#Service Bureaus
16 messages in this thread
Martin, I'm a lurker of about 2 months and noted one of your responses stated
you send all your work to a service bureau for xfer to video. I am curious; do
you Fed Ex harddrives, use modems? Exactly how do you get your sequenced TGAs
to the shop? I know you're on the left coast; do you know of comparable bureaus
back here on the eastern seaboard, preferrably around Pennsylvania? Thanks.
Accu,
I always take my entire system to the places I go. This is sad but that's the
way I've had to do it. The amount of files is usually so vast and I don't have
compatible media to take or mail. This may change if I buy an Exabyte 8500 tape
backup which holds 5gb and uses 8mm tape. Some of the high-end post-houses have
these on their Abekas digital disk recorders.
I know nothing of East Coast Service bureaus so if anybody else does, please
jump in.
Sounds like it could be rough on the hardware end of things. Thanks
for the info
Hi Martin,
i'd like to ask you the following:
If I buy the Exabyte drive, and use the asdg driver to place frames onto the
8mm tape in D1 format.. how many houses are that handle this type of format?
Does it work this way: that I just give them the tape with the images and they
dump it onto a tape for me?
I need to know a little more about how this all works, because I am seriously
considering biuying the Exabyte drive, if it's going to help me give out a
better quality product.
Thanks in advance.
Alex
Alex,
>> If I buy the Exabyte drive, and use the asdg driver to place frames onto the
8mm tape in D1 format.. how many houses are that handle this type of format?
I don't know but there should be at least one in each major city. I know of at
least one in Hollywood and San Francisco.
>> Does it work this way: that I just give them the tape with the images and
they dump it onto a tape for me?
Yes, that sounds about right. Very convenient for mailing if there is no local
post production house offering the service. There is a problem in some cases
that the Digital Disk Recorder itself is limited to 20 (or 30) seconds of
video. Later Abekas models may have a higher capacity drive, I'm not sure.
Thanks fro the reply Martin.
Alex
> I don't know but there should be at least one in each major city.
> I know of at least one in Hollywood
Who? Can you me give their name. Thanks
Martin,
I think it's the Post Group. I'll double check.
I spoke to the Post Group today. They do it. I haven't talked with an
account rep yet so I don't know the prices, but the digi-techi say they need
about an hour to dump 900 frames to D1. To get any other type of tape, they'll
have to dub, which is extra.
Martin,
The Post Group told me 6 months ago the price would be about $360 per hour,
which is a good rate for $900 frames to be sure. Although, the Dub to D2 or
BetaSP will be almost certainly necessary. I have good local places with D2
equipment whose prices ($150 per hour for D2 editing/dubbing) are sure to be
better than the Post Groups.
That's very expensive. Pacific Video Resources (in San Francisco), will do
this for $200/hour, and they can dump 1400 frames an hour. I think this is
less than HALF of what your quote from the Post Group is. PVR's phone number
is 415/864/5679, and they do GREAT work.
– G
Gary,
thanks for the tip! I will file that info for future use. Happy 4th of July!
A typical output application might work as follows:
You render a number of difference scenes to disk and preview them via
miscellaneous means to ensure that they are what you intended. If you don't
have disk space for several scenes, they can be layed off to the Exabyte in
either video form (since video information can be appended at will) or in
archive form (using a backup program – you can later restore a scene here or
there for conversion to video via our driver).
You assemble scenes in our driver software. You can specify ranges of files to
be written to tape or previously defined scenes. For example, you might have a
30 frame bumper which you like to put at the front of every tape. These 30
frames can be represented symbolically in just on (excuse me) one line,
followed by the images you want to write to tape.
The assembly process is simply point and click. Cut, copy, paste, all very
simple stuff.
Press a button, and the entire catalog of (perhaps) multiple scenes is written
sequentially to tape.
You can save a record of what went onto the tape in the form of the assembly
list (or in the form of a report which can be generated by our driver).
The tape can then be expressed or dropped off at a service center. They will
convert it to anything you wish. We currently have about 10 service centers
signed up as offering this service. We expect to have many more once the driver
becomes a little more known.
If your client has the appropriate equipment, the tape you produce can be
delivered directly.
PMJI….I've left a message for Gina to call me when she gets back.
Regarding:
<< We currently have about 10 service centers signed up as offering this
service. We expect to have many more once the driver becomes a little more
known.>>
When I talked to her last week she told me you only had a couple soooo I guess
you've been busy.
A. I will be signing up as a dealer to handle your Driver.
B. I need to get that "List" and therefore Pricing.
C. I also need information on best pricing you know available for the Exabyte
drives…(Gina Has Given me Two Vendors names already but wasn't sure about the
"Best" Price quoted)..I'd like to know which tape you found to be the Best
also.
D. Since I'm only about 2hours drive from your location I'd like to set up an
appointment for next week to see what your doing if its convienient.
James M. Murphy
James Murphy Consulting
Green Bay, Wisconsin U.S.A.
A. Welcome aboard.
B. We can provide the names/numbers of those from whom we have signed
permission (to use their name) sheets. The rest (who are likelies)
we'll keep until they become fully documented.
C. We have purchased two drives from a company called Constan (sp?).
The first cost us approximately $2700, the second cost us approximately
$2300. These units also included an external case and powersupply in
the prices quoted.
D. We are gearing up for a tradeshow at the end of next week. While we'd
love to have you visit, if you make it next week we would have to
apologize in advance for not being able to make much time for you.
If you make it after the tradeshow, we can devote more time to you
while you're here.
E. I understand the Packers are regarded highly this year. What's the
scuttlebut from their home town?
"ASDGTechSupport Entity"
Since your getting ready for the Trade show it wouldn't make any sense for us
to be bugging ya. I myself have done mannnny trade shows being in the
Electronics/Computer Industry These many years. I once did (in 1986) two Las
Vegas Shows Back-to-Back 14 Days Straight. The last two days we were wearing
T-shirts, Shorts and Earth Shoes. Got reeeeal tired of cement floors.
Make sure you send me some more brochures when you can spare them on the Abekas
Drivers.
Packers…..Who's that?
James.