-Adam

I promise this post was not merely an excuse for me to vent some of my excitement to the world (though I do want to sing about this camera from the mountain tops). What I wanted to talk about was how the 5D now handles audio (or tries to) with the new 2.0.4 firmware update. As you may or may not already know, one of the largest drawbacks of the new HD DSLR cameras as a video capturing tool is the audio. All the cameras have an onboard microphone which is basically 2 pin holes on the camera body which sound great if you want to listen solely to yourself (the camera operator) breathing. The 5D does offer an 1/8th inch input for audio on the side of the camera…. but if you plug-in an external source to the camera out of the box then you have to deal with the ever dreaded AGC (Auto Gain Control) settings! AGC tends to add a painfully high noise floor to your overall audio track because it is basically always searching for useable sound. AGC is basically like a blind and deaf audio person. I am simplifying and making-light of the situation and I apologize. AGC is looking to constantly and automatically adjust sound levels coming into the camera without ever actually knowing what is about to be heard. So if your source is quite or non-existent, then the camera boosts the levels to try and compensate and hence the lousy noise floor. Conversely, if you have loud distracting noises that could be picked up by the camera, then it will bring the levels way down to pad from them, which could then ruin the properly metered levels that are coming in from your subject.

This sounds horrible right (pun intended)? There are now a few options out there to help combat AGC. I will get to the latest news first because I have been canvassing the Internet for information about AGC on these cameras and I cannot find too many sources that talk about it directly. Canon’s newest firmware update for the 5D Mark ii 2.0.4 essentially overrides the ACG! I say essentially because Canon does not come right out and call this update an AGC override. Their official verbiage regarding the change is that it “Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).” As well all know… if it’s manual, then it ain’t automatic! What this means for you, and me, is that we do not need to go buy an external box (Juiced link DT454 or Beachtek DXA-5DA) or download some open source firmware hack (Magic lantern-which is not even available yet for 2.0.4) in order to override AGC. This is the point in the post where bitter and snarky people who may represent or have already purchased the for-mentioned items start to get angry. I understand that this firmware update is not perfect because you still cannot monitor your audio (either through metering or with headphones) while you are recording. I am not convinced that this will not be a feature of firmware update 2.0.5 or so. I know that I have emailed Canon tactfully about it and suggest you do the same if you care about your HD DSLR audio. I am just glad that I do not need to buy and try to attach another accessory to a camera that I am getting for its ease of use.

Being an editor, I still fear for what things will eventually look like in post. That is why I still recommend dual system sound recording when working in the HD DSLR realm. Not being able to monitor your captured audio real time is a scary reality right now and it is smart to have a backup plan.  My budget-conscious dual system workflow will look like this:

Manually set my audio in camera with an affordable wireless receiver/transmitter (Sennheiser evolution G3 100 series) plugged directly in via the 1/8th inch. Simultaneously recording, and placed as close to my subject as possible, will be an affordable MP3 digital recorder (Zoom H4n). In post-production I will merge the 2 audio sources for comparison and editing using the FCP plug-in called Plural Eyes, which matches the audio from your 2 sources with the click of a few buttons!

To recap: 5D Mark ii has AGC fix now, still use dual system audio, and check out Plural Eyes as well as Dual Eyes (coming out soon).

Lets start at the top. USB 3.0 is billed as having max 5Gb/s with sustained speeds of 480 Mbps. For me though it is all “yet to be seen” since I cannot find a hub controller for Mac. Of course this will eventually come like everything else, but who knows how late to the game Mac will truly be? There are already desktop PC’s that are supporting USB 3.0.

Ok so why would I even mention something that cannot be had yet? That brings us to Black Magic’s new IO the Ultra Studio Pro. This is BM’s answer to the AJA IO HD.  “UltraStudio Pro easily has enough speed for the highest quality uncompressed 10 bit HD video with the maximum possible real time effects! UltraStudio Pro connects to a massive range of video and audio equipment for capture and playback in SD and HD. You get separate connections for 3 Gb/s SDI, HDMI, analog component, composite, s-video, 2 channels of AES/EBU with sample rate converter, 4 channels of XLR analog audio, down converted SD-SDI output, genlock/tri- sync and deck control. Perfect for HDCAM, HD-D5, HDCAM SR, Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, televisions and more!”

