Mediaphile problems
12 messages in this thread
Tom,
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you before now.
I have been putting together this 15 minute video training tape that tries
to cover all subjects beginning "with why is the sky blue …"
I am not through yet (polishing up mostly) but the MediaEditor script is
already 7 typed pages long. I just sent in for my upgrade yesterday.
The program is driving me nuts. I hope the upgrade fixes these problems
that I have been having since I installed the Toaster4000.
1. The program crashes 99% of the time. It either freezes when I'm at some
point switching screens. Ex. going from the EDL screen to the
Configuration Editor. or even when everything seems OK. it crashes when I
exit. The Guru # and Error number are always the same..
Guru 8100 0005 Error # 80000008
2. Using the popup script menus eventually causes a crash. Jim said this
was one of the upgrade fixes.
3. This is one of the most frustrating. Sometimes the program gets to a
line which it doesn't like and just drops out of the process. Now these
are not some wild instruction line. usually just a normal in/out edit
line. And here's the fix to the problem. If I cut the line and then paste
it back down the program will then accept it.
4. The problem above necessitates that I sit and watch the entire process
once it starts because if it drops out while I'm not watching I have to
hunt my tape and EDL to determine where the error occured and where to
pick up the edit again. — Not fun with 30 screens of EDL.
I have a Zeus 68040 in my 2000 but I turn the copyback cache off as I've
heard that it causes problems in some programs. What else to do I don't
know but the crashes are not particularly fun especially when I have to
restart the toaster and Trexx Pro and the TBCIV in addition to
MediaEditor.
Incidentally have you noticed that pressing the Right Amiga key while in
MediaEditor causes the TBCIV to go into the Freeze Video mode ??
This drove me nuts until I realized what was causing it. This happens even
though I have the Mediaphile keyboard disabled. with the Right Amiga Help
key combo.
Well enough complaints,
So how have you been anyway.
Well I see you are a ways away from here. I was going to offer, am
offering anyway , you to come use my place in Lake Tahoe if you want to
try your hand at snow skiing. I have a condo that's about 20 yards from
the ski lift. It's about the only way I can repay for the help you've
given me here. Let me know If you'd like to use it some time. It's about a
1:30 drive from Reno, Nevada.
Take care,
Rocky
I don't know that I can offer you much except to commiserate with some
of your MediaEditor problems. I am running MediaEditor 3.8.4 in an
Amiga 4000/040 with 18 MB of RAM. Only very very rarely does the
program crash.
I am almost always running the Toaster 4000/3.0 software and T-Rexx
simultaneously with MediaEditor. This combination seems very stable.
For example, I am on page 14 of a script filled with A/B rolls and I
don't remember MediaEditor crashing once during this script.
Occasionally when I quit MediaEditor it will cause my A4000 to
"lockup", but this is very rare and occurs only upon quitting
MediaEditor. I have never had a crash using the popup script menus.
As for your item 3, the program getting to a line it doesn't like and
dropping the process, yes I have experienced this numerous times. I have
repeatedly told Jim Rickman about this problem, but he seems unwilling or
unable to do anything about it. You are right, the solution is to simply
cut and paste the line right back. What's puzzling is that there appears
to be nothing wrong with the line, but somehow cutting and pasting it back
solves the problem and the script executes normally through this area.
And, yes, you are absolutely right that because of this problem you cannot
leave MediaEditor unattended. One thing I have noted is that inserting
lines seems to produce this problem with the line immediately following
the insertion point. Like you, I wish that this problem could be fixed
because it would really save a lot of operator time. This problem is not
fixed in V. 3.8.4 (the latest version?).
I haven't noticed that the Right Amiga key while in MediaEditor causes the
TBC IV to go into freeze mode because I don't have my TBC IV's software
controlled. I control them externally through the RC-2000 remote. This
makes for much easier real time processing of the incoming video than
trying to flip between software screens.
I am overwhelmed by your offer on the condo in Lake Tahoe. I was last in
the Tahoe area about 20 years ago (around Emerald Bay). It is a beautiful
area and I envy you much. Maybe some day I can take you up on your offer,
but right now I'm spending too much time working.
Keep me posted on your editing adventures. I'd love to see one of your
finished tapes someday. I hope I live long enough to complete my own
current editing project.
Tom
As another victim..er owner of Mediaphile, I can comiserate with the
problems you two are having, but being as how mediaphile is the only show
in town so to speak, we're stuck with it.. or ARE we.. I have it from a
reliable source that SCALA is experimenting with the idea of creating a
CTRL-L/Ifra-Red module for use with scala for full a-b roll and editing
using the incredible SCALA user interface… Keep your eyes open! 🙂
Vernon Graner
Graner Sound Multimedia Studios, Austin Texas
That's great news about a possible A/B roll system from SCALA. When
this hits the market, I would very much appreciate learning about it
from you. Actually, in spite of MediaPhile's problems, I find it a
very useful program. It is pretty much a matter of learning to work
with MediaPhile's "eccentricities" and accepting the absence of any
real support from InterActive Microsystems.
