Re: Working on a DSR-11 SDI solution

Interesting solution. How 'bout this: if you have a FW800 media drive, try connecting it to your mac via 800 cable, and the IO via the 400 connection. They are two different channels as far as the mac is concerned. Jack the DSR-11 to the 400 port on the back of the 800 drive. See if it works. I have the same equpiment and will try it out myself. [I'm sure someone will chime in saying it won't work...]. If you only have 400 drives, forget it. Go 800 next time. Worth it.

About DV footage in 10-bit: DV is a native 8-bit format and is recorded on tape as a 4:1:1 sample. D-1 601 SDI 10-bit is 4:2:2. Your setup -- going from FW to 10-bit SDI -- is somewhat the same as going from vhs to D-Beta. You gain nothing in the process. Secondly, from what I have read in various posts here that taking DV out of its native 8-bit 4:1:1 state introduces luminance shifts and chroma shifts which changes [for better or worse] what you originally acquired. A strong case for going 10-bit might be if you were planning on doing multiple effect passes. The proof, for you, is invariably the end result. If you're happy with it, all is well.

One other thing you will be sacrificing is drive space. 1hour of DV versus 1 hour of 10bit SDI uncompressed is a HUGE difference in media space. A FW transfer from a DV tape to a DV editing system is a transparent transfer, meaning there is no change in the data or picture/sound in the process. So it's a trade-off one way or the other IMO.

steve covello
double wide post