8 Auto Digitizing Media Introduction.......................................... 176 Setting Picture Quality Levels........................ 177 Setting Clip Input Setup Values....................... 178 Redirecting Clips................................... 182 Auto Digitizing........................................ 183 Error Messages..................................... 186 175
Chapter 8 Introduction Most video productions use a master log to track the scenes in the video program. A log is an organized list of the available clips on each reel, along with the starting and ending timecodes for each clip. The Auto Digitize command allows you to log all your clips in Media 100 first, and then digitize them later in a batch process. Note: The Auto Digitize command is enabled only if you have the POWER Option. You can log clips, or import log files and EDLs using the following methods: Use the Power Digitize panel to log clips as you play and review your source material. See Chapter 5, Digitizing Media, for information on using the Power Digitize panel. Use the Import command to import text log files in PowerLog format. The logs are stored in a Bin window in Media 100 s PowerLog format. See Chapter 6, Importing Media, for information on importing PowerLog format files. Use the Import command to import EDLs in CMX 3400, CMX 3600, and GVG formats. See Chapter 7, Importing EDLs, for information on importing EDLs. The Auto Digitize command digitizes missing media that needs to be associated with a clip; for example, clips created by logging with the Power Digitize panel, clips imported in the PowerLog format to Media 100, or clips that have had their media files deleted from the Finder or from within Media 100. The auto digitization functionality allows you to select clips without media, digitize them, and place the clips into a bin. There is a fundamental difference between the POWER Option s Redigitize and Auto Digitize commands. The Redigitize command is designed to increase a clip s picture quality by digitizing at a data rate higher than the original. The Auto Digitize command is designed to create or recreate the media associated with clips at the originally-specified quality level. 176
Auto Digitizing Media Although the Auto Digitize functionality does not render transitions or graphics, it does allow you to digitize the following types of material: Clips from within the currently selected Bin, Program, or Project window. In most cases, you will want to Auto Digitize a previously logged bin. If you auto digitize clips from within a bin, the individual clips will reflect the digitization when you view them in the Edit Clip panel, but your program will not be digitized. Conversely, auto digitizing clips in a program, does not digitize the bin. If you want to guarantee that the contents of the Bin and Program windows will be digitized, select them both from the Project window and then select Auto Digitize. Video and audio files with no media file. A new media file for the clip is created. All of the material between the in and out frames (plus the trim handles) is digitized. Video is digitized at the originally-specified picture quality level. Since no media is being replaced, no media can be deleted by the Auto Digitize command. Note: Due to a Macintosh file size limitation, the amount of source material that can be auto digitized as a single media file is limited to 2 GB. If you attempt to auto digitize more than this amount, Media 100 stops digitizing and saves the clip when the 2 GB limit is reached. Setting Picture Quality Levels The clip s data rate setting (KB/sec) determines the quality of the picture after digitization. Clips are digitized at the image quality setting specified in Media Settings dialog box prior to logging the clip. To view the quality levels associated with a clip: Select List from the View menu or press - L. The Bin window displays in List view, providing an easy database-type setup for finding information regarding individual clips. The Quality field displays the data rate, or picture quality, values in KB/sec. 177
Chapter 8 Image quality levels display in this column. Once a bin is in List view, you can change the quality setting or other attributes. To edit the quality level for your logged clips: 1. Click on the Quality field you wish to edit. The field highlights. 2. Enter a new quality level. The Quality field is a standard text editing field. 3. Press Tab or click in another field to exit the cell. The new quality setting will be applied to the clip when it is auto digitized. Setting Clip Input Setup Values Just as with picture quality, clips are auto digitized using the currently specified input setup settings. If no input setup was specified for a clip, the factory default input setup setting is used. For information on Media 100 s Input Setup features, refer to Appendix A, Input Setup. 178
