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8.5 Settings - Merging Technologies

1. By TimeCode in any media folder Any Media with overlapping TimeCode e With various options Ignore characters after finding ignores the rest of the string after a given substring is found Ignore File Extension ignores any characters after the last dot e Match only first characters ignores all characters after a given number of them e Search In allows the choice of which Media Folder to search in e Search sub folders When checked sub folders are searched Match Options Offers options for the matching algorithm Match exactly both strings must be identical e Match only minimum common available characters Take0001 new 01 will match with Take0001 e Original contains new Media Take0001 will match with 0001 New Media contains Original 0001 will match with Take0001 e Case insensitive TAKE0001 will match with Take0001 132 AMERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming vcCube Ignore characters if for instance _ are specified then 12 A 0001 will match with 12 A_0001 Ignore TimeCodes no checks are made on Original TimeCodes timestamps This allows media with erroneous lost timestamps to be replaced with the correct ones or vice versa Other Options Extend Edits to more tracks When conforming a clip referencing multiple tracks to a clip referencing a mono media file adds a new clip with the same fades etc for all of these tracks as well Note In the case of multiple passes for the conform operation this funct
2. The RS 422 configurator switch must be set to To Machine if you use this port This port is named COM3 in settings specific panel This port is named COM2 in settings specific panel for early VCubes featuring an ASUS mother board The RS 232 port is named COM1 Internal Machine 00 00 00 00 fH 00 00 00 00 sesh Ea 00 00 00 00 SS 00 00 00 06 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 Sony 9 Pin 00 00 00 00 FMB 000000 a es Eel a 00 00 00 00 Foooc eo E LA eee From the VCube you can control from the VCube keyboard the transport of the Sony 9 pin compatible device while the VCube is chasing it 187 lA IVIERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 6 Remote Control VCube with a Sony 9 pin Controller VCube can be remote controlled by a Sony 9 pin compatible device In Settings Formats amp Sync configure the control panel as below Sony 9 pin Remote control must also be set as below By default the Serial Port should be set to COMB This port is named CON2 in settings specific panel for early VCubes featuring an ASUS mother board Stop empties audio buffers Pause keeps audio data in buffers Port COM Settings The RS 422 configurator switch must be set to From Controller if you use this port In this configuration Video and Audio References can be used or not 188 A MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 7 Synchronizing VCube to a Sony 9 pin Chase Synchronizer VCube can chase a Sony 9 pin Chase Sy
3. File Menu Import Composition Create New or Alt O gt Composition Path 1 Browse and select a folder 2 Double click on the desired Composition name in the list To open a Media File in current Composition Files Media Files or Ctrl Shift O gt File Path 1 Browse and select a folder 2 Double click on the Media File s name in the list The Media File will be added as a Clip on a new Layer in the first track at current TimeCode To open a Media File in a new Composition Files Media Files or Ctrl Shift O gt Media Files Path 1 Click on the File Path button to open a browser window Browse and select the folder containing the required Media File s 2 Double click on the Media File s name in the list The Media File will be added as a Clip on the first track at current TimeCode 3 Easy Load Shift L can also be used to create a new Composition with settings matching the selected Media File properties If a Composition is already open it will be closed To set video format and synchronization Quick SD Settings Alt F5 or Quick HD Settings F6 must be used for standard video formats Show transport Panel T 1 Select the TC Source LTC VITC or EXT for Sony 9 pin All including Auto must be disabled if Virtual Transport is the chase TC source 2 Enable Chasing if needed Ctrl F1 A When the Video Card I O Shift Alt P plug in is enabled the Quick Settings for video format a
4. The Countdown amp Wipe section allows to automatically create a countdown before the mark in if Auto Countdown on Mark In is engaged A wipe from mark in to mark out is generated when Auto Wipe between Marks is enabled Dedicated settings are available from the settings button of this section A Note that no specific Wipe or Countdown clips are visible in the Timeline when using Auto function for Wipe or Countdown clips 79 A MERGING VCube A Settings TC Enable Ext TC Enable TC Pos amp Size TC Color TC Transparency Enable Mask Enable Mask Size Deinterleave Video Frame Safe Area Lock Editing WaterMark Enable Copyright Position Watermark Color Media Path Link to Composition Path Auto Wipe amp Auto Countdown Audio Sampling Rate Video Size Field Order Pixel Aspect Ratio Composition FrameRate Saved in Composition lt x KK lt x KK KK OK OX gt x lt x X OK X X OK x lt x lt Xx X Xx 8 Control Pages This tab shows which settings are reloaded systematically with the Composition overriding current settings With the Load Selective feature it is also possible to reload a workspace a shortcut list from another Composition A IVIERGING 80 8 Control Pages vcCube ry F 8 5 7 Disk amp Network Cache Buffers Show Disk amp Playback Buffer Settings Ctrl Shift P Disk amp Network Cache Buffers Number of Frames list allows you to choose the ide
5. e When using the Mykerinos card Audio Option Sampling rate is determined in Settings Formats amp Synchro gt Audio gt Sampling Rate e When using the SDI Optional SDI card embedded audio or AES audio of the Video card the sampling rate is 48000 Hz A Audio from the Video Card and audio from the Mykerinos card cannot be recorded at the same time Audio inputs can only be monitored on the outputs of the corresponding card obot 12 0004 01 00 12 19 00 00 03 20 After Capture is a combo dialog box where you can choose a destination for captured media from the following None Incurrent Composition send Clips at original TimeCode Clip name Time Stamp Length number of Drop outs if any occur and Path are automatically generated by VCube Current recorded Clip is highlighted in red You can choose before or after capture what happens after capture If an In current Composition option is selected and no track is selected in the Timeline a new track featuring the recorded media will be created A Note that you need to deactivate Enable Capture to see the captured media in the Timeline except for After Capture None The previous screen shot may vary according the video card model or settings red and the audio option presence on the 100 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube machine blue amp green A With the SDI video card option The track arming for embedded SDI audio is onl
6. r MMC i Positional Reference Serial Time Code Link m 9 Pin 00 00 00 00 Video Format PaL A i Sync 00 00 00 00 vso oO 0 00 semitones cents Locked Speed Cal Y Time Code Settings Generator Freewheel Pull Up Down _ Using USD O None Audio Rate Pull Up Down 5 me _ MTC To Port Q 8 frames Video Rate Pull Up Down none i O Jam Sync None is Time Code Reader Offset 0 samples Peripherals Machine Control MIDI Controllers Ethernet Controllers Mic Preamps Device Port USD DigiSerial Port E Minimum Sync Delay 15 Frames Enable Control Of Pro Tools Via MMC Ip i USD Setup _ Enable USD Setup Enable Dub Window Size ig Vertical Position Horizontal Position Update USD Firmware p Color irs 278 AMERGING 19 Appendices vcCube Peripherals Synchronization Machine Control MIDI Controllers Ethernet Controllers Mic Preamps MIDI Machine Control Send to ID o Enable none 4 Re Preroll frames 9 Pin Serial Port Machine Type Node wv Enable U2818111 i Sony9 Pin E Pro Tools Preroll 15 frames m Use Serial Time Code For Positional Reference Requires USD or SYNC I O Using Video Clock Reference 9 Pin Remote Port Machine ID C Enable None Te fevw 75 NTS M Chase ttc Coe gt e Min sync delay should be as small as possible works with 15 on mixplus e Enable machine control Select the good K
7. the P frame is encoded as an frame Then the encoder starts a new GOP VCSD is the abbreviation for Visual Content Scene Detection which is a better way of doing scene detection At first the VCSD is carried out l e the analysis of the frames and then the GOP planning It will yield a slightly slower encoding Closed GOP every This value specifies how often the GOPs should be closed and is only of importance if there are B frames present in the GOPs A value of 0 means do not close any of the GOPs a value of 1 means close every GOP and a value of 2 means close every other GOP etc If a GOP is closed it can be decoded by itself If a GOP is not closed the first few B frames of the GOP will be dependent on the last P frame of the previous GOP and cannot be decoded correctly without decoding the previous GOP first When a GOP is closed the first few frames of a GOP are encoded so they only depend on the frame in the GOP the previous GOP is not required This can be useful for setting chapter points so a player can jump to these GOPs and can start decoding immediately without having to read the previous GOP or discarding the first few B frames Bitrate type Constant bitrate CBR Fixed bitrate the relevant input prompt will be enabled if selected Variable bitrate VBR The minimum and maximum values define the bitrate range the encoder should stay within while encoding The average value is the desired average bitrate of the vi
8. 8 Control Pages Conirol Pages allow you to adjust parameters of the VCube working environment These Pages can also be accessed via Menus Even in Simple Full Screen or Floating modes all VCube s functions can be accessed with a Right Click on the preview area VCube 1 3 0 Untitled Composition File Edit Zoom Locators Goto Transport Overlay Settings User Interface Help Note that F2 toggles Control Pages F3 toggles Preview Full Screen F4 makes the Preview window float and hides the User Interface except for the broken away windows e F1 accesses the electronic version of this manual TopMost must be unchecked in Settings User Interface gt Display or Ctrl Shift Alt P to allow the help window to be displayed HOME END steps through the different pages Page UP DOWN steps through the different folders in each page 25 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 Files Files page allows you to manage the media files and VCube Compositions you re working on F6 From the File menu the Import sub menu allows to reach e xChange Manager Shift O witch is a specific window displaying properties of all media files used in a Composition e Media Ctrl Shift O witch is a specific window allowing to import a new media file into the current Composition or creating a new Composiytion from the imported media file Composition Create New Alt O allows to import a OMF AAF or Apple XML Composition int
9. 9 Recording and Editing VCube Shift range selection will select all Clips partially or totally included in this range To select many Clips Shift Click must be used e RETURN set the range from the beginning of the first selected Clip to the end of the last one e Ctrl ENTER selects the range content e Ctrl Click Down selects whole Clips You can delete the selection with Suppr A track is selected since one of its Layers is selected If no clip is selected the layer is selected To delete a Layer use Ctrl Suppr e Double click on the range tray will set the range from the beginning of the Composition to the end Double click on the time ruler acts as zoom all and deselect selected Clip s Selected Clips can be grouped with Ctrl G A letter G will appear on the grouped Clips in the Timeline A Double click on a grouped Clip will display information about this group e Use Ctrl U to ungroup Clips A VCube uses a multi level grouping logic The same clip can belong to many groups and a group can be made from group and clip The ungroup command Ctrl U only cancels the last created level of group A multi grouped clip has to be ungrouped as many times as it has been grouped in order to be totally ungrouped Group numbers are displayed inside the clips in the Timeline A group including a video clip is constrained to a one frame grid Zoom To control the zoom level use Alt Mouse wheel or Alt C
10. Ctrl DOWN A Clip remaining from a group on deleted Layer s is no longer included in remaining groups Ungroup Ctrl U allows you to break links between grouped Clips Cut Copies the selected item to the Clipboard and removes it from its current position Ctrl X Cut amp Ripple copies the selected item to the Clipboard and removes it from its current position It also moves all subsequent track content to the left earlier on the Timeline by an amount corresponding to the duration of the removed Clip Ctrl Shift X Copy saves the selected Clip to the Clipboard Ctrl C 54 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Paste copies the Clipboard content into the selected track at the current TimeCode location Ctrl V Paste amp Ripple copies the Clipboard content into the selected track at the current TimeCode location It also moves items on the right side of the Timeline to the right later by an amount corresponding to the duration of the inserted Clip Ctrl Shift V If no Layer is selected a new Layer will be created If Clipboard content includes both video and audio both video and audio Layers have to be selected when no additional layers are needed Paste at Previous TimeCode pastes the Clipboard content at its last TimeCode corresponding to its last TimeCode in the Composition Ctrl M Delete Selected removes the selected item from the Timeline with no effect on the remaining Clips DELETE 55 A MERGING 8
11. Enable Sequence Display Extension If set to 1 sequence display extension headers are placed in the video stream after the sequence extension headers If set to 0 the Video format Color Primaries Transfer characteristics Matrix coefficients and Display Size settings are not used or present in the video stream Some SVCD players can have problems if sequence display extensions are present for DVD the sequence display extension may or may not be present See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Video Format This setting is just a flag in the bitstream to inform the decoder how the pictures were represented before encoding If the sequence display header is not present the decoder will assume Unspecified video format This setting does not affect the encoding process at all It is part of the sequence display extension and is only used when the Sequence display extension setting is 1 See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Color Primaries This field specifies the x y chromaticity coordinates of the source picture primaries It is strictly an informative flag to the video decoder and does not affect the video encoding at all DVD specifies a value of 2 ITU R BT 470 2 System M or 4 SMTPE 170M for NTSC or 3 ITU R BT 470 2 System B G for PAL See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Transfer Characteristics This field specifies the opto electronic transfer characteristics of the source p
12. Ext Ctrl DELETE Ctrl T Ctrl G Ctrl U Ctrl Alt U Ctrl K Ctrl Shift K Ctrl Shift T Ctrl Alt T Ctrl Shift N Shift T Alt T Ext Ctrl LEFT Ext Ctrl RIGHT Ext Ctrl UP Ext Ctrl DOWN Ext Shift LEFT Ext Shift RIGHT Ext Shift UP Ext Shift DOWN Ext Ctrl Shift UP Ext Ctrl Shift DOWN Ctrl RETURN Ext UP Ext DOWN Shift A Ctrl A ESCAPE Alt 3 Alt 4 243 vcCube Zoom All Zoom Undo Locators Set mark In Set mark Out Set Mark I O From Selection Go to In Go to Out Set Locator Set Locator at Cursor Go to Locator Go to Previous Locator Go to Next Locator Add Auto Create Locators All Layers Auto Create Locators on Selected Layer Auto Create Locators on Selected Layer Add Go to Goto Composition Start Goto Composition End Go to In Go to Out Go to Locator Go to Previous Locator Go to Next Locator Goto Next Edit Goto Previous Edit GoToTC Goto Foot Step Step Forward 1 frame Step Forward 1 second Step Forward 10 seconds Step Forward 1 minute Step Backward 1 frame Step Backward 1 second Step Backward 10 seconds Step Backward 1 minute Transport Show Hide Transport Frame AMVMERGING 19 Appendices Alt 1 Alt 2 NUMPAD 7 NUMPAD 8 RETURN NUMPAD 4 NUMPAD 5 NUMPAD 9 Ext DIVIDE NUMPAD 6 SUBTRACT ADD Ctrl Alt NUMPAD 9 Alt NUMPAD 9 Ctrl NUMPAD 9 Ctrl NUMPAD 0
13. Supported Video Codec Video Codec Playback Capture YUY2 4 2 2 16 bits X X YUYVY 4 2 2 16 bits X 24 bits 8 bits per Channel X 30 bits 10 bits per Channel 32 bits 8 bits per Channel ROBA 40 bits 10 bits per Channel MJPEG AVID MJPEG AYRn OMF DY DV25 DV50 DYCPro DVCPRO HD Compressed All VFVV Codec include MPG2 MPG4 QuickTime Codecs QT Sorenson Video 1 SVQ1 QT Sorenson Video 3 SVQ3 Windows Media Video H 261 H 263 YUV Uncompressed RGB x lt O XxX X x K KOX KK OKO For DV video in QuickTime files we recommend using standard sizes like 720x576 for PAL in order to use the Windows DV codec which is better optimized than the QuickTime DV codec The Windows DV codec doesn t support non standard sizes A Note that VCube is currently supplied with DV and MJPEG codecs DVCPRO is available as an option MJPEG Compression MJPEG Quality Average Compression Ratio 100 2 4 99 5 5 98 6 4 97 7 96 7 4 95 8 4 94 9 93 9 8 92 10 5 91 10 9 90 11 3 85 13 5 262 AMVMERGING 15 5 17 18 4 21 19 Appendices A MERGING 263 VCube 19 Appendices Supported Files All standard Video CODECs for Windows are supported A still image file such as JPEG or BMP is imported as a 5 seconds Clip in the Timeline You can of course adjust its duration with the Clip handles in the Timeline Supported File Extensions cube avi gen omf om mov qt omp Jpg jpeg tif ti
14. z e M Cube ai A s 12 A Y Merging Technologies 2008 Table of Contents vcCube Table of Contents Welcome 1 What s New in VCube 2 2 VCube Overview 5 How to Update 6 VCube User Interface 7 Tool and Transport Bars 11 Tool Bar 12 Transport Bar 16 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats 19 Quick Settings for SD 21 Quick Settings for HD 23 Control Pages 25 Files 26 VCube Compositions 29 OMF Compositions 32 AAF and Apple XML Compositions 34 Media Files 36 Import Composition and Export Changes 38 Import Layer 39 Convert Still Images 40 Locators 42 View 44 Clips Information 45 Shortcuts 49 Workspace 50 A IVIERGING vCube Edit Main Clips Layers Tracks Settings Presets Formats amp Synchro Video I O Xena LS Plug in Xena LH Plug in Xena 2 Plug in Overlay Preview Composition Disk amp Network Cache Buffers User Interface Isis Encryption Media Settings Timeline Video Engine Output View Script View Recording and Editing Recording Editing Timeline Editing Functions Layer Controls AMVMERGING Table of Contents 52 53 54 56 58 59 60 62 67 68 70 72 74 76 78 81 82 83 84 90 91 92 93 95 96 97 103 104 106 110 VCube Motion Rectangles PiP Selections and Groups Watermark and Text Watermark Text Clip Utility Clips Countdown Clip Wipe Clip Video Test Patern Clip Audio Tone Clip Conforming and Reconforming Convers
15. 15 2 2 Specific Control Panels When using the USB Sync Board many control panels are changing to reflect particular settings for this board Quick SD HD Settings Quick SD settings Formats amp Sync 177 AMERGING vcCube Sync Status Formats amp Sync Mode ne Control i Remote Control Sl er Frame gration Graphic Card Delay Compensat Delay Comper Sync Status Referenc External 15 Synchronization 178 15 Synchronization vcCube What is allowed by the Sync Board Normal Mode Regular VCube with Mykerinos e VCube is always Clock Master e VCube can Chase on LTC Mykerinos e VCube can Chase on Sony 9 Pin Machine Mykerinos VCube can Follow VT Bi Phase USB Sync Board VCube SE with AJA Card and with USB Sync card Clock Master ON e VCube can Chase on LTC USB Sync Board e VCube can Chase on Sony 9 Pin Machine USB Sync Board e VCube can Follow VT PyraCube Setup Bi Phase USB Sync Board To Help setting up VCube in SE Mode know will perform a certain amount of task automatically When enabling Follow VT mode VCube disable the VT TC Master and vice versa When enabling Chase VCube will enable VCube as VT Clock Master When enabling AJA Card or Starting with AJA card enabled VCube will enable VCube as VT Clock Master if no Pyramix is detected running on the VT instance on the same computer and disable it if Pyramix is r
16. 30 or 25 frames per second HDV is an MPEG 2 format which can store high resolution HD video footage on a normal DV tape HDV HD2 1080 1080i has been developed along with the HDV format 720p and it is not quite certain yet which of the two standards will establish itself in the end HD2 has a resolution of 1440x1080 pixels interlaced field based and is always displayed in 16 9 Depending on the video standard 1080i uses 50 or 60 frames per second HDV is an MPEG 2 format which can store high resolution HD video footage on a normal DV tape ATSC This is the abbreviation for Advanced Television Systems Committee the name of the group who originated the standard for digital television in the USA ATSC offers norm specifications for high definition digital television HDTV as well as for normal standard digital television SDTV in MPEG format It supports resolutions such as 720p and 1080i The i stands for interlaced field based and the p for progressive frame based D10 Is a professional video format using a frame every picture No GOP with a constant bitrate XDCAM IMX Is the Sony version of the D10 Embedded AC3 audio isn t supported by VCube for this format XDCAM HD Is the HD version of the XDCAM IMX It uses GOP to fit into almost the same bitrate as SD Embedded AC3 audio isn t supported by VCube for this format A e Inconsistent settings are highlighted in red in the MPEG settings summary Render setting
17. F3 toggles Preview Full Screen e F4 makes Preview window float and hides User Interface except for the broken away windows e F1 accesses the electronic version of this manual TopMost must be unchecked in Settings User Interface gt Display or Ctrl Shift Alt P to allow the help window to be displayed HOME END steps through the different pages Page UP DOWN steps through the different folders 52 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 4 1 Main EH Main Edit is the tool palette when you are editing in the Timeline Ctrl D Undo cancels the last action in the Timeline Ctrl Z Redo restores the last undone action in the Timeline Ctrl Shift Z 53 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 4 2 Clips E Clips shows tools for Clip editing Shift D Group allows you to associate Clips in the Timeline Select desired Clips with Shift Click as usual in Windows then use Ctrl G to group the selection Groups can be made from Groups and Clips A Note that a video Clip with embedded audio will appear in the Timeline as a Group with one video Layer and one audio Layer Such a Group containing at least one audio Layer can only be moved horizontally in the Timeline until the grouped Clips have been ungrouped Ctrl U e If the order of video clips has to be changed vertically for preview Nudge Up Down Layer must be used Select the desired video Layer s then use Ctrl UP
18. Please see Reconform Using Pyramix with an Existing Change EDL below Where there is no existing Change EDL there are two possibilites For users with Pyramix and access to both the original and modified video EDLs Pyramix can load the original picture Version if not already part of the project plus the new picture Version2 and generate the necessary changes from these For users running VCube as well as Pyramix VCube can be used to generate a Change EDL from the original Version1 and revised Version2 EDLs Reconforming with an Existing Change EDL The Reconform function allows picture edit changes to be applied to a project by loading a so called Change EDL The Reconform function rearranges Cues within the current project where necessary to reflect the change from State 1 to State 2 by creating edits on all tracks of the project using the original material as sources and placing them to the new destination TimeCodes Step 1 With the Pyramix project you wish to conform open in Pyramix select Project gt Reconform gt Load Change EDL amp Reconform Opens the Reconform dialog This Warning gives good advice It is good operational practice to retain the old Project Version 1 in this case and to reconform a copy saving this copy with a suitable filename matching the new Video composition version Assuming you have already done this click on OK to close the dialog A file Open Browser Window opens Now if necessa
19. Problem Your VCube is controlled by a Pyramix through the Virtual Transport protocol The transport controls on the Pyramix are actually transmitted to the VCube But you experiment with some shifting when you re using a jog command on the Pyramix VCube is not frame accurate Solution In the VCube application press T to display the Internal Machine panel LTC VITC and EXT TimeCode Sources for chasing should be disabled Then the Virtual Transport protocol becomes the default source for the TimeCode to chase Enable Chase on the Internal Machine panel Now VCube is frame accurate when you are jogging in Pyramix 233 A MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 18 5 5 The Sony 9 pin Can t Control VCube Problem The RS 422 configurator is set to From Controller In Settings Format amp Synchro gt Synchronization TimeCode from and to External the Sony 9 pin Remote Control is enabled and correctly set to COM3 RS 422 connector but VCube doesn t respond to all commands This port is named COM2 in settings specific panel for early VCubes featuring an ASUS mother board Solution Be sure that the RS 422 configurator switch is set to From Controller if you use this port In Settings Format amp Synchro gt Synchronization TimeCode from and to External activate the debug Log This feature displays all incoming commands or requests from the external controller It s a powerful tool to analyze and remedy incorrect co
20. Shift Alt P Alt K Ctrl F4 F5 Alt F1 Alt F3 T F11 F12 245 VCube Page Previous Page Next Page Show Files Page Show Locators Page Show View Page Show Edit Page Show Settings Page Folder Show Prior Folder Show Next Folder File Show VCube Files Show OMF Import Show Media Files View Show Clip Info Show Shortcuts Show Workspaces Edit Show Edit Main Show Clip Edit Show Layer Edit Show Track Edit Settings Show Settings Preset Show Format amp Synchro Settings Show Video I O Show Overlay Settings Show Preview Settings Show Composition Settings Show Disk Cache amp Playback Buffer Settings Show User Interface Settings System Show Windows Display Settings Dialog Show Virtual Transport Mykerinos Show Mykerinos I O Mykerinos Settings Output A MERGING 19 Appendices Ext HOME Ext END F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 Ext PRIOR Ext NEXT Ctrl O Shift O Ctrl Shift O Ctrl W Shift W Alt W Ctrl D Shift D Alt D Ctrl Shift D P Alt P Shift Alt P Ctrl P Ctrl Alt P Shift P Ctrl Shift P Ctrl Shift Alt P Alt V Alt I 246 VCube Show Output Page Show System Output Show Buffers Output Show Playback Infos Output Show Sync Status Output Show Playback Monitor Output Script Show Script Page Toggle Fullscreen Preview Toggle Floating Window Toggle Show Hide Settings Show Shortc
21. Shift Fields allows users to have a different field order for preview or video graphic card output and Composition Page Flipping cancels split artifacts in slow progressive mode Depending of the graphic card model this function must be enabled or not to allow a correct refreshing of the preview area Size shows the size of the current image area on the computer screen Width and Height are not editable They depend on the User Interface settings Show video Frame displays edges of the scan format l e the total area of the video format Show Safe Area displays the final consumer view on a regular TV Overscan limits or safe area 76 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Color settings are only applied to the preview screen number 1 graphic card They don t affect the video output The default values are set by Double clicking on the corresponding slider In advanced mode vertical and horizontal splitters can be adjusted A Double Click resets their position to default values corresponding to the composition format 77 AMERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 6 Composition Composition gathers together all information about Synchronization and Formats settings used for the current Project Shift P Composition Lock Editing prevents unwanted modifications in the Composition It includes each and every setting except the locators The lock unlock button is only available when the Composition is unprotec
22. This displays the number of missing frames for the optional video output A zero value indicates a correct setting of Disk Cache and Playback Buffers Current TC position It can be edited Double click on the TC display Transport controls Current transport status and speed Loop L oa wo Dn If current incoming TC is different from the Composition frame rate you will see this information Rewind NUMPAD 1 e First action 400 e Second action 1000 e Third action 2000 e Fourth action 5000 Forward NUMPAD 2 e First action 400 e Second action 1000 Third action 2000 e Fourth action 5000 Stop NUMPAD 0 Play Reverse Ctrl RETURN or Ctrl SPACE Play SPACE toggle Play Stop or NUMPAD RETURN toggle Play Pause Pause NUMPAD 3 Record DECIMAL A Note that Read Drop and Current FPS are useful tools to help trim Disk Cache and Playback Buffers 16 A MERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars vcCube If some read drops occur during playback Disk Cache must be adjusted in Settings Disk Cache and Playback Buffers gt Disk Cache This value should be set around 64k for streaming from a local disk and around 8k if streaming over a network Those values may vary depending on the specific network or storage configuration and the video format If Current FPS goes down the number of frames should be increased in Settings Disk Cache and Playback Buffers gt Playback Buffers With regular SD video forma
23. mpg mpeg miv mpe m2v mpv2 m2t A IVIERGING 8 Control Pages AVID Open Media Framework AVID Open Media Framework Apple QuickTime Yes Apple QuickTime Microsoft Windows Bitmap file Jpeg Jpeg Tagged Image File Format own by Adobe created by Aldus It s a bitmap raster file format Tagged Image File Format own by Adobe created by Aldus It s a bitmap raster file format Portable Network Graphics A Turbo Studly Image Format with Lossless Compression CompuServe graphics interchange format Microsoft Enhanced Metafile Truevison Targa image file formats Multiple image Network Graphics A PNG like Image Format Supporting Multiple Images Animation and Transparent JPEG JPEG Network Graphics with Alpha channel Abode Photoshop PC Bitmap File Format Wireless Bitmap File Format JPeg 2000 JPeg 2000 JPeg 2000 Raster Image File Formats JPEG 2000 Code Stream Syntax Portable graymap format gray scale Portable BitMap Portable GreyMap Portable PixMap Microsoft Windows Media Video MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group 4 File mp4 mpe Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group Layer 1 mp1 Destiny MPE Secure Audio MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group Layer 2 mp2 Yes MPEG Audio Stream Layer II HDV file format 27 8 Control Pages vCube vob DVD file format Mpeg 2 mxf the Material eXchange Format Yes aaf A
24. 255 255 255 0 No default gateway is necessary Set up Windows OS for Pyramix amp VCube in Control Panel gt Network Connections gt Local Area Connection gt Properties Internet Protocol TCP IP Properties Set up for ISIS Press STOP key for 5 seconds during power up Set up address with left right cursor and Track keys 1 to 10 then Set key See also ISIS User Manual page 14 Fixed IP address range examples Choice A Choice B Typical use 192 168 0 1 10 0 0 1 Usually reserved for Gateway or Server 192 168 0 2 10 0 0 2 Usually reserved 192 168 0 3 10 0 0 3 Pyramix A 192 168 0 4 10 0 0 4 VCube A 192 168 0 5 10 0 0 5 ISIS A 192 168 0 6 10 0 0 6 Pyramix B 221 AMERGING 18 In The Field VCube 192 168 0 7 10 0 0 7 VCube B 192 168 0 8 10 0 0 8 ISIS B 192 168 0 9 10 0 0 9 Pyramix C etc etc Increase only rightmost number up to 254 Use an address from column A or B then stick to the selected range for all machines connected on a single network Set subnet mask to 255 255 255 0 Checking IP Configuration To check the IP Configuration of the machine you are working on do the following Open a Command Prompt window Start gt All programs gt Accessories gt Command Prompt then type in the following command IPCONFIG followed by Enter Checking Network Connections Using Ping To check that the connections you have set up are operational do the following Open a Command Prompt wi
25. 360 Kb frame CineStream Cleaner Pinnacle CineWave HD Mac CineWave SD ReelTime ReelTime NITRO Targa 2000 DTX RTX SDX Targa 3000 MPEG Targa 3000 YUV Targa 3000 RGB 3 6 3 6 3 1 21 15 3 6 7 2 3 1 6 2 4 5 4 5 3 6 3 6 125 21 14 4 14 4 14 4 6 25 21 42 0 21 0 21 0 18 1 23 0 88 0 21 0 42 0 18 0 36 0 26 0 52 0 26 0 52 0 21 0 21 7 32 1 23 0 84 0 84 0 84 0 37 1 23 2 46 12 6 12 6 10 8 73 8 52 7 12 6 25 3 10 8 21 7 15 8 31 6 15 8 31 6 12 6 12 6 439 4 73 8 50 6 50 6 50 6 21 9 73 8 147 6 19 Appendices 18 9 18 9 16 3 110 7 79 1 18 9 37 9 16 3 32 6 23 7 47 4 23 7 47 4 18 9 18 9 659 1 110 7 75 9 75 9 75 9 32 9 110 7 221 4 You will find no specific information for VCube in this tab because it supports almost all SD and HD standards and codecs DVCPRO and IMX are available as options AMVMERGING 268 19 Appendices vCube 19 11 Installation Examples 269 A MERGING 19 Appendices vCube 19 11 1 A Great Solution for Audio Post for Film This is an example of SD streaming configuration Pro Tools workstations control VCube via Sony 9 pin protocol e Pyramix workstations control VCube via Ethernet Virtual Transport Note that one VCube can be controlled by two editing workstations _J 1000BaseT JY uss __ ow ___ Serial ___ Analog Video F C 2x2Gb A Network Solution For Film Audio Post The Vi
26. Add Note produces an overlayed text box of 5 seconds duration from the current cursor position for text in the Timeline at the current TimeCode Text Properties dialog appears in the Alt T Countdown Clip creates a utility countdown clip 10 seconds corresponding to the current Composition settings The default duration is ajustable from the clip info panel J Wipe Clip creates a utility wipe clip representing a remaining time to the end of the clip Test Patern Clip creates a utility wipe clip according the current composition settings BB Sinus Audio Clip creates a new ten seconds audio clip featuring a sine wave Frequency and level can be adjusted from the clip info panel E Move up selected layer up UP Move selection up UP Ctrl With Shift Ctrl UP nudge track BE Move down selected layer down DOWN Move selection down DOWN Ctrl With Shift Ctrl DOWN nudge track GB Nudge back play head back LEFT Nudge selection back LEFT Ctrl With Shift LEFT override E Nudge play head forward RIGHT Nudge forward selection RIGHT Ctrl With Shift RIGHT override See in Control Pages View Shortcuts or Shift W for a complete description of all nudge actions IH Set Range In NUMPAD 7 Bi Set Range Out NUMPAD 8 Bi Set locator point at TimeCode NUMPAD 9 Set selected locator at TimeCode DIVIDE Set Selection or Region to range RETURN Set Range to Region Ctrl RETURN Go to Composition Start Ctrl NUMPAD 0 Go to Com
27. BT 601 2 4 4 4 e Similar to 4 2 2 except that for every four luminance samples the color channels are also sampled four times 285 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube AES EBU Informal name for a digital audio standard established jointly by the AES and EBU organizations The sampling frequency for this standard varies depending on the format being used the sampling frequency for D1 and D2 audio tracks is 48 kHz alpha channel is really a mask It specifies how the pixel s colors should be merged with another pixel when the two are overlaid one on top of the other It all allows transparencies inside a picture aspect ratio The ratio of television picture width to height In NTSC and PAL video the present standard is 4 3 Autoconform Where the Audio media files associated with an EDL are not available to the Pyramix PC Pyramix can control a tape deck or other device to import the required audio AVI an acronym for Audio Video Interleave is a file format designed to store both audio and video data in a standard package to allow its simultaneous playback It s part of the Video for Windows technology black level The lowest transmittable luminance level that can occur during the active picture portion of a video signal When viewed on a monitor this signal level portrays the color black buffer A digital storage device used to compensate for a difference in the rate of flow of information or the time of occurre
28. Files can also be converted to AVI MPEG2 or QuickTime files if compatibility is needed For Convert or Render processes VCube uses the current Composition frame rate Convert Media Files Search for existing D Media PAL Keep Original Filename Counter All Media Files Media Files of Selected Clips Rename cube MIPEG Standard ved Lower First PAL 1 067 Linear Fast good quality All Media Files of the current Composition or only Media Files of Selected Clips can be converted Delete Original Media permanently removes the original file s from mass storage Output Path enables the location of newly created Media Files to be defined Search for Existing Media Path allows you to choose a specific location when overriding existing Media Files 136 A MERGING 11 Conversions VCube Override Existing Files allows you to permanently erase the source files Ask User Before Override when enabled a dialog will appear for each source file erasure e Keep Original File Name uses the same name for the newly created Media File e Prefix allows a prefix to be added to the Media File s name Name allows Media Files to be renamed when required e Suffix allows a suffix to be added to the Media File s name Count is a dialog where the start point of the incrementation process is set All converted Media Files will have the chosen name followed by an automatically incremented number Output
29. For All The VCube Presets gathers together in a global preset all current settings It acts as normal with New Save Rename Delete Ctrl P A A global preset section P allows to create and recall a complete environment The specific codec settings aren t included except for the VCube MJPEG standard codec Only the codec type is included Here is the method to create useful global presets 1 Choose a HD or SD video standard according to your requirements The simplest manner is to use the Quick SD Alt F5 or Quick HD Alt F6 2 Then set the video I O Shift Alt P according to the previously chosen video standard and the SDI or analog connections you use 3 Set the synchronization Alt P for VCube 4 Set the Record settings F12 5 Save this configuration It can be recalled later if you have to deal with different video formats different video I O or different synchronization configurations A filter is available to uncheck the part of the global settings that won t be reloaded Reload Last Composition at Startup when enabled allows VCube to automatically reload the last Composition when the application is started 60 A MERGING VCube A Settings TC Enable Bt TC Enable TC Pos amp Size TC Color TC Transparency Enable Mask Enable Mask Size Engine Deinterleave Page Flipping Size Video Frame Safe Area Top Most Display Task Bar Monitor Select Left Top Right Bottom Language S
30. HD Video Source D K ProTools HD SD Video Projector Iih Sony 9 pin Protocol Ethernet 100BaseT Gigabit video gt Graphic 272 IA IVIERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 19 11 4 Protools Pyramix amp VCube ProTools Pyramix amp VCube SD Video Source HD Video Source K a8 ProTools HD SD Video Projector iN D Sony 9 pin Protocol g Ethernet 100BaseT Gigabit q gt video Graphic Pyramix 273 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube 12 Avid Unity and VCube VCube can import OMF Compositions and stream linked referenced Media Files directly from a Unity server There are two ways of accessing the Unity server 1 Install a Fiber Channel Adapter in the VCube and connect to an available port on the server The currently recommended Fiber Channel Adapter is the ATTO FC 3300 Important Note Never install the ATTO drivers delivered with the adapter but use those delivered by Avid along with the current version of the Unity server to connect to Please ask the system administrator responsible for the server for the proper drivers installer 2 The Unity server can include a so called Port Server Pro which allows connection through a standard Gigabit Ethernet network In this case just plug the VCube into this network to access the server files Note This configuration does not always allow for streaming Media Files very efficiently The use of a Port Server Pro should be limite
31. I O 209 Edit 52 Editing 103 Editing Functions 106 Encryption 84 Export 135 Fairlight Controlling a VCube 276 Files 26 Flickering Video Output 229 Formats amp Synchro 62 Forward 16 Frame Rate 62 Frame Rate Management 147 Frame Shifting with Virtual Transport 233 Frozen Picture on the Video Output of a Matrox Graphic Card 237 Glossary 285 Group 54 Hardware 196 HD 2K 218 HDTV Recorded Media 252 How to install a USB Sync Board 215 How to Update 6 Import Composition and Export Changes 38 Import Images Sequence 144 vcCube Import Layer 39 In The Field 220 Installation Examples 269 Isis 83 Language 82 Layer Controls 110 Layers 56 Locators 42 Lock editing 78 LTC 62 174 Luxor 217 Main 53 Matrox Parhelia Settings 230 Media Files 36 Media Settings 90 Media Wrapper 146 Merging Technologies Cards 208 Monitor Select 82 Mother Boards 216 Motion Rectangles PiP 111 MPEG Codec 151 Multiplexer Settings 167 Mykerinos card 62 Network 183 Non Compensated Telecine at 24 fos 226 NTSC 67 OMF Composition Path 32 OMF Compositions 32 OMF Media Path 32 Output View 93 Overlay 74 AMVMERGING 20 Index Page Flipping 76 PAL 67 Pause 16 Play 16 Play Reverse 16 Poor Image Quality on HD 232 Presets 60 Preview 76 Protect 78 Protools amp VCube Operation 272 Protools and VCube 278 Protools Pyramix amp VCube 273 PullUp PullDown 260 Quick Settings for HD 23 Quick Setting
