CompuServe Messages

Michael et al. Another question about timing systems. This one deals less with the hardware (matter of fact this is the "you get what you see" method 🙂 and more with technique. What I typically do in timing a system, without access to a WFM/V-Scope is; 1) Record color bars (if available, If not I make my own) out of the switcher to tape(s) depending on the number of sources I have. It is my opinion that these bars will always be "good" and they will become a standard of my library for that particular switcher. 2) Play back the bars tapes on my sources, while doing a split screen _wipe_, not a digital effect to adjust my TBC's so that the input bars look as close as possible to the generated bars. This is a step that should be done every time you have new source material to work with, assuming the producer of the source material laid down bars. I have learned that TBCs are constantly tweaked depending on the source input, and are not "calibrated" once. 3) Enable the Digital bus of the switcher and crop the digital bus so that half the screen is the digital bars and the other half is the analog bars from tape. Adjust the Digital Buses controls to make the digital bars as close to the analog bars as possible. This _should_ be a one time adjustment. Now, the reason that I posted these three steps in timing a system is that they seem to work for me and be a pretty consistent method for timing a system. I realize that without a WFM/V-Scope I can never be sure that I am not "off the chart", but as far as making what comes in look as close to what comes out I think that this is a pretty good solution. Did I miss any steps, comments? -John