Auto Digitizing Media To determine the input setup associated with a clip, use one of the following methods: While in an active bin, select List from the View menu or press -L. This places the Bin window in List view. Input setup names Or, The Input Setup column displays the input setup associated with each clip. If this column does not display, select View Preferences from the View menu, or press Option- -M, and click the Input Setup checkbox. Highlight the clip(s) in the Bin or Program window, then select Change Media Attributes from the Tools menu. The Change Media Attributes dialog box displays with the name of the input setup for the clip(s). If multiple clips are selected and more than one type of input setup setting is associated with the group, the Change Media Attributes dialog box displays the message Mixed in the Input Setup pop-up menu. 179
Chapter 8 To view the settings associated with a named input setup: Highlight the clip(s) in the Bin or Program window and select Input Setup from the Windows menu. The Input Setup window displays with the appropriate input setup name in the Name pop-up menu. To change a clip s Input Setup settings from the Bin window in List view: 1. Click in the Bin window to make it active and select List from the View menu. 2. Ensure that the Input Setup column is displayed. If it does not display, select View Preferences from the View menu and click Input Setup in the parameter list. 180
Auto Digitizing Media 3. Double-click the Input Setup name to display the Name pop-up menu. The Name pop-up menu displays. 4. Select the desired Input Setup from the pop-up menu. The new setup will be applied when the clip is auto digitized. To change a clip s Input Setup settings using the Change Media Attributes command: 1. Select the clip (or clips) in the active Bin or Program window. 2. Select Change Media Attributes from the Tools menu. 3. Select the new name from the Input Setup pop-up menu. 4. Click OK. The new settings are immediately applied to the selected clips. 181
Chapter 8 Redirecting Clips Clips with media files can be included in the Auto Digitize command. You may want to auto digitize certain clips to take advantage of clip redirection. Clip redirection occurs when two or more clips selected for auto digitization reference the same media file. For example, suppose Clip1 (which has an associated media file) was digitized to include frame 100 to frame 200, and Clip2 (without a media file) was logged, using the Power Digitize panel, to include frames 160 to 200 of the same media file. Clip1 Clip2 media file frame 100 frame 160 frame 200 If only Clip2 is selected for auto digitization, Media 100 digitizes a new media file for the clip. However, if both Clip1 and Clip2 are selected for auto digitization, Media 100 recognizes that Clip1 has media that fulfills Clip2 s needs. Instead of digitizing a new media file, Media 100 points (or redirects) Clip2 to the media file that was previously digitized for Clip1. Existing media files are used if their data frame rate is the same or higher than that needed by the new clip. For example, if the new clip is to be digitized at a rate 100 KB, the media files associated data rate must be 100 KB or higher. As you can see, redirection is much faster process than digitization and saves disk space. 182
Auto Digitizing Media Auto Digitizing Now you re ready to auto digitize your previously logged clips. To auto digitize clips: 1. Select a logged clip or clips from the active Bin or Program window. Selecting logged clips in a bin digitizes only those clips in the bin, not the program. Selecting logged clips in a program digitizes only those clips in the program, not the bin. To auto digitize logged clips in both a bin and program, select the bin and program icons from the Project window. 2. Select Auto Digitize or Auto Digitize Selected from the Tools menu. Selecting either command displays the Auto Digitize dialog box. Clips list Reels list Trim Handles control Progress/ Prompt field Media Settings control Digitization controls Auto Digitize displays all the logged clips in the bin or program that do not have an associated media file. This command is intended to be used to recapture media that has been deleted, or to capture media for clips that were created without media through logging. Auto Digitize Selected displays only the currently selected clips in the bin or program that do not have an associated media file. 183
Chapter 8 3. Click the appropriate Clips checkbox to display one or more types of clips in Clips scroll box. Selecting Show Done displays clips that have been digitized. Selecting Show To Do displays clips that have not been digitized yet. Selecting Show Errors displays clips that encountered an error during digitization. Media 100 displays all clips by default. 4. From the Reels list, select one or more reels (videotapes) with original source footage for the clips to be auto digitized. Scroll up or down if necessary. The Reels list displays the name of the reel and the time required for auto digitization, starting with the reel containing the least amount of source material to digitized. 5. From the Clips list, select one or more clips to be auto digitized. Shift-click to select multiple clips. The Clips list displays the clips, including current status, from reels selected in step 4. When multiple clips share the same media, only one clip appears in the list, followed by an ellipsis (...). 6. To add a specific number of frames or seconds to the beginning and end of clip, enter a value in the Trim Handles field. Use the pop-up menu to define the value as frames or seconds. The trim handles allow flexibility in post-digitization editing. You can enter a value from 0 through 999. The default setting is zero. 7. If necessary, select a destination for media files of the clips being auto digitized. Click Settings or press -M to display the Media Settings dialog box. For information on using the Media Settings dialog box, see Chapter 5, Digitizing Media. 184