32. P Frame Motion Vector e Forward Search Width e Forward Search Height e B Frame Motion Vectors e Forward Search Width e Forward Search Height e Backward Search Width e Backward Search Height The search width and height settings set the half width of the window used for motion estimation Here is an example of how to set these values assuming a maximum motion of 10 pixels per frame in horizontal direction and 5 pixels per frame in the vertical direction and M 3 I B1 B2 P Table 1 Search Width and Height values Horizontal Vertical Backward Horizontal Vertical 10 5 Bi gt P 20 10 20 10 B2 gt P 10 5 30 15 The search window settings are values for instance if a search window value is 10 the actual search for a matching pixel is done from x 10 y to x 10 y for each pixel x y These values are usually set automatically by either the Video encoder quality sliders Search method and Search range or the Motion search pixel movement settings but can be set manually here 163 A MERGING vcCube 14 4 Audio Settings This pane offers professional adjustments for audio export Advanced MPEG Settings 14 Using the MPEG Codec main MPEG Encoder www mainconcept com P Basic Settings Video Settings Advanced Video Settings Audio Settings Multiplexer Settings Audio type MPEG Layer 2 x Mode Bitrate kbps 224 PCM AES details Load Settings Save Setti
33. Path allows you to choose the storage location for the created media File Name allows you to change the default name proposed by VCube New Save Rename Delete act as usual in VCube Compression settings aren t included into the presets Video File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for video Cube AVI2 QuickTime or MPEG2 are possible e When QuickTime and MJPEG codec are chosen progressive scan must be selected for Fields Order to insure QuickTime player compatibility Frame Rate is currently related to the current Composition frame rate Compression allows the user to select the CODEC used to generate the new Media File s Depending on the chosen CODEC it is possible to adjust the Compression Settings Width and Height determine the number of pixels used to display the frame Frame Layout determines if and how the rendered frames will be interleaved or not e Word Lenght is currently limited to 8 bits Down Sampling determines the color sub sampling scheme 4 2 2 see Glossary section is the default value Convert Mode can be Down or Up convert depending of the picture format selected for rendering Down Convert Letterbox or Anamorphic are possible Up Convert Anamorphic Pillarbox 4x3 Letterbox are possible e Resize Quality allows the user to choose between different methods of computing the image in the desired format Nearest neighbour gt Fast and poor e Linear Bi L
34. Profile ID Additional settings Value Motion search pixel movement am Sao C Enable Level ID Horizontal u Vertical p Sequence Header Sequence Extension Sequence Display Extension Picture Header Picture Coding Extension General Rate Control Motion Estimation He a E Noise sensitivity ea S D E Start time seconds Motion search mode C Input video is RGB16 235 aa oO User quant matrices Do half pel search Edit Save Settings File Settings Cancel Help The box on the right side of this pane contains many more parameters for professional users If you click on an option details are listed under the box A NOTE We highly recommend that these changes are only performed by professional users a Additional settings Value 1 amp amp Sequence Header a J Sequence Extension 7 Sequence Display Extension Enable Sequence Display Extensions lt a Video Format Color Primaries Transfer Characteristics Matrix Coefficients Display Size W Picture Header Picture Coding Extension Pe Specify the video format flag MPEG 2 only 0 composite 1 PAL 2 NTSC 3 SECAM 4 MAC 5 unspecified This value is just a flag in the video bitstream it does not affect the video encoding or decoding processes We will explain the Advanced Video Settings in detail now Profile ID You have five
35. The second step of the 3 2 pulldown is the 3 2 step At 23 976 frame s there are 4 frames of film for every 5 frames of NTSC video 23 976 4 29 97 5 These four frames are stretched into five by exploiting the interlaced nature of NTSC video For every NTSC frame there are actually two complete images or fields one for the odd numbered lines of the image and one for the even numbered lines There are therefore ten fields for every 4 film frames and the telecine alternately places one film frame across two fields the next across three the next across two and so on The cycle repeats itself completely after four film frames have been exposed and in the telecine cycle these are called the A B C and D frames thus Original Video Field Video Field Resulting Film Frame Odd Even Video Frame quantization The process of sampling an analog waveform to convert its voltage levels into digital data QuickTime is a multimedia technology developed by Apple Computer capable of handling various formats of digital video sound text animation music A QuickTime file functions as a multimedia container file that contains one or more tracks each of which store a particular type of data such as audio video effects or text for subtitles for example Each track in turn contains track media either the digitally encoded media stream R Reconform Pyramix can conform audio to match a several flavours of EDL and also reconf
36. a preset period of time during a preview when a Clip will continue to play past the OUT point before stopping or rewinding 288 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube preroll is the process of rewinding videotapes to a predetermined cue point for example 6 seconds so the tapes are stabilized and up to speed when they reach the selected edit point during recording or digitizing of source material from a video deck pulldown In countries that use the PAL or SECAM video standards film destined for television is photographed at 25 frames per second The PAL video standard broadcasts at 25 frames per second so the transfer from film to video is simple for every film frame one video frame is captured Theatrical features originally photographed at 24 frame s are simply sped up by 4 to 25 frame s This can cause a noticeable increase in audio pitch which is sometimes corrected using a pitch shifter In the United States and other countries that use the NTSC television standard film is generally photographed at 24 frame s Color NTSC video is broadcast at 29 97 frame s For the film s motion to be accurately rendered on the video signal an NTSC telecine must use a technique called the 3 2 pulldown to convert from 24 to 29 97 frame sThe 3 2 pulldown is accomplished in two steps The first step is to slow down or pulldown the film motion by 0 1 This speed change is unnoticeable to the viewer and makes the film travel at 23 976 frame s
37. bad picture because it has been compressed to such a degree that it will lead to a significant loss of quality 159 A MERGING vcCube Quantization matrix Matrix for intra block Matrix for non intra block aj is 16 16 9122 22 22 22 26 27 27 29 26 27 19 22 26 26 2 29 29 35 22 24 27 2 24 32 34 lt 1 26 27 29 29 32 35 38 46 2 29 34 34 35 40 46 56 29 34 34 3 40 48 56 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 29 21 22 23 24 25 a 29 a 22 23 24 25 2 29 3 33 23 24 25 2 29 31 33 35 14 Using the MPEG Codec When you activate the checkbox you can click the Edit button in order to adjust the parameters for Matrix for Intra Block and Matrix for non Intra Block In the following window you can change these settings These values must be in the range 16 256 with the exception that the first entry in the intra block matrix must be 8 Intra blocks are macroblocks coded using only information from the current picture I frames non intra blocks are macroblocks coded using information from the current picture and other pictures B and P frames If the bitrate is high you should not change the parameters Ultimately these values depend on the source material If the bitrate is low you can change the parameters to get better results Additional Settings
38. be other Layers in the image and they can be prioritized as to Layer location e LTC Linear TimeCode TimeCode recorded on a linear analog track on a video tape It is audible and can be read at high speeds but not when the tape is still luminance is the measure of the intensity of the combined color white portion of a video signal e Metadata is data about data An example is a library catalog card which contains data about the nature and location of a book It is data about the data in the book referred to by the card e MJPEG is a video codec where each video field is separately compressed into a JPEG image The resulting quality is independent from the motion in the image which differs from MPEG video where quality often decreases when footage contains lots of movement M JPEG is best suited for broadcast resolution interlaced video 720x486 D1 NTSC or 720x576 PAL Because it is designed for interlaced video M JPEG is not well suited for movies that are smaller than television resolution Movies designed to be viewed on progressive scan computer monitors like web movies or CD ROM videogames are ill suited for M JPEG e MPEG Compression standards for moving images conceived by the Motion Pictures Expert Group an international group of industry experts set up to standardize compressed moving pictures and audio The moving picture coding systems such as MPEG 1 MPEG 2 and MPEG 4 add an extra step where the picture content is predict
39. different options here High Profile Main Profile standard setting Simple Profile 4 2 2 Profile and Multiview 157 Aa VMERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube Profile Level ID You can choose between High Level High 1440 Level Main Level standard setting and Low Level The MPEG 2 spec specification allows for a large number of variations in the settings e g the frame resolution can theoretically be as large as 2414 x 2 14 The Profiles and Levels just set limits on what the values of some of the other settings can be so if a specification like the DVD spec says only Main Profile Main or Low Level is allowed the decoders can safely assume what the bounds of some settings are going to be A DVD player does not have to account for the resolution being 214 x 2414 because the DVD spec only allows a maximum of Main Profile Main Level which only enables for a maximum frame resolution of 720x576 Noise Sensitivity and Noise Reduction You switch between the two options by clicking the NR button Use the controls to define the desired value Noise Sensitivity specifies how sensitive the video encoder is to noise in the source video it does not reduce the noise in the source video at all It sets a motion search threshold at which point the encoder will stop the search for matching blocks of pixels from one frame to another Higher values mean low sensitivity faster search times less quality while lower values mean higher s
40. doubling the input strength adds a constant to the subjective signal strength which makes logarithmic scales for these input quantities especially appropriate This type of scale is use in the digital cinema to emulate the 35 mm film capability of high light transmission Frame Rate 23 98 HD 24 Film HD 257 AMERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 25 PAL HD 29 97 NTSC HD 30 HD 50 HD 59 94 HD 60 HD From the beginning we re using frames but most used video formats use 2 fields per frames since they re interleaved That means that a frame is made of 2 fields one for odd lines one for even lines displayed at twice the fps of the video standard To simplify the bandwidth computation frames value will be used Bandwidth computation Number of pixels per frame x color sampling value x bit depth x frame rate number of bits per second We will compute the required bandwidth for NTSC format with 8 bit 4 2 2 broadcast color sampling and 1080p with 12 bit 4 4 4 for processing quality NTSC gt 159 5 Mbps gt 20 MB s 1080 29 98 fps gt 2133 6 Mbps gt 266 7 MB s Those are the absolute minimal sustained performances required for network and storage This data rate can be reduced by using a data compression codec Compression Codec The previous computations show that video is a bit glutton This bandwidth requirement has its price That why a data compression is often applied in order to reduce the
41. drop down list Media Linking Options Connect EDL edits Choose the way to relink the audio media to edits by either Using Tape Reel Name Using Edit Clip Name from the EDL To Mounted Media and match it to either Matching Tape Name or FIXREEL pragma the media original Matching Media Name the media original Matching File Name the media original By TimeCode in matching Folder name the media Timestamp in a folder whose name matches the Reel or Edit name By TimeCode and prompting for location the media Timestamp in a given folder By TimeCode in any media folder the media Timestamp in any mounted media folder Ignore File Extension When checked any file extension is ignored while comparing file names Match only X first characters When checked only the given number of first characters in the filename are compared useful for matching files coming from Aaton Cantar or InDAW recorders CMX EDL Format CMX Edls are a set of statement lines which typically look like this TITLE An example of CMX EDL 001 TEST AA C 00 00 24 24 00 00 25 00 00 59 58 00 00 59 58 01 AUD 3 4 Sine on all tracks 002 DAT12 AA C 20 18 18 07 20 18 21 13 01 02 40 02 01 02 43 08 Introduction 003 TAPE1 AA C 01 15 07 07 01 15 11 13 01 02 43 13 01 02 47 19 004 TAPE1 NONE C 01 15 14 02 01 15 16 04 01 02 47 19 01 02 49 21 AUD 3 4 005 TAPE1 NONE C 1000Hz 01 15 14 02 01 15 16 04 01 02 47 19 01 02 49 21 006 TAPE1 NO
42. e JP8 56 Ohm pull up on bi phase phase B positive pin e JP9 56 Ohm pull down on bi phase phase B negative pin a l AMERGING 17 Hardware 215 17 Hardware 17 3 Mother Boards Here is a short description of the slot assignment for particular Merging Technologies hardware A 216 A MERGING 17 Hardware vCube 17 3 1 Luxor Luxor Server Luxor Recommended Extension slot configuration Slot Bus Luxor SATA Luxor SCSI 2 PCI32 3 PCI32 a te es ee Pee 217 A MERGING 17 Hardware vcCube 17 3 2 HD 2K HD 2K VCube HD _ Luxor 2676 Overview 1 PCI Express 16x MESS 2 PCI32 Be 3 PCI32 4 PCI X 133 5 PCI X 100 6 PCI X 100 SCSI U320 SCSI U320 slot 1 PCle Graphic Card slot 2 PCI 32 empty slot 3 PCI 32 Mykerinos slot 4 PClx 133 RAID Optional slot 5 PCIx 100 empty slot 6 PClx 100 XENA 218 AMERGING vcCube Modern VCube hardware use a Foxconn X38A mother board A MERGING 17 Hardware NC Limited to x2 NC Video Card NC Mykerinos Graphic Card NC 219 18 In The Field vcCube 18 In The Field This section is dedicated to case studies 220 A MERGING 18 In The Field VCube Connecting Ethernet for Virtual Transport A Note Direct Ethernet connection of Workstations l e 1x VCube and 1x Pyramix with standard factory default DHCP settings and without a proper DHCP server available in t
43. is a Network Presets button This button calls the Network Configuration Preset window 183 MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube Network Configurations Presets x Preset Configuration dialog At the top a multi choice combo box displays the current preset name If the preset list is not empty you can click at the right to expand it and select a desired preset After an existing preset has been selected clicking on the Load button activates it Clicking on New Config creates a new preset This opens a new window where a name can be set for the new preset Choices have to be confirmed or cancelled If confirmed the new preset is added to the preset list and the name is displayed When editing an existing preset clicking the Store button will save the latest changes Clicking on the Suppress button Protected by an are you sure dialog will suppress the current loaded preset Clicking on the Close button will close the network configuration window The Network Presets button is deactivated when the network is disabled Above the IP Address box is an Advanced button This button calls the Advanced Network Configuration window Advanced Network Configuration dialog The Advanced Network Setup Frame enables you to choose the TTL value of the multicast messages used to find every VT Server running on the network A value of 1 or 2 typically allows every VT Server running on the same local area network LAN to see each
44. it for both monitoring and software control 3 The quality of this S Video output cannot be compared to that of a dedicated video card except for the Matrox Parhelia equiped VCube A For Canopus video card users The two S Video Composite adapters small cables featuring a RCA plug and a mini Din plug can t be used to convert the graphic card s S Video output to composite because of a special pin out The third adapter that doesn t feature a cable must be used to do this conversion 227 AMVMERGING 18 In The Field vCube 18 5 Trouble shooting 228 A MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 18 5 1 Flickering Video Output Problem The video output video card displayed on a CRT monitor is flickering during playback Solution The Field order on the Media Files doesn t match the Field Order of the Composition s video format Go to Seittings Formats amp Synchro gt Video Formats and set the correct Field Order 229 A MERGING 18 In The Field vCube 18 5 2 Matrox Parhelia Settings At user requirement the VCube hardware can feature a Matrox graphic card instead of the regular ATI This option allows a perfect control of the de interleave process for the video output especially useful when using a Band Rythmo lip sync band system and without a video card installed Depending of your specific screen configuration please refer to the Matrox instructions If you plan to use the video output to feed an addi
45. keys listed by the local MTSSrv based on the MT Active Key Holders it has been configured to access and that grant access to a group the user belongs to 86 A MERGING 8 Control Pages VCube Decrypting Media Files or unlocking objects When opening an MTAK encrypted media files or need to unlock an object MTAKApps request the proper key to the local MTSSrv that with the currently logged user permissions try retrieving the proper MTAK key on all listed MT Active Key Holders If the MTAK key is still Decrypt Active and the Active Directory permissions allow for accessing it the key is returned to the application which therefore can decrypt the file or unlock the object Members of the MTAKPowerUsers group can use any Decrypt Active key accessible by the local MTSSrv on MT Active Key Holders it has been configured to access Members of the MTAKUsers group can use only Decrypt Active keys accessible by the local MTSSrv on MT Active Key Holders it has been configured to access and that grant access to a group the user belongs to VCube usage of MTAK VCube offers two levels of data protection using MT Active Keys e Video media files locking When enabled this option makes sure that any Video file created by VCube is locked with a MT Active Key chosen by the user and will then require the same key to be available and still Decrypt Active to be open for reading later in time Data contained in the file can be binary extracted if the fi
46. lines will be used for the VITC Line Output shows which line BNC connector will be used to output the VITC A Note that the BNC 2 connection is only available from the sync breakout cable if directly plugged in the Mykerinos board Note also that video signal is needed at the Video In input to allow the VITC to be included into the video signal VCube SE has only the following Settings Formats amp Sync Cube as VT Clock Master In VCube SE the VT as Clock Master button can be set only when the Follow VT mode is engaged if a Xena video card is activated on the VCube SE machine 66 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 3 Video I O H Alt Shift P Show Video I O Settings VCube Players don t feature any video card The video is monitored thru the graphic card on VGA or DVI output Only VCube Recorders feature a Video card The video can be monitored also from the video card output Two different video cards can be installed in a single VCube machine but only one can be used at a time HD VCube also supports SD video cards A SD VCube cannot be upgraded to an HD recorder The plug in corresponding to the installed video card must be chosen from the drop down menu Once selected it must be enabled in order to make it available for the VCube software 67 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 3 1 Xena LS Plug in Xena LS is the AJA video capture optional hardware inside your VCube station It support
47. needs a 62 145 792 points per second transmission Pixel Aspect Ratio This is the shape of the pixel HD video systems mainly use a square pixel with aspect ratio equal to 1 NTSC uses an aspect ratio of 0 9 resulting in a 648 x 480 display NTSC wide uses an aspect ratio of 1 2 resulting in a 864 x 483 display PAL uses an aspect ratio of 1 07 resulting in a 768 x 576 display PAL wide uses an aspect ratio of 1 42 resulting in a 1024 x 576 display Note that wide screen formats don t use a greater number of pixels to produce a larger picture Color Sampling RGB means Red Green Blue Every pixel is sampled for those three value representing Chroma and Luma 4 4 4 means that every pixel is sampled for Chroma and Luma value The two Chroma values are the result of Luma minus red value 255 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube Luma minus Blue value Those two previous color sampling systems lead to an high bandwidth requirement while preserving the color definition They are used by graphic and special effects designers The maximum Chroma information is required to avoid artefacts when the picture is processed We have 3 values per pixel Since high bandwidth requirement means expensive equipment video engineers have looked for craftiness to reduce this requirements in an invisible manner Fortunately the human vision is less accurate for color than for luminosity That s why the color sampling can be
48. other The multicast port can also be set This allows you to set this VT Server to work without seeing another VT Server using a different multicast port A It is possible to isolate a couple or a group of merging Working Stations Pyramix or VCube to allow communications between some of them or to forbid this communication To do so the following registry key must be entered HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Merging Technologies VT1 Server Network McastAddr XXX XXX XXX XXX Each group must own a different IP address This address must be included in the range from 224 0 0 0 to 239 255 255 255 Typically 227 0 0 1 for machines of studio 1 and 227 0 0 2 for machines of the studio 2 and so one Virtual Transport must be restarted after this changing This is especially useful long IP scanning when a lot of working stations are connected on the same network 184 a MERGING 15 Synchronization 15 4 VCube Chasing Pyramix through Virtual Transport VCube can chase a Pyramix through Virtual Transport It s the Follow VT mode Every Clip handle move in Pyramix will be visible in the VCube outputs The displayed frame is at the TC position of the handle moved in Pyramix Network must be enabled in Virtual Transport No network setting is required for VCube SE running on a Pyramix machine Alt V accesses Virtual Transport Then activate the red net button enable network and create a network cluster Just drag the workstations from one c
49. positioning audio Cues in the Timeline from Audio media files already present in a folder available to the Pyramix PC in conformity with an imported EDL Edit Decision List or video project for example AAF Final Cut Pro or OMF e Autoconform Where the Audio media files associated with an EDL are not available to the Pyramix PC Pyramix can control a tape deck or other device to import the required audio e Reconform Pyramix can conform audio to match a several flavours of EDL and also reconform an existing project to match a CMX change EDL Pyramix can also reconform an audio project by importing two versions of a video project original and new CMX EDLs CMX is one of the earliest types of EDL The name comes from the company that developed it in the early 1970s CBS Memorex eXperimental Over the intervening decades other companies have extended the original format to encompass for example more audio tracks Although there are now several far more sophisticated alternatives CMX remains the lingua franca of EDLs Importing a CMX EDL Select Project gt Import choose CMX EDL in the InterChange Import dialog then click on the Import button Select the desired edl file in the Open file browser window The CMX EDL Import Options dialog opens If the EDL Frame Rate is correct simply click the OK button Otherwise select the correct rate from the drop down list and click the OK button The CMX EDL Import Options main dialog opens C
50. possible values for the color components 00 01 31 14 A Re Link Mediabutton will appear if one or more Media Files are missing or offline zebra Clips in the Timeline This allows VCube to build a new path to the media 47 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Some specific information is displayed for Clips using MPEG encoded Media Files A red outline reflecting the whole Media File duration can be displayed while editing Clips at a non nominal speed Pointer Increasing the Clip s speed will reduce the Media File duration Decreasing the Clip s speed will increase the Media File duration 48 mA VIERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 3 2 Shortcuts Shortcuts shows default shortcuts and allows user defined ones to be created Shift W When a Composition is saved shortcuts are also saved inside this Composition so you can import specific shortcuts from any Composition New allows you to define new shortcut settings Save records current shortcut settings Rename allows you to change the name of the current preset Delete erases the current shortcut settings Import loads shortcut settings from a specific folder Export saves your shortcut settings in a specific folder Default shortcuts for VCube are in the Appendices 49 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 3 3 Workspace Workspace enables customized workspaces to be saved and recalled Alt W When a Composition is saved the curre
51. screen Watermark picture and copyright text are saved inside the Composition So they can be protected or unprotected by password Load Watermark File allows you to superimpose a logo or tag picture on every video output Clear Watermark File allows you to remove this picture from the Composition Copyright allows you to enter a single line of text with a default style Position sets the place for this text on screen X amp Y Offset allows you a fine adjustment of text position Color accesses a color picker for the text A Note that Watermark when activated is present for all video outputs both computer screen and video card No VCube feature including Mask can hide it 116 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vCube 9 2 4 2 Text Clip There are two ways to add text in a Composition Add Text use a default style Shift T Add Sticky use a preset style Alt T These styles can be edited and applied to the selected text Clip A 5 second text Clip is created on the selected Layer Once a Text Clip is created in the Timeline Shift T or Alt T Double click on it to reach the Text Properties panel in the Clips Information folder In the Timeline a text Clip behaves differently to video and audio Clips When a text Clip is moved the preview follows In fades editing the preview respects the compositing of the Project at the current TimeCode When moving audio and video Clips preview only displays the current
52. startup 8 Control Pages 73 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 4 Overlay Enable TimeCode button adds a TimeCode display to the picture monitor B External TimeCode allows you to display the incoming TimeCode This feature is useful with a 24fps Composition synchronized to an external 25 fps TimeCode A dot precedes the displayed TC when it s external Alt B Feet allows to display feets instead of usual TimeCode Nominal Play TC Format allows you to choose the TC display Format when running at Nominal Play speed e Hours Minutes Seconds e Hours Minutes Seconds Frames e Hours Minutes Seconds Samples e Hours Minutes Seconds Frames Hundredths of a Frame e Hours Minutes Seconds Frames Thousandths of a Frame Other TC Format allows you to choose the TC display Format when not running at Nominal Play speed e Hours Minutes Seconds e Hours Minutes Seconds Frames e Hours Minutes Seconds Samples e Hours Minutes Seconds Frames Hundredths of a Frame e Hours Minutes Seconds Frames Thousands of a Frame Presets are standard positions for the TimeCode display on screen X Offset can be used to trim the horizontal TimeCode position on the screen Y Offset can be used to trim the vertical TimeCode position on the screen TimeCode Color allows you to choose the color of the TimeCode display Click in the color window to open the preset Color Picker Click on C
53. te eh HOO Bes _JOOS2OOAeBEaels HOU Bede GUN OYMY SOY oWY Yoo ERIE Bee Bees Sees E jame cac o Ome C PO 8 CoOOuUonmROOEEC JEE ___ PARERA HUG gas opncorgcrarritim S208 ees oriitripngrortinpg ARA AHHA HAAA HAAR FA IVIERGING 19 Appendices vcCube JOSS ouu O cs CE DE C onrrroriitic piaia peeraa HOS gas oncooncopnrcriw D008 888 COUCOLEAHAAHECO aE S85 CHAE AALA E jame cec m OC ooo 8 amp ooornergotocI jaan EATE Dog gas _ Hehehe DEDE aAa 00CididcgocHtHHHg ARA 88808 HAAA HAAA B MERGING vCube 19 Appendices 19 2 HDTV Recorded Media A MERGING Tape Video Rate Audio Tape Durations S L Disk Requirements Tape Durations S L Disk Requirements DO HD DVCPRO HD 442 1i4 100 Mbps 100 Mbps Bx 48 Khz 16bits 8x 48 Khz 1 6bits 62 min 46min 45 Gbytes 33 7 Gbytes DY 6 7 1 DV 6 7 1 720p 1 080i 720pi 080i 24 amp 25p HDCAM SR D5 HD 442 142 600 Mbps 235 Mbps 12x 48 Khz 24bits 8x 48 Khz 16bits 40 124 min 124 min 175 545 Ghytes 213 5 Ghytes MPEG 4 2 7 1 M JPEG 4 1 10801 24 amp 25p 720p 1080i 24p HDCAM 112 140 Mbps 12x 48 Khz 24bits 40 124 min 41 11127 2 Gbytes M JPEG 4 4 1 10801 24 amp 25p D6 VooDoo 3 4 920 Mbps 12x 48 Khz 24bits 64 min 431 2 Ghytes none 10801 24p 252 vcCube 19 Appendices 19 3 SDTV Recorded Media A Pa MERGING D1 Sony BTS 34 172 Mbps D5 Panasonic 1 2 218 Mbps 4x 48Khz 20bits
54. the incoming analog video signal 69 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 3 2 Xena LH Plug in Xena LH is the AJA video capture optional hardware inside your VCube station It supports Analog Component Composite and SDI video for both SD and HD formats Video 1 0 Ea v v v External Reference Status displays the video format of the incoming genlock signal if present SDI Input 1 Status displays the video format of the incoming digital video signal Analog Input Status displays the video format of the incoming analog video signal Video Format Internal switches the Xena video format SD 720p or 1080i p sf Buffer Frame Size sets the buffer size regarding the used codec YUV DVCPRO HD or HDV to optimize video performances Audio Source can be analog AES or SDI embedded Video Reference Source offers the choice of which source will be selected as reference Free Run internal External Genlock or Analog Input video input are possible During capture the reference source is toggled to the active video input 70 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Input Selection offers the choice of which source will be selected Analog Component Composite or SDI digital Video Analog Output Format Composite Component SMPTE or Component Beta are possible Down Convert Mode can be Letter Box Crop or Anamorphic for picture resize Down Convert Input Selection Only the HD Input can be selected as conve
55. the selected video format Alt F5 Alt F p Alt P Shift Alt P Ctrl P Ctrl Alt P Shift P Ctrl Shift P Ctrl Shift Alt P Ctrl F4 Alt k f Alt F5 Alt F6 p Alt P Ctrl P Ctrl Alt P Shift Alt P Shift P Settings Ctrl Shift P Ctrl Shift Alt P Hide Transport Frame T cord Page F12 Show Timeline Fil 19 mA MERGING 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats vCube Quick Settings for SD and HD are also available from the Tool Bar amp j AMERGING 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats vcCube 7 1 Quick Settings for SD Ba Gives direct access to Quick Settings for SD video formats Alt F5 Quick SD settings The Current Configuration Panel summarizes the state of VCube in terms of Video Size Field Order Pixel Aspect Ratio Composition Frame Rate TimeCode Frame Rate Mykerinos Video Reference Format Video I O Format and Audio Sampling Rate The Reference Source Panel features three drop down lists The first is for selecting the Video Reference Source of the Video Card Where fitted The second is for selecting the Audio Reference Source of the Mykerinos Card see Mykerinos connections below The last one is for selecting the TimeCode source of the Mykerinos clock 21 AMERGING 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats LTC Input LTC Output 75 Q termination on Video Ref Input Video Referen
56. will follow VT function A 172 AMVMERGING 15 Synchronization vCube To guaranty a perfect sync Mykerinos AJA and USBSync cards have to be locked on Video Reference A 173 AMVMERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 1 Connections for synchronization i i LTC Input b FLTC O se 750 termination on Video Ref Input 3 uan s Video Reference Input VITC E gt Video Reference Output VITC ie SS Audio Word Clock In Out oe Tm RS 422 configurator gt RS 422 connector RS 422 A switch labelled To Machine and From Controller helps to configure correctly this port depending on what is connected to To Machine means that VCube will control an external Machine and From Controller means that an external controller will control VCube This connection is used by the Sony 9 pin protocol COM 3 COM 2 on early VCubes is the denomination of this port in settings dialogs of the Sony 9 pin Machine Control and Sony 9 pin Remote Control Word clock The word clock connection has the same functionality as the one found on the optional Mykerinos TC breakout cable This is a bi directional signal software controlled directly by VCube Please be careful not to connect a word clock to this rear connector and to the breakout cable at the same time This new I O brings a more reliable word clock signal capable of driving longer 75 Ohm cables It has been tested on c
57. 0 9 11 3 13 5 15 5 17 18 4 21 23 Note that previous compression ratio values are only indicative The MJPEG compression effectiveness may vary with the picture content The more detail or noise present the lower the compression ratio achieved Supported File Direct Playback or Import for Numbered Still Images Sequences Record Render Extensions Convert cube VCube native format Yes avi Audio Video Interleave AVI is defined by Yes Microsoft AVI is the most common format for audio video data on the PC mov Apple QuickTime Yes mpg Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes 142 A IVIERGING 11 Conversions vcCube mpeg Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes mxf the Material eXchange Format Yes D10 Render only aif Audio Interchange File Yes mpa MPEG Audio Stream Layer II Yes wav WAVE File Format Yes bwf Broadcast wave Yes pmf Pyramix media file format Yes sd2 Sound designer Yes A When rendering to produce a MXF media file Custom Media Handler Specific must be selected in the compression drop list for both video and audio file formats to produce D10 IMX compliant media file Currently only Custom Media Handler Specific must be used to produce MXF files Means optional feature 143 A MERGING 11 Conversions vcCube 11 4 Import Images Sequence Import Images Sequence allows a Video Media File to be generated from a still image sequence Ctrl I Import Images Sequence M Media 4K_pi
58. 4 2 2 D1 DV PAL 1 067 p on error Noha Linear Fast good quality Enable Capture button activates the video card specific function Ctrl R Uncheck Enable Capture to make the capture visible in the Timeline Auto Edit mode enables VCube to automatically control a VCR via a Sony 9 Pin protocol and to record a range of the video tape from In point to Out point set in the Internal machine panel T A During this process VCube needs to be in chase mode To bypass possible drop outs in the Reference TimeCode source Soft Chasing can be used in this case the video card must be referenced to an external reference signal Output Path is a browser where you have to select the destination for the captured media The destination folder for ingested Media Files should be on a local hard disk drive The SD VCube D hard disk drive has a 120 GB capacity for storing your Media Files File Name is a dialog where you can enter a generic name for future media captures Counter is a dialog where the start point of the incrementation process is set All captured Media Files will have a generic name followed by an automatically incremented number Preroll is the time value to advance the VCR start up in Auto Edit mode Postroll is the time value to delay the VCR stop in Auto Edit mode Offset is a dialog where you can adjust offset between the incoming and the recorded TimeCode Only the time stamp of the recorded Media File is affected by
59. 4x 48Khz 20hbits Tape Durations S M L 6 34 94 min 23 63 124 min uirements 7 6 42 9 118 5 Gbytes 36 8 100 6 198 Gbytes Digital Betacam MPEG IMX 142 99 Mbps 4x 48Khz 20bits Tape Durations S M L 404124 min Disk Requirements 29 90 Gbytes Sony s MJPEG DVCPR050 1414 50 Mbps 4x 48Khz 16bits Tape Durations S M L 131 93 min Disk Requirements 11 4134 1 Gbytes DY DVCAM 114 25 Mbps 2x 48Khz 16bits 4x 32Khz 12bits Tape Durations S M L 40 184 min Disk Requirements 7 4433 7 Gbytes CODEC DY D9 Panasonic 112 Wz 50 Mbps 50 Mbps 8x 48Khz 1 6hits 4x 48Khz 24bits 4x 48Khz 16bits 72220 min 424 min 26 41 80 6 Gbytes 45 Gbytes MPEG 2 Intra field DY BetacamSX DVCPRO25 4 2 1 4 18 Mbps 25 Mbps 4x 48Khz 16bits 2x 48Khz 1 6bits 624194 min 163 184 min 8 2425 6 Gbytes 11 6 33 7 Gbytes MPEG 2 Inter field DV DV 1 4 25 Mbps 2x 48Khz 16bits 4x 32Khz 1 2bits 604 270 min 1149 5 Gbytes DV 253 19 Appendices VCube Video Formats amp Bandwidth Video formats are not only defined by the number of pixels on the screen This chapter gives you all the keys to understand the language video people use As usual in electronic signals the bandwidth is the value determining the amount of transmitted information per second From analog to digital worlds this value is critical Let s examine how a high definition color picture is more bandwidth demand
60. 8 Control Pages When a interlaced video format must be resized VCube offers different algorithms to process the picture depending of the CPU or the visual quality requirements Nearest neighbour gt Fast and poor Linear Bi Linear gt Fast and poor Cubic gt Very Good but slow e Lanczos gt Very Good but very slow Supersampling gt Very Good when reducing the picture a lot Slow AMERGING 92 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 6 Output View Ctrl F7 displays the Output page This page allows expert users to fine tune their VCube configuration depending on the network or storage setup System performance for processors and memory Buffers for audio and video Playback info for audio and video Synchro Status script output and audio level meters for playback are displayed Ctrl F8 displays processors and memory activity E Ctrl F9 displays Buffers activity Bij Ctrl F10 displays playback information 93 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube The disk access performances are monitored here for both audio and video The Buffers size must be set to ensure an Average Read Time lower than the frame display time 40 ms for 24 25 fps and 30 ms for 30 fps Ctrl F11 displays all video audio synchronization and clock status Sync Status This panel also appears when clock format or synchro are inconsistent The mismatched parameter flashes red until a valid setting turns it to green
61. A MERGING vcCube MT Active Key Administration MTAKAdmin 8 Control Pages MT Active Keys are managed and administrated from anywhere on the company network by a logged in member of the MTAKAdministrators group using the MTAKAdmin application This application allows creating modifying and deleting MT Active Keys as well as granting access to users and groups to MT Active Keys Creating and deleting MT Active Key Holders is done by the company network standard Administrators Giving access to MT Active Key Holders to each individual MT Security Servers of computers running MT Active Key Enabled Applications is performed by the company network standard Administrators using the MT Security Control Panel MTAKAdmin Active Key Key Holders Keys Server Docs _MTAKKeys Add Key Holder Remove Key Holder Key ID Description Comment Encrypt Decrypt Watermark Zobi le Grec tb Yobi le Turc Active Active Active es Cee ee Create Key Delete Key Externalize Key Setting up MT Active Key on a company network FD461658 2ACD 4908 BFCB 2BF5EB622A0F Key Description Yobi le Turc Key Comment V Encrypt Active V Decrypt Active M Watermark Active Update Key Data Key Permitted Users and Groups Name Details dbrulhart MERGING dbrulhart amp bvankempen MERGING byankempen QMTAKAdministrators MERGING MTAKAdministrators amp MTAKPowerUsers ME
62. A password protected watermark feature allows the administrator to tag both video and graphic outputs The administrator can also protect VCube settings and editing with second password VCube will be your Swiss Army Knife in video for film post production A Note that VCube is currently supplied with RGBA RGB YUY2 DV25 MJPEG codecs DVCPRO 50 DVCPRO HD 100 DNxHD and IMX MPEG2 remain optional OMF is provided as Timeline exchange format MXF AAF and Apple XML are optional A MERGING 4 How to Update vcCube 4 How to Update Before installing VCube 2 uninstall the previous VCube version using the Add or Remove Programs from Windows or Vista Then run the installer and follow the instructions Once installed VCube now features a Check for Update from the Help menu that allows online updates if the machine has access to Internet A Early VCube may feature AJA Xena SD Xena HS and Canopus ADVX 1000 video cards these cards aren t supported anymore Ask for a video card crossgrade to your Merging dealer if requiered AMERGING 5 VCube User Interface vcCube 5 VCube User Interface VCube is organized around a page amp folder based interface Every page or folder can be displayed in a broken away window on the top of the preview even while preview is full screen To display a page separately Double click on its title label VCube supports 2 screen extended desktop operation To restore the page b