Speaking of support, I would very much like to thank you for all the
help in setting up ParNet and getting it running. This is a great
piece of software for the two Amiga owner. I sent you a check and
hope you have received it by now. Again, many thanks for your help!
Thomas,
Glad to help with ParNET anytime.. as for Mediaphile, my IR unit has
a VERY limited range, about 1/2 inch or less for semi-reliable
functioning.. does your unit have the same problem?
No, I would be in a real mess if I only had this short a range for my
IR transmitter. My transmitter is setting about 2-3 feet away from
all three of the VCR's that it controls. The transmitter works quite
reliably at this range. Have you check the batteries in your
transmitter lately? My big problem with MediaEditor is the one
already mentioned, i.e. MediaEditor will be tooling along executing
a script when, for no apparent reason, it jumps out of the script and
ceases executing. If you are not watching script execution closely
you will have a tough time finding where MediaEditor jumped out of
the script. When you do find the offending line of script, there are
absolutely no syntex errors or visible problems. However, cuttting
and repasting this line of script magically solves the problem and
the script will execute fine until it hits the next problem spot.
These problem spots always seem to occur right after I have inserted
a line. It is a clear bug in the program, but to date Interactive
Microsystems either have not been willing to correct it or are unable
to correct the problem.
I really enjoyed chatting with you the other night, and again many
thanks for your kind help.
Tom
As for the batteries, I put brand new ones in it and still get only
about 1/2" before it stops controlling my camera. I have a sony CCD
F501 camera and I got it used so I never had a remote for it. I just
used one of the provided Mediaphile IR drivers so maybe I chose the
wrong one. You wouldn't happen to know which one is the right one
would you?
I bought my Mediaphile 2.0S controller about two years ago. At that
time the 2.0S controller came with a Sony remote transmitter on a
stand. The model number of the remote is the Sony RMT-E1S. I have
used this remote reliably as far away as 6 ft from the VCR's. For
all I know, it will work even further away than that. Unfortunately,
the RMT-E1S is, however, not a learning remote. Thus I simply use
the provided IR code files in MediaFiles. So I guess I really can't
help you in picking the right driver for your Sony F501. It seems to
me that if your Sony is like all of my Sony camcorders, it should use
the Sony IR command mode 2 and MEdiaPhile provides several files
using that command code. For example, wouldn'tthe Sony R5UC.VTR2 code
file work?
Thomas,
>>"wouldn'tthe Sony R5UC.VTR2 code file work?"<<
Hmm I dunno, its been so long since I used the bloody thing, I just got so
frustrated with it that I put the whole project on hold till I could come
up with a better way. 🙁 I have about 4 hours of tape I shot on a Canadian
ski trip that I need to edit down, but I just can't bring myself to suffer
through MediaPhile to do it.. :::sigh::: I guess I ought to just get it
over with as this vacatoin footage was from last winter! 🙂 I noticed that
the T-REXX Pro from ASDG has a section for controlling mediaphile, have
you tried that yet?
Vernon Graner
Graner Sound Multimedia Studios, Austin Texas
I have not used T-Rexx command screens to control MediaEditor,
however, I do use T-Rexx Pro to write Arexx scripts for controlling
the Toaster. This makes doing titles, transitions, etc. much much
easier than it used to be! Incidentally, this week while I was away
I received (entirely unsolicited) what ia apparently the newest
version (3.8.6) of MediaEditor and the MediaPhile software. That's
the first time that has happened in the two years that I have been
working with MediaPhile.
That's interesting about your shipment.
I had to send $15.00 for the update along with my original disks.
Keeping with Interactive's high budget, they mailed the disks to me
in a standard weight envelope. The disks looked a little worse for
wear after having been handled by the P.O.'s sorting machine. The
P.O. even sent a comment in the Plastic bag that they repacked them
in as to how other mail was probably damaged because of the improper
packing.
As to usability. I cannot get anything to work with VISCA protocol on
the new version. After spending about 1/2 hour with Jim on the phone
we came to the conclusion that I better just go back to using 3.8.2.
I'm really pretty disgusted. I like Jim. He genuinely tries to assist.
I'm sure it's probably cost prohibitive for a small company like
theirs to try to test each and every VTR on the market. But I think
the packaging is indicative of how small they are. Who in their right
mind would mail a disk in a plain envelope.
I was just hoping for a good upgrade. Now I'm back to 3.8.2
Greetings from another Mediaphile user. I have a suggestion for you
and TOM and other mediaphile users. I won't bet on this, but I was
experiencing the lost edit problem after inserting a line or cutting
or something (they probably have a pointer problem in their linked
list managers internally, or something). I am pretty sure that I got
around this by always saving the script and reloading it right before
I executed it. It's kind of a pain, but it beats the heck out of
having it go south! Plus, if you are experiencing this problem you are
probably already doing the save before you execute. Also, you could
program some Arexx commands in your script to mark your edit script
progress in a log file if this doesn't help out on your system. And
finally, I have successfully edited the scripts in a text editor.
This may or may not be appropriate for some applications, but it can
be done. If I remember correctly (you guys know what state of mind
you are in by the time you get something to finally work!), the
program would always save lines that otherwise might cause this
problem. Brian