Auto Digitizing Media Note: Any changes at this time to the quality level settings in the Media Settings dialog box will not affect selected clips. Auto Digitize captures video at the quality specified when the clip was logged or log file imported. Use the Redigitize command to change quality settings. 8. Click either Digitize or Digitize All to begin the process. Selecting Digitize digitizes only the selected clips in the Clips list that do not have an associated media file. Selecting Digitize All digitizes all the clips in the Clips list that not have an associated media file. Reels with the least amount of required source footage are digitized first. 9. Load the selected reel into the VTR and click Ready. Media 100 prompts you to insert the appropriate reel as needed. When you load a reel and click Ready, digitizing begins. The lower left section of the Auto Digitize dialog box prompts for reel insertion and monitors the digitization process. The first line either displays a prompt for the next reel to digitize or reports the current activity (locating a clip, prerolling, or digitizing a clip). The section appears blank when no tape activity is occurring. The progress bar provides a graphic indicator of the approximate time remaining for digitization of the current reel. The Time in Reel Remaining field indicates the amount of material remaining to be digitized on the current reel, while the Time in All Reels Remaining field indicates the time required to digitize all remaining selected reels. A text line at the bottom of the section reports the timecode for which Media 100 is searching. During digitization, the quality level and mode (for example, 60KB Online) are displayed. 185
Chapter 8 To halt the current process, click Stop or press the Esc key or -period. Media 100 assigns the halted clip an error status of Stopped. This lets you correct problems encountered during the digitization process. (The Stop button is dimmed when there is no activity.) Click Ready to resume the digitization process. 10. Repeat step 9 when prompted for additional reels. When digitization of a reel is complete, Media 100 emits a system sound to alert you. Note: When an action is required, Media 100 displays a message in red text to alert you. 11. When all of the selected clips and/or reels are digitized, click Done. Media 100 exits the Auto Digitize dialog box. Error Messages When the Show Errors checkbox is selected in the Auto Digitize dialog box, the Clips list individually displays any errors that occurred during digitizing. The following describes the various error that may display. Stopped Digitization was manually interrupted using the Stop button. Timecode Media 100 was unable to automatically subtract its 5- second preroll from the starting timecode. A clip s starting timecode value is based on the clip s head frame and the trim handles. Before digitizing, Media 100 automatically subtracts a 5-second preroll from the starting timecode value for a scan. When the resulting timecode is negative (which occurs if the starting timecode of a clip is less than 00:00:05:00), this status displays. Not Found Media 100 was unable to locate the correct timecode for the beginning of the clip. 186
Auto Digitizing Media When digitizing, the VTR searches for a clip s beginning timecode value. When it is located, Media 100 verifies that the timecode value is correct. This message is displayed when the needed timecode does not appear on the tape. For example, the first frame is at timecode position 01:00:00:00 and Media 100 is searching for 00:20:00:00, the error message is displayed. Or, When Media 100 prerolls into discontiguous timecode (when there is a break in the source material s timecode). For example, if the source tape includes two sections- one from 00:30:00:00 to 01:20:00:00, and a second section that includes 00:48:00:00 to 01:12:00:00 - and Media 100 is searching for 00:40:00:00 in the second section, it may have trouble when it encounters the transition. This type of behavior may be VTR-specific. Bad Media Can t Record Disk Full No Sync High Rate No Control An error, such as discontiguous timecode, has been detected in the clip s media. Media 100 cannot begin recording. Ensure the VTR is not in Local mode when media is being located. The disk to which the clip is being digitized reached its capacity. The video signal s synchronization has been interrupted. Media 100 aborted the digitization process. Digitizing was aborted because the specified data rate for the clip was too high. This is most likely due to the external disk drive being too slow. Media 100 cannot control the VTR. Ensure that the VTR is not turned off, in Local mode, or No Machine Control was selected in the Hardware Settings dialog box. 187
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