#Exabyte to Abakas
14 messages in this thread
True. There was a software upgrade that allows Abekas A60 series DDRs to read
.tga files directly. The disadvantage is there is no color checking, and I
think D1 reads YUV info, but I'm not sure. It's definitely wiser to convert to
YUV, in my opinion.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
John – Just to play the devil's advocate (a roll I sometimes enjoy <G>), it
seems to me that once you get it on the Abekas the internal encoder converts it
to YUV which can then go to Beta SP or D1. The other point is that before R3
there was no color checking and many of us were outputing our TGA's to
everything from half-inch SVHS, to BetaSP, to CRV, to 1" with the appropriate
visual and WFM/VS checking with apparently good result. Now that R3 does color
checking why not just write the files out to an Exabyte and go for it?
Personally, if this is do-able, aside from the savings on the ASDG driver which
is really no big deal, I like the idea of having my files in TGA format so that
I can do my tests to NTSC and then send them out to the Abekas. I have no way
of knowing at this point what the effect of the conversion process is going to
be before it goes out to the Abekas, ie: no way to video test and see the NTSC
result. Am I supposed to believe that the Targa images are going to look better
after being processed? Or just that going digital all the way is going to look
better than the best I can currently do with Beta SP? -JE
In order to hook directly on to the Abekas you need to be able to provide an
Exabyte compatible 8mm data cartridge with raw data on it. The Exabyte is the
only tape drive you can directly hood up to the SCSI II prot, and the Abekas,
from what I understand, wants only raw image data. Although you're probably
right about the tga to yuv conversion, delivering the images in targa format
means you will pay at LEAST 4 cents more per frame, because it'll have to go
through ethernet via a computer network onto the Abekas, instead of directly
from Exabyte 85xx to Abekas.
I think the images look better after conversion, but you're probably right
about the digital format just kicking but over my previews. But I end up on
Beta SP, so the digital thing only goes so far in my case. I haven't had a
client request D1 yet (since I just started the buisness this year, and getting
clients this summer, that's no big surprise), but I think the job I'm bidding
on now may go D1.
As far as "just writing out to Exabyte", how do you plan on doing this? I don't
know of any other software that will write raw image data to Exabyte. I'm sure
it's no big deal for somebody like Gus to find out what the Abekas will read
and write an Exabyte driver for it, but I wouldn't have the foggiest, and the
only solution right now for minimum per frame charge and maximum quality is the
ASDG driver. Everyone I know who's uses them agrees.
Cheers,
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
Thanks John, you've definitely clarified some points. Awhile back someone
mentioned a driver which made the Exabyte look like a hard drive. Did you catch
that thread, "Exabyte WOW!" I don't have the name of the company, if you've got
it, I'd like to follow up. Anyway I was assuming that you could transfer TGAs
in this way to the Exabyte and that since the Abekas could read TGAs, all you
would have to do is transfer them off the tape to the Abekas. How the Abekas
reads TGAs off the tape I don't know and the tape would obviously be formatted
for a DOS OS which may be why it won't work. -JE
John:
No, using the the software to make the Exabyte appear as another drive on a PC
renders the data useless on any other machine.
Great theory, though!
Greg Pyros
Thanks Greg, somehow it doesn't suprise me. <g> Say, don't keep that book and
CD-ROM you're working on a secret eh, I'm looking forward to it 🙂
-JE
John:
>> Say, don't keep that book and CD-ROM you're working on a secret eh, I'm
>> looking forward to it.
Me? Keep a project like this a secret? Naaaaa….
We are all in the last painful weeks of writing, late nights, colds, flu,
agony, marital problems, etc. Lots of fun!
According to the Publisher, New Riders, "Inside 3D Studio" will still be
shipping at the end of January. I wish them luck! <g>
Greg Pyros
Greg:
>> We are all in the last painful weeks of writing, late nights, colds, flu…
<<
'Tis the Season to be Jolly… ' Ba Humbug! (Just kidding)
Hope all works out, like the old saying goes "When it rains, it pours!". And
the last thing we need in our diets is more salt. <G>
-JE
John:
>> I don't know of any other software that will write raw image data to
>> Exabyte.
You may have missed my posting 'way back when this issue first came up, but
the Abekas, being a UNIX based machine, just reads a simple 'tar' archive
file. ASDG got real mad at me when I mentioned that you could do the color
checking in R3 and write your files out to Targa, then use one of the many
public domain PC-tar programs to go the the Exabyte (GO UNIXFORUM). They
haven't answered any of my questions since!
The Exabyte formats it's data the same way for PC and UNIX environments. You
could even do this as a line in Video Post to just append the file most
recently saved to the end of the tar file on the Exabyte, and delete the file
from your PC to save the space.
If you don't let 3DS do the color checking, the image may go outside 'NTSC
legal', but Gary & co. have done a very good job making sure that it works
properly.
Greg Pyros
Greg,
>>The Exabyte formats it's data the same way for PC and UNIX environments. You
>>could even do this as a line in Video Post to just append the file most
>>recently saved to the end of the tar file on the Exabyte, and delete the file
>>from your PC to save the space.
Does this mean one can use the inexpensive Exabyte – the one that doesn't do
the fast random seek (hence making it unusable to ASDG software)?
Thanks
Martin
As long as the cheaper drive's info can be read by a newer 85xx model it should
be no problem. And I'm quite positive the newer versions are retro compatible,
but not vice versa. I still recommend the ASDG method, since it allows you
greater ease and speed in compiling queues for transfer to tape, and you can do
previews from hd and tape. It's worth the $400, and I'm not sure but I think
you CAN use the 82xx, it's just not recommended.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
John, I have been doing some research on this subject since our latest Gamma
thread and I found documentation that the NTSC legal colors envelope for D1
component will encompass the entire RGB spectrum. However, the reverse is not
true, ie the complete RGB spectrum can generate some colors which will result
in NTSC illegal colors for non 4:2:2 digital recording process. In other words
an RGB of 255,255,0 would be illegal in NTSC analog but legal when output to
D1. My source on this is from Hewlett – Packard.
Wow, thanks for the new info. I guess it's another illustration of the wider
color bandwidth in D1. It'll go into the article.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
Don – I believe that's why Gary and Co. incorporated Video Color Check in
R3. Or did you have another reason for mentioning this? -JE