#Amiga-> File Xfer?
17 messages in this thread
What are the ways to get massive amounts of data from an Amiga to a Mac.
1) put BBS software on the Mac, dial it up and upload files…
2) put Ethernet Boards in both, and just copy to the mac drive from the
Amiga drive…
3) ???
4) ???
Please don't say, "a ton of floppies formatted with CrossDos and th Mac
dos disk reader program." Time constraints make that impossible.
1) and 2) both are not possible due to the lack of BBS SW on the Mac ent
ENet cards/SW on both machines.
I have a SCSI DAT drive, but I have no idea how to get files on there in a
format that a Mac could read in, or what software on the Mac would
facilitate this. The Mac people have an 88 MB Syquest drive, and about 6
cart's would do it. However, I still don't know how to format the Syq
and/or files so that the Mac can copy them to its HD.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated as it looks like this operation it
going to have to take place several times a year.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Wayne:
Your best solution might be to consider getting an Emplant.
The latest rev of software allows automated batch transfers of entire
directories between the Amiga & Mac partitions. Once the files had been
transferred to the Mac, you could either use AppleTalk, or Remote Access
to transfer the files to other Macs.
Have you considered using one of the many BBS progs for the Amiga, and
then just using something like SmartCom with MacBinary DL's disabled on
the Mac side?
I would guess the DAT idea is undoable, and the 88MB Syquest would
probably have to be formatted for PC-DOS format (have you checked to see
if programs like DOSMounter offer support for PC carts as well as
floppies?)
Have fun…..
Erik Flom
Erik,
The situation is that the studio that wants the files has a Mac and is 12
miles away, so AppleTalk and Ethernets aren't an option at this point.
THe BBS idea, if they could dial in and "log on" to one of my systems and
download sounds the best, but I would have to convince them to get a
modem.
So, with an Emplant is there a way to hook a DAT to an Emplant addressable
SCSI that would allow me to take the dat drive and tape to the studio's
quadra for input? (Not really interested in the SYquest since I don't
have one and their byte/buck doesn't thrill me at the moment).
Thanks for the thoughts. Hope you don't mind my "MacIgnorance".
wmc – via Autopilot!
There are a number of BBS programs, and any Mac comm program like
Microphone or SmartCom will be able to do standard ZModem (or other) file
transfers.
My recommendation would be to archive the files using LHA, transfer them
to the Mac via modem (making sure 'MacBinary file transfer' is disabled on
the Mac), and then have them use 'MacLHA' to unarc the file once on the
Mac. (I got MacLHA from here in the Mac libs)
As for using a DAT drive on an Emplant, I _believe_ that tape drives are
not currently supported, but I've never tried. I seem to remember the tech
support guy saying that it wasn't supported, but that might be only on my
4000…? (It's too bad you sold that MagnetoOptical drive awhile back,
that'd work.)
Your best bet is to probably do the 'modem thing'.
Erik Flom
Erik,
I didn't sell the MO. And I just saw a write-up on something called
MaxDOS that should allow me to format the MO for Mac, write the files and
then bring the media to the edit suite. Only problem is my MO is
internally mounted :^{ On the bright side, I talked them into adding a
modem to the Avid system they are putting in so that I can upload to them
at night when they are closed. Just need an "answer the phone and
receive" program on their end. They want the stuff in numbered pict file
animation frames tho… or even OMF. Gotta check the ADPro stuff to see
whats up…
BTW, Thanks for the help. I may be "tapping you brain" when we get close
to doing it for the first time. (This time we settled for S-VHS to beta
xfer from my JVC BRS-622. Looked O.K. but it was a pain taking my machine
out of my suite and puttin it in theirs just to transfer 28 secs of
animation.)
wmc – via Autopilot!
Is MaxDOS an Amiga program?
Glad to hear they got a modem. Hope it's _at least_ 14.4Kb.
If you're going to be sending the files to them at night, and they _need_
them in PICT format, I would strongly recommend you purchase an EMPLANT
and AppleTalk Remote Access v2.0.
For starters, they shouldn't _need_ PICT files if they have PhotoShop &
DeBabelizer on the Mac, as they will automate the conversion process. (If
they don't do it, you'll have to, and this is the only way I know of.)
Second, ARA is the preferred method of file transfer for the situation
that you're in. While a BBS solution is possible, it will be far more
prone to trouble and operator error (on their end). ARA can be setup by
the most Mac-headed computer user, and is very easy and straightforward to
use. Most importantly, when you use ARA, you effectively gain remota
access to their AppleTalk network….Copying files is just a matter of
dragging them from your Emplant HD into a folder on the remote volume.
(EMPLANT's latest revision allows you to easily move an entire directory
of files over to the Mac from the Amiga in a single operation.)
In the end though, you'll find it's worth the trouble. Keeping your images
in the digital domain will do wonders for the final output quality!
(Oh, BTW…..From past experience, I bet you're going to want to render
with square pixels at a 640×480 pixel resolution too…..That's the format
used by Avid's)
Have Fun!….
Erik Flom
Yes, maxDOS is an amiga program. I've only seen it advertised and written
up in new product announcements. I've not seen it in person.
They want numbered PICT files 648 x 486 (some overscan mode) for ouput vie
Titleman, a seg box that is driven by a quadra. They do have debabelizer,
but again, they do not want to do the work there. They are merely the
post house some of my clients use for online and they prefer electronic
format to keep the image quality up when they output to BetaSP, but they
don't want to do a lot of image processing that ties up the Quadra in the
edit bay.
