Playing to Picture on seperate monitor or TV

[Ronnisi]

i'm supposed to record some string players playing the score to a short film. i want to know if there is a cheap and easy way to hook up a monitor playing the video track from protools to which the musicians can play along. i can't have the musicians in the control room looking at the monitor because it is too noisy and small, also the image size of the video on the protols computer is too small and hard to see. any suggestions? thanks.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Which Mac, and which version of Pro Tools are you running? Do you have any available PCI slots?

The DC 30+ works well for me.

Rail

[Ronnisi]

hey, thanks for the suggestion.

i'm rockin a mac G4 dual 1.25 running os X and protools 6 (or 6.1, can't remember)

with that card and breakout can you just play the protools video window?

[RicardoEscallon]

The DC30 is no longer supported if you are running OSX. A much better and cheaper way to go is the Canopus ADVC100. It is a Firewire AD/DA video converter. If you usually don't do audio for picture, you could also connect a miniDV camera (you or someone you know may already have one) and use it as a AD/DA video bridge for this session.
Good luck,
Ricardo

[Rail Jon Rogut]

There are DC30+ drivers for OS X available here.

Rail

[Andy Caretti]

You should have a dual monitor video card on your Mac. Another way could be play movie window on a second monitor. But if you have to bring video in to another room, maybe a long vga cable it's not a great idea.Anyway, find a old vga monitor is cheaper then buy a dc30 or a canopus (that i own and i don't use it because goes out of sync, 2nd monitor is always on sync).
Hope this helps.
Andy

[trakbytes]

Radeon 8500 video card. Supports two computer monitors or one VGA and SVHS. Send your SVHS to the studio to a big screen TV and you're set. No sync issues.

Potential problem here (untested). Sending the video to the external monitor will send it off your computer screen. You could probably run the SVHS signal through an SVHS video deck and split the conmposite video off to the studio while watching the local signal on a TV connected in the control room to the SVHS machine. Or you could take the composite adapter from the SVHS output of the Radeon and split it with a Distribution amp.

A bit of monkeying around, but a possible solution.

rcm

[Bill Rigby]

Hi Rail;
Does the DC30+ scrub well? I have a Aurora Fuse and a Canopus but the delay in scrubbing for firewire is a pain for spot FX work and the Aurora dosn`t support OSX........Is the squared 5 driver solution solid and will it work if I capure the video via the Canopus (DV format) or does it have its own codec like the Aurora.....
Thanx in advance
Bill

[Rail Jon Rogut]

I've never had any problems at all with my DC30+.. but post this question in the POST forum and I'm sure you'll get users who have used it more extensively than I have. I've basically used mine on film projects where I've had to do basic music to picture -- but I still use OS 9 and a Mix system.

Rail

[Ronnisi]

ok, so it looks like the quickest and dirtiest options without investing in a lot of gear is Ricardo's suggestion:
1. "connect a miniDV camera and use it as a AD/DA video bridge for this session"

will this method allow me to still see the video on the control room computer? do i have to do anything to get the video to show up in the camera? will this be in sync?

if this method is not a good one, perhaps i can install my Matrox G550 card from my home setup in the studio computer, and run an rca cable to a monitor.

from what it sounds like, this method will only allow the video to be played back on the musician's monitor and not on the control room screen unless i split the signal (perhaps by daisy chain) and use a second tv in the control room. has anyone had luck with this card, or do i need to use Radeon 8500 as trakbytes recommends or one of the cannopus or pinnacle options.

Thanks