63. Allow Chasing Across Midnight when engaged allows VCube to chase also before 00 00 00 00 TimeCode Show LTC VITC Settings displays the corresponding panel Chase Offset allows you to introduce an offset when chasing TC This setting is also active while recording It s reflected in the Chase Offset display into the internal machine control panel T Preview Delay Compensation allows an offset delay to be inserted in the graphics card output in order to synchronize audio and video when a video device induces a delay on picture e g Plasma Display and some LCD displays It s only active at nominal Playback speed The compensation value can be set from 10 to 10 frames with one frame steps Video Delay Compensation allows an offset delay to be inserted in the video card outputs including audio in order to synchronize Mykerinos audio mini jack or daughter card and video when a video device induces a delay on picture Time Base Corrector Scaler Plasma Display It s only active at nominal Playback speed The compensation value can be set from 10 to 10 frames with one frame steps Note that at a distance of 14 meters from the loudspeakers behind the screen a one frame error occurs between sound and picture due to the difference in velocity between light and sound Sony 9 Pin Remote Control When activated VCube receives machine control through the Sony 9 pin protocol The RS 422 Configurator must be set to From controller position S
64. Alt NUMPAD 0 NUMPAD 4 NUMPAD 5 NUMPAD 6 SUBTRACT ADD TAB Shift TAB Ctrl NUMPAD 6 Ctrl NUMPAD 5 Ext RIGHT Ext Alt RIGHT Ext Ctrl Alt RIGHT Ext Shift Alt RIGHT Ext LEFT Ext Alt LEFT Ext Ctrl Alt LEFT Ext Shift Alt LEFT 244 VCube Chase Enable Rewind Forward Stop Toggle Play Pause Toggle Play Stop Toggle Play Reverse Pause Toggle Play Reverse Stop Pause Record Loop Overlay Toggle Burn In Timecode Toggle External TC Toggle Mask On Off Settings Show Quick Settings for SD video formats Show Quick Settings for HD video formats Show Settings Preset Show Format amp Synchro Settings Show LTC VITC Settings Show Video I O Show Overlay Settings Show Preview Settings Show Composition Settings Show Disk Cache amp Playback Buffer Settings Show User Interface Settings Show Isis Settings Show Encryption Settings Show Media Settings Show Timeline Settings Show VCube Preferred Search Directories Show All Settings Toggle VCube version User Interface Refresh Simple Mode Advanced Mode Show Hide Transport Frame Show Timeline Show Record Page AMERGING 19 Appendices Ctrl F1 NUMPAD 1 NUMPAD 2 NUMPAD 0 Ext RETURN SPACE Ext Ctrl RETURN Ctrl SPACE NUMPAD 3 DECIMAL L Alt B Alt F5 Alt F6 P Alt P Ctrl F2 Shift Alt P Ctrl P Ctrl Alt P Shift P Ctrl Shift P Ctrl
65. Composition Audio monitor settings level amp routing are applied to the rendered audio files Muted audio Layers aren t included into the render track count Compression availability depends of the selected audio file format QuickTime allows various solutions to compress audio data e Use Audio Card Connection Layout takes account of the routing to the physical audio output done in the Timeline This routing may include audio outputs of both video and audio cards Use Track Number Instead of Audio Card Output Connection reflect only the number of audio tracks of the Timeline with no reference to the physical outputs 141 AMVMERGING 11 Conversions VCube A The AVI2 and QuickTime MPEG2 Media Handler support multiple audio channels in a single file When recording more than 2 channels in an AVI2 or QuickTime file every channel is considered as a separate mono channel i e if you have 4 channels in VCube they will appear as 4 mono channels in an AVI2 file The Windows Media Player from Microsoft and the QuickTime player from Apple will playback a 4 audio channels file into a stereo mix of the 4 mono channels Using video files with embedded audio decreases playback performance For Composition with complex compositing two separate Media Files one for video one for audio are preferable MJPEG Compression MJPEG Compression Level Quality Average Compression Ratio Size 100 2 4 5 5 6 4 7 7 4 8 4 9 9 8 10 5 1
66. Control Pages vcCube 8 4 3 Layers J Layers shows tools for Layer editing Alt D New Layer creates a new Layer on the selected track Ctrl Shift N Move Up Selected brings the selected item up a Layer Ctrl UP Note that moving a Layer to another track deletes the track if it has no remaining Layers Note also that the number of the Layer is not linked to a specific Layer but to its layout position Move Down Selected sends the selected item down a Layer Ctrl DOWN Note that moving a Layer to another track deletes the track if it has no remaining Layers Note also that the number of the Layer is not linked to a specific Layer but to its layout position Delete Selected Layer removes the selected Layered item from the track Ctrl DELETE Note that a track with only one Layer will be deleted Import Layer allows you to import a Layer from another Composition Ctrl Alt L 56 A MERGING vcCube Layers Import TimeCode At Timecode 00 00 02 20 Ok Cancel 8 Control Pages Layer properties clips or both can be added to the current Composition at the original TimeCode or at a specific one for Clips A MERGING 57 8 Control Pages vcCube T 8 4 4 Tracks E Tracks shows tools for track editing Ctrl Shift D New Video Track creates a new track for video Clips Ctrl Shift T New Audio Track creates a new track for audio Clips Ctrl Alt T Note that a New Audio Tra
67. Cube AVI2 QuickTime MXF or MPEG2 are possible e When QuickTime and MJPEG codec are chosen progressive scan must be selected for Fields Order to insure QuickTime player compatibility Frame Rate must be set to the frame rate of the Composition where the generated media file is used e Compression allows the user to select the CODEC used to generate the new Media File s Depending on the chosen CODEC it is possible to adjust the Compression Settings e Width and Height determine the number of pixels used to display the frame Frame Layout determines if and how the rendered frames will be interleaved or not e Word Lenght is currently limited to 8 bits Down Sampling determines the color sub sampling scheme 4 2 2 see Glossary section is the default value Convert Mode can be Down or Up convert depending of the picture format selected for rendering Down Convert Letterbox Crop or Anamorphic are possible 40 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vCube Up Convert Anamorphic Pillarbox 4x3 Zoom 14x9 Letterbox or Wide are possible e Resize Quality allows the user to choose between different methods of computing the image in the desired format e e e Nearest neighbour gt Fast and poor Linear Bi Linear gt Fast and poor Cubic gt Very Good but slow Lanczos gt Very Good but very slow Supersampling gt Very Good when reducing the picture a lot Slow Compression Settings are available for MJPEG a
68. Directories Please Add Directory To Prefer Import Path Nino Media OMFOMF Birmingham omM MFI MediaFiles PALMERS Here one or many paths to the missing media files can be specified to allow VCube to reconnect the needed media files 34 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube The vertical arrows move the selected path into the list The scanning is done from top to bottom This feature can directly reached from the Settings menu This enables VCube to re link media files spread over different workspaces or servers 35 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 4 Media Files Media Files allows you to select Media File to be added to your Composition Ctrl Shift O To add a Clip at the end of the last Clip on the selected layer Shift Double click If no Layer is selected a new one will be created To add a Clip at the current TimeCode in selected Layer Double click If no Layer is selected a new one will be created e To add a Clip at the current TimeCode in a new Layer Control Shift Double click VCube supports video only video audio audio only and still image Media Files A 5 second Clip will be created from a single still image A Use Ctrl I to import a still images sequence Browser allows you to select Media Files from local hard disks or via a network Refresh updates the list of Media Files in a specific location F5 Flatten allows you to see all Media Files inside a specifi
69. E Convert Media Files Converts Media Files of selected Clips into cube files Ctrl Y J Render Composition Renders Composition Ctrl R E Convert Still Images Displays the specific dialog to import numbered still images as a sequence Ctrl I E Fits the Composition in the Edit window Alt 1 If one or several Clips are selected Fit All becomes Fit Selected E Returns to the previous zoom Alt 2 B Zooms in Alt 3 E Zooms out Alt 4 The zoom level can also be controlled with Alt Mouse wheel or Alt Click into the Time Ruler or Right click into the Time Ruler E Undo last action Ctrl Z Bj Redo last action Ctrl Shift Z H Splits selected Clip s Ctrl T Cut Cut selection at TimeCode Ctrl X Cut amp Ripple Cut selection and Ripple Ctrl Shift X El Copy selection Ctrl C Paste Paste the Clipboard content Ctrl V Paste amp Ripple Paste the Clipboard content and ripple Ctrl Shift V H Paste at Previous TimeCode Paste the Clipboard content at its last TimeCode in the Timeline Ctrl M Add new Layer Ctrl Shift N E New Video Track Add new video track Ctrl Shift T New Audio Track Add new audio track Ctrl Alt T 13 A MERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars vCube New Text Clip Add Text produces a 5 seconds Clip for text in the Timeline at the current TimeCode Text Properties dialog appears in the View tab Shift T New Sticky Text Clip
70. E Ctrl F12 displays audio playback levels 94 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vCube 8 7 Script View i Ctrl F6 displays the script page Python is the language used to script VCube application While running an output display is available in the Output View window cript Failed Ex 95 mA VMIERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 Recording and Editing VCube is not only a universal player for Video VCube is also capable of Recording with an optional video card and Editing 96 A MERGING vcCube 9 Recording and Editing 9 1 Recording Record page opens settings for capture F12 Audio recording is only available with Audio or Video I O card options The plug in corresponding to the video card must be enabled and set in Setting gt Video I O Supported SD Video Formats Supported HD Video Formats Dual Link video cards are required to support 2048x1080 formats and above A VMERGING 97 9 Recording and Editing vcCube A Be sure that both reference video input on the synchronization panel of the VCube and the video card reference input are referenced to the same genlock black and burst or video signal This is the only way to ensure a precise timing for the video signal Send Clips at Original TimeCode Output Path DA w File Forma CUBE cube Fi ame Cube Capture F ate 25 000 fps PAL CrCb YUY2 720 576 2 Fields Interleaved Upper First bits Fix Linear
71. File gt Import gt Import Composition and Export Changes This opens a Browser Window If necessary navigate to the folder containing the changed version of the Video Composition Select this and Click on Open Step 3 The new video file Version 2 is now displayed in the VCube Timeline The changes between the two versions will have been exported to a Change EDL file which will be found in the same 130 A MERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube source folder Step 4 Return to Pyramix which is still displaying the original Version 1 audio Project Select Project gt Reconform gt Load Change EDL The Reconform dialog opens This Warning gives good advice It is good operational practice to retain the old Project Version 1 in this case and to reconform a copy saving this copy with a suitable filename matching the new Video composition version Assuming you have already done this click on OK to close the dialog A file Open Browser Window opens Now if necessary navigate to the folder containing the Change EDL Note This automatically generated file will be named in the form Original Composition name_CHANGES_ New Composition name EDL In this case the required file is Version1_CHANGES _Version2 EDL Select this and Click on Open The CMX EDL Import Options Confirm EDL Frame Rate dialog opens Check that the EDL Frame Rate matches the Pyramix Project Frame Rate If the Frame Rate is incorrect choose
72. First tff and Repeat First Field rff flags to convert 4 frames 8 fields to 5 frames 10 fields like this T top field B bottom field frame 1 tff 1 rff 0 fields displayed TB frame 2 tff 1 rff 1 fields displayed TBT frame 3 tff 0 rff 0 fields displayed BT frame 4 tff 0 rff 1 fields displayed BTB So you get the sequence of fields TB TBT BT BTB or grouped as frames TB TB TB TB TB The above would be considered 2 3 pulldown as it is 2 fields 3 fields 2 fields etc 3 2 is the reverse frame 1 tff 1 rff 1 fields displayed TBT frame 2 tff 0 rff 0 fields displayed BT frame 3 tff O rff 1 fields displayed BTB frame 4 tff 1 rff 0 fields displayed TB 154 AMERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube In this case you get the sequence of fields TBT BT BTB TB or grouped as frames TB TB TB TB TB In most cases the MPEG Encoder adjusts the necessary settings automatically so that the Pulldown option remains disabled GOP Group of Pictures structure frames These frames are also called Key Frames All GOPs start with an frame frames contain information for a complete picture and can be decoded independent of any other frame frames are the largest and least compressed frames P frames P frames are encoded using information from the previous or P frame and can only be decoded correctly if the previous P frame is available P frames are smaller than frame
73. G 8 Control Pages vCube Internal Machine 00 00 00 00 E In 00 00 00 00 i A ou 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 vrd 00 A e Note that the video card does not support all the possible settings supported by the computer graphic card If an unsupported setting is selected a warning message is displayed on the video Output See Supported Video Formats tab in Appendices to find the correct settings for your specific need Size allows you to trim Width and Height in pixels for your Composition Field Order offers the choice of whether the Upper or Lower Field is displayed First when interlaced or None if the media format is Progressive Scan Pixel Aspect Ratio gives a choice of pixel shape depending on the specific video format of the Composition Composition Frame Rate allows you to choose the frame rate of the Composition in number of frames per second A Note that this frame rate drop frame is never taken into account will be used for render Drop frame only affects the TimeCode to ensures that one hour lasts one hour despite the second lasts 1001 ms for NTSC based video and sync formats When Link Composition amp Synchronization TC Frame Rate is enabled any change in Composition or TC Frame Rate is applied to the other For Frame Rates above SMPTE standard fps this function enables integer ratio between Composition and TimeCode Frame Rates TC Frame Rate offers the choice of frame rate for the Compo
74. G 1 The MPEG 1 format has been developed by the Motion Pictures Experts Group and it enables you to compress video and audio data with lower bitrates using a specific standard You can save the format on a computer or a normal CD ROM and play it back using a software or hardware decoder The MPEG 1 format is used for VCDs VCD Video CD This profile produces MPEG 1 output suitable for burning to a recordable CD in a special format that can be played in Video CD players computers and many standalone DVD players The maximum resolution for MPEG 1 VCD is 352x288 with 25 frames per second and 352x240 with 30 frames per second respectively MPEG 2 The MPEG 2 format has been created by the Motion Pictures Experts Group and it enables you to compress video and audio data with a higher bitrates for best quality using a specific standard You can save the format on a computer as well as a normal CD ROM or DVD and play it back using a software or hardware decoder The MPEG 2 format is used for SVCDs and DVDs SVCD Super Video CD This option generates MPEG 2 output suitable for burning to a Super Video CD This format is similar to Video CD but offers higher quality The disadvantages are that Super Video CDs require more processing power when played back on computers They are generally not as compatible with standalone DVD players and they cannot hold as much video as standard Video CDs DVD Please select this MPEG type to produce hi
75. ING 19 Appendices VCube 13 Fairlight Controlling a VCube Fairlight DREAM MFX3 Jogsh The jogsh modifier is used to modify the behaviour of the DREAM Console transport when acting as a master controlling slave 9 pin devices in jog or shuttle mode The default setting is jogsh 1 When jogsh 0 the DREAM Console sends jog commands to the slave and then reads and chases the slave s TimeCode This provides uniform picture jogging but in some cases may cause excessive variations in audio jog speed SYSTEM FILES When jogsh 1 the DREAM Console sends jog commands to the slave the slave then reads and chases the DREAM Console s TimeCode This provides uniform audio jogging but in some cases may cause excessive variations in video jog speed Add jogsh to the end of the device definition you wish to modify where is 1 or 0 9 PIN CONTROL In the configuration file SYS cd dd usr sys tcs_cfg file be sure the ALT_JOG option is removed by adding an asterisk before SETENV ALT_JOG entry in tcs_cfg Additional tcs_cfg settings required for control of VCube via 9 pin are RETRY_LIMIT 50 SONY TIMEOUT 50 LAME SLAVE DELAY 2 SETENV ALT_JOG In VCube the port COM settings for the Sony 9 pin Remote Control must be set to Var Shuttle Jog with speed 0 Then the VCube no longer interprets these commands For a correct behavior of VCube with the FFW and REW commands from the Fairlight station on the MFX3 unlace
76. Layout determines if and how the rendered frames will be interleaved or not Word Lenght is currently limited to 8 bits Down Sampling determines the color sub sampling scheme 4 2 2 see Glossary section is the default value Convert Mode can be Down or Up convert depending of the picture format selected for rendering Down Convert Letterbox or Anamorphic are possible Up Convert Anamorphic Pillarbox 4x3 Letterbox are possible e Resize Quality allows the user to choose between different methods of computing the image in the desired format Nearest neighbour gt Fast and poor Linear Bi Linear gt Fast and poor Cubic gt Very Good but slow e Lanczos gt Very Good but very slow Supersampling gt Very Good when reducing the picture a lot Slow Compression Settings are available for MJPEG and MPEG codecs For details on the Mpeg Settings please refer to the dedicated section We recommend using only regular Format type in the Basic Settings dialog for trouble free operations e MJPEG codec A 100 quality value corresponds to an average 1 3 compression ratio and a 50 one to an average 1 20 compression ratio Audio File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for audio If both video and audio are the same type they are merged inside a single Media File Word Lenght determines audio resolution Number of Channels indicates the number of physical outputs fed by audio Layers in the
77. Machine if you use this port This port is named COM3 in settings specific panel This port is named COM2 in settings specific panel for early VCubes featuring an ASUS mother board The RS 232 port is named COM1 Internal Machine 00 00 00 00 eB 00 00 00 00 fA 00 00 00 00 Sony 9 Pin 00 00 00 00 Sh Be 00 00 00 00 a fs fed ea 00 00 00 00 Sooo 00 i BASSAS From the VCube you can control the transport of the Sony 9 pin compatible device while the VCube is chasing it The Ctrl button must be highlighted in the Sony 9 Pin control panel The Record button in the Internal Machine control panel must be enabled only once Chasing is no longer displayed in the preview A Be sure that the reference video input on the synchronization panel of the VCube and the video card reference input are referenced on the same genlock blackburst or video signal This is the only way to ensure a precise timing for video signal 224 A MERGING 18 In The Field vCube A This configuration must be used also in Auto Edit mode 225 A MERGING 18 In The Field VCube 8 3 Non Compensated Telecine at 24 fps A non compensated telecine can be used with VCube A film frame corresponds to a video frame VCube can playback a 25 fps video capture at 24 fps in order to respect the real duration of the film and to avoid typical audio processing After a regular PAL capture the Composition must be set to 24 fps The fps info embedded i
78. Media Files OMF MXF AAF Apple XML Import Create New OMF MXF AAF Apple XML Import Add to Existing Import Composition amp Export Changes Import Layer Convert Still Images Export Export Composition Convert Media Files Render Composition Wrapper Paste amp Ripple Paste at Previous Timecode Paste at Original TC Delete Selected AVMERGING Shortcut Ctrl N Ctrl L Shift L Ctrl Shift L Ctrl O Ctrl Shift Q Ext Shift DELETE Ctrl S Ctrl Shift S Alt R Alt F4 Ctrl Shift O Alt O Shift Alt O Ctrl Alt L Ctrl I Ctrl Y Ctrl R Ctrl Z Ctrl Shift Z Ctrl X Ctrl Shift X Ctrl C Ctrl V Ctrl Shift V Ctrl M Ext DELETE 242 VCube Delete Track s or Layer s Split Clip s Group UnGroup UnGroup All Lock Selected Clips UnLock Selected Clips Add New Video Track New Audio Track New Layer New Text Clip New Post it Text Clip New Countdown Clip New Wipe Clip New Audio Tone Clip New Video Test Patern Clip Nudge Nudge to Left Nudge to Right Nudge Up Nudge Down Nudge Override Nudge to Left Override Nudge to Right Override Nudge Up Override Nudge Down Override Tracks Nudge Up Track Nudge Down Track Selection Range To Region Select Previous Layer Select Next Layer Select All Clips on Selected Layers Select All Clips UnSelect All Clips Zoom Zoom In Zoom Out AVMERGING 19 Appendices
79. Media Settings The Media Settings panel manages the manner QuickTime and MXF files are handled by VCube Medias Settings Import Audio Embedded audio from a QuickTime file can be imported or not Render Audio if compressed create a new araw file for audio allowing VCube to open large compressed audio files overriding the QuickTime memory constraint The new file is generated in the same folder as the original media files Prefer using QT Avid DNxHD codec instead of the VCube ones This option can be checked to support 10 bit DNxHD Validate All Index Frames when disabled dramatically increase the parsing of MXF media files Export Bit Rate allows to select the data for MXF media files generated by VCube 90 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 12 Timeline This control panel allows to choose the way ruler and waves forms are displayed into the Timeline Timeline Show Feet Ruler When engaged a feet ruler is also displayed with the main Timline ruler The Feet Ruler Setting can be accessed from the top Settings Menu or with CTRL F Generate WaveForm can be disabled if waveforms are useless in the Timeline or if no new file can be added to the audio media folder Auto Scale Audio Wave Form When engaged the wave form not the audio of the clips is normalized 91 A MERGING vcCube 8 5 13 Video Engine The VCube Video Engine allows different settings to face particular situations
80. Merging Technologies is supported by VCube This fearture isn t available for VCube SE Please refer to the Isis User Manual for details on operations On the VCube side only the Wheel behavior can be set to produce the exact desired feeling when jogging Isis Controller Shift Track arming buttons recalls the Locators 83 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 10 Encryption Encryption and decryption of video data can be performed in real time by VCube This process is based on MTAK Merging Technologies Active Key To setup this feature Select the key holder folder from the MTActiveKey section of the MT Security Settings control panel This folder contains the encryption and or decryption keys for all users on the network Then in the Settings pages of VCube F2 go to the Encryption section Only the first step is required for playback decryption Select the needed key for data encryption Encryption MT Active Key Privileges MTAKP The following Active Directory groups are defined on the company domain MT Active Key Administrators MTAKAdministrators MTAKAdministrators are allowed to create modify delete and use any keys from anywhere on the network using the MTAKAdmin application MT Active Key Power Users MTAKPowerUsers MTAKPowerUsers are allowed to use any keys accessible by the MT Security Server running on their computer for encrypting and or decrypting media files They cannot create mod
81. Microsoft and the QuickTime player from Apple will playback a 4 audio channels file into a stereo mix of the 4 mono channels Using video files with embedded audio decreases playback performance For Composition with complex compositing two separate Media Files one for video one for audio are preferable If the original media file features both video and audio be sure to select a compatible audio video media file format as converted file to retrieve both video and audio once converted MJPEG Compression MJPEG Compression Level Quality Average Compression Ratio Size 100 2 4 5 5 6 4 7 7 4 8 4 9 9 8 10 5 10 9 11 3 13 5 15 5 17 18 4 21 23 Note that previous compression ratio values are only indicative The MJPEG compression effectiveness may vary with the picture content The more detail or noise present the lower the compression ratio achieved 138 A MERGING VCube Supported File Extensions cube avi AMERGING 11 Conversions Direct Playback or Import for Numbered Still Images Sequences Record Render Convert VCube native format Yes Audio Video Interleave AVI is defined by Yes Microsoft AVI is the most common format for audio video data on the PC Apple QuickTime Yes Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes the Material eXchange Format Yes D10 Render only Audio Interchange File Yes MPEG Audio Stream Layer II Yes WAVE File For
82. NE C A sound 01 15 14 02 01 15 16 04 01 02 47 19 01 02 49 21 Pyramix will extract all the information regarding audio from these EDLs and then paste a set of clips into the current 126 A MERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube composition s Timeline There are many CMX formats which differ in details Pyramix should be tolerant enough to accept most of them as long as edit lines fields are well separated by spaces or TABs Any errors encountered while parsing an EDL file are stored and reported after loading as much of the file as possible Any non valid lines missing media or media sampling rate mismatches are reported Media Reconnection The major problem encountered while importing an EDL is reconnecting to referenced media Pyramix needs all referenced media to be present mounted when the import occurs After the import the newly created composition MUST be saved as a Pyramix project to keep the connection between clips and media Media are searched while importing the EDL by Media Source name or Reel name following the EDL terminology and Source In and Source Out TimeCodes So to be reconnected a clip needs to find in any media folder a media file with a Media Source name matching field 2 in the EDL in the preceding example TEST DAT12 or TAPE1 and where the original TimeCode and length match the Source In and Source Out field Source Names FIXREEL It often happens that the media is generated with
83. Quantization Matrices Each 8x8 block of pixels in the image is run through a DCT Discrete Cosine Transformation function which yields an 8x8 block of DCT coefficients These coefficients are arranged in the 8x8 array with the lower frequencies in the upper left corner of the array and the higher frequencies in the lower right corner The numbers of these 8x8 blocks are the results of mathematical functions performed by the encoder to represent the video in a smaller number of bits The quantization matrices determine the divider used by the quantization function for each DCT coefficient Lower numbers mean the coefficient will be quantized less better quality closer to the original DCT value but more bits are needed while higher numbers mean the coefficients are quantized more lower quality but less bits are needed The default intra matrix values are biased towards the low frequency coefficients they are represented better while the high frequency coefficients are not represented as well The numbers on the top left handle the low frequency regions and the numbers on the bottom right handle the high frequency regions The human eye is less sensitive to the high frequencies so that region can be compressed to a higher degree this is why the values are higher there If the whole matrix consists of 1 there would be virtually no compression at all but a very large number of bits If you set all numbers of the matrix to 255 you will obtain a very
84. RGING MTAKPowerUsers Add User Remove User 1 A system administrator of the company domain must create the following group AMERGING 88 8 Control Pages vcCube a MTAKAdministrators b MTAKPowerUsers optional c MTAKUsers 2 A system administrator of the company domain must then create somewhere on the network on a secured and regularly backed up server one or more folder s that will be MT Active Key Holders and grant them the following permissions a MTAKAdministrators must be granted Full Control permission b MTAKPowerUsers must be granted Read and List Folder Contents permission c MTAKUsers must be granted Read and List Folder Contents permission d Note Only the Name of the folder s will be published to MT Active Key Enabled Applications to identify the MT Active Key Holder The rest of the path s will be kept hidden to MTAKPowerUsers and MTAKUsers 3 A system administrator of the company domain must then run the MT Security Control Panel on each computer on the company network requiring access to MT Active Keys and set in the MT Active Key page the path of the MT Active Key Holder s allowed to be contacted by the MT Security Service running on that computer 4 A member of the MTAKAdministrators group can then run the MTAKAdmin application from anywhere on the network when logged in with MTAKAdministrators rights to administrate MT Active Keys 89 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 11
85. Recording while chasing amp Sony 9 pin Non Compensated Telecine at 24 fps Using the S Video Output of the Graphic Card Trouble shooting Flickering Video Output Matrox Parhelia Settings Poor Image Quality on HD Frame Shifting with Virtual Transport The Sony 9 pin Can t Control VCube Recorded Media Files have a wrong Timestamp The Video Playback is shifted Frozen Picture on the Video Output of a Matrox Graphic Card User Interface and ATI Graphic Card The NTSC Video Output Features Some Dropped Frames With PAL Media Files Apple compatibility 2 GB limitation Appendices Default Shortcuts HDTV Recorded Media SDTV Recorded Media Video Formats amp Bandwidth PullUp PullDown Drop Frame Supported Video Codec Supported Files AVI 1 AVI 2 AVI ref Video Files and Disk Requirements Installation Examples A Great Solution for Audio Post for Film Basic VCube Operation Protools amp VCube Operation AMVMERGING Table of Contents 224 226 227 228 229 230 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 252 253 254 260 261 262 264 266 267 269 270 271 272 vi vCube Protools Pyramix amp VCube Avid Unity and VCube Fairlight Controlling a VCube Protools and VCube Sony 9 pin Wiring Chart Glossary Index Table of Contents 273 274 276 278 281 285 vii 1 Welcome VCube 1 Welcome Welcome to VCube 2 User Manual Assumptions This User Manual assumes you
86. The selected element s will be placed before or after the existing element in the track or Layer depending on where you move it It s also valid when you move a group In audio Layers moves are restrained to a one frame grid e Use Ctrl with click drag to create an automatic cross fade between the moved Clip and adjacent Clip To trim the In or Out points of a Clip just use the six handles on the selected element On the left The bottom handle controls the In point for the selected element The center one just moves the fade in without shifting the Clip content The top one allows you to create a real time fade in when moved to the right If you use Cirl the fade can be adjusted symmetrically If you use Ctrl while moving a faded Clip an automatic symmetric cross fade is produced within the adjacent Clips e When Clips are selected and have the same Source In TC actions on handles are shared Shift should be used to temporarily unlink selected Clips and produce a fade action on one Clip only After such operation fade handles of selected clips re link once they have been set back to the same TimeCode On the right Handles act in the same manner for the Out point 106 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube A Right Click on the selection displays a contextual menu featuring editing functions Cut Ctrl X Cut amp Ripple Ctrl Shift X Copy Ctrl C Paste Ctrl V only available if the Clipboard isn t empt
87. Tree Now we want to introduce the various parameters in the Additional Settings tree The different options are displayed in the tree You can change the settings by using the Value parameter box Depending on the setting you have to adjust the appropriate option in the corresponding tree A short definition of the selected option is offered under the display Under Sequence Header you find the following option VBV Buffer size This value specifies the size of the Video Buffering Verifier VBV buffer in KB 1024 bytes Decoders can use this value to determine the largest buffer needed to decode the video stream Set it to zero to have the encoder compute a value based on the video bitrate VCD specifies 40 KB SVCD and DVD specify 224 KB Use the Value prompt in order to change the parameters See ISO IEC 13818 2 or ISO IEC 11171 2 The option Sequence Extension offers two settings Progressive Sequence If set to 1 all frames in the video are progressive if set to 0 both progressive and interlaced frames can appear in the video See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Chroma Format The option specifies whether to use the 4 2 0 or 4 2 2 high profile only chroma format for the encoded video See ISO IEC 13818 2 Only the 4 2 0 and 4 2 2 formats are supported This option is only valid for MPEG 2 AMERGING 160 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube Under Sequence Display Extension you can edit several options
88. a different Source Tape Reel name than the EDL referencing it For this purpose we have added a special keyword to the CMX language which allows Pyramix to replace one Reel name with another while parsing the EDL FIXREEL DAT12 DAT012 This preamble added at beginning of the file will replace all occurrences of the reel name DAT12 by DAT012 The preamble can be preceded by the comment asterisk and a space or TAB so the EDL remains compatible for import by other systems FIXREEL DAT12 DAT012 It is also possible to add the keyword MEDIANAME FILENAME or FOLDERNAME at the end of this line to tell Pyramix instead of the Source Tape Reel name to search for the Media name or the Media Filename FIXREEL DAT12 Ambiance43b MEDIANAME FIXREEL DAT12 d omxmedia dat12 ambiance43b wav FILENAME or to search by TimeCode in the given mounted media folder this is kind of a conformation to existing digitized material FIXREEL DAT12 d omxmedia dat12 FOLDERNAME The keyword OFFSET followed by a TimeCode can be added at the end of the line to allow media without origin original TimeCode source TimeCode time stamp to be referenced for example WAVE files FIXREEL DAT12 Ambiance43b MEDIANAME OFFSET 08 45 32 00 FIXREEL DAT12 d pmxmedia ambiance43b wav FILENAME OFFSET 08 45 32 00 This covers most cases of media reconnection and should help solve special cases of EDLs exported by exotic systems Media Reconnection Failure An impo
89. able runs of up to 50 m length Video Reference Out and Video Reference In A switch enables disables the 75 Ohms termination for the incoming video signal A A Video Reference should be present on the Video Reference Input to allow the VCube to generate a VITC output on the Video Ref Output connector LTC Out and LTC In The LTC In accepts balanced signals as well as unbalanced signals The LTC Out offers a fully balanced output signal whose gain can be remote controlled by VCube 174 AMERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 2 The USB Sync Board Oprtion VCube SE XE and LE require a dedicated hardware PRO Option to support RS 422 LTC MIDI or optional Bi Phase synchronization This Bi Phase option is also supported by VCube turnkey systems BUGLE UERLE VELURUNGLE Ses i a a8 Ens be fits l EER A hoia ome USBSync Board Revision A Cloude Cellier ivier Auberson This card can be insert in PCI or PCle slot The internal USB ensures the electrical connection to the mother board DB9 connector RS422 Sony 9p DB15 VGA on breakout cable 1 x Video reference Input BNC 2 x Biphase I O 4 connectors DIN 5p 180 2 x MIDI I O uses the Biphase connectors 1x LTC I O 2 XLR 175 AMERGING 15 Synchronization vCube 15 2 1 USB Sync Board Installation The dedicated drivers are installed by the VCube installer 176 A IVIERGING 15 Synchronization vCube
90. able only if TC Clock Ref is set to Video Input Chase TC Source Auto we are not going to use the chase but leave the setting as default Chase Mode Hard we are not going to use the chase but leave the setting as default Chase Enable OffChase Offset 00 00 00 00 Graphic Card delay compensation 0 Video Card delay compensation 0 Sony 9 Pin Remote Control On About Sony 9 pin Remote Control Settings Shuttle Stil Settings Stop Serial Port COM 2 Sony 9 Pin Machine Control Off 280 A MERGING vcCube 19 Appendices 19 15 Sony 9 pin Wiring Chart 1 RS232 to from RS422 acting as a Slave Port A MERGING RS422 gt RS232 VCube Slave from Controller Master FONCTION RS422 SUB D 9P gt RS232 SUB D 9P FONCTION RS 422 MALE FEMALE RS232 es Ei n bens C I a m SR TX GND Pp ooo O ji NOTE NC NOT CONNECTED CABLE COLOUR CODE e SUB D 9P MALE RS422 Sony 9pin SUB D 9P FEMALE RS232 D RTS 281 19 Appendices vcCube 2 RS232 to from RS422 acting as a Master Port RS232 gt RS422 VCube Master to External Machine Slave FONCTION RS232 SUB D 9P _ RS422 SUB D 9P FONCTION RS 232 FEMALE MALE RS422 DCD RLSD es es eS Fr BED jiii Hh BRB iii 5 m x NC NOT CONNECTED CABLE COLOUR CODE SUB D 9P MALE RS422 Sony 9pin SUB D 9P FEMALE RS232 A 282 AMERGING 19 Appendice
91. ack to its default position just Double click one more time on its title label or use the close window icon To display a folder separately Ctrl Double click on its title label To bring restore the folder back to its default position just Double click one more time on its title label or use the close window icon A particular sub folder panel can also be displayed separately by a Double clicking on its title label Classical menu access is also available VCube 1 3 0 Untitled Composition File Edit Selection Zoom Locators Goto Transport Overlay Settings User Interface Help A Right click in the Timeline or in preview area displays contextual menus A Double click in the preview area toggles full screen Or you can press F3 When in full screen mode a Right click on the preview gives access to the menus A Note that menu items present will vary depending on circumstances F2 displays Control Pages e Files enables you to manage the Media Files and Compositions you re working on F6 e Locators allows you to customize the locators F7 View gives access to keyboard shortcuts and Clip properties F8 e Edit shows the editing tools F9 Settings configure the system F10 Script allows power users or administrators to use the Python language to create a sequence of actions in the VCube software This feature is still under development and not fully implemented Ctrl F6 AMERGING 5 VCube User Interface vcCu
92. al number of frames to buffer for your specific configuration to run properly The lower the number the greater the demand will be on hard disk or network streaming performance A setting of 3 is generally sufficient e Possible values 3 to 20 Stress Playback can slightly improve video engine performance The frame rate is no longer weighted by the playback engine Buffer Preload loads frames in advance for better playback star up Multi Thread Seeking allows VCube to run several threads at the same time in order to decrease overall disk access time Caches are enabled by default Cache Size determines the amount of memory in bytes allocated to cache memory The lower the number the more CPU horsepower is consumed The settings effectiveness can be monitored using the dedicated Output View Ctr F9 and Ctrl F 10 A Note that the optimum cache size for SD video steaming through a 1 Gb network is usually 8 kB This setting produces the smoothest possible data flow Scrolls in the Timeline can be improved by increasing this amount For local Hard Disk streaming settings depend on the specific hardware used 512 KB is generally a good choice e Possible values 4kB to 8MB QuickTime files mov or qt are directly managed by the QuickTime support engine which sets the Read Write Cache Size Only the Number of Frames into the Playback Buffer is available to fine tune playback performance e Windows Media Video files wmv are direct