Thanks for the ARA hint. I'll have to look into it.
Actually I do all work in native Toaster resolutions then use ADPro to
scale and convert to TIFF that we have used in the past. But they prefer
anims in numbered PICT files.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Hmmm, this MaxDOS sounds kind of nice. Is it advertised in VTU?
648×486?!? What are those boys smoking?!? Tell them that 640×480 wil 'be
just fine'. No one's going to notice the missing 1/16", and the time you
save will save them hundreds of dollars.
I _really_ think you'll save lots of time and trouble by rendering at
640×480, but if that's what they want, and they're paying you by the hour,
go for it.
Anyway, good luck with the project. (How many frames total are being
rendered?)
Erik Flom
Erik,
I think it was in the new products section of VTU. It also shows in some
of the mail order house ads.
The post house isn't paying me – thats just where my clients are getting
their projects put together. The overscan requirement is due to a peice
of hardware they have that uses that size. Often we use the last frame of
an anim as a base graphic for a transiton or a built page. At that
resolution, the image off the betaSP tape and the image from thier
TitleMan box line up correctly. Without it, they have to move it around
to get the TitleMan output to line up exactly with the image from the
tape. So as a matter of policy, they just use all images at that
resolution. I have to run at the Toaster resolutions since the clients
come here to preview the product, either to aprove look and motion before
final rendering, or to approve (and pay for) the final rendering before
delivery. If I render and lay to tape at 640 x 480 square pixel, the
images don't look right. And most of these people are the smoozy woozy ad
exec types who don't know a pixel from an axle. I just can't picture
myself saying, "yea it looks wrong here but it will be right when they
render it to tape at your final (expensive) on-line session- trust me.
That'll be $2000 please…"
As for the frame total, (heh,heh you'll love this one) the original
request called for 4 seconds with a six day delivery time. On the third
day the script was completely rewritten, the planned post house graphics
canned in favor of more animation. We ended up with 20 seconds of
animation on the same 6 day schedule. That was two 8 second segments an
one 4 second segment.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Wayne:
Just dug up the info on MaxDOS. Not much about it in VTU, but what they
say sounds interesting!
I'll have to get in touch with those guys. There's supposed to be some
kind of cross-platform filesystem coming from Utilties Unltd., but I'm not
sure if it'll suport hard disks.
As for the job, have you considered rendering at 640×480, and then
resizing for your clients previews. (You could do it while rendering
direct to the PAR.) Rendering at the lower resolution will save you some
time and disk space.
I hope they paid you 5 times the original price, since you had to do 5
times the amount of animation….?
Keep On Toastin'
Erik Flom
Erik,
Well, if I do 640 x 480 I have to resize twice – once up for the preview
(which doesn't thrill me since 'expnading' resolution makes things look
worse usually than 'contracting' the resolution) and once for the post
house. If I do it all in Toaster native mode, I can preview it
directly, then just do one resize for the post house. Also, disk size has
not been a problem since I have a 1 GIG and a .5 GIG that I render to and
rendering in the square pixel res only saves about 8% in time the last
time I checked.
For saving significant time, I always try hi-res no AA as well as medium
res lo AA. They look nearly identical, but I've found a surprising number
of cases where hi-res no anti-a is faster to render than med res lo aa.
wmc – via Autopilot!
WC >>1) put BBS software on the Mac, dial it up and upload files…
How with about regular terminal software?
WC >>The Mac people have an 88 MB Syquest drive, and about 6 cart's would
do it.<<
CrossDOS can be used to format Sysquest cartridges. Can the Mac read a
"PC formatted" Sysquest cart? Page 7-7 of the Workbench 3.0 User's Guide,
gives the CrossDOS mountlist.
Ron. – ("I'm not stupid, I'm not expendable, and I'm not going!"
– quote made by any low level RPG player.)
Ron,
Well, it turned out that the job mulitplied five fold over the weekend and
the Syque route would have even been a no-go.
BTW, where did you come by this 3.0 ADos guide?
wmc – via Autopilot!
WC >>BTW, where did you come by this 3.0 ADos guide?<<
AmigaDOS 2.1 & 3.0 use the same AmigaDOS User's Guide, with special notes
on which commands/utilities are specific to 2.1 or 3.0.
The manual was part of an optional package that I purchased from my Amiga
dealer when I bought my A1200.
I believe it was the 'A1200 Upgrade Kit'. It contained:
– hard drive cable assembly
– screws
– warrenty seal
– two disks (Fonts v3.0, Install 3.0)
– AmigaDOS User's Guide
– Amiga Hard Drive User's Guide
– Amiga ARexx User's Guide
– Errata for the Arexx guide.
– A1200 Approved Hard Disk Drives list
– Software License Agreement
– Disk Replacement Card
—
There is (was) an 'AS217 Documentation Pack' which contained just the
AmigaDOS User's Guide, and the ARexx User's Guide.
Ron. – ("I'm not stupid, I'm not expendable, and I'm not going!"
– quote made by any low level RPG player.)
Wayne,
Get an Emplant, with scsi option.
Get an emplant board!
It has a file transfer option..
(individual files or entire directories)
Alex
Wayne,
What about terminal emulators on both sides? Use the same protocol and
the appropriate send or receive mode on the corresponding side. A null
modem cable will remove the need for modems, and you can probably do
better than 38,000 baud.
DJ