please help configure a system

[digidesigner]

sorry for a a question so basic, I have a music studio background but I have been asked to help to put together a HD system for post production and I need help. What are the needed components for a HD system to work together with video gear?

[Postman]

Your question cannot be answered without writing a full book. Narrow questions are much better here. The forum's search functions do work (although I admit its results take some time to weed through.)

Please, help us by giving some information about your "client". Is there a facility already or will it be built new, what types of video gear is going to be used, what kind of work is being done. Is there an HD system already or is this totally new? What options are you already thinking about?

[digidesigner]

Originally Posted by Postman

Your question cannot be answered without writing a full book. Narrow questions are much better here. The forum's search functions do work (although I admit its results take some time to weed through.)

Please, help us by giving some information about your "client". Is there a facility already or will it be built new, what types of video gear is going to be used, what kind of work is being done. Is there an HD system already or is this totally new? What options are you already thinking about?

Hi and thanks. This will be a new building, a media school's place with two rooms next to each other. Both must be 5.1 capable and they would like to use both rooms to mix to film and record music as well (by using one or the other control room as a studio room for musician(s) if needed). They want to have HD3 systems with controllers. I do not know details about video gear that will be used, my thing is to make the audio side work and be able to talk to video machines. I believe I will just need a Sync HD in addition to regular HD gear, is there anything else that is considered essential gear I might need?

[nst7]

Since you have to buy this stuff from somewhere, you might see if the salesperson can help you with this.

[jimlongo]

It's much easier to avoid any videotape machines and go with one of the QuickTime solutions. The easiest of the currently supported solutions is probably the PCIe cards from BlackMagic. There are also DV FireWire convertors from Canopus. Both of those will playback QuickTime files from within Protools.

Check this page http://www3.digidesign.com/index.cfm...1&itemid=40373

Since they want HD3 systems you'll probably want to investigate the expansion chassis. For a new system the only one supported is the EB7.
http://www3.digidesign.com/index.cfm...21&itemid=4545

[dr sound]

Who is going to be teaching about the use of the equipment for post?
That person should design the layout and use of the equipment .
Anything short of that it will be trouble.
If they are going to be charging tuition then they need a seasoned vet in there to do it right. Getting a good dealer in there with Post experience is difficult. Most are Music oriented.

[Postman]

I agree with dr. sound, but if the teachers are like some I know around here, they don't know much either when it comes to the finer points of video/film work.

Yes, SyncHD is almost mandatory.

If by "video gear" you mean video video tape decks, then you will want a "machine control" option for each HD system, otherwise forget about machine control.

You want to get Digitranslator on each system ONLY IF there will be material being exchanged via omf or aaf. This will be very important if Media Composer or Final Cut Pro is in the planning or existing curriculum.

I think you are saying that both rooms will be fully functioning Pro Tools mixing rooms, each with a controller such as D command. Then, when music or Foley recording is required, one room will become the "studio" for the other control room. The prime considerations are:
1. talkback comminications
2. cue/headphone system
3. video playback from the "control" room into the "studio" room.

Probably, one of the rooms will ALWAYS be a control room, while the other will swing between being a second mixing room or a recording room. That way, talkback and cue need only be one direction. Since you already have music room experience, I'll leave it to you to research and choose the best options for 1. and 2. You should know what is needed.

Video playback for film work has many options. I think you will want the video playback system to be identical in each room so that a project can be edited in one room and then mixed in the other with minimum fuss during the move.

Quicktime playback within Pro Tools, without additional hardware, is one workable option for both rooms. Mirror the desktop movie window into the other room's monitor (or projector?), using a DVI or HDMI splitter perhaps. This will be the cheapest route, although there are some compromises with AV sync and sometimes with picture quality, but for a school situation I think it would be perfecty okay.

Using a 3rd party video card, such as from Blackmagic, can step up your game with an additional bump in cost and complexity. AV sync may not be any better (it just depends on what exactly you are using in the system), but it does give you the ability to get full screen video onto a third HDMI screen or any traditional computer/video monitor or projector. This is the best way (IMHO) to have video on a separate, dedicated monitor while using 2 monitors for Pro Tools. Higher cost=more convenience, but for teaching/learning, I would want to see a projector that would display either one of the Pro Tools displays OR the program video image.

You might look at having a Satellite option so you can tie the two Pro Tools systems together for one larger mixdown, or perhaps for some amount of flexility during recording with a reduced crew. It would be very cool.

I could keep going with video options but there is already a thread on the various options that says much more than I can think of right now. Try searching for "video compendium", I think, and maybe you'll find it from last year.

Anyhow, this really shouldn't be a effort led by someone who doesn't have first class experience in audio post.

[digidesigner]

Thank you, these few posts have been big help for me to understand the basics and for getting ideas how to proceed with this.