93. all or a selection of clips to new media Typically this is used for replacement of 16 bit versions of audio files with 24 bit versions based on the clip name media name Scene amp Take information or original TimeCode Relink Clips Media Gives options to extract a string from the original clip Using current Media Tape Name Using current Media Name Using current Media File Name Using current Media Scene amp Take Using Clip Name With various options applicable to the above Ignore characters after finding ignores the rest of the string after a given substring is found Ignore File Extension ignores any characters after the last dot Match only first characters ignores all characters after a given number Scene amp Take Separators gives a choice of characters to be used to separate a Scene name and a Take name from the string Note this is relevant only for Tape Media and Clip Name as Scene amp Take are already properly separated in a Media Scene amp Take tag To any other Media gives options to find which information to use from the Media that will be searched Matching Media Tape Name e Matching Media Name e Matching Media File Name e Matching Media Scene amp Take By TimeCode in matching Folder name Any Media with overlapping TimeCode in a folder with a matching name By TimeCode and prompting for location Any Media with overlapping TimeCode with prompting for the folder name location
94. alog video input is selected for recording A The video card video reference input isn t internally connected to the synchronization video reference input Both need to be fed by the same video reference signal Reference Input video card This BNC connector allows you to synchronize outputs to your house reference video signal or black amp burst If you have a 202 AMERGING 17 Hardware vcCube sync generator or central piece of video equipment to use for synchronizing other video equipment in your studio then connect its composite output here When Xena outputs video it uses this reference signal to lock to For 1080i and 720p modes only you may also use analog 525 or 625 color black A The composition sampling rate must be set to 48 KHz when video cards audio channels are used to capture or playback audio During capture the monitoring must be done from the card where audio inputs are connected 203 A MERGING 17 Hardware vCube 17 1 3 Xena 2Ke 204 A MERGING 17 Hardware vcCube 2K 2Ke Breakout Cable XENA 2K D Connector 3 BNCs Analog Connections In SD Can be Configured for Component Composite or S Video In HD Can Only Be Component XENA 2K Mini BNCs Reference Input BNC Audio Output XLRs Channels 1 8 2 channels connector Clu he Audio Input XLRs 73 Channels 1 8 EC 2 channels connector d l SDI cable SDI Video with Embedded Audio In Out
95. ame Offset o Machine Follows Edit Insertion Scrub Punch Out Frame Offset 0 _ Machine Cues Intelligently Delay After Play Command l 0 i IKA Stop At Shuttle Speed Zero Z Ignore Track Arming o Delay Before Locking To LTC Edone Preferences machine control Disable machine cue intelligently Enable stop at shuttle speed zero In Session setup Be sure that serial TimeCode is used as incoming time And video ref is set Choose the correct fps setting VCube configuration Verify that you have not enabled the Chase Enable properties in VCube To be more precise the VCube Configuration should be in Settings Page Composition folder Audio Ref Video Input if you have connected the Video ref to VCube otherwise it should be Internal To verify if the Video reference is properly supplied to the VCube click on the Show Mykerinos I O button and you should see the Video Green Led Highlighted If the Audio Ref is set to Video Input set Video Red Led should be highlighted too Sampling Rate As you wish Width 720 in SD Height 480 in SD Field Order Lower Field First Pixel Aspect Ratio 0 9 or 1 2 if you are in WideScreen Composition Frame Rate NTSC 29 97 Link Frame Rate On TC Frame Rate NTSC 29 97 TC Clock Ref Video Input if you have connected the Video ref to VCube otherwise it should be Internal TC Clock Ref NTSC this settings is avail
96. amp Playback Buffer Settings Gives direct access to Disk Cache amp Playback Buffer Settings Ctrl Shift P Show User Interface Settings Gives direct access to User Interface Settings Ctrl Shift Alt P E Show Isis Settings Gives direct access to the Isis Settings BB Show Encryption Settings Gives direct access to the Encryption Settings Alt K fi Show Media Settings Gives direct access to the Media Settings Show Timeline Settings Gives direct access to the Timeline Settings Eq Show Hide Transport Frame Gives direct access to Transport Frame T E Show Record Page Gives direct access to Capture Page F12 E Show Timeline Gives direct access to Timeline Page F11 E Show Clip Info Gives direct access to Clip Info tab Ctrl W E Show Shortcuts Gives direct access to Shortcuts tab Shift W Show Workspaces Gives direct access to Workspace tab Alt W EJ Show System Output Gives direct access to System tab Ctrl F8 Show Buffers Output Gives direct access to Buffers tab Ctrl F9 Show Playback Infos Output Gives direct access to Playback Info tab Ctrl F10 12 A MERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars vcCube E Show Playback Monitor Output Gives direct access to Playback Monitor tab Ctrl F12 Toggle Show Hide Settings Toggles Settings pages F2 lt Toggle Fullscreen Preview Toggles Full Screen F3 Double click in picture produces the same action Toggle Floating Window Toggles Floating Preview F4
97. an be applied to all audio samples decoded from the first access unit Ticking the checkbox enables the the Dynamic range control The setting does not affect the encoding of the audio at all It is simply a value decoders may use when playing the audio Gain dB The Gain value X and Y is a recommended gain value to be applied to all audio samples by the player where Gain 24 082 6 0206 X 0 2007 Y 166 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec vcCube 14 5 Multiplexer Settings In this pane you can control whether your exported MPEG files will be multiplexed also referred to as muxed Multiplexed output means that the video and audio are exported in a single file This pane also offers some more professional settings for muxing This pane is only available when the number of embedded audio tracks exceeds two Advanced MPEG Settings OMAIN MPEG Encoder www mainconcept com il Basic Settings Video Settings Advanced Video Settings Audio Settings Multiplexer Settings Multiplexing type y Variable bitrate Pack options Startup delays ms Video options Split file options Size bytes Pack Buffer size kB Max file size MB Cao Packets pack Timestamps frames Mug rate kbps Extra packets s snare Cl write program end code Load Settings Save Settings File Settings Cancel Help In general the basic settings for this pane and the other advanced pane
98. are thoroughly familiar with PCs and Windows terms and concepts This User Manual is focused around the Page and Folder interface Classical menu access is also available A Right Click displays contextual menus Conventions Conventions used in this manual Names found on VCube screens and pages are shown in bold E g Settings Pages and folder selections are shown like this Settings Format amp Synchro gt Video Format Which means Click on the Settings page click on the Format amp Synchro folder and select Video Format Indicates a warning A Indicates important information F1 accesses the electronic version of this manual from the VCube software AN topmost must be unchecked in Settings User Interface gt Display to allow the Help window to be displayed All features described in the documentation are available in the Advanced Mode Alt F3 If the user interface is set to Simple Mode Alt F1 some features may remain hidden or unavailable AMVMERGING 2 What s New in VCube 2 VCube 2 What s New in VCube 2 Global Design Windows and Vista 32 bit are supported The Follow VT mode allows VCube to be ultra reactive when controlled by Pyramix thru VT It integrates an internal chase synchronizer This mode is now the normal operation mode when syncing Pyramix and VCube using network or Pyramix and VCube SE running on the same machine e Networked ADR features from Pyramix Ovation support e N
99. ark Color Media Path Link to Composition Path Auto Wipe amp Auto Countdown Audio Sampling Rate Video Size Field Order Pixel Aspect Ratio Composition FrameRate Saved in Composition lt x KK lt x KK KK OK OX gt x lt x X OK X X OK x lt x lt Xx X Xx 8 Control Pages This tab shows which settings are reloaded systematically with the composition overriding current settings With the Load Selective feature it is also possible to reload a workspace a shortcut list or synchronization settings from another composition All other settings A IVIERGING 31 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 2 OMF Compositions From the File menu the Import sub menu allows to reach Composition Create New Alt O allows to import a OMF Composition into the VCube Timeline Composition Add to Exsting Shift Alt O allows to merge a new OMF Composition with the current Composition Yellow The Clip is a rendered effect Green VCube can render the effect in realtime Red VCube does not support the effect A VCube Composition files and VCube can render the effect in realtime can also be dropped directly onto the Timeline from a Windows folder e If the path to media is included in the Composition VCube asks the user to specify a network location for those Media Files Workspace OMFI Media Files or a specific user path If OMF Media Files are on the local storage press cancel when the dialog appe
100. ars 2 If the Media Files remain unlocatable the VCube software looks for media files into the subfolders of the composition file location on the local storage 3 Lastly VCube uses the data base to re link Media Files If the path to Media Files is not available in the OMF Composition then the Scan function must be used to generate the OMF Media Files data base The first scan process can take a very long time on a big media server storing thousands of files 32 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Export Settings Current Export As es OMF 2 0 a7 YJ Include All Video Tracks in Sequence YJ Include All Audio Tracks in Sequence Video Details judiowetailsy Export Method eConsolicate and Link to Consolidated Target Drive for Consolidate Handle Length J Frames E Render Video Effects eoe p ______ i Cance On Avid NLE the Composition must be consolidated in OMF2 reflecting the above screen capture Embedded Compositions aren t currently supported by VCube VCube doesn t manage OMF Timeline for Audio OMF audio Media Files can only be used as regular Media Files into the VCube s Timeline that doesn t reflect the audio edit from an Avid system Pyramix supports OMF audio edits from Avid systems If some media files can t be found by VCube a dedicated panel is displayed Vcube Prefered Search Directories Please Add Directory To YCube Prefered Search Directories Import Path Nino Med
101. ative version VCube also exists in LE and XE modes Note that only the VCube hardware allows cross lock different frame rate for TimeCode and Composition VCube SE LE and XE don t allow this feature e New video engine allowing artifact free interlaced video formats real time resizing Different algorithms are available e Feet overlay TimeCode Comprehensive installer Online check for update Media Management e DNxHD codec support for QuickTime AVI and cube file formats IMX 30 or IMX 50 options for generated MXF media files Linked Composition and file Path for recorded media files To speed up MXF file parsing Validate All Index Frames can now be disabled from the Media Settings Panel Composition Management Countdown clip Real time countdown generation e Auto Countdown clip Real time countdown generation before Mark In e Wipe clip Real time wipe generation e Auto Wipe clip Real time wipe generation on Mark IO e Test pattern clip Real time test pattern generation e Audio Tone clip Real time audio tone generation Enhancements e Field accurate sync engine even over the network thru virtual transport Improved Real time playback faster Improved stability especially when editing composition clips while playing Improved Render engine faster better multi thread especially with 4 and 8 core system can handle up to 16 core ata AMVMERGING 2 What s New in VCube 2 VCube time Im
102. ave to match any SD video standard 24 fps can be used as frame rate for Composition Only HD video formats allow film frame rates for Composition on HD video cards 147 AMVMERGING vcCube 12 Using the QuickTime File Format QuickTime is a very popular file format Media Handler for audio and video media QuickTime 7 4 or above must be installed to allow VCube to manage this file format VCube features a complete support of QuickTime for both playback and Record Render Convert Media Files 12 Using the QuickTime File Format Any QuickTime specific codec can be used in VCube for both playback and Record Render Convert Media Files once installed on your VCube machine Avid provides such codec at http Awww avid com onlineSupport supportcontent asp browse amp product D 0 amp contentID 7952 To use such QuickTime specific codec with VCube when generating a new media file Record Render Convert Media Files just follow the method below e Select QUICKTIME mov as File Format for video or audio e Select Custom Media Handler Specific as Compression Set the Compression Settings as desired AMERGING Compression Settings Compression type Motion Frames per second Key frame every Compressor Quality 1 1 Least Low Animation Avid 1 18 Avid DNsHD Codec Avid DV Avid DV100 Codec Avid Meridien Compressed Avid Meridien Uncompressed Avid Packed Codec Blackmagic 10 Bit Blackmagic 8 B
103. be 1 All control pages and folders can directly be accessed with a combination of Function Key Home and End buttons Double clicking on a page title will break away a new window Double clicking on a title inside a tab will break away a new window Double clicking on the header of a broken away window restores the window to its default position e Tool Bar gives you direct access to the main functions of VCube Timeline activates the Timeline editor view F11 Record opens settings for capture F12 at Original Tim Output Path DA on CUBE cube File Name YCube Capture 25 000 fps PAL e 1 on YCrCb YUY2 720 576 2 Fields Interleaved Upper First 00 00 02 00 X 8 bits Fix 00 00 01 00 r lnea 00 00 00 00 4 2 2 D1 DVY PAL 1 067 None Linear Fast good quality F4 makes the Preview window float and hides the User Interface except for the broken away windows F3 toggles Preview Full Screen F2 toggles Control Pages 5 VCube User Interface VCube e F1 accesses the electronic version of this manual TopMost must be unchecked in Settings User Interface gt Display or Ctrl Shift Alt P to allow the help window to be displayed To open an existing VCube Composition Files VCube Composition or Ctrl O gt Composition Path 1 Browse and select a folder 2 Double click on the desired Composition name in the list To import an existing OMF AAF MXF or Apple XML Composition
104. be can Chase on Sony 9 Pin Machine VCube can Follow VT Clock Master OFF e VCube can Follow VT PyraCube Setup VCube SE Mode with AJA Card and without USB Sync PRO option Clock Master ON VCube can Chase on Sony 9 Pin Machine e VCube can Follow VT Clock Master OFF e VCube can Follow VT PyraCube Setup XE LE SE Mode without AJA Card and without USB Sync PRO option VCube is NEVER Clock Master and TC Master VCube follows VT without using its internal Chase Synchronizer because the clock and time code is given by VT To Help setting up VCube in SE Mode now will perform a certain amount of task automatically When enabling Follow VT mode VCube disables the VT TC Master and vice versa When enabling Chase VCube will enable VCube as VT Clock Master When enabling AJA Card or starting with AJA card enabled VCube will enable VCube as VT Clock Master if no Pyramix is detected running on the VT instance on the same computer and it will disable VCube as VT Clock Master if Pyramix is running PyraCube Setup When enabling AJA Card or starting with AJA card enabled VCube will enable Follow VT if Pyramix is running on the VT instance on the same computer for PyraCube Setup When enabling Follow VT VCube will make unavailable the Chase function When No AJA Card is enabled VCube will disable the Clock and TC Master capabilities and make unavailable the Chase and
105. between the encoded quantization scale factor and the quantizer scale applied in the inverse quantization arithmetic Set to 0 to specify a linear mapping or 1 to specify a non linear mapping This setting can be specified independently for each frame type I B and P See ISO IEC 13818 2 section 6 3 10 for more information This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Intra VLC Format VLC is the acronym for Variable Length Coding This option specifies one of two MPEG defined variable length coding tables used for intra coded blocks Table 1 is considered to be statistically optimized for Intra coded pictures coded within the sweet spot range e g 0 3 to 0 6 bit pixel of MPEG 2 Normally set to 1 for MPEG 2 video this setting can be specified independently for each frame type I B and P See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Use Alternate Scanning Pattern Specify one of two entropy scanning patterns which define the order in which quantized DCT coefficients are run length coded Set to 1 for the alternate scanning pattern or O for the zig zag scanning pattern The alternate scanning pattern is considered to be better suited for interlaced video where sophisticated forward quantization is not enabled This setting can be specified independently for each frame type I B and P See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 The General option offers two more parameters you can change Sequence End Code If set to 1 a seq
106. bustness of the stream fade The gradual disappearance of a picture to black fade fade out fade to black or the gradual appearance of a new picture from black fade in fade up e field Half of the interlaced horizontal lines 262 5 in NTSC 312 5 in PAL needed to create a complete frame A correct field order must be applied to produce a smooth motion Odd Upper Top or Even Lower Bottom are fortunately the two possible solutions e flywheel Condition in which a sync generator has been locked to an outside source which is no longer present Sync generator continues to provide sync on the basis of the last rate received from the outside source related to its own internal clock Mykerinos Internal Clock in Soft chase mode frame A complete video picture composed of two fields two complete interlaced scans of the monitor screen A frame consists of 525 interlaced horizontal lines of picture information in NTSC 625 in PAL e free run Condition in which a sync generator is not locked to any outside source but is providing sync on the basis of its own internal clock Mykerinos Internal Clock gen lock genlock To phase lock the timing of one piece of equipment to another e house sync Television sync generated within the studio and used as a reference for generating and or timing other video signals IMX is the Sony implementation of the MXF for D10 video format interlaced Short for interlaced scanning Als
107. but has to be routed to VCube physical audio outputs The number of outputs used is reflected in the render settings dialog This number is also the number of rendered audio tracks Audio Layer headers feature routing to physical audio outputs The number of audio Layers is unlimited Audio Layer headers also feature a level control It s only available during playback When in record the audio monitor is set to 0 dB Cirl level control constrains the level control to 6 dB increments Double click on the level control sets it to 0 dB All previous settings are applied to the render process A AES analog when available or SDI audio channels of the video card can only be monitored through video card s respective audio outputs during recording 195 A MERGING 17 Hardware vCube 17 Hardware 69 173 439 5 mm 175 3 mm i jan 41 429 3 mm 23 5 597 mm 5 Luxor amp VCube ox i 19 9 507 mm Pyramix amp VCube Metric and Imperial dimensions 196 AMERGING 17 Hardware Mini DV I O S Video ouput S Video input gt Analog audio monitor AES EBU I O Analog I O DVI output S Video output SVGA output Ethernet IEEE 1394 Serial RS 232 Mouse Keyboard Power Power switch Optional LTC Input Nec a LTC Output i crn 75 Q termination on Video Ref Input j SS Video Reference Input VITC en Video Reference Output VITC Audio Word Clock In Out RS 422 co
108. c folder even if they re inside sub folders Load opens the selected Media File at current TC on the selected Layer Ctrl L A dialog allows you to create a new Composition from this Media File 36 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Easy Load loads the selected Media File in a new Composition and sets Composition settings from the Media File properties Shift L Place at Cursor pastes the Media File into the selected Layer at the cursor location Place at Original TC pastes the Media File into the selected Layer at its original TimeCode location Place at Cursor in New Layer pastes a Media File into a new Layer at the cursor location with a single click Place at Cursor in New Track pastes a Media File into a new track at the cursor location with a single click Place at Original TC in New Layer pastes a Media File into a new Layer at the TimeCode location with a single click Place at Original TC in New Track pastes a Media File into a new track at the TimeCode location with a single click Drag and Drop ox aax File Edit View Favorites Tools Help ay 2 Q sxx z 2 S Ka Search E Folders Ez Address D Media 2k x Go Name Size Type i Fra File Folder atconverted File Folder E RobotWar_compressed90MJP 133 228 KB CUBE File j 2 003 672 KB CUBE File VCube Composition files and Media Files can also be dropped directly onto the Timeline from a Windows folder A Note that still images are stored in RAM
109. ce Input VITC Video Reference Output VITC Audio Word Clock In Out RS 422 configurator RS 422 connector ee amp AVMERGING 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats vcCube 7 2 Quick Settings for HD Gives direct access to Quick Settings for HD video formats Alt F6 Quick HD settings Z Hz 48000 Hz Hz Free Run Internal The Current Configuration Panel summarizes the state of the VCube in terms of Video Size Field Order Pixel Aspect Ratio Composition Frame Rate TimeCode Frame Rate Mykerinos Video Reference Format Video I O Format and Audio Sampling Rate The Reference Source Panel features three drop down lists 23 A MERGING 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats vcCube The first is for selecting the Video Reference Source of the Video Card Where posssible The second is for selecting the Audio Reference Source of the Mykerinos Card see Mykerinos connections below The last one is for selecting the TimeCode source of the Mykerinos clock Mode allows to optimize memory usage on the video card depending of the HD media recorded on the tape DVCPRO HD and HDV require specific settings for maximum performances in record and playback All settings command instructions must be finished by the apply button before closing This ensures that the selected frame size into the video cars is set according the codec specifications 24 AMERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube
110. ck is automatically created when a video Clip with embedded audio is placed in the Timeline Move Up Selected changes track order Ctrl Shift UP Move Down Selected changes track order Ctrl Shift DOWN Note that the number of the track is not linked to a specific track but to its layout position Delete Selected removes the selected track from the Timeline Ctrl DELETE A MERGING 58 8 Control Pages vCube 8 5 Setti ngs Settings page allows you to adjust parameters of the working environment F10 Note that F2 toggles Control Pages F3 toggles Preview Full Screen F4 makes Preview window float and hides User Interface except for the broken away windows e F1 accesses the electronic version of this manual TopMost must be unchecked in Settings User Interface gt Display or Ctrl Shift Alt P to allow the help window to be displayed HOME END steps through the different pages Page UP DOWN steps through the different folders A System Display Properties can directly be accessed with D TopMost has to be disabled in Settings User Interface gt Display A Warning Changing the resolution setting dpi for Windows display settings in Settings gt Advanced gt General can perturb the TimeCode display in the preview window Default setting should be 96 dpi Virtual Transport panel can directly be accessed with Alt V 59 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 1 Presets Presets
111. commands and TimeCodes to a MIDI device e Pyramix client e VCube client Context Menu 180 A MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube Right clicking anywhere on the Main Window opens the main popup menu Right clicking on the Task Bar icon has the same effect From here the following actions can be initiated The functions toggle between Show and Hide E g if the Launcher Frame is already visible the menu will offer Hide Launcher e Show Clients displays the Clients Frame Show Launcher displays the Launcher view e Show Network displays the Network view e Hide Transport hides the VirtualTransport main window Select Frame Rate leads to the sub menu as seen in the next picture e Exit exits VirtualTransport Show Clients Hide Launcher L Show Network N Hide Transport T FILM 23 98 fps Frame Rate d FILM 23 98 fps drop Et FILM 24 fps PAL 25 fps NTSC 29 97 fps NTSC Drop 29 97 fps drop v SMPTE 30 fps SMPTE Drop 30 fps drop rame Rate set sub menu pop up ID 01 VCube 00 22 00 00 Inst 01 Merging Technologies Locked STOP 0 00 lt PAL 00 22 00 00 00 Apart from providing all the transport settings common to VT clients the VCube client offers Track Arming commands reflecting the number of tracks currently available in the VCube edit window It is also possible to set VCube into Record Mode in the Client frame Typically VCube should act as the Clock Master and t
112. cord a v 2 3 m mn AES NIS EN ON XN 3 VCube Overview VCube 3 VCube Overview VCube is a hard disk based video player recorder system designed specifically for use in audio post production VCube can operate as a standalone unit or as part of a multi system network fully integrated with Pyramix through standard Ethernet Like Pyramix it offers sync to PAL NTSC 24fps Film and all the HDTV frame rates VCube is also able to sync to a different TimeCode and reference to the internal frame type This enables for example playing in 24 fps while syncing to a 25 fps TimeCode VCube SE doesn t support the previous feature VCube can also be controlled via the 9 pin Sony P2 protocol by any third party DAW system as well as controlling any 9 pin controllable VTR for capturing VCube fully supports the Merging Technologies Virtual Transport technology The integrated video editor with multi track multi layer features enables the VCube user to remove add or trim Media Files imported from a Composition VCube native or OMF AAF and Apple XML are optional VCube is able to mix different formats in the same Timeline It is only necessary to specify the output format All video Clips will be resized to this format in real time Therefore it is possible to play out an HD file on a standard SD output VCube is an open solution that can import OMF AAF Apple XML Compositions VCube is also able to convert and render Media
113. ctures bmp CUBE cube MIPEG Standard Fast good quality settings Import Path determines the source for images File Format selects the image format to be imported Export Path selects the destination of the created Media File File Name where the Media File is entered Video File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for video Cube AVI2 QuickTime MXF or MPEG2 are possible e When QuickTime and MJPEG codec are chosen progressive scan must be selected for Fields Order to insure QuickTime player compatibility Frame Rate must be set to the frame rate of the Composition where the generated media file is used Compression allows the user to select the CODEC used to generate the new Media File s Depending on the chosen CODEC it is possible to adjust the Compression Settings e Width and Height determine the number of pixels used to display the frame Frame Layout determines if and how the rendered frames will be interleaved or not Word Lenght is currently limited to 8 bits Down Sampling determines the color sub sampling scheme 4 2 2 see Glossary section is the default value e Convert Mode can be Down or Up convert depending of the picture format selected for rendering 144 AMERGING 11 Conversions vcCube e Down Convert Letterbox Crop or Anamorphic are possible Up Convert Anamorphic Pillarbox 4x3 Zoom 14x9 Letterbox or Wide are possible e Resize Qua
114. current ones Ctrl Alt NUMPAD 9 automatically creates a locator at the beginning of every Clip in the Timeline 00 06 20 00 Name applause Ctrl Shift F12 Colo pn Any modification in the Timeline edit will update the locator pages thumbnails Locators can be dragged with the mouse Use 42 AMERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Shift for an instant continuous update of the corresponding thumbnail The Go To Locator window can be reached with NUM PAD 6 Double clicking an entry in the list moves the Play head cursor to the locator position You can also use UP DOWN followed by ENTER to select the desired locator Click in the color window to open the Color Picker Standard Click on Custom to edit the colors in the first row of the Color Picker Then choose a Hue value at the bottom with a Click Finally Click on the Saturation area to define the custom color p Custom A 43 FA MIERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 3 View View page shows information about the workspace F8 Note that F2 toggles Control Pages on and off F3 toggles Preview Full Screen F4 makes Preview window float and hides User Interface except for the broken away windows F1 accesses the electronic version of this manual TopMost must be unchecked in Settings User Interface gt Display or Ctrl Shift Alt P to allow the help window to be displayed HOME END steps through the Control Pages Page UP DOWN
115. cy YPbPr also referred to as YPrPb PrPbY and PbPrY is a color space used in video electronics It is numerically equivalent to the YCbCr colour space but is designed for use in analogue systems whereas YCbCr is intended for digital video YCbCr is a family of color spaces used in video systems Y is the luma component and Cb and Cr the chroma components It is often confused with the YUV colour space and typically the terms YCbCr and YUV are used interchangeably leading to confusion In fact when referring to signals in digital form the term YUV probably really means YCbCr more often than not Bit depth As usual for the digital conversion of a value the higher the bit depth the higher the resolution As usual more bits means more information higher bandwidth higher technical requirements 8 bit leads to 256 possible values 10 bit leads to 1024 possible values 12 bit leads to 4096 possible values more bits for pixel sampling is only used for special cases like film color calibration and other heavy computing processes Linear scale means that the input value is reflected with no change to the output Logarithmic scale is a scale of measurement that gives the logarithm of a physical quantity instead of the quantity itself This is often done if the underlying quantity can take on a huge range of values the logarithm reduces this to a more manageable range Some of our senses operate in a logarithmic fashion
116. d minute Capacity GB per Hour Generic MPEG2 4 2 2 6 25 0 37 21 9 32 9 MPEG2 4 2 0 2 5 0 15 8 7 13 1 MJPEG 8 bit 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 MJPEG 10 bit 26 1 52 91 4 137 1 DV25 3 6 0 21 12 6 18 9 DV50 7 2 0 42 25 3 37 9 DV DVCAM 3 6 0 21 12 6 18 9 DVCPRO 50 7 2 0 42 25 3 37 9 DVCPRO HD 14 4 0 84 50 6 75 9 Digital 8 3 1 0 18 10 8 16 3 SDTI QSDI 8 44 0 5 29 6 44 5 NTSC 150k frame 4 5 0 26 15 8 23 7 PAL 180k frame 4 5 0 26 15 8 23 7 NTSC 300k frame 9 0 52 31 6 47 4 PAL 360k frame 9 0 52 31 6 47 4 Uncompressed YUV 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 Uncompressed RGBA 30 1 75 105 4 158 4 Apple DV PAL NTSC 3 6 0 21 12 6 18 9 FCP CineWave HD Mac 125 7 32 439 4 659 1 CineWave SD 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 D1 Desktop 64 8 bit 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 D1 Desktop 64 10 bit 30 1 75 105 4 158 2 D1 Desktop 128 HD 10 bit 170 9 96 597 6 896 4 RTMac DV 25 3 6 0 21 12 6 18 9 Avid Avid DS HD Nitris 125 7 32 439 4 659 1 Avid DS 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 Media Composer Offline XL 4 5 0 26 15 8 23 7 Media Composer AVR75 6 3 0 37 22 1 33 25 Media Composer AVR77 9 0 52 31 6 47 4 Media Composer Uncompressed 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 Symphony 21 1 23 73 8 110 7 Xpress 9 0 52 31 6 47 4 267 A IVIERGING VCube Xpress DV25 Incite Digisuite LX DV 25 Digisuite LX MPEG2 25 Mbit Digisuite Digisuite LE Digisuite DTV DV 25 Digisuite DTV DV 50 Digisuite DTV MPEG2 25 Mbit Digisuite DTV MPEG2 50 Mbit Media100 Media 100 i 150 180 Kb frame Media 100 i 300 360 Kb frame iFinish 150 180 Kb frame iFinish 300
117. d to copying files from the server to the local VCube hard disks When directly connecting to the Unity server with a Fiber Channel Adapter some settings can be adjusted to optimize the streaming performances in a multi user environment On the VCube side go to Settings Disk Cache amp Playback Buffers gt Read Cache There are two ways of adjusting the cache size Set the Mode to Unity and set the Nb Drives value to the number of discs installed on the Unity server partition the VCube is connected to The best cache size will then be automatically adjusted If the above solution is not applicable unknown number of discs for instance then keeping the Mode to Default and setting the Cache Size to 4 MB will ensure reasonable performance To import OMF Compositions and access referenced Media Files from the Unity server go to Files OMF Composition and choose a path for the Compositions to the Unity for the Media Files also in Unity and for the OMF database this can be on the VCube local disk Scanning OMF Media Files will then generate a local media database in the VCube for best performance Available Compositions should then appear in the list Just load the desired one and play it 274 AMVMERGING 19 Appendices Export Settings Current On Avid NLE the Composition must be consolidated in OMF2 reflecting the above screen capture Embedded Compositions aren t currently supported by VCube Q 275 MERG
118. data flow Loss less Loss less are mathematical solutions to regenerate the compressed data exactly The compression ratio is often lower than 3 Lossy are also mathematical solutions But this is a compromise between efficiency and quality The compression ratio can vary from 3 the quality is almost the same as the original to more than 100 with visible visual artefacts Intra Frame DV MJPEG IMX Every frame is processed individually Inter Frame MPEG with groups of pictures GOP The use of GOP is a very efficient way to compress video But for post production purposes intra frame codecs must be preferred since every frame is individually decoded allowing instant access and lower computing overhead VCube features a DV codec compression ratio 1 5 and a MJPEG codec possible compression ratio from 1 2 4 to 1 23 if 258 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube needed during capture or render processes Audio Since a video media can also feature a sound track audio data flow must be added to the video streaming requirements 259 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube PullUp PullDown One of the key feature of VCube is its capability of changing Clips playback speed This function allows VCube to accomplish both PullUp and PullDown operations PullDown All the story is around the NTSC video standard In the NTSC world a second lasts 1001 mS That means that 30 fps SMPTE norm media is displayed at 29 97 fra
119. deo Server is fed through the network by an Avid Nitris even while audio editors are using the streaming video flow from this server The same network can be used for both Virtual Transport chasing and video streaming In this example an extra Ethernet card for Pyramix and VCube was preferred because both racks were in the same machine room 270 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 19 11 2 Basic VCube Operation Basic VCube Operation SD Video Source HD Video Source D Pyramix HD SD Video Projector gt Ethernet 100BaseT Gigabit Video _ Graphic This is a typical VCube set up The network is used to synchronize VCube and Pyramix DAW It s also used to transfer HD or SD material on the VCube s local hard disk ASD VCR is connected to the video input allowing SD capture The graphic output is connected to an HD video projector allowing compressed HD to be displayed authorization key required at full resolution A Due to the storage transfer speed limitation of the single SATA disk only MJPEG 1 10 90 quality compressed 2K HD can be used You also need the 2K for Composition software authorization Uncompressed 2K HD can be converted to 1 10 compressed by VCube render feature HD Media Files can be used into a SD Vomposition without this authorization key 271 AMERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 19 11 3 Protools amp VCube Operation ProTools amp VCube Operation SD Video Source
120. deo stream The relevant input prompts will be enabled if selected Rate Control Mode 155 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec vcCube Fast An older mode not normally used today Mode 1 Standard mode recommended Mode 128 Experimental will probably cause problems it should only be used for testing Variable Bitrate The Constant quantization affects the macroblock quantization value sort of the compression of the macroblocks Lower numbers yield better quality and larger files larger bitrate results in less compression The range is 1 31 1 is probably excessive in that the quality does not improve much but the file size increases quite a bit A range is probably 3 15 for constant quantization operation In normal VBR CBR modes the encoder changes the macroblock quantization value to adjust the bitrate in constant quality mode it does not You have to set the average and the minimum bitrate to zero in order to make the Constant quantization option active 156 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec vcCube 14 3 Advanced Video Settings This pane offers professional settings which should not be changed if you are creating MPEG streams for VCD SVCD or DVD These adjustments are designed for specific highly technical environments Advanced MPEG Settings MAIN MPEG Encoder www mainconcept com jy a Basic Settings Video Settings Advanced Video Settings Audio Settings Multiplexer Settings
121. different Pyramix DAWs make sure that the path to files will remain exactly the same If AVI ref video Media Files are saved in the folder D Video capture on the VCube station they must also be copied to an identical folder D Video capture on the Pyramix station Otherwise the path inside to AVI referenced media will no longer be valid and DS video player or Windows Media Player won t be able to play the video files Annoyingly Windows Media Player and DS Player are not able to seek fast forward fast rewind in an AVI ref file This type of video Media File has to be played from the beginning With VCube it s quite different VCube is able to play displaced AVI ref files without any difficulty as long as all the elementary files composing an AVI ref l e the AVI ref file and the referenced Media Files are in the same folder The path to the media must not to be the same as the original path on the recording machine VCube is able to seek in a displaced AVI ref file AVI 2 files recorded with a VCube can be universally read by any standard Direct Show Video applications such as the DS video player option in Pyramix without any of the above limitations Then the path to media can be whatever you want on the playback machine Windows Media Player and DS Player are also able to freely seek in such an AVI 2 file 266 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube Video Files and Disk Requirements Name MB per GB per GB per Hour Recommended secon
122. dle to adjust rectangle position e Double click on the central handle centers the text box on X amp Y axes e Double click Alt on the central handle centers the text box on the vertical axis e Double click Shift on the central handle centers the text box on the horizontal axis e ENTER validates text rectangle settings 118 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 5 Utility Clips Countdown clips Wipe clips Video Test Patern clips and Audio Tone clips can be generated by the VCube application from the tool bar The ADR capabilities of the Pyramix software allow to automatically create Wipe and Countdown clips into the VCube Timeline This feature uses the network connection between Pyramix and VCube machines to send the corresponding information Shift T Alt T A Note that dedicated shortcuts can be defined in the Shortcuts editor section Shift W Here Auto Countdown and Auto Wipe are enabled k 119 MPA MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 5 1 Countdown Clip Countdown clips can be generated by VCube Once created in the Timeline double clicking on the clip accesses its settings Here are the default settings Step Lenght millisecond The step duration is set using milliseconds as unity A NTSC based video standards require 1001 ms per second First Count Number Sets the number of steps for the countdown 120 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing
123. done at lower resolution than the luminance sampling in order to reduce overall bandwidth requirement with no visible impact 4 2 2 has been widely adopted by the video industry and broadcasters because of its good quality bandwidth ratio Here for every four luminance samples there are two samples of each color difference channel We have 4 values for 2 pixels leading to 2 for computation purpose 4 2 0 Is the color sampling mode used in DV PAL It s also used for HD video broadcast We have 6 values for 4 pixels leading to 1 5 for computation purpose 4 1 1 Is the color sampling mode used in DV NTSC We have 6 values for 4 pixels leading to 1 5 for computation purpose 256 A MERGING 19 Appendices vCube Color space as a color model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colors can be represented as numbers typically as three or four values or color components e g RGB and CMYK are color models However a color model with no associated mapping function to a reference color space is a more or less arbitrary color system with little connection to the requirements of any given application RGB uses additive color mixing because it describes what kind of light needs to be emitted to produce a given color Light is added together to create form from out of the darkness RGB stores individual values for red green and blue RGBA is RGB with an additional channel alpha to indicate transparen