Yada, yada, yada…. 895 dollars! That sure beats the 3 K that AJA is fetching. And please do not start with the side by side comparisons because this box has pretty much everything you would need. So why don’t I just go out and marry it you say?!? Wait for it… it uses USB 3.0 rather then firewire. So it cannot be purchased for Mac users today… but I will bet by the time you read this blog, it will be. Moving at the speed of light now a days aren’t we?

This all ties nicely into my third “oh my” moment from NAB 2010. CS5 and more specifically (or broadly) the CS5 Production Premium Package (lets call it the triple P). CS5 was being demoed at NAB as a perfect NLE for the new BM Ultra Studio Pro. The Triple P is expected to start shipping in Mid May so expect your copy around July (maybe sooner). “Production Premium combines Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 (with Adobe OnLocation™ CS5 and Encore® CS5), After Effects CS5, Photoshop® CS5 Extended, Illustrator® CS5, Flash® Catalyst™ CS5, Flash Professional CS5, and Soundbooth® CS5.

Adobe Creative Suite® 5 Production Premium software ups the ante with industry-leading performance thanks to native 64-bit support in After Effects, Photoshop®, and Adobe Premiere Pro, plus the new Adobe Mercury Playback Engine in Adobe Premiere Pro. Expanded tapeless and DSLR camera support means you can work natively with pristine-quality footage without transcoding or rewrapping. Rotoscope quickly in After Effects, get to rough cuts faster with Adobe Story — part of new Adobe CS Live online services — and collaborate easily with other CS Live services.”

If you are like me, you may have just glossed over the set of quotes above. Basically CS5 claims to be very  fast, powerfuln and robust. A great everyday NLE that you can now actually use in complex ways. I got to test out Premier a bit at NAB and I was nothing short of blown away. Being an Avid guy turned FCP guy, I may have found a new love. The interface looked to me like the best of all worlds. I could move around and start cutting like a real boy within half an hour. I was surprised to see that the new Mercury playback engine seemed to actually work! I was editing native DSLR footage without rendering, placing effects on my clips, all while outputting full screen in good quality, without dropping frames! Also the transcription software seems to be very promising. The proof will be in the pudding I am sure. Bottom line though is that I continue to work daily with AE so anything that makes my workflow more seamless is welcomed with open arms.

To recap, I am dropping apple like a bad habit! Haha no but seriously that is not possible. I will continue to use FCP on my Quad Core everyday, but it does make you start to think. I hope to write again soon about how much I love all three things that I just discussed here today. Hopefully someone will provide me with a Mac Pro PCI card for USB 3.0 soon. Although I will not have the advantage of the electrical power that USB 3.0 inherently carries in a PC configuration.

Only time will tell….

According to MSG.com

“MSG, a leader in delivering state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology to viewers, announced today that it will telecast the March 24 Rangers-Islanders matchup from Madison Square Garden in 3D, the first network hockey telecast ever produced in 3D. MSG will also be the first network in America to offer home viewers a live 3D sports telecast. In 1998, MSG was the first regular provider of sports coverage in high-definition television, producing all Knicks and Rangers home games in that emerging format.”

“The game will be shot using 3ality Digital’s image-capturing technology, which integrates with existing broadcast equipment for pixel-perfect 3D imagery. 3ality Digital, which has more than a decade’s worth of development work behind its systems, has been the technology of choice behind a number of recent 3D sports productions, including BSkyB’s January Premiere League Soccer broadcast, the first live 3D broadcasts of NFL and college football games shown in theaters, and the 2010 Sony Open golf tournament. Gamecreek Video will provide a separate high-definition mobile video production unit for the game, working with 3ality Digital camera rigs and image processing systems. In the Theater at Madison Square Garden, RealD’s 3D stereoscopic Cinema Processing System will enable the audience to view the game in 3D via eyewear, screen and filtering technology. A provider of advanced 3DTV-capable technology, Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company collaborating with MSG on the telecast, supplied NetVX ^TM encoders and signal processing equipment that will be used to ensure synchronous transport of the 3DTV signals from Madison Square Garden to the network operations center.”

I will be attending NAB next month with my colleagues from DGA Productions. I have made arrangements to spend some time at the 3ality Digital booth and learn what I can from them about their products and what their demands have been like. Much like HD, sports is the perfect arena to showcase how vibrant of an experience 3D can be. Who knows what sort of future 3D will have in the broadcast market, what we do know is that innovation is inevitable, and there is no turning back.