recording is complete all you need to do is remove the card from your camera and insert into your computer if your computer has a memory card reader. If you do not have a memory card reader you could also connect the supplied USB cable that came with your camera to your computer and transfer your files much like an external hard drive. If you purchased a computer in the past couple of years your computer should be able to work with your cameras video files using Windows Movie Maker for PCs or iMovie if you are using a Mac. If you do not have video editing software than you could load the software bundle that came with your camera to edit and playback your footage without needing to fully understand the file specifications. If your video is intended for Blu-Ray or smart phone delivery than you may need to understand video formats or have a more complex editing software bundle and workstation in order to manipulate frame rates, aspect ratios, and file types for the best possible quality for proper delivery.
Posted on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 @ 11:03 AM
The Holidays are here which gives many of us the excuse to go shopping for new technology gadgets and gizmos. When shopping for new technology such as a Blu-ray player the information displayed with the product either in store or online can be misleading especially if you are not up to date with specifications of the product you are looking into purchasing. Price is generally the driving force behind your decision which can lead you in a direction of purchasing a Blu-ray player that may have limited features which down the road could be frustrating. What do I look for when I am interested in purchasing a new Blu-ray player?
• Does the Blu-ray player have wi-fi capabilities?
• Does the Blu-ray player support mpeg 1, 2, 4, 3D or AVCHD rather than standard BD-Rs or DVDs.
• Audio encoders such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus or DTS-HD.
• Gracenote metadata service which looks up video data regarding the movies you are watching.
• VIERA link which allows you to control multiple home theater components with 1 remote.
If you decide on purchasing a low cost Blu-ray player some or all of the features above will not come with your player. You may or may not need all of the above features although, as time goes by after you connect your Blu-ray player into your entertainment system you will learn more about Blu-ray by just playing the discs. It’s not fun realizing that certain features are not available after the store return date has expired. Don’t jump on the first Blu-ray player you see because the price is advertised as a “blowout”, it’s just an impulse purchase. Research the player specifications at the manufacturer’s websites and compare the features until you find the Blu-ray player that meets or exceeds your entertainment system and personal needs.
Posted on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 @ 10:32 AM
Do you know what legacy tape formats are and do you own any? They are the old, outdated, and sometimes decrepit formats that most of us own, have owned, or have inherited. Ever hear of VHS? Sure you have, do you still own any? If so you have a legacy format. It is not the only legacy format. Have you ever heard of Quad tape, 1”, ¾”-Umatic, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-5, 8 mm, SVHS, Hi 8 mm, Betamax and on and on. Almost any videotape is now, or soon will be a legacy format.
Have any of you watched the Mickey Mouse Club. Not the one with Annette Funicello, the one with Brittany Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. That was filmed in the early 80’s at the studios at Disney. The mastering format for that show was D-2 digital. I know I sold them the tape. Guess what? That is now legacy tape; just like that VHS in the back of your closet.
So what happens to legacy tapes? If you do nothing it deteriorates until you cannot use it. What should you do? If you want to preserve them you need to convert them to a current format like DVDs, Blu-Rays or digital files. Both digital archiving options offers advantages.
1. Transferring video tape to DVD or Blu-Ray is a good way to preserve home and professional videos for viewing. When tapes are transferred to DVD treasured memories are saved in a digital video format and they can be played in several devices including DVD players, computer DVD drives, game boxes and Blu-Ray players. This is a good way to archive video tapes when the material will not be edited. A DVD duplication service can make additional copies. Please keep in mind copyright protected movies and TV programs can’t be copied unless you are the copyright holder.
2. Transferring legacy video tape formats to digital video files is a better option when the program material may be edited. Many video production services prefer to work with digital video files rather than legacy tape formats such as D-2, ¾”-Umatic, SVHS and 1” because they do not have access to legacy tape players. Professional and consumer video tapes can be archived as editable video files on external hard drives or burned as data files to a Blu-Ray disc or data DVD.
Whether you want to convert VHS to DVD or incorporate legacy footage into a corporate video, transferring legacy video to DVD/digital files is the way to archive your video library.
Do shelves in your storage room look like this? If you want to save and edit your video material, now is the time to archive your tapes before they deterioriate.
Posted on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 @ 05:40 PM
When doing DVD and CD duplication one important aspect to consider is the printing.
What are the advantages of printing directly onto a CD/DVD instead of printing a label and attaching it to the disc?
1. Lower Cost
Purchase only inkjet printable discs, instead of both discs and adhesive labels, and you can save up to 50%.
2. Convenience
It's an easy, one-step process. You won't have to waste time dealing with label placement.
3. Reduce Potential Drive Damage
Avoid possible damage to your CD/DVD drive or player, which can sometimes occur with labels that peel off from heat, wear and time. Many manufacturers of CD and DVD drives warn customers against using adhesive labels on CDs or DVDs because the adhesive label could peel off and damage the drive.
Inkjet printing consists of spraying very small droplets of ink directly onto the disc. Ink-jet CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs have an absorbant material on the top surface to absorb the ink. You can print anything from simple black text to full color images.