124. dvanced Authoring Format xml Apple Final Cut Pro XML dv Digital Video File Formats dif Digital Video File Formats aif Audio Interchange File Yes mpa MPEG Audio Stream Layer II Yes wav WAVE File Format Yes bwf Broadcast wave Yes pmf Pyramix media file format Yes ac3 AC3 sd2 Sound designer sdii Sound designer A A single still image is imported as a 5 seconds Clip A sequence of numbered still image is imported one images per one video frame Imported still images are loaded in RAM Means optional feature 28 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 1 VCube Compositions E VCube Compositions allows you to manage VCube specific Compositions Ctrl O VCube Compositions Browser enables VCube Composition files to be selected from local hard disks or via a network This Composition Path is also used when a Composition is saved or saved as To open a Composition Double click on the selected Composition in the list or use the load button Refresh updates the list of Media Files in a specific location F5 Flatten allows you to see all Media Files inside a specific folder even if they re inside sub folders New opens a new empty Composition Ctrl N Load opens a pre existing Composition Ctrl L Save saves the current Composition using the current Composition name Ctrl S Save As saves the current Composition using a new name This feature is useful since it enables you to save many ver
125. e seconds This option specifies the starting TimeCode in the GOP header of the video stream It is independent of the TimeCodes in the program stream This TimeCode is specified as a frame number which is converted to a hr min sec frames type TimeCode and placed in all GOP headers automatically incremented For instance with 25 fps and a Start Time set to 300 the first TimeCode would be 00 00 12 00 or 12 seconds As another example one could encode 1 hour of video with the start time set to zero then encode another hour of video with the start time set to 3600 seconds Then when the two videos are played one after the other the TimeCode will be continuous between the two files Input video is RGB 16 235 Ticking the checkbox Input video is RGB 16 235 particular black and white values are preserved During encoding and decoding the RGB color space with R G B 16 is used which corresponds to the color black Furthermore the RGB color space with R G B 235 is used which corresponds to the color white Normally the values for white are R G B 0 and for black R G B 255 The specification ITU601R now defines black Y 16 and white Y 235 i e the real video signal receives values which are blacker than black or whiter than white so called super black and super white values These super black and super white values get lost in the normal PC RGB 0 255 color space but they are preserved with the Input video is RGB 16 235 option User
126. e 2 Inputs 2 Outputs only one video signal for 4 4 4 e PAL and NTSC complying to SMPTE 259M SDI 1080i 50 gt 59 94 gt 60 1080p 23 98 gt 24 complying with SMPTE 292 296 and SMPTE 372M e 720p 50 59 94 60 fps e Genlock e 8 channels 24 Bit 48Khz of embedded audio SDI e PCI Express x4 4 4 4 Supported SD Video Formats 205 mA VMIERGING 17 Hardware vcCube The video card audio channels and Merging Technologies audio option cannot be used at the same time to capture audio VCube does not use the RS 422 connector on the cable yet A The video card video reference input isn t internally connected to the synchronization video reference input Both need to be fed by the same video reference signal Reference Input video card This BNC connector allows you to synchronize outputs to your house reference video signal or black burst If you have a sync generator or central piece of video equipment to use for synchronizing other video equipment in your studio then 206 A MERGING 17 Hardware vcCube connect its composite output here When Xena outputs video it uses this reference signal to lock to For HD reference use Tri level Sync as defined in SMPTE 274M For 1080 modes only you may also use analog 525 or 625 color black This card needs a HD 2K VCube because of the PCI Express architecture SD or early HD VCube cannot be updated with this card A The composition sampling rate mus
127. e in the Timeline This routing may include audio outputs of both video and audio cards Use Track Number Instead of Audio Card Output Connection reflect only the number of audio tracks of the Timeline with no reference to the physical outputs Output Format must correspond to the original video file format to be wrapped with the new audio tracks AVI QuickTime and MXF files can embed audio tracks imported into the Timeline e Use Original TimeCode keeps the original time stamp of the video file for the wrapped file e Use Clip Position TimeCode uses the current TimeCode of the video clip into the Timeline for the wrapped file The feature allows to create the final media file on the play out server including the finalized audio tracks 146 A MERGING 11 Conversions VCube 6 Frame Rate Management The VCube application can manage different frame rates for Media Files Composition and TimeCode For Convert or Render processes VCube uses the current Composition frame rate What happens if the Media Files frame rate is different from the Composition s frame rate If the Media File s frame rate is lower than the Composition s frame rate some frames will be duplicated If the Media File s frame rate is higher than the Composition s frame rate some frames will be omitted The video engine will playback the Media File preserving its original duration The playback duration can be changed if needed by changing the speed of the Cl
128. e line does the same for a 25 fps reference TimeCode A Note that in nominal playback such artefacts will only appear if clips with mismatched frame rate are included in the Composition The playback speed can be edited in Clips Information allowing perfect playback This feature is very useful at 25 fps for uncompensated telecine frame per frame capture on a PAL video 226 A MERGING 18 In The Field VCube Using the S Video Output of the Graphic Card The baseline VCube doesn t feature any video card But it s possible to use the S Video output of the graphic card to feed a video monitor Open the Graphic Card control panel from the Windows desktop In Display Properties see the Settings page Only screen one should be used Now click on Advanced In the Monitor uncheck Hide modes that this monitor cannot display In the Displays page enable Monitor computer as main and TV S Video output as Clone Then go to Overlay and set Theater mode as follows Overlay Theater Mode on Full screen Video and 4 3 or 16 9 depending of your video monitor Now the S Video output only displays the VCube overlay content without any graphic user interface A 1 You can also use this feature to directly generate a regular PAL or NTSC video output from a HD 24p Composition 2 The minimum display requirement for the VCube user interface is 1024 x 768 pixels The 720 x 576 or 720 x 480 pixels displayed by a video monitor insufficient to use
129. e monitored through video card s respective audio outputs during recording There are 3 different ways of clocking AES EBU 1 0 1 VCube is Master Audio Ref Internal and external converters or a digital console must be locked to the AES EBU output of VCube 2 The AES EBU I O can be clocked by external converters or a digital console Audio Ref of VCube must be set to Audio Input The AES EBU input of the dual card must be connected to the AES EBU output of external converters or a digital 209 A MERGING 17 Hardware vcCube console 3 A single Word Clock can be used for all digital devices VCube Audio Ref must be set to Word Clock Input A Those DB25 to XLR breakout cables must be ordered separately 210 A MERGING 17 Hardware vCube Breakout cables connectors 1 13 14 25 DB25 Male Connector I O 2 1 1 2 XLR Female Connector Inputs XLR Male Connector Outputs Analog I O breakout cable AER aber ERB Signa BPE ANALOG OUT 1 ANALOG OUT 2 ANALOG OUT 3 ANALOG OUT 4 Note The DB25 pin 7 is connected to AGND AES EBU I O breakout cable LR Label AES EBU IN 1 2 B 2 AES EBU OUT 1 2 3 AES EBU IN 3 4 e AES EBU OUT 3 4 BLUE AES EBU IN 5 6 AES EBU OUT 5 6 PURPLE AES EBU IN 7 8 2 AES EBU OUT 7 8 Note The DB25 pin 7 is connected to DGND A 211 AMERGING vcCube 17 Hardware A Analog Line Inputs Parameter Conditions Resol
130. each computer through the MT Security Control Panel to list which MT Active Key Holder the local MTSSrv is allowed to contact to request MTAK keys and or enable connection to hardware dongles for MTAKXX keys MT Active Keys are requested for the currently logged in user The user must be either a member of the MTAKPowerUsers group or a member of the MTAKUsers group and a member of a group which permissions for the required key has been granted to MTAK Enabled Applications MTAKApps MTAK Enabled Applications are applications that install the MT Security Server on the computer during their installation process and that are able to request MT Active Keys for encrypting and or decrypting media files they use as well as locking unlocking objects or application features Merging Technologies Pyramix Virtual 5 1 and VCube 2 0 are MTAK Enabled Applications Encrypting Media Files or locking objects When MTAKApps need to encrypt a media file or lock an object they request a key chosen by the user in a list of keys it has the permission to access and which keys are still Encrypt Active This list is requested to and returned by the local MTSSrv which retrieves it from any MT Active Key Holders it has been configured to access Members of the MTAKPowerUsers group can use any Encrypt Active key listed by the local MTSSrv based on the MT Active Key Holders it has been configured to access Members of the MTAKUsers group can use only Encrypt Active
131. ed from past reconstructed images before coding and only the differences from the reconstructed pictures and any extra information needed to perform the prediction are coded MXF is a container or wrapper format that supports a number of different streams of coded essence encoded with any of a variety of codecs together with a metadata wrapper which describes the material contained within the MXF file MXF has been designed to address a number of problems with non professional formats MXF has full TimeCode and metadata support and is intended as a platform agnostic stable standard for future professional video and audio applications VCube supports currently OP Atom a very simple and highly constrained layout for simple MXF files and OP 1a the layout options for a minimal simple MXF file e NTSC signal The standard composite video signal adopted by the NTSC that has 525 interlaced lines at a frame rate of 29 97 frames per second overscan A video monitor condition in which the raster extends slightly beyond the physical edges of the CRT screen cutting off the outer edges of the picture PAL signal The most common composite video signal used in Europe It has a frame rate of 25 fps e pixel A single picture element The smallest element in a graphic image Pixels are combined with other pixels to make up a graphic image Picture quality increases as the number of pixels increase in a measured area of an image e postroll is
132. edicated hardware PRO Option to support RS 422 LTC MIDI or Optional Bi Phase synchronization This Bi Phase option is also supported by VCube turnkey systems LUULI sonni O9 USBSync Board Revision A Cloude Cellier Olivier Auberson This card can be insert in PCI or PCle slot The internal USB ensures the electrical connection to the mother board DB9 connector RS422 Sony 9p The DB9 connector present on the bracket of the board is a standard RS 422 port A software control enables the switch between the To machine and From controller function of the port The signals assigned to the pins of the DB9 differ depending on the chosen mode In To machine configuration e Pin 3 RX pin 8 RX e pin 7 TX pin 2 TX 213 AMERGING 17 Hardware vcCube In From controller configuration e pin 3 TX pin 8 TX e pin 7 RX pin 2 RX DB15 VGA on breakout cable 1 x Video reference Input BNC coax 75 Ohm This input accepts a composite PAL NTSC or Tri level HDTV video signal that can be used by the USB Sync board to generate LTC or Bi phase signals synchronous to a reference video signal This BNC input should be used for the main house sync or black burst reference video signal A 75 Ohm termination can be applied on the input signal via a software configuration 2 x Biphase I O 4 connectors DIN 5p 180 The Bi phase input offers the capability to receive p
133. ending of the picture format selected for rendering Down Convert Letterbox or Anamorphic are possible Up Convert Anamorphic Pillarbox 4x3 Letterbox are possible e Resize Quality allows the user to choose between different methods of computing the image in the desired format Nearest neighbour gt Fast and poor Linear Bi Linear gt Fast and poor e Cubic gt Very Good but slow e Lanczos gt Very Good but very slow Supersampling gt Very Good when reducing the picture a lot Slow Compression Settings are available for MJPEG and MPEG codecs For details on the Mpeg Settings please refer to the dedicated section We recommend using only regular Format type in the Basic Settings dialog for trouble free operations MJPEG codecA 100 value corresponds to an average 1 3 compression ratio and a 50 one to an average 1 20 compression ratio Audio File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for audio If both video and audio are the same type they are merged inside a single Media File e Word Lenght determines audio resolution Number of Channels indicates the number of physical outputs fed by audio Layers in the Composition Audio monitor settings level amp routing are applied to the rendered audio files Compression availability depends of the selected audio file format QuickTime allows various solutions to compress 99 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vCube audio data
134. ensitivity longer search times better quality Typically this option is set in the 1 14 range as follows 1 5 Computer animation VCD from DV Source after a line filter or noise reducing filter virtually no noise in the source video 3 7 Digital video DV quality Hi8 quality etc 5 14 Analog captured video Video 8 Hi8 broadcast TV The setting is strictly based on the state of the source video it has nothing to do with the type of output DVD SVCD or VCD If you are only concerned with quality at the expense of speed you should set the value to 1 all the time as this would yield the best results but for noisy video it would slow the encoder quite a bit without any quality benefit Basically what the setting does is set a level in the encoder at which point the encoder will give up trying to match a pixel between two frames If the source video is noisy and the setting is set to a low value the encoder will spend more time trying to match pixels from frame to frame and in the case of noise it may not find a match at all so excessive time is spent trying to find a match when there is none If the source video has no noise at all and the setting is set to a very high value the encoder may give up to soon and not match some pixels from frame to frame wasting bits Noise Reduction is a specific noise filter It reduces the noise in a frame spatial reduction but it doesn t do it from frame to frame temp
135. ers require the extra 20 bytes to be present When this setting is enabled the audio packs are padded with 20 zero bytes so they are 2324 bytes long if not enabled the audio packs are only 2304 bytes long This setting is only meaningful for VCD Write program end code When enabled a program end code is written at the end of the file This setting only applies to the last file if the splitting option is enabled or if there is only one file generated Align sequence headers When enabled the sequence headers present in the video stream are placed at the beginning of 169 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec vcCube a PES packet this makes it easier to find the sequence headers and the start of aGOP When a sequence header is aligned it is possible that the previous video PES packet will need to be padded to make it the correct size so this option can consume a little of the total bitrate This option is required for SVCD and DVD Add SVCD scan offset SVCD defines some navigation information that is put into the video stream to help players jump back and forth or skip ahead easily The info is called scan offsets this option is normally required for SVCD This option also consumes a little of the video bitrate Note this option will be ignored if the user mux rate is set higher than allowed for SVCD 170 A MERGING 15 Synchronization VCube 15 Synchronization All relevant settings for synchronization are gathered together i
136. es Experts Group Yes mpeg Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes miv MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group Layer 1 mp1 mpe Destiny MPE Secure Audio m2v MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group Layer 2 mp2 mpv2 MPEG Audio Stream Layer II m2t HDV file format Mpeg2 HD 2K vob DVD file format Mpeg 2 mxf the Material eXchange Format Yes D10 dv Digital Video File Formats dif Digital Video File Formats aif Audio Interchange File Yes mpa MPEG Audio Stream Layer II Yes wav WAVE File Format Yes bwf Broadcast wave Yes pmf Pyramix media file format Yes ac3 AC3 sd2 Sound designer Yes sdii Sound designer A A single still image is imported as a 5 seconds Clip A sequence of numbered still image is imported one image per one video frame Imported still images are loaded in RAM Ctrl I creates a regular video Media File from a sequence of numbered still images The alpha channel isn t t used by this conversion Means optional feature 265 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube 19 9 AVI 1 AVI 2 AVI ref AVI 1 AVI 2 amp AVI ref are typical Windows Media File formats e AVI 1 only supports files smaller than 2 GB which allows not much more than an 11 minutes DV file to be recorded AVI 2 supports files larger than 2GB AVI ref can be used in order to record a group of AVI 1 files exceeding 11 minutes If you have to move AVI ref files from one location to another typically from one VCube recorder to
137. eyspan port 9 pin mode node If your VCube is configured correctly Protools should see it in the node list as a generic2 Set Protools film or PAL or NTSC depending on your project Enable use serial TimeCode ProTools must be supplied with video reference signal F Pro Tools Preferences Display Operation Editing Automation Processing MIDI Machine Control Timeline Insertion Follows Playback m Latch Record Enable Buttons M Edit Insertion Follows Scrub Shuttle wv Latch Solo Buttons Sends Default To INF Link Mix And Edit Group Enables I Audio During Fast Forward Rewind v Link Record And Play Faders I Convert imported wav files to AES31 BroadcastWave Use F11 Key for Wait For Note Oo Automatically Copy Files on Import Numeric Keypad Mode AutoSave O Classic L Enable Session File Auto Backup Transport Keep 10 most recent backups O Shuttle Backup every 5 minutes Online Options Open Ended Record Allocation Record Online At Time Code or ADAT Lock Use All Available Space O Record Online At Insertion Selection O Limit To 60 minutes Auto Region Fade In Out Length QO msec Calibration Reference Level 18 dB Custom Shuttle Lock Speed 800 279 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube Pro Tools Preferences Display T Operation J Editing T Automation Processing T MIDI Machine Control Machine Control Remote Mode Machine Chases Memory Location Punch In Fr
138. f the previous GOP The Broken link flag in the GOP header is there to inform decoders that some kind of action was taken such that the preceding P frame is not present and the first 2 B frames cannot be decoded correctly the decoder may then ignore them When splitting files the files are split on a GOP boundary so that the previous P frame of the first few B frames is not present in the new file it is in the previous file If the files are played one after another and the last P frame of the first file is kept by the decoder the decoder can correctly decode the first few B frames of the second file The Set broken link setting just allows one to specify whether the Broken link flag is set or not and it depends on whether you intend to play the files one after another or separately Write sequence program end codes When enabled sequence and program end codes are written to the old file when switching to a new file If the files are meant to be played one after another the streams should not be terminated This option only applies to the files that are split it does not apply to the last or only file generated Pad VCD Audio Some VCD burning programs require this flag to be set and some do not VCD video packs are 2324 bytes long but the audio packs are only 2304 bytes long When the data is written to a VCD disk the audio packs are put in normal 2324 byte sectors Some VCD burning programs deal with the extra 20 bytes themselves while oth
139. ff png gif emf tga mng jng psd PCx womp j2k jp2 j2c jbg A IVIERGING Direct Playback or Import for Numbered Still Images Sequences Record Render Convert VCube native format Yes Audio Video Interleave AVI is defined by Yes Microsoft AVI is the most common format for audio video data on the PC AVID Nitris file format AVID Open Media Framework AVID Open Media Framework Apple QuickTime Yes Apple QuickTime Microsoft Windows Bitmap file Jpeg Jpeg Tagged Image File Format own by Adobe created by Aldus It s a bitmap raster file format Tagged Image File Format own by Adobe created by Aldus It s a bitmap raster file format Portable Network Graphics A Turbo Studly Image Format with Lossless Compression CompuServe graphics interchange format Microsoft Enhanced Metafile Truevison Targa image file formats Multiple image Network Graphics A PNG like Image Format Supporting Multiple Images Animation and Transparent JPEG JPEG Network Graphics with Alpha channel Abode Photoshop PC Bitmap File Format Wireless Bitmap File Format JPeg 2000 JPeg 2000 JPeg 2000 Raster Image File Formats 264 19 Appendices VCube jjpc JPEG 2000 Code Stream Syntax Pgx Portable graymap format gray scale pnm Portable BitMap pgm Portable GreyMap ppm Portable PixMap wmv Microsoft Windows Media Video mp4 MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group 4 File mp4 mpe mpg Moving Pictur
140. file format Yes Sound designer Yes A Note that if QuickTime is selected as file format for both video and audio a single file will be produced Custom Media Handler Specific must be selected in the compression drop list to access all QuickTime available compression settings 101 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube Note that if AVI is selected as file format for both video and audio a single file will be produced Note that if mpeg is selected as file format for both video and audio a single file will be produced Note that if mpg is selected as file format for both video and audio a single file will be produced Note that MXF must be selected as file format for both video to produce a MXF D10 compliant file Audio isn t currently supported in record for MXF Custom Media Handler Specific must be selected in the compression drop list for both audio and video No specific compression settings are needed Means optional feature Encryption A real time video data encryption is available for recording Please refer to dedicated topic for details on operations The dedicated control panel can be accessed from the Settings menu 102 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vCube 9 2 Editing Editing in this first version of VCube is basic It is designed to give audio people some tools to edit video projects The number of video tracks or video layers in a Composition is unlimited A A password pro
141. g the MPEG Codec 151 Using the MXF File Format 150 Using the QuickTime File Format 148 Using the S Video Output of the Graphic Card 227 Utility Clips 119 VCube Chasing Pyramix through Virtual Transport 185 VCube Compositions 29 VCube Controlled by Sony 9 pin Chasing a LTC 190 VCube Controlling amp Chasing a Sony 9 pin 187 VCube Overview 5 VCube User Interface 7 Video Cards 198 Video Engine 76 92 Video Files and Disk Requirements 267 Video Format 62 Video Formats amp Bandwidth 254 Video I O 67 Video Ref 174 Video Settings 154 Video Test Patern Clip 123 View 44 Virtual Transport 62 180 VITC 62 174 Watermark 78 116 Watermark and Text 115 Welcome 1 What s New in VCube 2 2 Wipe Clip 122 Word Clock 174 Workspace 50 Xena 2 Plug in 72 Xena 2Ke 204 Xena LH Plug in 70 vCube Xena LS Plug in 68 Xena SD 67 20 Index
142. gh quality MPEG 2 output for DVD Digital Versatile Disc which can be played back on normal DVD Player CableLabs_ Produces a very low constant bitrate and can be used for both SD or HD formats DVB Is the abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcast l e it is a standardized process for digital video and television transmission Using this method the video and audio streams are combined The data will be compressed in MPEG 2 There are several DVB standards for different transmission methods such as DVB T DVB S DVB C etc MicroMV The MMV format is generated by Sony MICROMV camcorders The video footage is recorded in MPEG 2 format with a data rate of 12 MBit It needs less space in a quality which is only slightly worse than DV When you convert video files with the MPEG Encoder into MMV you can play them back to the MIRCOMV camcorder afterwards 151 AMERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube DVHS D VHS Digital Data Video Home System is a specific extension of the popular VHS format It can process ATSC HDV and DVB data streams D VHS allows digital high definition MPEG 2 transport streams recordings and playback HDV HD1 720p 720p is a HDV High Definition Video format for digital video which has been introduced by several companies Canon Sony JVC and Sharp HD1 has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels progressive frame based and it always has an aspect ratio of 16 9 Depending on the video standard 720p uses 60 50
143. hannels it is normally used for two channel sound The compression of the channels takes place separately Single Channel Another expression for mono audio Audio Bitrate Kbps 32 384 This specifies the bitrate of the audio stream Depending on the MPEG type selected some values may not be available Increasing the bitrate will yield better sound quality and result in larger files or if the total bitrate is limited it will mean less of the total bitrate is available for the video Set private bit Just a spare bit in the audio headers which is user defined DVD specifies it shall be 0 Set copyright bit Specifies whether the audio is copyrighted or not this setting is completely arbitrary it has no effect whatsoever Set original bit Specifies whether the audio is a copy or an original this setting is completely arbitrary it has no effect whatsoever Enable CRC Specifies whether a CRC is embedded in each audio frame both SVCD and DVD specify enabled Psycho acoustic model Two different models 1 and 2 specified by MPEG to compute the just noticeable noiselevel PCM Mute flag Flag to the player whether to mute or not when all samples in an audio frame are zero Emphasis 48 KHz only Flag to the player whether emphasis is to be applied to all audio samples from the start of the audio stream 165 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec vcCube Dynamic range control The option is a recommended gain value which c
144. he network may lead to unexpected behaviour E g software or system freezes ISIS controller will default to a fixed IP address if no DHCP server is available At all times proper individua TCP IP addresses for each machine assigned either automatically DHCP if available or manually Fixed IP are required as described below This caution is not relevant for machines operating without network connection Ethernet Connection amp Settings 1 Create an Ethernet connection between the machines via an Ethernet switch or using a direct cross wired Ethernet cable 100Mbit for Sync Control 1000Mbit for file sharing recommended 2 If on your existing network an Admin DHCP server is assigning TCP IP addresses to all connected clients leave all Pyramix Isis and VCube machines with the default DHCP settings Obtain IP address automatically in the Local Area Connection Properties Internet Protocol TCP IP properties If you are connected to an existing network with no active DHCP server please contact the human server administrator to obtain a range of available IP addresses and enter these as shown below in c 3 If no admin DHCP server is available manually give each of your machines a unique TCP IP number in the Local Area Connection Properties Internet Protocol TCP IP properties Typically IP addresses can be respectively 192 168 0 3 PMX 192 168 0 4 VCube and 192 168 0 5 Isis with a common Subnet mask being
145. he pixel aspect ratio match the specific codec requirements Otherwise record render convert may abort 149 A MERGING 13 Using the MXF File Format VCube 13 Using the MXF File Format VCube supports standard definition NTSC or PAL MXF file format for playback Files must be encoded with UYVY DV MJPEG or D 10 codec VCube can render or wrap MXF files using only the D 10 codec only Other codec support is under development To render Ctrl R a MXF file in VCube Select MXF as file format for both video and audio Select Custom Media Handler Specific for compression The produced file will be encoded with the D 10 codec for both rendering and wrapping The Media Setting panel allows to choose between IMX 30 and IMX 50 setting for data rate of the generated MXF media files A VCube can t record both video and audio in the MXF file format The produced files only feature the video Audio tracks are silent even if Custom Media Handler Specific is selected for compression for both video and audio 150 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube Using the MPEG Codec MPEG is both a compression codec and a file format mpeg mpg MPEG Types In this topic we want to give a brief overview of the different MPEG types which are available as output formats for the Encoder The glossary introduces the different formats for a detailed explanation please refer to a specialized technical reference book MPE
146. hich allows various applications to communicate together through a common interface and to be synchronized to the same TimeCode The applications can be running on the same machine or over the network on different computers These processes are transparent for the user and independent of the Client applications locations Virtual Transport design The heart of Virtual Transport is the VT Server Application from this you can launch and setup Clients The TimeCode format the Play Mode and the Speed can also be set from VT server All programs compatible with VT implement an interface which enables them to communicate with the main VT Server program Each machine running VT has its own server application The server makes the link between client applications so they can communicate together and be synchronized The server determines whether the client is on the same machine or on a remote computer and sends commands accordingly Servers communicate through Ethernet A VT server can work with other VT servers through a network or in stand alone mode only communicating and synchronizing with local client applications Virtual Transport clients Currently only a few applications using VT are available For information about how to use VT inside Pyramix please refer to the latest Pyramix documentation Other applications running under VT are e TC Player is an application that shows the current TimeCode and play mode e MIDI Sync allows VT to send
147. his can be different than the starting TimeCode of the video stream It is the starting SCR System Clock Reference in ms of the program stream The Video and Audio delays are respective to the Pack delay For example if you set the Pack delay to 500 ms and the Video as well as the Audio delays to 300 ms the first SCR of the stream would be 500 ms and the first video and audio PTS Presentation Timestamps would be 800 ms If you make the Pack delay five seconds 5000 ms and the Audio Video delays 400 ms the first SCR would be 5000 ms and the first audio video PTS would be 5400 ms The Video Audio1 and Audio2 delays actually specify the starting time of the respective stream relative to the pack delay If these settings do not match the streams will start at different times Normally they are the same but say you have a video stream and an audio stream where you know the audio actually starts 500 ms after the video you would set the video delay to some value and set the Audio1 delay to Video delay 500 this would then synchronize the two streams when played For example if you specify the Pack delay as 0 ms the normal case the Video delay as 200 ms and the Audio delay as 300 ms the first SCR will be 0 the first video PTS would be 200 ms and the first audio PTS would be 300 ms This would shift the audio video synchronization so the audio is 100 ms behind the video Video Buffer Size kB These settings specify the size of
148. his can be set either here in the Client frame or in the VCube Application in the Settings Formats amp Sync Alt P Audio Ref Status Video Input must be selected for both Audio Ref and TC Clock Ref The previous panel isn t available for VCube SE that uses the video card reference signal Synchronization TimeCode Virtual Transport must be selected as Chase TC Source and the Chase button must be 181 A VIERGING 15 Synchronization vCube engaged This can also be done from the Vcube Transport Panel T by enabling the Chase button A 182 AMERGING 15 Synchronization 15 3 1 Network Network Clusters Available Servers VCUBE ORANGE XEON Rer MEDIASVRTEST We BEPRO Pil DSD DEMO Network Frame with active clusters The Network Setup Frame allows you to configure how VT Servers running on machines on the local network will interact They can be setup to run in stand alone mode by disabling the network This is the default configuration When working together with the other VT Servers on the local network you can configure each server to be a TC Master a Slave or as the Available Servers This is achieved by dragging machines between the Available Server Window on the right side to the Network Clusters Window on the left Dragging a server into another one will create a cluster where the container server will act as TC Master and the contained Server will be slave A TC Master Server can have
149. how Output View Show Script View Shortcuts x KK OK OX Vcube Config Preset lt x KK KK OK OK t Audio Ref Audio Sampling Rate Video Size Field Order Pixel Aspect Ratio Composition FrameRate Link Composition FR amp Sync FR TC Frame Rate TC Clock Ref TC Clock Ref Video Format Chase TC Source Chase Mode Chase Enable Chase Offset Graphic Card Delay Compensation Video Card Delay Compansation Sony 9Pin Remote Ctrl Sony 9Pin Machine Ctrl Ltc Gen Output Level Ltc GenOff When Stop Vitc Reader Lines Settings Vite Generator Enable Vitc Generator Lines Settings j Number Of Frame l Multithread Seeking Cache Size This tab shows which settings are reloaded overriding current settings The Video I O Settings are also saved AVMERGING gt lt PE WK K X DK OOK K OK K K K K K K K K X gt x lt 8 Control Pages 61 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 2 Formats amp Synchro Formats amp Synchro Alt P Audio Ref allows you to choose the clock source for digital audio This settings panel doesn t exist for VCube SE There are 3 different ways of clocking AES EBU I O 1 VCube is Master Audio Ref Internal and converters or digital console must be locked to AES EBU output of VCube 2 The AES EBU I O can be clocked to external converters or a digital console Audio Ref of VCube must be set to Audio Input The AES EBU input of the dual card must be connected to the AES EBU output of e
150. ia OMFLOMF Birmingham OmM u Add OMFI MediaFiles Cancel Here one or many paths to the missing media files can be specified to allow VCube to reconnect the needed media files The vertical arrows move the selected path into the list The scanning is done from top to bottom This feature can directly reached from the Settings menu This enables VCube to relink media files spread over different workspaces or servers 33 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 3 AAF and Apple XML Compositions AAF and Apple XML are optional features of the VCube software Those file formats can describe complex Timelines including many video and audio Clips on different tracks Using such files avoids the rendering step when exporting a project to the audio post production equipped with a VCube solution To import AAF or Apple XML files press Alt O on the keyboard to reach the Import Composition panel Import Composition File Look in Media im H par i 4 gt Render Test My Recent aw sounds Documents Backup stil Bmp Test Signal B CineonHalF DPX voB Desktop ACompoTests E Nasalaunch O CompoxML_Media E SetupTest D Cubase gy divx pvp My D t Arai Interchange ntsc Po E My Computer File name Files of type Al Fies C z p All _ My Network Open as read only If some media files can t be found by VCube a dedicated panel is displayed Vcube Prefered Search
151. icture It is strictly an informative flag to the video decoder and does not affect the video encoding at all DVD specifies a value of 2 ITU R BT 470 2 System M or 4 SMTPE 170M for NTSC or 3 ITU R BT 470 2 System B G for PAL See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Matrix Coefficients This field specifies the matrix coefficients used in deriving luminance and chrominance signals from the green blue and red primaries when RGB gt YUV conversion if any is done DVD specifies a value of 3 ITU R Rec 624 4 System B G for both NTSC and PAL Currently only a value 3 is supported regardless of the setting of this field See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Display Size These values specify a rectangle which may be used by decoders as their active display area MPEG itself does not define what these values are actually used for so it is up to the decoders to handle as they see fit DVD does define uses for these values and the values should be 720x480 NTSC or 720x576 PAL These settings are part of the sequence display extension and are only used when the Sequence display extension setting is 1 Use the options Horizontal and Vertical to specify the exact value See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG 2 The DVD specification does specify the values to use for the Color primaries Transfer characteristics Display horizontal size and Display vertical size settings if the SDE is presen
152. ify or delete any keys MT Active Key Users MTAKUsers MTAKUsers are allowed to use for encrypting and or decrypting media files those keys accessible by the MT Security Server running on their computer that have been given access privileges to them personally or to group they belong to This means a standard user to use a key must follow to two following rules e The given user belongs to the MTAKUsers group 84 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube The given MT Active Key grants access to the given user or to a group the user belongs to MT Active Key MTAK A MT Active Key is an object composed of the following elements ID A Unique Identifier Description A humanly readable description of the key Comment Some comments about the key Encrypt Active A flag indicating if the key is active for encrypting Decrypt Active A flag indicating if the key is active for decrypting Watermark Active A flag indicating that any data decrypted with this key must be added a watermark with the name of the user decrypting the file More private data encrypted in the key A MT Active Key is implemented as an XML file named lt ID gt mtak in a MT Active Key Holder folder MT Active Keys are managed by the MTAKAdmin application and are created by default with MTAKAadministrators ownership and Full Control permission MTAKPowerUsers Read permission No special permission is given by default to MTAKUsers For standards MTAKU
153. inear gt Fast and poor Cubic gt Very Good but slow e Lanczos gt Very Good but very slow Supersampling gt Very Good when reducing the picture a lot Slow Compression Settings are available for MJPEG and MPEG codecs For details on the Mpeg Settings please refer to the dedicated section We recommend using only regular Format type in the Basic Settings dialog for trouble free operations MJPEG codec A 100 quality value corresponds to an average 1 3 compression ratio and a 50 one to an average 1 20 compression ratio Audio File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for audio If both video and audio are the same type they are merged inside a single Media File 137 AMVMERGING 11 Conversions VCube e Word Lenght determines audio resolution Number of Channels indicates the number of physical outputs fed by audio Layers in the Composition Audio monitor settings level amp routing are applied to the rendered audio files Compression availability depends of the selected audio file format QuickTime allows various solutions to compress audio data A The AVI2 and QuickTime MPEG2 Media Handler support multiple audio channels in a single file When recording more than 2 channels in an AVI2 or QuickTime file every channel is considered as a separate mono channel i e if you have 4 channels in VCube they will appear as 4 mono channels in an AVI2 file The Windows Media Player from
