note: This page has no affiliation with D/Vision. Also, D/Vision was purchased by Discreet Logic, which has since merged with Autocad, which no longer supports the Pro or Cineworks programs. Additionally, I no longer have a system, and so have been away from it for quite a while.
No picture or sound when capturing video.
Check the connection of the large multicable to the back of the computer
and the Actionmedia card. Also, check that you have selected the right
input in the capture configuration screen for the type of video you are
digitizing -- S/VHS or composite 1 or 2.
No picture when playing back the timeline to record on a VCR.
Check the configuration menu in the Edit Screen. You should select
Y/C out and Full Screen Video.
Time Code
Ensure that you have good time code on all your tapes. If you do nott,
have them restriped before coming in to edit. Also, many editors prefer
to turn on the Visible T.C. From the playback VCRs monitor out, so they
can see time code numbers in the digitized picture. When digitizing ensure
that the machine you are using has time code. Late model studio Hi8 and
3/4 machines have TC pilot lights that come on only if time code is detected
on the tape. Yet the light will come on even if the machine doesn't have
the time code reader installed, so ensure that you are actually reading
code, and not just control track frame pulses. If you have tapes with code
on channel 2, Some D/Visions have an external T.C. unit that reads this
type of code. Connect the time code out of the deck to the TC reader card
and reset the reader through the system menu in utilities to read LTC.
Tape Numbering
It is very important to label all your tapes with the tape numbers
you use during the capture process. Do not forget to change the tape number
in the tape number field before starting a capture.
Backing Up
Remember, your video is backed up on your original tapes. Although
it is possible to use Data Back up tapes, these are usually so slow, that
it is faster to just do a recapture to your original logs if the need arises.
Bring a PC formatted 1.44mb floppy disc with you to every edit session,
to back up your EDLs and Logs. You can completely recover all your work
(including simple special effects) from the EDLs and your video master
tapes. Save your EDL often. Backing up your job to floppy is done in the
Utilities Icon.
Removing Jobs
This is done by selecting the Jobs Icon and selecting Remove Job. This
removes everything, EDLs, video and audio captures, logs, the works. (except
for graphics created in Flying Fonts.) If you mistakenly remove your job--do
not do anything else. Exit the program. You may be able to recover the
files with Norton Utilities. This is why it is good to keep floppy backups
and notes of your file names.
If the system crashes while editing:
The system is always saving your EDL to a temp file while you are editing.
If you experience a crash, or exit without saving, your EDL is still recoverable.
Re-enter your job, enter the edit mode, and instead of opening an EDL,
select Recover EDL in the first pull down menu. This will call up your
work up till the last thing you did. Now save this, and you can get back
to editing.
Importing graphics created in Flying Fonts
Titles you create in Flying Fonts are saved into the Pictures directory,
which is located within the FFonts directory on the C: drive. When the
import graphics menu requests a directory path, first do a return without
entering anything. This calls up a dialogue box requesting the first directory.
Scroll slowly to FFonts, and select it. At the next request, scroll slowly
and select Pictures. The final scroll screen will contain the files you
created.
SPFX won't create a dissolve
This happens when there isn't enough heads or tail in the video to
create a dissolve. Shift your cut point or shorten your effect.
Reels should correspond with capture files
For ease in printing logs and keeping track of your tapes, it is helpful
to create a new file for each tape that you capture, and track its number
with your reel numbers. Tape 1 = File 401, Tape 2 = 402 etc.
In Capture, DV doesn't read code or control the tape machine
This happens when you are using a tape deck which doesn't have an internal
time code reader, and so can't send TC out the remote connector. You must
use the Ext. TC reader, if you have one, and reset to LTC reader in the
Utilities/system/setup/time code menu. If you are having this problem with
a deck that does read code, check the 9 pin serial remote cable connection.
It is also possible that the previous operator was capturing from a non
TC deck and didn't return the TC setting to the remote. In the same menu,
Select Sony Serial/Com 2, to return to serial control, (or whatever com
your remote connector is using.)
Printing an EDL without making an online disc first.
This is done by first making a copy of the EDL in the Utilities menu.
Click the Copy EDL button, Then the Hard to Hard button. Choose your EDL,
give it a new number, and select the option to trace back to source tapes,
but don't select for single level trace. After the copy is done, click
on the reports button and select this new EDL to be printed. Just printing
your EDL directly will show file names and not reel numbers.
Some other pages of interest are:
There are no books available that specifically cover the DVision Pro, but the best book I've found on the topic of Non Linear editing isNonlinear 3 available from Amazon.
The book has an excellent web site, with this very useful links page.
The Bluescreen Chroma Key Page
A page of recommended film and video books,
And of course, My
Home Page
I am interested in your comments and suggestions for improvements to
this page!
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Copyright ©1996 Steven Bradford