DG Fast Channel

Hey Folks...

We are starting to submit some stuff to DG Dropbox. We have tried a number of programs and always seem to come short. We will be coming out of an Quantel eQ. Someone mentioned we should try Episode and that someone on this forum just might have a preset that is "DG Approved". If anyone knows how to get hold of that preset so we can test a spot with the Episode Trial we downloaded, that would be great!

Jeff G.
FWC

Thanks Craig. I tried to figure out how to send you a PM with my email. Should I just post it here on the forum?

Sounds good. The email is jeffg(at)filmworkers(dot)com.

We are posting 2 up right now that we made straight out of our eQ. One at 720x480 and another at 720x512. Not really sure why they want it at 720x512. I know you mentioned in another post about cropping the top 6 lines but wouldn't that crop off the closed captioning line? Hope these aren't stupid questions, but some of DG's specs seem a little head-scratching.

Thanks again....

I should add that I believe they are requesting all spots be submitted at 720x512 now. They had been "grandfathering" in older customers.

Do let me know if they're accepting 720x480 at all.

Using the Episode Pro add VBI checkbox with ensure that any source, whether 480 or 486 will be 512

I emailed you the preset a couple of hours ago.

It should work with the demo but the output duration will be truncated for the demo so you might need to explain that to DG if you're testing for DG certification.

Not sure why my other post hasn't gone up yet, so here is my email address:

JEFFG(at)FILMWORKERS(dot)COM

Hey Craig...

Did the demo. It is normal to have that much black at the top of picture?

Also, do you know if Episode Pro can be put on more than one computer or do you have to buy the software for each individual computer.

Thanks

Thanks. What about Episode Pro? Does the license allow you to put it on more than one computer?

Actually I believe you can install it on as many computers as you want. However you can only run it on 1 at a time.

If a serial number is active on a computer, trying to open the application on another computer with the same serial will force the 2nd application to quit.

At least that is what it used to do. I haven't tried in a while.

Robert Longwell

I think it's pretty standard stuff these days ;-)

Robert Longwell

Must be using Episode 4.4.2
Make sure VBI box is checked.
No other filters are needed.



A few posts back you mentioned seeing all that black on top so this isn't making any sense. You either have the black on top and it's 512 or no black and it's 486.

Which is it?

Joe are using Episode 4.4.2 with the Add VBI feature? Episode itself will pad out the top adding the correct number of lines so the results are 720x512. That should leave Sigma Encoding and Closed Captioning intact.

Are you telling me that with DG asking for 512 and the folks at Telestream finding a way to meet that spec with the goal to leave CC and Sigma intact . . . DG is striping it OFF?!!!!!

The CC and/or Sigma should be intact on upload. Don't use the crop filter and just let the VBI add the black to the 720x486 source.

There was a time I was concerned about cropping to 480 and then VBI adding 32 lines on top but I've confirmed with Telestream and my own tests that you if your source is 486 and you don't crop, the VBI feature will add 26 lines to give you the correct 512.

If you want me to test for you, you can get me a spot and I'll use my DropBox for a test.

[Joe Murray] "'m only saying this is what I was told a couple of years ago when I first signed up with FastChannel and subsequently DG."

Joe, that's ancient history. That's when they required 480. The whole point of 512 is keep all that stuff AFAIK. That's the point of the add VBI feature in Episode.

That's odd. For the longest time they were grandfathering in their older customers (allowing them to stay at 480) but a few months back some of the older customers were saying they were stopping that.

BTW I was one of the folks being grandfathered so I only found out when other DG customers started grumbling. I set upon the task of creating a preset with the then current version of Episode . . . DG had told them 512 but apparently didn't make it clear they wanted all the extra black on top (although maybe that's a "duh" on my part). When I finally figured out they wanted it all on top I discovered I couldn't do it in then current version of Episode (4.4.1)

To make a long story short, I told the Telestream folks about this and they tossed me a "patch" for Episode 4.4.1. When I confirmed it worked, they incorporated it into 4.4.2.

So all this came to pass very recently as you might guess.

DG does have an odd way of communicating with its customers sometimes.