154. ing than a standard definition one Number of Pixels HD 1080x1920 HD 720x1280 PAL Wide Screen 1024x576 PAL D1 DV 768x576 NTSC Wide Screen 864x483 NTSC D1 DV 648x480 The number of pixels is only a part of the equation leading to the bandwidth storage and streaming requirements computation But since it s a two dimensional value we must use it as the start point of our computations SD video standards The world is divided in two zones One using the PAL system and one using the NTSC system The SECAM system is almost dead for production equipment and is only used in some countries for broadcasting purpose only NTSC is a 720 points x 480 lines format at 29 97 frames per second PAL is a 720 points x 576 lines format at 25 frames par second Despite a greater number of elements per frame in the PAL system it uses almost the same bandwidth as the NTSC system 254 19 Appendices vcCube because of its lower frame rate PAL transmits 10 368 000 points per second and NTSC transmits 10 487 102 points every second HD video HD video systems exist in two main standards The first one is 1280 pixels x 720 lines It s also called 1K The second one is 1980 pixels x 1080 lines It s also called 2K The frame rate may vary from 23 98 fps to 60 fps leading to very different results in terms of the bandwidth used A 720 HD video at 23 98 fos needs 22 096 303 points per second transmission and a 1080 HD video at 29 97 fps
155. ion can be performed afterwards with the menu item Tracks gt Extend This automatically extends the number of tracks to accommodate all the Media channels of each of the clips of one or more timeline track s Color Clips that successfully relinked in Green Re colors successfully linked clips in Green Color Clips that failed relinking in Red Re colors Clips that failed to re link in Red 133 A MERGING 11 Conversions vcCube VCube is able to convert Media Clips or Compositions in order to fulfill your needs e Media Files can be converted to another File Format or Video Format Ctrl Y e A Composition can be rendered into a single Media File Ctrl R A Still Images Sequence can be converted to a Video Media File Ctrl I A Still Image can be placed in a composition as a five seconds Clip Project Media Files A When still images are dropped directly from a Windows folder to the Timeline a single frame is created per imported image and images are loaded in RAM 134 AMERGING 11 Conversions 11 1 Export VCube Compositions can be exported as xml files This feature ensures Timeline exchanges between the last generation of Merging Technologies softwares Pyramix or Ovation 135 A MERGING 11 Conversions vcCube 11 2 Convert Media Files E Convert Media allows selected Media Files to be converted into cube file s This file format is optimized for the VCube s playback engine Ctrl Y Media
156. ions Export Convert Media Files Render Import Images Sequence Media Wrapper Frame Rate Management Using the QuickTime File Format Using the MXF File Format Using the MPEG Codec Basic Settings Video Settings Advanced Video Settings Audio Settings Multiplexer Settings Synchronization Connections for synchronization AVMERGING Table of Contents 111 114 115 116 117 119 120 122 123 124 125 134 135 136 140 144 146 147 148 150 151 153 154 157 164 167 171 174 VCube The USB Sync Board Oprtion USB Sync Board Installation Specific Control Panels Virtual Transport Network VCube Chasing Pyramix through Virtual Transport VCube Controlling amp Chasing a Sony 9 pin Remote Control VCube with a Sony 9 pin Controller Synchronizing VCube to a Sony 9 pin Chase Synchronizer VCube Controlled by Sony 9 pin Chasing a LTC Synchronize VCube with a LTC Synchronize VCube with a VITC Audio Audio Track Audio Layer Hardware Video Cards SD SDI Analog Xena LSe SD HD SDI Analog XenaLHe Xena 2Ke Merging Technologies Cards DUAL I O USB Sync Board How to install a USB Sync Board Mother Boards Luxor HD 2K In The Field Connecting Ethernet for Virtual Transport AMVMERGING Table of Contents 175 176 177 180 183 185 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 198 199 201 204 208 209 213 215 216 217 218 220 221 VCube
157. ip into the Timeline with a Double click on the Clip Ctrl W Only Composition frame rates of the NTSC family using a expanded time one second lasts 1001 mS need the Clips to be pulled down to 99 9 to preserve their original duration Then the Clip needs to be manually expanded on its layers to reflect its new duration What happens if the Composition s frame rate is different from the incoming TimeCode s frame rate The Timeline will display the external and the current Composition frame in the right bottom corner of the Timeline The Overlay Settings allow to choose between external or internal Composition for Burn In TimeCode The Composition will stay in sync A second lasts a second for both Composition and TimeCode Atte video engine must produce enough frames to match the chosen video standard of the video card E g e Using a 25 fps frame rate for Composition produces video drops out on a NTSC video output The Composition frame rate must be set to 29 97 fps and the Clips must be pulled down and resized into the Timeline expanded time While playing a PAL frame will be duplicated every six NTSC frames to preserve the overall duration Using a 24 fps frame rate for Composition produces video drops out on a PAL video output The Composition frame rate must be set to 25 fps A frame will be duplicated every second to preserve the overall duration Avi the output of the graphic card is used the Composition s frame rate doesn t h
158. it Blackmagic 8 Bit 2Vuy Blackmagic RGB 10 Bit BMP Cinepak Component Video DV DYCPRO NTSC DYCPRO PAL Graphics H 261 H 263 H 264 Intel Indeo Video 4 4 JPEG 2000 Motion JPEG A Motion JPEG B MPEG 4 Video None Photo JPEG Planar RGB 148 12 Using the QuickTime File Format vcCube Standard definition recording capable codec for QuickTime Animation e Animation JPEG A e MJJPEGA e MJPEG B BMP Component Video DV PAL e DV DVCPRO NTSC DVCPRO PAL H261 e H 263 e Photo JPEG e Planar RGB e None TGA TIFF e Video A Please refer to the specicfic codec documentation for particular settings Note also that some QuickTime codec are not real time capable for recording or playback especially third party codec for QuickTime Selecting QuickTime as file format for both video and audio generates a single QuickTime file featuring both video and audio A When using the H264 codec for rendering or convert the Keyframe and Data Rate limitation must be unchecked Please check also that the frame rate reflects the used Composition frame rate The VCube also features some codec DVCPRO DVCPRO HD MJPEG YUY2 that may also be used to produce QuickTime files In this case directly select the desired codec from the record render convert panels and double check that the picture format the field order and t
159. le is copied outside of the company network e Video media files encryption When enabled this option makes sure that any Video file created by VCube is encrypted with a MT Active Key chosen by the user and will then require the same key to be available and still Decrypt Active to be read later in time This therefore ensures that any data contained in these files cannot be binary extracted for reading even if the file is copied outside of the company network e Video media files decrypted or unlocked by a MT Active Key having the Watermark Active option set will have the name of the currently logged in user automatically superimposed on the played back picture Important Note on Decryption or Unlocking of a media file By decrypting or unlocking a media file Merging Technologies means playing back the media file to the MT Active Key Enabled Application physical outputs being the digital audio outputs to the converters for Pyramix Virtual Studio and the computer monitor or video card for the VCube At no time the decrypted signal is stored on the computer disk or made available for copy to any external storage devices Therefore to avoid media files authorized to be decrypted or unlocked to be exported and or rendered to another non encrypted file format all rendering and export functions of MTAK Enabled Applications can be either completely disabled or accessible only to MTAKPowerUsers by a standard Active Directory Administrator 87
160. lick into the Time Ruler or Right Click into the Time Ruler e Double click on the time ruler acts as zoom all and deselect selected clip s Zoom All Alt 1 Undo zoom Alt 2 e Zoom In Alt 3 Zoom Out Alt 4 Alt range selection will act as horizontal zoom selection Nudge Ctrl UP or DOWN is also possible to move clip s inside existing clip s on other layer s Ctrl LEFT or RIGHT nudges selection in the Timeline Shift UP or DOWN invokes Nudge Override mode for clip s A moved clip will override an existing clip in a layer Shift LEFT or RIGHT nudges and overrides selection in the Timeline Ctrl Shift UP or DOWN nudges selected track Locators To add a locator at current TimeCode use NUMPAD 9 e To Create a Locator for Each and Every Clip use Ctrl Alt NUMPAD 9 e To Create Locators override for Every Clip in the Selected Layer s use Alt NUMPAD 9 To Create Locators add for Every Clip in the Selected Layer s use Ctrl NUMPAD 9 e You can select a locator with NUMPAD amp 108 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube e To send set Locator at Cursor use DIVIDE e The Go To Locator window can be accessed with NUM PAD 6 e Locators can directly be adjusted in the Locator Tray e Double click on the locators tray shows thumbnails F7 also opens this window A Double click on the thumbnail locates the thumbnail frame in the Timeline and brings up details about the loca
161. lity allows the user to choose between different methods of computing the image in the desired format e e e Nearest neighbour gt Fast and poor Linear Bi Linear gt Fast and poor Cubic gt Very Good but slow Lanczos gt Very Good but very slow Supersampling gt Very Good when reducing the picture a lot Slow Compression Settings are available for MJPEG and MPEG codecs e For details on the Mpeg Settings please refer to the dedicated section We recommend using only regular Format type in the Basic Settings dialog for trouble free operations MJPEG codecA 100 value corresponds to an average 1 3 compression ratio and a 50 one to an average 1 20 compression ratio A If you need to import a still image not a sequence in the Timeline use Files Media Files A 5 seconds Clip will be created from a single image The alpha channel transparency is supported 145 AMERGING 11 Conversions vcCube 11 5 Media Wrapper H The Media Wrapper features allows to embbed external audio files into a new file without decoding and re encoding the video of the original file A new media file embedding audio will be created The media files to wrap correspond to the clips 1 video x audio selected in the Timeline The Media Wrapper generate a new single file from the video and audio tracks into the timeline Use Audio Card Connection Layout takes account of the routing to the physical audio output don
162. locator position In fades editing the preview displays only the selected video Clip at the current TimeCode without any other mixed Layer or motion rectangle applied no compositing Layer motion and opacity are not applied to text Clips System fonts are used Add a text Clip in the Timeline will display a red Destination Rectangle for text Then Double click inside this rectangle The text can then be edited in the preview screen Click outside this rectangle to validate text The Text Properties tab is automatically accessed when a text Clip is selected Text can also be edited in this tab with additional options for style Auto Size automatically adjusts the rectangle area to the text content In Auto Size mode there are no external handles for the rectangle 117 AMVMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube Click and Drag the external handles to adjust rectangle size e Shift Click and Drag preserves the aspect ratio Double click constrains the handle to the side edge of the screen e Ctrl Double click on the central handle restores the text at its original size UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys can also be used to move the rectangle Ctrl UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys resize the rectangle In this mode the top left handle becomes the fixed reference point Shift UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys resize the rectangle In this mode the bottom right handle becomes the fixed reference point e Click and Drag the central han
163. long with program material and user bit information The TimeCode is used to locate particular points on a tape 2 A method of identifying video frames on a recorded format A TimeCode number is a series of 8 digits SMPTE TimeCode which represents the hour minute second and frame number of video Two popular systems are Longitudinal TimeCode LTC and Vertical Interval TimeCode VITC e Timeline A window within a video editing application where Clips and other production elements can be graphically arranged to create a fully edited production The horizontal axis of the timeline window represents a timeline of the show toggle To change back and forth between two states for instance on off on off etc e track Levels in the timeline window of an editing application where video and audio elements can be placed to insert them into the production e tri level Synchronization signal dedicated to HD The signal consists of a three level sync pulse zero volts OV Blank 0 3 V pulse 0 3 V pulse followed by the video image data Like analog sync the signal is repeated every scan line as it 290 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube creates an entire HD video frame trim In video editing systems to add or subtract TimeCode to adjust edit points U Underscan The process of displaying a TV picture on an area smaller than the TV picture tube size permitting view of the entire video picture including sync and blanking Ma
164. ly managed by the WMV support engine which sets the Read Write Cache Size Only the Number of Frames into the Playback Buffer is available to fine tune playback performance 81 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 8 User Interface H User Interface offers a choice of which display mode to use Alt P User Interface TopMost button ensures the VCube window is always on the top of all opened windows on the screen A TopMost must be unchecked to allow the help window to be displayed with F1 Display Status Bar button makes the system Status Bar visible at all times in a single monitor configuration The Status Bar or System Tray remains on the main monitor number one even in a double monitor configuration Monitor Select offers a choice of preview monitor When 2 is chosen preview will be displayed on the secondary monitor Broken away windows can be displayed on both Note that only monitor 1 is available for preview when recording X amp Y Offsets allows the complete VCube interface to fit in a specific screen format Left Right reduce the horizontal number of pixels used to display the interface Top Bottom reduce the vertical number of pixels used to display the interface Note that this feature can be useful with a video projector Language allows you to change the language that will be used in the VCube interface 82 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 9 Isis The Isis remote control from
165. many Slaves but a Slave can have only one Master An Available Server acts like a Server without the network enabled As seen in figures below more than one cluster can be created When a change of Play Mode or Speed is made on a Client or a Server of the Cluster all Clients and Servers in this Cluster are affected by this change Servers and Clients outside the Cluster are not affected by the changes The settings current before the application is quit are saved and restored the next time you launch the program At the bottom of the frame on the left hand side a check box allows the network to be activated When this check box is disabled the Server runs in stand alone mode and communicates only with the Clients on the local machine At the bottom of the frame on the right hand side there is a combo box that allows the user to choose an IP address on a computer with multiple IP addresses If the machine has only one IP address this address is selected by default and no other choice is available This address is used only when the network is enabled If you change the IP address while the network is enabled this will disable the network for a short time and enable it again This will cause the loss of the current network configuration The state of the network enabled or disabled and the IP address of the computer are saved on exit and restored on start up Network Preset iv Enable Network Above the Enable Network box there
166. mat Yes Broadcast wave Yes Pyramix media file format Yes Sound designer Yes 139 11 Conversions vcCube 11 3 Render El Render computes the Composition in the Timeline as a single Media File Ctrl R For Convert or Render processes VCube uses the current Composition frame rate Render Composition Output Path allows you to choose the storage location for the created media File Name allows you to change the default name proposed by VCube All Composition or only a Composition Range can be rendered e Region Use this if you only want to render from region In to region Out 140 A MERGING 11 Conversions VCube Mask TimeCode Auto Countdown and Auto Wipe can be included in the rendered file New Save Rename Delete act as usual in VCube Compression settings aren t included into the presets Video File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for video Cube AVI2 QuickTime MXF or MPEG2 are possible When QuickTime and MJPEG codec are chosen progressive scan must be selected for Fields Order to insure QuickTime player compatibility e Frame Rate is currently related to the current Composition frame rate e Compression allows the user to select the CODEC used to generate the new Media File s Depending on the chosen CODEC it is possible to adjust the Compression Settings Width and Height determine the number of pixels used to display the frame Frame
167. me per second This conversion is called pulldown e VCube can convert a 30 fps media to a 29 97 fps one In the Timeline 29 97 fps select the Clip s you need to adjust about fps properties Double click on the selection to display Clips Information page The speed can be set here to 99 9 PullDown Once done the Clip s length remains the same in the Timeline Now 1 frame will be missing every 1001 frames You can use the Clip s handle to extend theClips duration reflecting their new fps value Film production in the NTSC zone uses the 24 to 23 98 fps conversion In this case the speed value is also 99 9 PullDown With this new frame rate an integer number of film frames corresponds to an integer number of video NTSC frames for telecineme This telecineme technique is called the 3 2 pulldown There are 4 frames of film for every 5 frames of NTSC video PullUp It is the reciprocal process 1001 mS become one second 260 A MERGING 19 Appendices vCube 19 6 Drop Frame SMPTE TimeCode format that continuously counts 30 frames per second but drops 2 frames from the count every minute except for every tenth minute drops 108 frames every hour to maintain synchronization of TimeCode with clock time This is necessary because the actual frame rate of NTSC video is 29 97 frames per second rather than an even 30 frames VCube displays drop frame TimeCode in this form 00 00 00 00 261 AMERGING 19 Appendices VCube
168. n Settings Formats amp Synchro To be synchronized VCube needs the following signals A Chase TimeCode Source Virtual Transport Network Sony 9 pin protocol or external LTC VITC A TimeCode Clock Reference VCube s Video Reference In BNC connector or internal Mykerinos clock e A Clock for audio Internal Mykerinos or external Video WordClock or Audio Input There are four ways to feed VCube with TimeCode from other equipment Sony 9 pin protocol 422 serial port RS 232 on COM1 port is also possible VITC VCube s Video Reference In BNC connector e LTC VCube s XLR connector e Network Ethernet connector Note that the Ethernet connection is also able to feed VCube with an SD stream from a Video Server at the same time What VCube can do Follow VT mode has been implemented to allow VCube following VT and Pyramix also without using the Chase functionality which is slow It s a kind of build in internal Chase Synchronizer for VCube Here are all the possible configurations of the Follow VT mode depending of your hardware setup Normal Mode Regular VCube with Mykerinos e VCube is always Clock Master e VCube can Chase on LTC e VCube can Chase on VITC e VCube can Chase on Sony 9 Pin Machine e VCube can Follow VT 171 AMVMERGING 15 Synchronization VCube VCube SE with AJA Card and with USB Sync card PRO option Clock Master ON e VCube can Chase on LTC e VCu
169. n in the layer header displays a setting rectangle on the preview screen The mouse pointer now displays specific tools for resizing Layer number top left corner position horizontal and vertical size are displayed Click and Drag the external handles to adjust rectangle size Shift Click and Drag preserves the aspect ratio e Double click constrains the handle to the side edge of the screen e Ctrl Double click on the central handle restores the Layer to its original size UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys can also be used to move the rectangle Ctrl UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys resize the rectangle In this mode the top left handle becomes the fixed reference point Shift UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys resize the rectangle In this mode the bottom right handle becomes the fixed reference point ENTER validates Destination Rectangle settings 111 AMVMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube The layer has been duplicated resized and shifted by 16 frames or one foot of 35mm film Any shifting value is possible This feature allows sound mixers to have an advanced preview during mixing Move Destination Rectangle e Click and Drag the central handle to adjust rectangle position Double click constrains the handle to the center of the screen ENTER validates Destination Rectangle settings 112 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube Layer Layer 1 Motion Source Editing Resize Source Rectangle A So
170. n the Media File can t be changed from 24 fps to 25 fps to ensure correct playback But from VCube s Timeline it s possible to change the playback speed of the Clip Changing Composition frame rate Settings Formats amp Synchro gt Composition Video Format gt Composition Frame Rate Changing the Clip playback speed Double click on the corresponding clip in the Timeline to display Clips Information Then in Clips gt Speed set Payback to 96 24 25 A 1 VCube can still be synchronized to a 25 fps houseclock 2 Both external 25fps or internal 24fps TimeCodes can be dispayed A VCube is able to play a 24 frames per second Composition chasing a 25 29 97 or 30 frames per second TimeCode VCube doesn t interpolate frames It only uses its own ultra precise internal clock to manage the Composition playback The external reference TimeCode is only used to synchronize the internal clock 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 s 9 10 a 12 13 16 a5 16 37 18 49 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 a 2 3 a 5 6 7 8 9 10 22 12 13 24 15 16 17 W 19 20 21 22 233 2 35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 o 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Frame Number gt Frames Per Second When the reference TimeCode is different from the Composition TimeCode it produces artefacts when seeking a particular frame in the Composition In the above example red lines indicate that two different 30 fps TimeCode positions can recall the same frame in a 24 fps Composition The blu
171. nabled Settings Formats amp Synchro VCube controls via Sony 9 pin protocol VCube is Master The RS 422 configurator switch must be set to To Machine if you use this port 17 AMERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars vcCube Rewind NUMPAD 1 e First action 400 e Second action 1000 e Third action 2000 Fourth action 5000 Forward NUMPAD 2 e First action 400 e Second action 1000 e Third action 2000 e Fourth action 5000 Play SPACE toggle Play stop or NUMPAD RETURN toggle play pause Ctrl un links the Transport Control from the Internal Machine This allows the Sony 9 pin Machine Control to receive the control command directly from the VCube s keyboard A Note that the Internal Machine and Sony 9 pin cannot use the same Serial Port Enter the TC where you want to go 00 01 00 00 Ok Cancel The Go To TC function can be accessed by Ctrl NUMPAD 6 This allows keyboard only operations to navigate into the Timeline 18 A MERGING 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats vcCube 7 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats These two dedicated settings panels enable single click setting of the video input format the Composition format the TC frame rate and the video output format H Gives direct access to Quick Settings for SD video formats Alt F5 Gives direct access to Quick Settings for HD video formats Alt F6 When VCube is set in this manner it behaves as a regular VCR in
172. nal assembly D1 Sony s D1 format was the first major push towards fully digital videotape operations D1 used a 19mm 3 4 tape loaded into cassettes as its media Component video was encoded as YUV 4 2 2 with PCM audio tracks as well as TimeCode D1 was notoriously expensive and the equipment required very large infrastructure changes in facilities which upgraded to this format Early D1 operations were plagued with difficulties though the format quickly stabilized and was renowned for its superlative image quality D10 is the SMPTE specification for a professional video format it is composed of MPEG Video 4 2 2 I frame only and 286 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube 8 channel AES3 audio streams These AES3 audio usually contain 24bit PCM audio samples It is possible to find video bitrates of 50 40 and 30 MBits s e DV uses DCT intraframe compression which is similar to MJPEG at a fixed bitrate of 25 Megabit per second which amounts to roughly 3 6 Megabytes per second or 4 minutes per Gigabyte The chroma subsampling is 4 1 1 for NTSC or 4 2 0 for PAL which reduces the amount of color resolution stored Therefore not all analog formats are outperformed by DV The lower sampling of the color space is also a reason why DV is sometimes avoided in applications where chroma key will be used However a large contingent feel the benefits no generation loss small format digital audio are an acceptable tradeoff given the compromise in col
173. nce of events when transmitting information from one device to another caption Text or titles to be inserted in video chrominance That portion of the video signal which contains the color information hue and saturation Video picture information contains two components luminance brightness and contrast and chrominance hue and saturation clip In desktop editing a pointer to a piece of digitized video or audio that serves as source material for editing codec Coder decoder A device that converts analog video and audio signals into a digital format for transmission over telecommunications facilities and also converts received digital signals back into analog format Conform Conforming is the process of making and positioning audio Cues in the Timeline from Audio media files already present in a folder available to the Pyramix PC in conformity with an imported EDL Edit Decision List or video project for example AAF Final Cut Pro or OMF component Video signal the keeps luminance and chrominance separate for better picture quality composite Video signal the combines luminance and chrominance in a single signal Less expensive than component video but lower picture quality compression Reduction of the size of digital data files by removing redundant information non lossy or removing non critical data lossy conforming Transferring edit decision list information gathered from an off line edit to an on line edit for fi
174. nchronizer In Settings Formats amp Sync configure the control panel as below The RS 422 configurator switch must be set to From Controller if you use this port In this configuration an Audio Reference and a Video Reference should be used Both Video Reference or WordClock are possible for Audio 189 A MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 8 VCube Controlled by Sony 9 pin Chasing a LTC VCube can be controlled by Sony 9 pin while chasing an LTC In Settings Formats amp Sync configure the control panel as below Sony 9 pin Remote control must also be set as below The Serial Port must be set to COM3 This port is named COM2 in settings specific panel for early VCubes featuring an ASUS mother board The RS 422 configurator switch must be set to From Controller if you use this port Port COM Settings Stop empties audio buffers Pause keeps audio data in buffers In this configuration Video and Audio References can be used or not 190 A MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 9 Synchronize VCube with a LTC VCube can chase a LTC In Settings Formats amp Sync configure the control panel as below or from the Transport Panel T Internal Machine 00 00 00 00 STOP 0 00 In this configuration Video and Audio References can be used or not 191 lA IVIERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 10 Synchronize VCube with a VITC VCube can chase a VITC In Settings Fo
175. nd MPEG codecs For details on the Mpeg Settings please refer to the dedicated section We recommend using only regular Format type in the Basic Settings dialog for trouble free operations MJPEG codecA 100 value corresponds to an average 1 3 compression ratio and a 50 one to an average 1 20 compression ratio A If you need to import a single still image not a sequence in the Timeline use Files Media Files A 5 seconds Clip will be created from a single image The alpha channel transparency is supported 41 AMERGING 8 Control Pages vCube 8 2 Locators Locators window shows thumbnails F7 It is also possible to reach this window by Double clicking on the Locators Tray in the Timeline window Above the TimeCode ruler A Double click on a thumbnail image locates the thumbnail frame in the Timeline and brings up details about the locator at the bottom of the Locators window You can also select a locator with amp NUMPAD TimeCode Name Shortcut attached Color in the Timeline and a Comment can all be edited here Locked switch protects the currently selected locator from any unwanted alterations Bi Set locator point at TimeCode NUMPAD 9 Ctrl NUMPAD 9 automatically adds a locator to current ones at the beginning of every Clip in the selected Layer s whilst retaining the current locators Alt NUMPAD 9 automatically creates a locator at the beginning of every Clip in the selected Layer s overriding
176. ndow Start gt All programs gt Accessories gt Command Prompt then type in the following command PING 192 168 0 3 or whatever TCP IP address is currently assigned to the workstation or device you wish to check followed by Enter then wait for the machine to reply Repeat the process for all other connected workstations controllers Using Windows Explorer In a Windows Explorer window right click on My Network Places and choose Explore gt Entire Network Microsoft Windows Network Workgroup or Domain choose whichever is appropriate then verify that all Pyramix and VCube workstations can search see each other on the network including shared hard drives and folders Having all machines in the same Workgroup default workgroup is WORKGROUP helps With Windows XP it may take some time for the TCP IP lists to be appropriately updated to reflect the complete network topology on all machines Particularly when additional computers are added to a large existing network Please allow for time for these operations to be properly carried out in the background It may in fact take something like 10 to 50 minutes depending on the size of the network In certain situations E g a small 2 machine peer to peer network rebooting both machines may speed up the process Synchronization with Virtual Transport 222 AMVMERGING 18 In The Field vcCube Open an authorized Virtual Transport versions MUST be identical version
177. nfigurator RS 422 connector 197 MERGING 17 Hardware vCube 17 1 Video Cards A 198 AMERGING vcCube 17 1 1 SD SDI Analog Xena LSe e 1 Input 2 Outputs PAL and NTSC complying to SMPTE 259M SDI e Genlock BNC Component Composite S Video Input 3x BNC Component Composite S Video Output 3x BNC e Balanced Audio In 2x XLR A MERGING 17 Hardware 60 pin connector fj To XENA 6 BNCs Analog Connections Can be Configured for Component or Composite YC Analog Video Y CVBS In BNC f Pb Y In BNC f Pr C In BNC f Y G CYBS Out BNC fj Pb B Y Out BNC Pr R C Out BNC Reference Input BNC Balanced Audio Analog Audio Channel 1 Output Analog Audio Channel 2 Output AES Input Charmes 1826 J AES Output Charnes 1 62E 7 199 17 Hardware vcCube e Balanced Audio Out 2x XLR e 8 channels 24 Bit 48Khz of embedded audio SDI e 2 AES audio channels In 1XLR e 2 AES audio channels Out 1XLR Supported SD Video Formats The SDI embedded audio is not available for capture if the analog video input is selected for recording A The video card video reference input isn t internally connected to the synchronization video reference input Both need to be fed by the same video reference signal Reference Input video card This BNC connector allows you to synchronize outputs to your house reference video signal or black burst If you have a
178. ngs File Settings The Audio Settings include the following options and parameters Audio type MPEG details Set private bi C Set copyright bit C Set original bit p Enable CAC Psychoacoustic model Oi 2 None If you do not want to encode audio select none here MPEG 1 Layer 1 Normally not used MPEG 1 Layer 2 Used for VCD SVCD and PAL DVD PCM Used for NTSC DVD NTSC DVDs use LPCM Linear PCM audio or AC3 as the standard audio type instead of MPEG Layer2 LPCM is an uncompressed audio format which offers higher quality but it also uses far more of the total bitrate consequently less bitrate is available for the video stream PCM is only available for MPEG 2 type streams and is seldom used for PAL DVDs MPEG Under De Emphasis you find three options None 50 15 uS and ccitt j 17 This is a flag to the player specifying what kind of de emphasis to perform on the audio DVD and SVCD specify None VCD can be either None or 50 15 uS AMERGING 164 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube Mode Stereo Standard stereo Joint Stereo This option can convert the sound to mono in the lower frequency range which can hardly be perceived by the human ear This results in an enhancement of the stereo quality in the median and higher frequency ranges The setting is useful if the audio bitrate is below 200 Kbps Dual Channel In this case both audio channels are output separately as mono c
179. nt Workspace is also saved inside the Composition You can import a specific Workspace from any Composition To generate a Workspace Ctrl Key number corresponding to the Workspace s number To load a Workspace Shift Key number corresponding to the Workspace s number A Generate and a Load button are available on the right for every Workspace Delete All Workspaces erases all saved Workspaces Reset VCube User Interface to its default settings first launching VCube features two levels of Workspaces e Simple Mode can be password protected and edited from the Advanced Mode The User Interface only displays what is 50 A MERGING Z 8 Control Pages vcCube absolutely necessary for Simple Mode User Timeline and Record are hidden In this way sensitive settings and controls can remain hidden to casual or untrained users Alt F1 Advanced Mode displays the full user interface In this mode it s possible to control and protect the Simple Mode Alt F3 A Alt F4 behaves as normal for a Windows OS application Closes VCube Note that the Simple Mode password is different from the Composition protection password A Even in Simple Full Screen or Floating modes all VCube s functions can be accessed with a Right Click on the preview area 01 02 11 23 51 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vCube 8 4 Edit Edit page shows a range of editing tools F9 Note that F2 toggles Control Pages
180. ntroller settings or hardware problems Sony 9 Pin Debug Log Log File Path c Sony9pinLog txt Enable Log Status Sens 000000 Enable Log Pr Enable Log TC Sens Enable Log Other Sens Enable Log Type Requ Log File Path Enable Record Log Last Received Command Last Sent Command Enable Log File Enable Log Status Sens Enable Log Preset Sens Enable Log Other Sens Enable Log Type Request 234 AMERGING 18 In The Field vcCube Recorded Media Files have a wrong Timestamp Problem The capture is OK except that Media Files are not correctly stamped with Time Code A one frame shift appears randomly despite the fact that VCube is chasing the VCR TimeCode Solution Be sure that both reference video input on the synchronization panel of the VCube and the video card reference input are referenced on the same genlock blackburst or video signal It is the only way to ensure a precise timing for video signal 235 A MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 18 5 7 The Video Playback is shifted Problem VCube displays the correct image at the correct TimeCode But the video output is not perfectly synchronized A shift of one or more frames seems to be present on the output of the video card Solution 1 Be sure that both reference video input on the synchronization panel of the VCube and the video card reference input are referenced on the same genlock black amp burst or video signal This is the onl
181. ny professional TV monitors have an underscan button or switch to allow for viewing the entire TV picture Vv e VCR Video cassette recorder VITC Vertical interval TimeCode TimeCode encoded into the vertical interval of the video It can usually be read out even when a VTR is still framed or running at slower or faster than play speed Ww Y Y U V PAL luminance amp color difference components U and V are the names of the B Y and R Y color difference signals respectively when they are modulated onto subcarrier e YUY2 see 4 2 2 Z 291 AMERGING vcCube Index A Great Solution for Audio Post for Film 270 AAF and Apple XML Compositions 34 Advanced Video Settings 157 ADVX1000 67 Appendices 241 Apple compatibility 2 GB limitation 240 Audio 62 193 Audio Layer 195 Audio Settings 164 Audio Tone Clip 124 Audio Track 194 AVI 1 AVI 2 AVI ref 266 Avid Unity and VCube 274 Basic Settings 153 Basic VCube Operation 271 Chase 62 Clips 54 Clips Information 45 Composition 78 configurator 174 Conforming and Reconforming 125 Connecting Ethernet for Virtual Transport 221 Connections for synchronization 174 Control Pages 25 Conversions 134 Convert Media Files 136 Convert Still Images 40 Countdown Clip 120 Default Shortcuts 242 Deinterlace 76 A MERGING 20 Index Delay Compensation 62 Destination 111 Disk amp Network Cache Buffers 81 Display Status Bar 82 Drop Frame 261 DUAL
182. o called line interlace A system of video scanning whereby the odd and even numbered lines of a picture are transmitted consecutively as two separate interleaved fields IRE Institute of Radio Engineers Units of measurement dividing the area from the bottom of sync to peak white level into 140 equal units One hundred and forty IRE equals 1 volt peak to peak The range of active video is 100 IRE ITU R BT 601 2 Formerly known as CCIR 601 An international standard for component digital television from which was derived SMPTE 125M was RP 125 and EBU 3246E standards This International Telecommunications Union ITU 287 AMERGING 19 Appendices VCube recommendation defines the sampling systems matrix values and filter characteristics for both Y B Y R Y and RGB component digital television ITU R BT 656 Formerly known as CCIR 656 The physical parallel and serial interconnect scheme for ITU R BT 601 2 CCIR 601 ITU R BT 656 defines the parallel connector pinouts as well as the blanking sync and multiplexing schemes used in both parallel and serial interfaces Reflects definitions in EBU Tech 3267 for 625 line signals and in SMPTE 125M parallel 525 and SMPTE 259M serial 525 jog jogging Process of moving the video forward or backward one field or frame at a time LAN Local area network e Layer A single video image that is processed so that it can be inserted into the final composite image There may
183. o the VCube Timeline Composition Add to Exsting Shift Alt O allows to merge a new OMF AAF or Apple XML Composition with the current Composition e Import Layer Ctrl Alt L allows to import a specific layer from a Composition into the current Composition Convert Still Images Ctrl I allows to create a video media file from a sequence of numbered still images Only one Project at a time may be loaded into the Timeline The Load Selective feature allows you to Import Composition objects or properties into the currently loaded Composition ox ides File Edit View Favorites Tools Help ay 2 Q Back S ii Search i Folders Ez Address DB D Media 2K x Go Name Size Type i Fra File Folder Qoatconverted File Folder E RobotWar_compressed90MJ 133 228 KB CUBE File 2 003 672 KB CUBE File VCube Composition files and Media Files can also be dropped directly onto an existing track of the Timeline from a Windows folder Supported file extensions are Supported File Description Record Render Extensions Convert cube VCube native format Yes avi Audio Video Interleave AVI is defined by Yes Microsoft AVI is the most common format for audio video data on the PC gen AVID Nitris file format 26 AMERGING VCube omf om mov qt omp Jpg jpeg tif tiff png gif emf tga mng jng psd pcx womp j2k jp2 j2c jbg pc Pgx pnm pgm ppm wmv mp4
184. olumn to another as described below KINGKONG is the name of the Pyramix workstation and BOMBADIL is the name of the VCube workstation Network Clusters Available Servers y BOMBADIL ocal Server Network Clusters Available Servers KINGKONG BOMBADIL emote 185 MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube Network Clusters Available Servers KINGK Sod A wote Server BOMBADIL no Drop 00 00 00 00 00 In Settings Formats amp Sync configure the control panel as below Note that Virtual Transport is a protocol send return between two machines or applications chase need not to be enabled to be effective Edit in VCube can be linked with edit in a Pyramix with Virtual Transport TCP IP connection To synchronize editing you just have to enable the Auto Ripple Mode in Pyramix Edit menu A cut or a paste edited in Pyramix will be reflected in VCube s Timeline Synchronization with Pyramix Editing should be enabled Edit Main gt Synchronize Editing With PYRAMIX A If VCube SE is running on a Pyramix machine the Slave to VT Mode must be selected from the Settings menu N 186 A MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 5 VCube Controlling amp Chasing a Sony 9 pin VCube can remote control a Sony 9 pin compatible device and chase it through RS 422 or RS 232 This configuration can also be used during capture In Settings Formats amp Sync configure the control panel as below
185. ommon CMX Variants The Settings Presets buttons at the bottom of the box set the options for a variety of common CMX variants If the edl you wish to import matches one of these simply click the appropriate Preset button The settings are reflected in the rest of the dialog Click the OK button to begin the Import If the EDL is not one of the common variants or the intention is to perform a partial or re conform make the appropriate choices in the dialog before clicking on the OK button to begin the Import CMX EDL import Options General Options Import EDL Edits as Clips Import EDL Edits as Markers Edit Clip Options Choose to name created clips from either Using Tape Reel Name e Using Edit Clip Name 125 A MERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube Using EDL Edit Number Using Scene amp Take if available of linked media file E g BWF PMF etc files with information in the Scene amp Take fields Tracks Options e Import Track Drop down list offering a choice of importing All Tracks default or any individual track Importing only the edits made on the first audio track This can be useful with projects edited on a MediaComposer where the TimeCode of all audio tracks but the first one has been lost from files imported from a Deva recorder Extend Edits to more tracks Offers the choice of extending the edits to more tracks than the original list by selecting the desired number of target tracks from the
186. on E Locked prevents any editing actions on the selected Clip A selection including a locked clip will also be locked BB Invert Fields rearranges the field order on a wrongly defined video file E invert Color transforms the Clip to or from a negative Last Frame Cache keeps the last read frame in memory to reduce disk or network requirements when playing a low frame rate Media File at a fast frame rate Wi Flip Horizontal flips the Clip around the vertical axis i Flip Vertical flips the Clip around the horizontal axis EJ Shift Fields has to be used to playback an upper field first Media File in a lower field first video format or the inverse Speed appears on the Clip when the Timeline playback speed is different to the original fps of the Media File EB Revert displays the Clip s frames from the end to the beginning H Level appears on the Clip when the opacity value isn t equal to 100 fl Gain appears on the audio Clip when it isn t equal to 0 dB Note that all previous options for Clips will feature as a small icon inside the Clip in the Timeline Media Name could be different from the Media File name In an OMF Composition Media File shows the path to the Media File Frame Rate is the original Media File frame rate Original TimeCode is the TimeCode stamped in the Media File at its creation Length is the total duration of the Media File Still Image is true when the selected Clip is an unconverted Still Image File N
187. on e Red Blue crosshatched or zebra striped means the media is missing but despite this the Clip can still be edited e Audio Clips and video Clip Storm belong to the same group G1 A Right Click inside the Timeline displays contextual menus 104 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube Feet ruler options 16mm 35mm PAL 25 fps Reset Feet E The Feet ruler options can be accessed using Ctrl F Reset Feet Every Hour when enabled feet ruler is reset to zero every hour 105 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 1 1 Editing Functions Editing Functions are very similar to those in Pyramix software To move a selection in a track or Layer just click on the selected element and drag it wherever you want up down left right Note that a group with both video and audio can only be moved horizontally in the Timeline If the order of video Clips has to be changed vertically for preview Nudge Up Down Layer must be used Select the desired video Layer s then use Ctrl UP Cirl DOWN You can drop the selection in a track or Layer onto another element already present in a track or Layer The default mode when you move a Clip in between two elements is unconstrained within this space anywhere within a one frame grid except in audio Layers where the grid is one sample A moved Clip can overlap a Clip already placed Clip in the Layer e Use Alt to constrain moves within the Layer s
188. on both machines and enable the VT Network Create a VT Cluster by dragging a first machine from the right hand column to the left hand column then drag a second or further machines onto the first one to finalize the cluster That s it machines are now synchronized However in some situations you may find that the graphics in Virtual Transport s Network page are not being updated properly and you might face difficulties dragging a machine from the right hand column to the left hand column If this occurs please just sit back and relax there is nothing else you can do but wait till all the TCP IP lists are updated at OS level then all will be fine Nothing is wrong with the software it just is a matter of taking and enjoying a short break while every network list is being properly updated A Merging highly recommends installing and regularly updating anti virus protection software on each Pyramix and or VCube system that is expected to be connected to the outside world via an Internet connection or that otherwise might be subjected to subsequent external contamination during its normal usage 223 A MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 18 2 Recording while chasing amp Sony 9 pin VCube can remote control a Sony 9 pin compatible device and chase it through RS 422 or RS 232 In Settings Format amp Synchro configure the control panel as below The RS 422 configurator swtich on the rear panel of the VCube must be set to to
189. onization Alt P for VCube 4 Set the Record settings F12 5 Save this configuration It can be recalled later if you have to deal with different video formats different video I O or different synchronization configurations 10 A MERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars vCube 6 Tool and Transport Bars The Tool and Transport Bars gather together essential functions of VCube AMERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars VCube Tool Bar Tool Bar features the main functions of VCube E Open Gives direct access to the VCube Composition tab Ctrl O E Medias Gives direct access to the Media Files tab Ctrl Shift O H Quick SD Settings Gives direct access to Quick Settings for SD video formats Alt F5 Quick HD Settings Gives direct access to Quick Settings for HD video formats Alt F6 Show Seitings Preset Gives direct access to Settings Preset P Show Format amp Synchro Settings Gives direct access to Format amp Synchro Settings Alt P Show LTC VITC Settings Gives direct access to LTC VITC Settings Ctrl F2 BS Show Overlay Settings Gives direct access to Overlay Settings Ctrl P Show Preview Settings Gives direct access to Preview Settings Ctrl Alt P Show Composition Settings Gives direct access to Composition Settings Shift P E Show Feet Ruler Options Dialog Gives direct access to Feet Ruler Settings Ctrl F H Show Video I O Gives direct access to Video I O Settings Shift Alt P Show Disk Cache
190. ony 9 Pin Machine Control When activated VCube transmits machine control through the Sony 9 pin protocol The RS 422 Configurator must be set to To Machine position LTC VITC Settings Synchronization VITC Reade 16 41 09 09 LTC Reader Shows the current value of the Linear TimeCode LTC reader chip l e the external LTC input Output Level shows the current LTC output level in dBV The drop down list offers a choice of output level from 24dBV to 65 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 9dBV in 3dBV increments or it can be switched off Off When Stopped When checked VCube mutes the LTC output when stopped If not checked it continues to output its current position static TimeCode Certain video and audio machines cannot handle static TimeCode VITC Reader shows you the current vertical interval TimeCode This TimeCode is embedded in two spare lines of each video frame Video Input buttons and combo boxes allow the choice of which of the two screen lines will be used for the VITC signal Line Input shows which lines will be decoded Although VITC code fits into a single line it is normally duplicated to provide redundancy thus reducing read errors The drop down lists allow any two lines to be chosen Different pairs of lines often carry different code E g Time of day and Absolute time Enable when checked the output of the VITC generator is On Video Output buttons and combo boxes allow the choice of which screen
191. or sampling rate DV allows either 2 digital audio channels usually stereo at 16 bit resolution and 48 kHz sampling rate or 4 digital audio channels at 12 bit resolution and 32 kHz sampling rate For professional or broadcast applications 48 kHz is used almost exclusively The IEEE 1394 or Firewire serial data transfer bus is not a part of the DV specification but co evolved with it Nearly all DV cameras have a IEEE 1394 interface and analog composite video and Y C outputs High end DV VCRs may have additional professional outputs such as SDI or analog component video drop frame TimeCode SMPTE TimeCode format that continuously counts 30 frames per second but drops 2 frames from the count every minute except for every tenth minute drops 108 frames every hour to maintain synchronization of TimeCode with clock time This is necessary because the actual frame rate of NTSC video is 29 97 frames per second rather than an even 30 frames edit decision list EDL A list of edit decisions accumulated in a video editor The list typically includes the source in time and out time for each edit embedded audio Digital audio that is multiplexed onto a serial digital video data stream essence The raw encoded form of audio and video data is often called essence to distinguish it from the metadata information that together make up the information content of the stream and any wrapper data that is then added to aid access to or improve the ro
192. or to Auto Timestamps 168 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube You find All frames amp P frames and frames in this menu Here you can choose which frames in the stream have a timestamp attached The timestamps are needed for synchronization of video and audio In general it is enough to set this option to Frame For particular formats the values are clearly defined Split File Options Max file size You enter the value in MBs here from which a further file shall be written Reset clocks If Reset clocks is enabled the SCR PTS and DTS clocks are reset to the startup delay values the starting values when starting a new file This would make the TimeCodes in each of the files start with the same values If disabled the clocks are not reset and the TimeCodes would be continuous from one file to the next Set broken link flag in GOP This option has to do with the way MPEG compresses frames Usually a GOP consists of 1 frame and several B and P frames frames are not dependent on any other frames P frames are normally dependent on the preceding P or frame and B frames are normally dependent on the preceding and successive or P frames A standard GOP the default settings are 15 maybe 18 frames long and they look like this in the order the frames are displayed BBIBBPBBPBBPBBP BBIBBPBBPBBPBBBP Here the first two B frames are dependent on both the frame after them and the last P frame o
193. oral reduction The value range is 0 31 It increases the video quality but also the encoding duration Motion Search Mode The Motion Search Mode defines which method is used to search for pixel movement in the video stream A higher value specifies a better method and will normally yield better quality The practical range is 3 to 11 It increases the video quality but also the encoding duration Do half pel Search When this option is activated the Motion Search operation also looks for pixels that move only 1 2 of a pixel from one frame to the next a subpixel search This should usually be enabled and should only be disabled if speed is desired above quality 158 A MERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube Set motion search areas from pixel movement These settings specify the maximum movement of a pixel from one frame to the next They are used to calculate the Motion Search Areas the maximum area the encoder will search in an attempt to find a match for a block of pixels from one frame to the next If the video has quite a bit of movement it is useful to raise these values Unfortunately this also extends the encoding time These settings are an easy way to manipulate the Motion Search vectors The motion search vectors can also be manually manipulated in the Motion Estimation section of the Additional Settings tree The motion search vectors are different and optimized for the different frames and frame types Start Tim
194. orm an existing project to match a CMX change EDL reference video signal A composite video signal to which other signals are compared or locked for timing purposes RGB Every pixel is sampled for red green and blue 289 A MERGING 19 Appendices VCube e RP 188 is a SMPTE recommended Practice describing the transmission of the TimeCode in the ancillary data space of a television data stream The Xena LS and the Canopus video cards don t support this feature e RS 232 A standard single ended unbalanced interconnection scheme for serial data communications The maximum permissible line length under the specification is approximately 15 meters e RS 422 A standard balanced interconnection scheme for serial data communications It allows for higher data rates and an extended line length to approximately 1200 meters e ruler A graphic element of a video editing application that shows time or TimeCode along a horizontal axis Similar to the ruler in word processing applications except the units are times safe action area and safe title area are the regions of the video image considered safe from cropping for either the action or on screen titles taking into account variations in adjustments for video monitors or television receivers Safe action is 90 percent of the screen measured from the center and safe title is 80 percent e SDI Serial Digital Interface standardized in ITU R 656 is a digitized video format used for b
195. osition speed indications from another device The Bi phase output permits to control some devices that accept bi phase signals on their input 2 x MIDI I O uses the Biphase connectors MIDI communication between the USB Sync board and an external device is available through two DIN female connectors The pin out of the connectors matches standard MIDI connections 1x LTC I O 2 XLR LTC IN is a symmetrical input signal It accepts an external SMPTE EBU timecode signal between 0 2 and 5 Vp p LTC OUT is a symmetrical output signal The signal generated has a maximum output level of 3 3 Vp p Labels VIDEO IN LTC IN ES l le dda S EJ hi MIDNPHASE A OUT 214 AMERGING vcCube 17 2 2 1 How to install a USB Sync Board This is a PCI form factor board that is intended to be plugged into a PCI slot Video Ref Biphase Out Biphase In USB Sync board Block diagram The connectors and jumpers implemented on the USBSync board are as follow e J2 DB9 connector for RS422 communication e J3 USB connector type B not soldered on production boards e J4 DB15 connector for breakout cable J5 USB connector for internal connection to motherboard e JP2 Erase flash do not short this jumper e JP5 Atmel microprocessor manual reset e JP6 56 Ohm pull up on bi phase phase A positive pin e JP7 56 Ohm pull down on bi phase phase A negative pin
196. ote that a Still Image File is always imported as a 5 Seconds Clip Compression shows the codec used with this Media File Bit Count shows the number of bits used for frame sampling Size shows the number of lines and samples per line used to scan in the picture Source Rect Source Rectangle displays Layers size and position settings 46 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Dest Rect Destination Rectangle displays Layers size and position settings Frame Layout shows if the media is interleaved or not Settings Preview gt Deinterleave enables the correct setting to be made for the preview Aspect Ratio shows the original pixel aspect ratio of the media Horizontal Sub Sampling shows how colors have been sampled horizontally If 1 indicates that all pixels of a line have been scanned to output the color value 2 indicates that only one pixel in two has been used to output this value and so on Vertical Sub Sampling shows you how colors have been sampled vertically If 1 indicates that all pixels of a line have been scanned to output the color value 2 indicates that only one pixel in two has been used to output this value and so on Component Width shows the precision of the sampling process for each component Black Reference Level is the digital value corresponding to the deepest black in the picture White Reference Level is the digital value corresponding to the brightest white in the picture Color Range is the number of
197. ou can trim the opacity in the layer header e You can also choose source and destination rectangles Mute and Solo functions are also available for tracks AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing 110 9 Recording and Editing VCube Motion Rectangles PiP E Motion Rectangles allow you to adjust the size and position of the Layer on screen The control Interface is only present on the computer s screen The video output only displays the result of the adjustment of the red rectangle e This feature is useful when you have to compare different versions of the same video or film project Combined with the Import Composition function 2 non rendered versions of the same video or film project can be compared Tab selects the Layer you re working on from top to bottom Shift Tab selects the Layer you re working on from bottom to top E Indicates that the Layer has been modified for size or position Source Rectangle sets the size and position of the selection Destination Rectangle sets the size and position of the layer output Playback is still possible while Destination or Source Rectangles are being adjusted Both Source and Destination Rectangles can be adjusted by using Alt Click and Drag on resize handles This feature permits selection of the useful part of the Layer while preserving the geometry and the field order if the selected window isn t moved cropping Resize Destination Rectangle e The Twin Rectangles butto
198. parameter must be set to off and the Lace parameter must be set to 0 sec Fairlight DREAM Satellite 276 A MERGING vcCube Enabling the LTC Generator The LTC generator will output the current TimeCode when in PLAY and output a short burst of TimeCode when locating the transport Press GEN to toggle the generator on or off Fairlight DREAM Station Enabling the LTC Generator The LTC generator will output the current TimeCode when in PLAY and output a short burst of TimeCode when locating the transport MIDI TimeCode is also output when GEN is enabled Press GEN to toggle the generator on or off A MERGING 19 Appendices 277 19 Appendices vcCube 19 14 Protools and VCube ProTools 6 4 1 Mac OS 10 3 and a KeySpan ProTools cannot generate a TimeCode when it s in chase mode or using Sony 9 pin Of course your transport control should be set to On Line in Protools You absolutely must disable all the generate TimeCode options in the Session Setup window as shown in the Peripheral Machine Control screen shot Sample Rate 48 kHz Audio Format BWF WAV Session Start 01 00 00 00 Bit Depth 24 bit Mac lt gt PC Enforced Incoming Time 01 00 00 04 Clock Source Internal is Ch 1 2 Input Analog is Timecode Rate 24 is Fader Gain 6 dB Feet Frames Rate 24 is vy USD Setup amp Session Offsets Universal Slave Driver Setup Session Start Offsets Clock Reference Video Reference
199. position End Alt NUMPAD 0 Go to Range In NUMPAD 4 Go to Range Out NUMPAD 5 Go to Locator window NUMPAD 6 Go to Next Edit TAB Go to Previous Edit Shift TAB E Locks selected Clip Ctrl K E Unlocks selected Clip Ctrl Shift K EE Group selection Ctrl G E Ungroup all Ctrl Alt U 14 AMVMERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars vcCube lil Ungroup selected Groups Ctrl U all arrow x Some Tool Icons have a small arrow on their right This arrow indicates the presence of a Tool Picker Click on the arrow or use Right click on the current Tool Icon to access the complete Tool Palette The last tool chosen will remain on the Tool Bar A Double clicking on the small separator bars will break away a new window This feature enables you to organize your workspace on the computer screen s Double clicking on the windows header restores the window to the default position 15 A MERGING 6 Tool and Transport Bars VCube 5 2 Transport Bar Transport Bar can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard 1 From left to right 1 Read Drop counts the number of missing frames during the preview A zero value indicates that Playback Buffer Setting is fine tuned This number is reset on every Stop Play action in the Transport Bar Current playback frame rate If CPU hard drive or network is overloaded playback screen refresh may slow down When a Video I O plug in is enable a VOut value is also displayed
200. position frame rate then some frames will be duplicated to match the number of pictures that the video engine must produce every second to feed the video card This manner the Media File duration won t be changed when played at a higher frame rate A Note that VCube does not interpolate missing pictures to achieve the frame rate management It only duplicates or omits some frames to match the Composition frame that must reflect the frame rate of the used video standard In all cases the VCube video engine gives you the exact image number you need at the time you need 239 A MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 18 5 11 Apple compatibility 2 GB limitation Problem QuickTime files generated by Apple Final Cut copied on DVD can t be read once transfered on VCube Why Solution Only DVD ROM complying to the UDF format can be used to transfer Media Files bigger than 2 GB Using the Mac PC compatibility option when burning a DVD on an Apple computer leads to an error 2048 on the PC QuickTime player and unmounted media file in VCube media browser The DVD ROM UDF option must be checked when burning a DVD on an Apple computer in order to override this 2 GB limitation Toast 7 from Roxio offers this option 240 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 19 Appendices AMERGING VCube Default Shortcuts 19 Appendices Easy Load Load Selective Show VCube Files Close Capture Exit the Application Import
201. proved Undo Redo faster especially while playing Improved AAF support Improved MXF support Improved Media re linking when importing composition with preferred search directory Improved RS 422 Sony 9 pin support faster e Audio waveform normalization Optional wave form generation e Mother board audio outputs supported for playback SE LE and XE players e Simplified transport panel Improved Isis controller support e Virtual Transport control enhancement in VCube Ul General software speed enhancement Audio Audio waveform normalization Optional wave form generation e Mother board audio outputs supported for playback SE LE and XE players Hardware e USB Sync board for VCube SE XE and LE gt RS 422 LTC Bi Phase VS3 6 x support e Lastest AJA 6 5 Drivers support for Xena LS LH and 2k e Store and restore AJA Xena 2 configuration and routing VCube Keys Description VCube Enable VCube Software VCube IO SD SDI Enable Xena LS VCube IO HD SDI Enable Xena LH VCube IO HD SDI Dual Link Enable Xena 2K VCube IMX and MPEG2 IMX MPEG2 MPEG1 support VCube DVCPRO DVCPRO 25 50 support VCube Final Cut Pro XML XML Timeline exchange VCube AAF AAF Timeline exchange VCube HD 2K formats higher than 1280 x 720 VCube DVCPRO HD DVCPRO 25 50 100 AMERGING 2 What s New in VCube 2 Bi Phase Pro option for Turnkey SE LE XE Sync Card LTC RS 422 Midi Video I O SDIHD SDI Card Video Re
202. re also applied to the video card Depending on your setup a video reference may be required All clocking inconsistencies will generate a red warning message This will prevent any further operation To Record A VERGING 5 VCube User Interface vcCube Quick SD Settings Alt F5 or Quick HD Settings F6 to select standard video formats Recall the Record Panel F12 Select the volume you want to record on Set the desired video and audio file formats Select the codec for video and audio Arm video and audio tracks Enable Capture Select a TimeCode source and enable Chasing if required from the transport panel T N Oo fF WwW DY Press Record once the VCube is locked e To Playback recorded media file Uncheck Enable Capture Go back to the Timeline F11 Remove Chase from the transport panel T if needed Press Play Space bar The Transport Panel Internal Machine 00 00 00 00 Sa E 00 00 00 00 Sa ka 00 01 17 21 STOP 0 00 A A Global preset Section P allows to create and recall a complete environment The specific codec settings aren t included Only the codec type is included Here is the method to create useful global presets 1 Enable the video I O Shift Alt P plug in according the video card present in the machine 2 Choose a HD or SD video standard according to your requirements The simplest manner is to use the Quick SD Alt F5 or Quick HD Alt F6 3 Set the synchr
203. rmats amp Sync configure the control panel as below or from the Transport Panel T Internal Machine 00 00 00 00 STOP 0 00 In this configuration Video and Audio References can be used or not 192 lA IVIERGING 16 Audio VCube 16 Audio Audio Tracks and Layers are integral parts of a VCube Composition The number of audio tracks or audio Layers in a Composition is unlimited Unlike Video Tracks or Video Layers Audio Tracks and Audio Layers will be created in the Timeline from the top to the bottom VCube can playback 8 16 20 24 32 bit audio files Only 16 24 32 bit are possible for capture Possible sampling rates are 44 KHz and 48 KHz For audio capture and playback an optional DUAL daughter card is available from Merging technologies This card has 2 phantom powered mic line inputs 2 analog line inputs 4 line outputs at 4dBv and 8 digital AES EBU I O The VCube manages those 4 analog inputs as regular 4 dB line inputs AES EBU channels are only available for playback Audio capture and playback are also possible from the SDI Video cards 6 SDI embedded 2 AES and 2 analog Xena LS LH only audio channels are available if this option is present The track arming for embedded SDI audio is only available when video track arming is enabled and the SDI video input selected Audio monitoring is available on the mini jack plug of the Mykerinos card even without the optional DUAL daughter card Video card a
204. roadcast grade video It typically uses 75 Ohm BNC coaxial cables which makes it easily upgradeable from analog video setups which use the same cables Uncompressed digital component signals are transmitted The SDI signal is self synchronizing uses 8 bit or 10 bit data words and has a data rate of 270 Mbit s A SDI signal may also contain embedded AES EBU 48kHz 16bit audio channels along with the video e SMPTE TimeCode TimeCode that conforms to SMPTE standards It consists of an eight digit number specifying hours minutes seconds frames Each number identifies one frame on a videotape SMPTE TimeCode may be of either the drop frame or non drop frame type e shuttle is the process of viewing of footage at speeds greater than real time TBC Time base corrector Device used to correct for time base errors and stabilize the timing of the video output from a tape machine e TCP IP Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol Transmission control protocol Internet protocol TCP IP is a combined set of protocols that perform the transfers of data between two computers TCP monitors and ensures correct transfer of data IP receives the data from TCP breaks it up into packets and sends it to a network within the Internet Every computer on the Internet supports TCP IP telecine A device for capturing movie film as a video signal e TimeCode 1 The time measured in hours minutes seconds and frames which is recorded on a tape a
205. rt source Down Convert Ouput Selection SDI 2 or analog are possible 1 Field when Stopped must be enable to allow a stable picture for interlaced video format on stop 71 AMERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 3 3 Xena 2 Plug in This particular plug in must be used in conjunction with the Xena Router control panel located in C Program Files Merging Technologies VCube Drivers Aja Tools Video 1 0 Video Format Internal switches the Xena video format SD 720p to 1556p Video Reference Source offers the choice of which source will be selected as reference Free Run internal External Genlock are possible During capture the reference source is toggled to the active video input Audio Source can be AES or SDI embedded External Reference Status displays the video format of the incoming genlock signal if present SDI Input 1 Status displays the video format of the incoming digital video signal Buffer Frame Size sets the buffer size regarding the used codec YUV DVCPRO HD or HDV to optimize video performances 1 Field when Stopped must be enable to allow a stable picture for interlaced video format on stop 72 AMERGING vcCube AJA OEM 2K Router XENA 2K 0 Me AAA _Rediscover Click and Drag connects the different elements Right Click access to a drop list settings for every element Specific configurations can be saved as presets The last used configuration is recalled at the machine
206. rted clip whose media has not been retrieved or whose media is not at the same sampling rate as the current project will be associated a fake media It WILL NOT be possible to retrieve its media file after the import but it will be possible to associate a new media file in the standard way Control key pressed while dragging a media file from a media folder 127 AMERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube CMX Autoconform When a CMX EDL is not accompanied by audio files on disk an Autoconform can be performed A Digitizing Session is used to grab the audio referenced by the CMX EDL from an external machine This may be operated under 9 pin control or simple time code chase The CMX EDL can then be imported into an Editing Project as described above to link to the digitized media Reconform Introduction Reconform enables tracks in an existing project to be conformed to take account of changes in the picture edit Reconform gt Relink to new Media can be used to link to new Media files when new Cues without previously associated Media files are produced by the Reconform In Pyramix there are three routes to Reconforming The first two make use of a so called Change EDL This EDL is a standard CMX EDL generated from a State 1 EDL and a State 2 EDL In the first case CMX Reconform the change EDL is generated by a third party application This may be the video editing software or a specialised EDL manager
207. ry navigate to the folder containing the Change EDL In this case the required file is Versioni CHANGES Version2 EDL Select this and Click on Open 128 A MERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube The CMX EDL Import Options Confirm EDL Frame Rate dialog opens Check that the EDL Frame Rate matches the Pyramix Project Frame Rate If the Frame Rate is incorrect choose the correct one from the drop down list Click on OK The Reconform from Change EDL dialog opens Select all tracks that will have to be reconformed generally all tracks in the project Tick the Create Changes Tracking Tracks box if these are required Click on OK to perform the Reconform Step 2 Pyramix automatically conforms Version1 to Version2 on all tracks As can be seen in the above screenshot two new fake tracks have been created and added at the bottom of the Timeline to display the Change Tracking These show in colour which sections of the Version1 Timeline have been moved sliced diced and or squeezed etc to become Version2 Step 3 Selecting Edit gt Undo Cirl Z once will remove the Change Tracking Tracks Note Once the Change Tracking Tracks have been removed they are NOT retrievable Note Reconforming Using Pyramix for Picture Change Detection You can use Pyramix to perform a Reconform from two Video Projects Note The precise details of subsequent Dialog boxes may vary from those shown below depending on the specific format
208. s B frames B frames are usually encoded using information from the previous or P frame and the next I or P frame In this case B frames can only be decoded correctly if the previous and the next P frames are available B frames are smaller than P frames In addition B frames can be encoded using only information from the next P frame but then they are larger than if they were encoded using both the previous and next frame information As a general rule for practical settings The GOP size in frames is specified with the frame setting and it must be a multiple of the P frame setting When frame is set to 1 all frames in the video will be frames When frame is larger than 1 it specifies the size of the GOP and the P frame setting specifies how often P frames occur in the GOP If P frame is set to 1 the video will consist of only and P frames If P frame is larger than 1 B frames are placed between the P frames and the video will consist of P and B frames Larger GOPs will yield greater compression but will possibly cause a loss of quality We recommend using the default settings Auto GOP This function always starts a new GOP when there is a scene change l e the encoder sets an frame If you choose None from the drop down menu there will be no scene detection The Fast option is a quick method of scene detection where no VCSD happens During the motion search the application checks if a scene change occurs and if yes
209. s vcCube 3 USB EasySync or PCI RS 485 RS422 industrial Adapter to from a RS 422 acting as Slave port Adapter gt RS422 VCube Slave from Controller Master RS422 Industrial RS422 Sony 9 pin SUB D 9P SUB D 9P FEMALE FEMALE NC NOT CONNECTED CABLE COLOUR CODE SUB D 9P FEMALE a ao RS422 Sony 9pin SUB D 9P FEMALE RS422 Industrial 283 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 4 USB EasySync or PCI RS 485 RS422 industrial Adapter to from a RS 422 acting as a Master port Adapter gt RS422 VCube Master to External Machine Slave RS422 Industrial RS422 Sony 9 pin SUB D 9P SUB D 9P FEMALE FEMALE RS422 es iL _ _S Eee TXD A 1 2 TXD A RXD A RXD B RXD B GND ATS 6 O NC NOT CONNECTED CABLE COLOUR CODE SUB D 9P FEMALE n RS422 Sony 9pin SUB D 9P FEMALE RS 422 Industrial A 284 A MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 19 16 Glossary 4 1 1 e Is the color sampling mode used in DV NTSC 4 2 0 e ls the color sampling mode used in DV PAL 4 2 2 A commonly used term for a component digital video format The details of the format are specified in the ITU R BT 601 2 standard document The numerals 4 2 2 denote the ratio of the sampling frequencies of the single luminance channel to the two color difference channels For every four luminance samples there are two samples of each color difference channel See ITU R
210. s Analog Component Composite and SDI video formats Native resolution is 720 X 576 PAL D1 720 X 486 NTSC D1 Xena SD and Xena LS share the same LXXXena dll plug in Video Format switches the Xena SD card from NTSC to PAL This format is also the output format for the Xena SD video Output The target VTR must be capable of recording in this format A warning message will be displayed on the Xena SD Output if the Composition format is different from the Xena SD E g an HD Composition at 24fps progressive Audio Source can be analog AES or SDI embedded Reference Source offers the choice of which source will be selected as reference Free Run internal External Genlock or Input 1 video input are possible During capture the reference source is toggled to the active video input Input Selection offers the choice of which source will be selected Analog Component Composite or SDI digital Video Analog Input Format Composite S video Component SMPTE or Component Beta are possible 68 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Video Analog Output Format Composite Component SMPTE or Component Beta are possible Audio Analog Output Level Sets the analog audio level referring to the digital full scale 0 dB during playback External Status displays the video format of the incoming genlock signal SDI Input 1 Status displays the video format of the incoming digital video signal Analog Input Status displays the video format of
211. s are set by the options in the Output format section of the main window Here are the Multiplexer Settings in detail Multiplexing Type The drop down menu offers the options MPEG 1 VCD MPEG 2 SVCD DVD TS transport stream None and many more parameters such as HDV HD1 HDV HD2 DVB which can also be used for transport streams and MircoMV The settings are usually defined by the parameters of the MPEG Encoder Variable Bitrate This option sets the muxing mode to variable or constant bitrate If it is turned off constant bitrate the output data stream will contain padding packets if needed to maintain the constant bitrate In variable bitrate muxing no padding packets are added Pack Options 167 AMERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube Under this heading you find the options Size bytes and Packets Pack Pack size is the number of bytes in each pack or sector VCD and SVCD use 2324 bytes DVD uses 2048 and general MPEG 1 2 can use up to 4096 bytes 4096 is our limit not MPEG s limit The muxed bitstream is broken up into these packs with a pack header starting each one and they contain 1 or more PES Program Elementary Stream packets chunks of the video or audio stream The Packets Pack setting specifies the number of PES packets that are placed in each pack VCD SVCD and DVD always want 1 PES packet per pack Startup delays ms The Pack value specifies the starting TimeCode of the muxed stream t
212. s for SD 21 Quick Settings for SD and HD Video Formats 19 Record 16 Recorded Media Files have a wrong Timestamp 235 Recording 97 Recording and Editing 96 Recording while chasing amp Sony 9 pin 224 Remote Control VCube with a Sony 9 pin Controller 188 Render 140 Rewind 16 RS 422 174 Sampling Rate 62 Scan 32 Script View 95 SD HD SDI Analog XenaLHe 201 SD SDI Analog Xena LSe 199 SDTV Recorded Media 253 Selections and Groups 114 VCube Settings 59 Settings Composition 171 Shortcuts 44 49 Show Safe Area 76 Show video Frame 76 Sony 9 pin 174 Sony 9 Pin 62 Sony 9 Pin Machine Control 16 Sony 9 pin Wiring Chart 281 Source 111 Specific Control Panels 177 Stop 16 Supported Files 264 Supported Video Codec 262 Synchronization 62 171 Synchronize Editing With PYRAMIX 78 Synchronize VCube with a LTC 191 Synchronize VCube with a VITC 192 Synchronizing VCube to a Sony 9 pin Chase Synchronizer 189 Text Clip 117 The NTSC Video Output Features Some Dropped Frames With PAL Media Files 239 The Sony 9 pin Can t Control VCube 234 The USB Sync Board Oprtion 175 The Video Playback is shifted 236 Timeline 91 104 Tool and Transport Bars 11 Tool Bar 12 TopMost 82 Tracks 58 Transport Bar 16 Transport Frame 16 Trouble shooting 228 Ungroup 54 Unprotect 78 USB Sync Board 213 USB Sync Board Installation 176 AMERGING 20 Index User Interface 82 User Interface and ATI Graphic Card 238 Usin
213. s horizontal zoom selection To select many Clips Click Shift must be used Selected Clips can be grouped with Ctrl G A letter G will appear on the grouped Clips in the Timeline A Double click on a grouped Clip will display information about this group e Use Ctrl U to ungroup Clips e RETURN set the range from the beginning of the first selected clip to the end of the last one Shift A selects all Clips in the selected Layer A VCube uses a multi level grouping logic The same Clip can belong to many groups and a group can be made from group and Clip The ungroup command Cirl U only cancels the last created level of group A multi grouped clip has to be ungrouped as many times as it has been grouped in order to be totally ungrouped Group numbers are displayed inside the Clips in the Timeline A group including a video Clip is constrained to a one frame grid 114 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing 9 2 4 Watermark and Text Watermark Copyright and Text Clips can be added to a Composition 115 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 4 1 Watermark Watermark allows you to add a picture or a Copyright Text to the current Composition You just have to load a still image file alpha channel supported or enter and place the Copyright Text The Watermark image file has to be of the same dimension as the desired output video format to avoid real time stretching Enable activates those settings on
214. s or codec settings must be adjusted to match Mpeg settings using long GOP must be avoid to ensure a responsive seeking e MJPEG or DV codec must be preferred because of their intra frame compression 152 AMVMERGING vCube 14 Using the MPEG Codec 14 1 Basic Settings In this window you can change the settings for standard MPEG encoding depending on use Advanced MPEG Settings vain MPEG Encoder www mainconcept com asi Basic Settings Video Settings Advanced Video Settings Audio Settings Multiplexer Settings Format type DVD C Relaxed standards Format sub type Pal MPEG 2 Video bitrate kbps Video encoder quality J MPEG settings summary Preset Internal DVD PAL Video settings video stream type DVD frame size 720 x 576 frame rate 25 000 aspect ratio 4 3 Display bitrate variable avg 6 00 max 8 00 estimated size 43 MB minute Audio settings MPEG layer 2 bitrate 224 kbps frequency 48 0 kHz mode stereo CRC on estimated size 2 MB minute Multiplexer settings program stream type DVD Load Settings Save Settings This Basic Settings panel is sufficient to allow MPEG2 files complying with the standard to be produced using only the Format type and Format sub type combo boxes Video bitrate kps increases the video quality but also the file s size Video encoder quality increases the video quality but al
215. selected Step 1 Open the Pyramix Project you wish to reconform Step 2 Select Project gt Import and choose the appropriate format in this case OMF Select the following options Append the imported tracks at bottom of current project tracks e Place the Video Clips in the Timeline Do not open them Click on the Import button to open the Open File Browser Window If necessary navigate to the folder containing the Version1 Video Project file Select the file and click on Open Notice that the Version1 Video and Audio tracks have been added at the bottom of the Timeline Step 3 Repeat Step2 with the same options substituting Version2 when selecting the Video Project file Notice that the Version2 Video and Audio tracks have been added below the Version1 Video and Audio Tracks at the bottom of the Timeline Step 4 129 A MERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube Select Project gt Reconform gt Detect Picture Changes amp Reconform Citrl R The Detect Picture Change amp Reconform dialog opens Step 5 Select all tracks that will have to be reconformed generally all tracks in the project except those belonging to the Version2 Video project but including Version1 Video and Audio tracks Select the track that will be the Version1 Reference track for the picture change detection generally the V1 track of the Version1 Video Project then Select the track that will be the Version2 Reference track for the pic
216. sers to be able to use a given key this key must have been granted Read permission to the given user or a group it belongs to MT Active Key Holder MTAKH A MT Active Key Holder is a set of MT Active Keys It is implemented as a standard folder directory with the following constraints It must stand on a NTFS disk on any computer on the company network strongly suggested to be a properly protected and regularly backed up server It must be accessible on the domain network through a standard URL like ServerXYZ xxx zzz lt KeyHolderName gt It must have Full Control permission for MTAKAdministrators It must have Read List Contents permission for MTAKPowerUsers It must have Read List Contents permission for MTAKUsers Multiple MT Active Key Holders can coexist on a given domain to allow separating the management of keys for different 85 A MERGING 8 Control Pages VCube departments Audio Post Production Duplication Marketing etc MT Active Keys can be moved from a Key Holder to another Important Note MT Active Keys that have been deleted cannot be re created and are lost forever Files encrypted or locked with a deleted key will never be decrypted or unlocked again MT Security Server MTSSrv MT Security Server is a service installed on every computer running MTAK Enabled Applications requiring access to a MT Active Key or to a MT Active Key External Extension MTAKAdministrators must configure
217. sions of the same Composition with different names Ctrl Shift S Close aborts the current Composition Any edit decisions made since the last time the Composition was saved are discarded Cirl Shift Q Delete allows you to delete selected Composition from the hard drive Shift DELETE The associated Media Files remain on the mass storage Load Selective allows you to import Composition objects or properties into the current one A dialog box allows you to choose how the selected Composition will be imported into current one Ctrl Shift L 29 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Load Selective Composition Properties Locators Keep Existing Replace TimeCode Composition Properties must be highlighted in order to choose a specific property to be selected and imported Locators If Keep Existing is selected locators of both Compositions are merged Replace will only keep the imported locators Main VCube Settings allows you to chose if Workspace or Shortcuts must be imported in the current composition Clips allows you to select specific Layers to be imported in the current Composition If At TimeCode option is selected imported locators will also be shifted 30 A MERGING VCube A Settings TC Enable Ext TC Enable TC Pos amp Size TC Color TC Transparency Enable Mask Enable Mask Size Deinterleave Video Frame Safe Area Lock Editing WaterMark Enable Copyright Position Waterm
218. sition in number of frames per second TC Clock Ref offers the choice between Internal Mykerinos clock and video input If no valid TC Clock Ref is selected missing Video Input the Play Head will not appear in the Timeline TC Clock Ref Video Format allows the matching format for synchronizing from the video signal to be chosen e Itis disabled if TC Clock Ref is set to Internal Mykerinos Card Chase TC Source allows the choice of TC Source used for Synchronization e LTC uses the Linear TimeCode VITC uses code from the Vertical Interval TimeCode Sony 9 Pin uses the Sony protocol as TC source To select it from the Transport Panel T enable EXT Chase Mode offers the choice between e Hard VCube stops chasing is stops when the incoming TC is missing and starts again when the TC comes back 64 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Soft VCube continues to run in freewheel when the incoming TC is missing and remains in freewheel even if the TC returns Chase Enable activates Chasing for Internal Machine in Transport Frame Ctrl F1 Follow VT is a special mode allowing a VT controller Pyramix to totally control VCube about transport and loops In this mode VCube uses its internal Chase synchronizer to Chase Virtual Transport A Note thatin this mode both machines still need to share the same video reference signal to guarantee a field accurate timing The Chase button is dalso disabled in the transport panel
219. so the encoding duration OK Cancel Help JE P MERGING 153 14 Using the MPEG Codec vcCube 14 2 Video Settings In this window you can change the settings for Frame rate Aspect ratio and GOP Group of Pictures structure You can also make various adjustments to the bitrate Advanced MPEG Settings main MPEG Encoder i Basic Settings Video Settings Advanced Video Settings Audio Settings Multiplexer Settings Frame rate Pulldown Aspect ratio Bitrate Deinterlacing Bitrate type Maximum kbps Disabled Variable K 8000 GOP structure interval between frame types Rate control mode Average kbps frames Auto GOP Closed GOP interval Mode 1 m 8000 Noe 0 Quantization Minimum kbps Example 3825 BBIBBPBBPBEP Load Settings Save Settings File Settings Cancel Help Under Aspect ratio you have different options e Square Pixels Square resolution used for PC monitors 4 3 Standard format TV 16 9 Widescreen format 16 9 TV cinema 2 21 1 Aspect ratio Pulldown The parameters under Pulldown convert 23 976 fps frames per second to 29 97 fps or 24 fps to 30 fps This is should only be done to progressive frame video like film The movie studios slow their films from 24 fps to 23 987 and then encode using Pulldown to display at 29 97 fps The video encoder manipulates the Top Field
220. steps through the folders within each page AMERGING 44 8 Control Pages vCube 8 3 1 Clips Information E Clips Information can be opened by Double clicking on the clip in the Timeline Ctrl W In the Clip part of the Clips Information window every information field can be edited by Double clicking on the current value Clip Name shows the name used in the Timeline Source In is the original TimeCode in point for the Clip in the current Composition Length is the Clip s duration in the current Composition Fade In is the length of the Clip s fade in for the current Composition Fade Out is the length of the Clip s fade out in the current Composition Destination In shows the TimeCode for the first frame of the Clip used in the current Composition Level is the opacity ratio in percent of the Clip in the current Composition Speed value adjusts the playback speed of the selected Clip A drop down list offers preset values 45 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube This setting affects only the speed of the Clip in the Timeline There is no picture interpolation The Media File is just played with another frame rate Sped up Clips have their duration shortened in the Timeline Slowed down ones keep their original duration in the Timeline l e Slowed down Clips are truncated Frame Layout can be set for a particular clip in order to correct improper flag Effect indicates a particular effect name attached to OMF Compositi
221. sync generator or central piece of video equipment to use for synchronizing other video equipment in your studio then connect its composite output here When Xena outputs video it uses this reference signal to lock to A The composition sampling rate must be set to 48 KHz when video cards audio channels are used to capture or playback audio 200 A MERGING vcCube 17 1 2 SD HD SDI Analog XenaLHe 17 Hardware 60 pin connector fj To XENA 6 BNCs Analog Connections Can be Configured for Component or Composite YC Analog Video Y CVBS In BNC f Pb Y In BNC f Pr C In BNC f Y G CYBS Out BNC fj Pb B Y Out BNC Pr R C Out BNC Reference Input BNC Balanced Audio Analog Audio Channel Output Analog Audio Channel 2 Output AES Input Charmes 1826 J AES Output Chames 1 62E 7 e 1 SDI Input 2 SDI Outputs PAL NTSC HD complying to SMPTE 259 292 296 e Genlock BNC e Analog Input 8x BNC Component HD SD Composite SD S Video SD Analog Ouput 8x BNC Component HD SD Composite SD S Video SD e Balanced Audio In 2x XLR e Balanced Audio Out 2x XLR A MERGING 201 17 Hardware vcCube e 6 channels 24 Bit 48Khz of embedded audio SDI e 2 AES audio channels Supported SD Video Formats SDI embedded audio and Merging Technologies audio option cannot be used at the same time to capture audio The SDI embedded audio is not available for capture if the an
222. t Under Picture Header the encoder offers one more setting Force VBV Delay Set to 1 to have the VBV delay in the picture headers fixed to a value of OxFFFF Normally this is 1 when doing VBR encoding and 0 when doing CBR encoding When the VBV delay is OxFFFF a different method is used to input data to the VBV than if VBV delay is not fixed to OXxFFFF See ISO IEC 13818 2 or ISO IEC 11172 2 161 AMERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube The option Picture Coding Extension offers several additional settings Intra DC Precision Specifies the effective precision of the DC coefficients in intra coded macroblocks 10 bits usually achieves quality saturation 11 bits can be used if the quantization is very low the bitrate is quite high compared to the frame size rate See ISO IEC 13818 2 This option is only valid for MPEG2 Use Frame Prediction and Frame DCT Set to 1 to have the motion estimation and DCT Discrete Cosine Transformation computations done on both fields of a frame in the same pass set to 0 to have them done on each field independently Normally this should be 0 for interlaced frames and 1 for progressive frames Setting this field to 1 will result in slight faster encoding but will yield less quality in interlaced frames This setting can be specified independently for each frame type l B and P See ISO IEC 13818 2 section This option is only valid for MPEG 2 Quantization Scale Type Specifies which mapping to use
223. t be set to 48 KHz when video cards audio channels are used to capture or playback audio e During capture the monitoring must be done from the card where audio inputs are connected 207 AMERGING 17 Hardware vCube 17 2 Merging Technologies Cards 208 A MERGING 17 Hardware vcCube gt 1 DUAL VO Monitor Output Jack connector DUAL AES EBU IO DB25 connector Dual Analog 1 0 DB25 connector __ Mykerinos DUAL DUAL AES EBU Bracket Extension Bracket Up to 12 inputs and 12 outputs on a single board e 4 CH Analog Line inputs 4 CH Analog Line outputs 8CH AES EBU inputs 8 CH AES EBU outputs For connection to XLR there are optional DB 25 to XLR octal break out cables available High common mode rejection balanced input circuitry on all analog inputs for optimum rejection of power line hum RF interference voltage drops and other externally generated noise commonly encountered with long audio cable runs High quality balanced output circuitry on all analog outputs for maximum output signal balance ratio performance even under adverse asymmetrical loads Support for sampling rates 32 kHz 44 1 kHz or 48 kHz 48Khz in capture High quality 24 bit A D and D A using the latest generation converter technology A The Monitor Output can be used as an audio output even without the additional DUAL audio option AES analog when available or SDI audio channels of the video card can only b
224. tected Lock Editing function prevents any unwanted action in the Timeline Settings Composition gt General A WARNING There is no way to unprotect a Composition if the password is lost The XML file is encrypted Contact us for a Composition salvage www merging com 103 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 1 Timeline Timeline tab opens the edit window F11 M Layer selection area _ Opacity control p p _ Mute Fee Solo 7 ___ Source and Destination Rectangles _ Locator Range Loop Play Head and amp Time Ruler Timeline W Y Clip Name Group number _ Audio ouput selection Vertical zoom control Audio level control e Locators are situated at the top of the Timeline They can be dragged with the mouse A Double click in the locator tray will open the Locators page e Next down is the TimeCode ruler A Double click in the TimeCode ruler acts as zoom fit Alt 1 and deselects all Then comes the Range Selector This can be dragged and trimmed with the mouse A Double click in the range tray sets the range from the beginning to the end of the Composition Track one has two Layers and is locked track two has only one Layer e Layer one is selected in track one Track one is also selected Storm Clip is set for fade in e Opacity of every Layer is set to full 100 Layer two in video track one has been modified in size or positi
225. ted It is password protected Editing Locators remains possible Use Save As to preserve your personal locator settings Synchronize Editing With PYRAMIX enables synchronized editing between the two applications Protect and Unproiect allow you to control access to editing and settings operations once Lock Editing has been disabled A protected unlocked Composition is still editable Only watermark and copyright settings remain protected A WARNING There is no way to unprotect a Composition if the password is lost The XML file is encrypted Contact us for a Composition salvage www merging com 78 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Media Path Link to Composition Path When enabled a Media Files folder is create into the folder you have selected when Saving or Saving As the current composition Then this Media Files folder is selected by default as destination folder for recording Enable watermark allows a watermark of your choice to be added in real time to every video output Both text and still image are possible Load Watermark File allows an Advanced Mode user to add a still image file with alpha channel support to all video outputs Access is password protected The reference pixel to adjust image content is top left of current video format Copyright zone allows one line of text to be added Position X Offset Y Offset gives control over the position of the text in the picture Color accesses a color picker for text
226. the buffers needed to decode the video If it is too low you will get buffer overflows which could show up as stuttering video Usually it is set to the same size as the video VBV buffer although the VBV units are half these units DVD specifies 232 for the video buffer Software decoders usually ignore the buffer sizes but most hardware players will have problems if the buffer size is not correct VBV is the abbreviation of Video Buffering Verifier It is a hypothetical decoder with a buffer whose size is specified by the Video Buffer Size Encoded pictures from the MPEG stream are placed into the buffer hypothetically and removed from the buffer at regular intervals The MPEG video stream is supposed to be constructed by varying the size of the encoded frames such that the buffer does not underflow i e becomes empty where there are no frames in the buffer when it is time to decode one or overflow i e becomes full where no space is available for more encoded pictures Mux Rate kbps The Mux Rate is the total bitrate i e video bitrate plus audio bitrate plus muxing overhead bitrate This option specifies the bitrate of the multiplexed program stream Pulldown This option contains four parameters None 2 3 3 2 and Auto When pulldown is present in the video stream the multiplexer must adjust the PTS DTS timestamps to account for the extra fields displayed This option should be set to the same value as the video pulldown setting
227. the correct one from the drop down list Click on OK to confirm The Reconform Project dialog opens proposing the creation of two new Change Tracking Tracks Select all tracks that will have to be reconformed generally all tracks in the project Tick the Create Changes Tracking Tracks box if these are required Click on OK to perform the Reconform Step 5 Pyramix automatically conforms Version1 to Version2 on all tracks As can be seen in the above screenshot two new fake tracks have been created and added at the bottom of the Timeline to display the Change Tracking These show in colour which sections of the Version1 Timeline have been moved sliced diced and or squeezed etc to become Version2 Step 6 Selecting Edit gt Undo Cirl Z once will remove the Change Tracking Tracks Note Once the Change Tracking Tracks have been removed they are NOT retrievable Now you will have both Pyramix and VCube Version2 displayed in the respective applications VCube displays the real Version2 from the editing department and Pyramix displays Version2 Reconfomed automatically from Version1 Note The above example used two VCube Projects for the Video The procedure is identical when importing two AAF OMF or Final Cut Pro Video Editing Projects 131 AMVMERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube Relink to New Media Opens a dialog offering various options similar to the Import CMX EDL function This allows relinking
228. this setting 98 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing VCube Report errors when enabled creates a list of errors and corresponding TimeCodes The capture continues even if errors occur Stop on errors when enabled stops the capture if an error occurs RP 188 feature when enabled uses the picture embedded TimeCode as incoming TimeCode for Timestamp Anis feature isn t available for Canopus and Xena LS video cards Video File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for video Cube AVI2 QuickTime MXF or MPEG2 are possible When QuickTime and MJPEG codec are chosen progressive scan must be selected for Fields Order to insure QuickTime player compatibility e Frame Rate is currently related to the current Composition frame rate e Compression allows the user to select the CODEC used to generate the new Media File s Depending on the chosen CODEC it is possible to adjust the Compression Settings Width and Height determine the number of pixels used to record the frame This picture format may differ from incoming video picture format E g this feature allows to directly generate a low resolution file from a HD video signal Frame Layout determines if and how the rendered frames will be interleaved or not e Word Length is currently limited to 8 bits Down Sampling determines the color sub sampling scheme 4 2 2 see Glossary section is the default value Convert Mode can be Down or Up convert dep
229. ties PR Z Rotation Overlay Za SMARTGART tm ZD 3D VPU Recover CATALYST Control Center Displays mi Color Options General Adapter Monitor Troubleshoot Color Management m Are you having problems with your graphics hardware These settings can help you troubleshoot display related problems Hardware acceleration Manually control the level of acceleration and performance supplied by your graphics hardware Use the Display Troubleshooter to assist you in making the change Hardware acceleration None j Full Disable cursor and bitmap accelerations Use this setting to correct problems with the mouse pointer or to correct problems with corrupt images Enable write combining 238 A MERGING 18 In The Field VCube 0 The NTSC Video Output Features Some Dropped Frames With PAL Media Files Problem I ve loaded a PAL Composition or a PAL Media File using the Easy Load function into the Timeline need a NTSC video output This output features some dropped frames bottom left corner of the User Interface Solution If the Composition is set at 25 fps then the VCube s video engine only produces 25 frames per second and the video card needs 29 97 We have here the source of the dropped frames The Composition frame rate must be set to 29 97 fps in order to feed the video card This can be done even if 25 fps media files are used If the Media File fps is smaller than the Com
230. tional monitor some particular settings must be adjusted according the following screen shots m Matrox PowerDesk HF Video Playback Settings 230 MERGING 18 In The Field m Matrox PowerDesk HF PureVideo DVDMax Settings Video source 4 3 traditional Depending of the BIOS version of the Matrox graphic card Preverve source cropping may be disabled to ensure a correct video output 231 MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 1 8 5 3 Poor Image Quality on HD Problem When using an HD video projector plugged into the graphic card output the picture on the screen doesn t match the expected quality Images are stepped on diagonals and curves Jaggies They also features a random horizontal slice on rapid movements Solution Be sure your Composition settings correspond to the HD format used Double click on the video clip in the Timeline to display Clips info including the native format of the media file e g 1980x1080 pixels at 24 fps Ideally the projector s native resolution DLP or LCD should match this format and the frame rate should be an integer multiple of the composition frame rate e g 24 fps composition and 72 fps projector graphic card settings To avoid slice artefacts in slow progressive mode 23 98 24 25 fos VCube features a Page flipping function in Settings gt Preview 232 AMVMERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 4 Frame Shifting with Virtual Transport
231. tor at the bottom of the Locators window Miscellaneous e Paste at previous TimeCode Ctrl M e Import Layer Ctrl Alt L Double click on a selection displays the Clips Information page Here Clip properties and I O destinations can be edited A When moving audio and video Clips preview displays only the current locator position In fades editing the preview displays only the selected video Clip at the current TimeCode without any other mixed layer or motion rectangle applied no compositing Text Clips behave differently to video and audio Clips When a text Clip is moved the preview follows In fades editing the preview respects the compositing of the Composition at the current TimeCode A red outline reflecting the whole Media File duration can be displayed while editing Clips at a non nominal speed Pointer Increasing the Clip s speed will reduce the Media File duration Decreasing the Clip s speed will increase the Media File duration Feet ruler options 16mm 35mm PAL 25 fps Usi osition frame rate Reset Feet Every Hour The Timeline can also display a Feet Ruler for film style editing This Ruler can be configured for 35 mm or 16 mm film format The setting can be accessed using the top Settings Menu or the Ctrl F shortcut 109 A MERGING vcCube 9 2 2 Layer Controls There are four Layer Controls e M acts like a mute in the audio world Hide for video people e Sis a solo function Y
232. ts and DV codec 5 is a good choice A subsequent press on the T key closes the Transport Frame EE A Transport Frame T VCR like is also available from the Tool Bar It brings together all the information and controls relating to Transport incoming TimeCode and Chasing Internal Machine 3 00 a H 00 00 00 00 EA oe 00 01 17 21 B00 0 a ie 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 wrd 00 00 00 00 ExT If Sony 9 Pin Remote Control is enabled Settings Composition Remote On is displayed This means that the Internal Machine is controlled by the Sony 9 pin protocol coming from another device The RS 422 configurator switch must be set to From Controller if you use this port Set In NUMPAD 7 Set Out NUMPAD 8 are linked to the Range in the Timeline Goto In NUMPAD 4 Goto Out NUMPAD 5 are linked to Locator controls of the Timeline e Loc NUMPAD 6 reaches the Goto Locator window e Loop L enables VCube to play in loop from In point to Out point e Chase Ctrl F1 This button can t be enabled when using the Follow VT mode in regular VCube or the Slave to VT mode for VCube SE Store stores the chase offset EXT should be selected to chase serial TimeCode from the Sony 9 pin If EXT is not selected the displayed TimeCode is the current Virtual Transport TimeCode 00 00 00 00 EE 000000 es com H00 Geg Eo ooo E oeo co 00 0 e fi co oce 0 Sony 9 Pin HOO amp o If Sony 9 Pin Machine Control is e
233. ture change detection generally the V1 track of the Version2 Video Project Tick the Create Changes Tracking Tracks box if these are required When all the selections have been made click on OK to perform the Reconform Step 6 The Pyramix Project has now been Reconformed Verifications can be made with the Change Tracking tracks as well as comparing the Version1 Video tracks that should now match the Version2 Video Tracks Step 7 Selecting Edit gt Undo Cirl Z once will remove the Change Tracking Tracks Note Once the Change Tracking Tracks have been removed they are NOT retrievable Step 8 The Video Reference Tracks with their associated Audio Tracks can be removed by right clicking on the first Video Track Header and selecting Delete To Last Track The origin Pyramix Project is now reconformed and ready for you to continue working on Version2 Note Where the Version2 project contains new material it may well be appropriate to move the relevant audio from the Version2 Audio Tracks up to the main Pyramix Project tracks before deleting A future Pyramix version may contain an option to carry out this step automatically Reconforming Using VCube for Picture Change Detection For users with VCube a Pyramix Project can be reconformed to match a new version of a Video Project quickly and simply Step 1 Open the original version of the video in VCube and the Project with the matching audio in Pyramix Step 2 In VCube select
234. udio channels are not available for monitoring on the Merging Technologies audio card Audio channels of the video card can only be monitored during capture through the corresponding audio outputs of the video card There are 3 different ways for clocking AES EBU I O 1 VCube is Master Audio Ref Internal and converters or a digital console must be locked to the AES EBU output of VCube 2 The AES EBU I O can be clocked by external converters or a digital console Audio Ref of VCube must be set to Audio Input The AES EBU input of the dual card must be connected to the AES EBU output of converters or digital console 3 A single Word Clock can be used for all digital devices Audio Ref of VCube must be set to Word Clock Input A The Composition sampling rate must be set to 48 KHz when video cards audio channels are used to capture or playback audio e During capture the monitoring must be done from the card where audio inputs are connected 193 A MERGING 16 Audio vCube 16 1 Audio Track An Audio Track can count from one to n Layers Solo Mute and Lock can be applied to a track Since a track can include many Layers a mute or lock action can be applied to many Layers The number of audio tracks is unlimited 194 a VMERGING 16 Audio vCube 16 2 Audio Layer An Audio Layer is a part of an audio track Solo Mute Level and Lock can be applied to a Layer Like video layer it can be named
235. uence end code is written at the end of the video stream it terminates the stream Normally this is set to 1 set to 0 if you intend to concatenate video streams together after encoding See ISO IEC 13818 2 section 6 3 2 or ISO IEC 11172 2 Embed SVCD User Blocks If set to 1 user data blocks are placed in the bitstream to reserve space for the SVCD scan information data The multiplexer then fills in the correct values when the video stream is muxed Should only be enabled for SVCD video but disabled for non standard SVCD video Under Rate Control you find the following options 162 AMERGING 14 Using the MPEG Codec VCube The options Reaction Parameter Initial Average Activity Initial Global Complexity Measure and Initial Virtual Buffer Fullness are very complex as well as highly mathematical These values are default to 0 and should not be changed unless advised to do so by MainConcept support Minimum Frame Percentage This option is basically the target number of bits as a percentage of the VBV size for the first frame in the stream Pad Frame Percentage This function is used when the VBR bitrate drops below the specified minimum bitrate It is only applicable for VBR if this field is 0 no padding occurs and the minimum bitrate is permitted to drop below the specified minimum If the field is 100 the stream is padded to keep the minimum bitrate near the specified minimum Motion Estimation offers the following options
236. unning PyraCube Setup When enabling AJA Card or Starting with AJA card enabled VCube will enable Follow VT if Pyramix is running on the VT instance on the same computer PyraCube Setup When enabling Follow VT VCube will make unavailable the Chase function When No AJA Card is enabled VCube will disable the Clock and TC Master capabilities and make unavailable the Chase and follow VT function A To guaranty a perfect sync Mykerinos AJA and USBSync card has to be locked on Video Reference 179 A MERGING 15 Synchronization vcCube 15 3 Virtual Transport Virtual Transport Server is the synchronization engine for VCube It controls clients Virtual transport brings all transport control and synchronization information to and from any client In normal VCube operation you should only use Virtual Transport to enable a network if needed All functions of the VCube client can directly be controlled from the VCube software No network setting is required for VCube SE running on a Pyramix machine The Virtual Transport icon appears in the system tray when you launch VCube Double clicking on the icon will display the Master Transport bar Alt V displays Virtual Transport in VCube Useful when the System Tray is hidden by VCube window PLAY 100 00 lt PAL ij ell all gt 00 44 36 08 Main Window and its three panel blocks What is Virtual Transport Virtual Transport is a Client Server architecture w
237. urce button is visible in the destination adjustment rectangle Press this button to reach the settings dialog for the source rectangle Click and Drag the external handles to adjust rectangle size Shift click and Drag preserves the aspect ratio Double click constrains the handle to the side edge of the screen e Ctrl Double click on the central handle restores the layer to its original size e UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys can also be used to move the rectangle Ctrl UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys resize the rectangle In this mode the top left handle becomes the fixed reference point Shift UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT keys resize the rectangle In this mode the bottom right handle becomes the fixed reference point e ENTER validates Source Rectangle settings and closes the window Move Source Rectangle e Click and Drag the central handle to adjust rectangle position e Double click constrains the handle to the center of the screen e ENTER validates Source Rectangle settings and closes the window 113 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 3 Selections and Groups A Selection can be made of Clip s or a range e Clicking and dragging the mouse in the Timeline will select a range Once the range is selected it can be moved as a group even if the selected range includes already grouped Clips Shift Range Selection will select all clips partially or totally included in this range Alt Range Selection will act a
238. ustom to edit the colors in the first row of the Color Picker Then choose a Hue value at the bottom with a Click Finally Click on the Saturation area to define a custom color 74 AMVMERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube Transparent can be enabled to obtain a transparent background for the TimeCode display Chase TimeCode enables the sync status red message Chasing Locked on the preview screen Mask sliders allow you to manage Horizontal or Vertical masks Drag the scroll bar to set the appropriate value Horizontal is the amount of displayed total vertical definition in per cent It controls the letter box height Vertical is the amount of displayed total horizontal definition in per cent It controls the letter box width These settings are applied to the rendered Output Overlay 75 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 5 5 Preview Preview shows all settings that will affect the way the Composition is to be displayed Alt P Preview Video Engine enables the appropriate engine to be selected DirectDraw engine is the default setting for VCube Deinierleave is useful since a Clip may be interlaced and progressive scan selected as the output format Note that automatic video resize may produce some wave like artifacts when an interlaced Media File has to be stretched to match the output format 1 Field When Stopped allows the graphic card to output a perfectly stable picture on its video output when in Stop
239. ution 24 Bits Max Sample Rate Min Full Scale Input Level 4 dBu Max Full Scale Input Level Dynamic Range A weighted 20Hz 20kHz Interchannel Isolation Crosstalk Microphone Preamplifiers Common Mode Rejection 1kHz THD N 1 kHz 1 dBFS 17 dBu Frequency Response 20Hz 20kHz EO 1 Input Impedance Differential Parameter Dynamic Range Phantom Power selection Conditions Gain 0 dB A weighted Input Impedance Analog Line Outputs Differential AES EBU Inputs Parameter Conditions Resolution C Max Sample Rate Min Full Scale Output Level 6 dBu Max Full Scale Output Level Dynamic Range weighted 7 a Unweighted THD N 1kHz 1dBFS 17dBu 93 aB Frequency Response 20Hz 20kHz 01 eB Output Impedance Differential lt 50 Ohms Output Balance Ratio gt 40 Interchannel Isolation Crosstalk 1kHz gt 100 a Parameter Resolution Max Samp Input Impedance AES EBU Outputs Conditions Differential Parameter Resolution Conditions Note All specifications subject to change without notice e During capture the monitoring must be done from the card where audio inputs are connected The VCube software doesn t support the microphone preamplifier section The 4 analog inputs are set to line level with a 0 dB gain A MERGING 212 17 Hardware 17 2 2 USB Sync Board VCube SE Xe and LE require a d
240. uts UlWorkSpacesGroup Load Workspace 1 Load Workspace 2 Load Workspace 3 Load Workspace 4 Load Workspace 5 Load Workspace 6 Load Workspace 7 Load Workspace 8 Load Workspace 9 Load Workspace 10 Generate WorkSpace 1 Generate WorkSpace 2 Generate WorkSpace 3 Generate WorkSpace 4 Generate WorkSpace 5 Generate WorkSpace 6 Generate WorkSpace 7 Generate WorkSpace 8 Generate WorkSpace 9 Generate WorkSpace 10 Help Show Help Credits Ctrl F7 Ctrl F8 Ctrl F9 Ctrl F10 Ctrl F11 Ctrl F12 Ctrl F6 F3 F4 F2 Shift W Shift 1 Shift 2 Shift 3 Shift 4 Shift 5 Shift 6 Shift 7 Shift 8 Shift 9 Shift 0 Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 Ctrl 3 Ctrl 4 Ctrl 5 Ctrl 6 Ctrl 7 Ctrl 8 Ctrl 9 Ctrl 0 F1 C 19 Appendices AMVMERGING 247 vcCube A MERGING Control Pages Folders View Aod JL JIL R Geen EJL f Tranport amp Locators Prev Prev Beane e Be Next Next Prev Next Frame ame fiev f VOFrom Selection PEHEE rea ole i 19 Appendices 248 19 Appendices vcCube HR edee Ge SOC e BEB H C JBBBHRERRRRL HAE EEEE BES BES SEBHHNBER EB Mi DODA Bae OUSOSF22 2B EE ae YS Fees B o gt 005 2 Oe 550 Caponen 289 ___ POSseUereeeites S00 gas Seeee00F0 0 S008 288 SUUSSEUURR22e20 a0 SE80 SEG Fees S a 249 AA MERGING 19 Appendices vcCube 5 op BEB aE HBG H LeJG0R SS208eC I acon B dele
241. vcCube Last Count Number Sets the last step number for the countdown A Some clip properties are not supported by the Countdown clips Note that Countdown clips aren t affected by the Source Destination rectangle settings of the layer The countdown clip duration can t be directly edited from the Timeline by using clip handles The clip settings must be used to change the countdown clip duration 121 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 5 2 Wipe Clip J Wipe clips can be generated by VCube Once created in the Timeline double clicking on the clip accesses its settings Clips Infos Here are the default settings A Some clip properties are not supported by the Countdown clips Note that Wipe clips aren t affected by the Source Destination rectangle settings of the layer 122 AMERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 5 3 Video Test Patern Clip I Video test patern clips can be generated by VCube Once created in the Timeline double clicking on the clip accesses its settings 123 A MERGING 9 Recording and Editing vcCube 9 2 5 4 Audio Tone Clip E Audio Tone clips can be generated by VCube Once created in the Timeline double clicking on the clip accesses its settings Clips Infos Here are the default settings 124 AMERGING 10 Conforming and Reconforming VCube Conforming and Reconforming Conforming Conform Conforming is the process of making and
242. when dropped in the Timeline The Alpha channel is preserved The Convert Still Image feature Ctrl I is the preferred option for numbered still images The Alpha channel is not preserved when converted in a video Clip 37 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 5 Import Composition and Export Changes This feature allows to create an EDL reflecting the differences between two versions of a project A EDL file is created into the composition folder 38 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 5 Import Layer A particular layer or a selection of layers can be imported from a VCube Composition into the current one Ctrl Alt L Layers Import Prop 00 00 02 20 Cancel Properties when checked also imports the individual clips properties Locked Invert Fields Invert Color 39 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube 8 1 7 Convert Still Images Import Images Sequence allows a Video Media File to be generated from a still image sequence Ctrl I Import Images Sequence M Media 4k_pictures bmp CUBE cube VCube MJPEG Standard AL 1 067 Linear Fast good quality Compression settings Import Path determines the source for images File Format selects the image format to be imported Export Path selects the destination of the created Media File File Name where the Media File is entered Video File Format determines the type of the generated Media File for video
243. xternal converters or a digital console 3 A single Word Clock can be used for all digital devices Audio Ref of VCube must be set to Word Clock Input Sampling Rate allows you to choose the Sampling Rate for A This setting is applied to captured converted and rendered files MPEG encoding only allows 48KHz Mykerinos Daughter Card displays the type and serial number for this card Mykerinos Settings accesses the daughter card specific settings control panel Show I O shows the status for Input and Output ports for Audio Ref in the Mykerinos card It s also useful for establishing the presence of Video and Word Clock signals 62 A MERGING 8 Control Pages vcCube A This tab shows which settings are reloaded overriding current settings Video Format gathers together relevant information about the manner in which the video signal is displayed A e Note that the all the possible settings supported by the computer graphic card are not supported by the video card If an unsupported setting is selected a warning message is displayed on the video output See Supported Video Formats tab in Appendices to find the correct settings for your specific need e Any Format conversion is applied to the entire Composition including resized Layers on both preview and video outputs Formats amp Sync The Transport Panel T can also be used to select the TC source for chasing and to enable the chase function 63 A MERGIN
244. y Paste amp Ripple Ctrl Shift V only available if the Clipboard isn t empty Paste at Previous TimeCode Ctrl M only available if the Clipboard isn t empty Delete Selected DELETE Group Cirl G only available if more than one Clip is selected UnGroup Ctrl U only available if more than one Clip is selected Lock Selected Clip Ctrl L Unlock Selected Clip Ctrl Shift K Select All Clips on Selected Layers Shift A Select All Clips Ctrl A UnSelect All Clips ESCAPE Some editing actions are dependent on the mouse position To split a Clip at the mouse position use Ctrl Right Click pointer When Clips are grouped or selected every Clip present at the mouse position will be split To move Clip content inside fixed in out points Ctrl Shift pointer When Clips are grouped contents of grouped clips are slipped To drag the Timeline view use Ctrl pointer in the time scale Some editing actions are depending of the cursor play head position Paste Ctrl V Paste amp Ripple Ctrl Shift V To split a selection at locator position use Ctrl T When Clips are grouped every Clip present at the locator position will be split To add a locator at current TimeCode use NUMPAD 9 Selection Range amp Group Clicking and dragging the mouse in the Timeline will select a range Once the range is selected it can be moved as a group even if the selected range includes already grouped Clips 107 AMERGING
245. y available when video track arming is enabled and SDI video input is selected as video source AES analog when available or SDI audio channels of the video card can only be monitored through the video card s respective audio outputs during recording B with the Audio option DUAL daughter card for the Mykerinos Audio inputs are recorded in a single track featuring the number of Layers corresponding to armed inputs As usual audio Layers are created from top to bottom The first audio input of the video card will be on the top audio Layer of the audio track in the Timeline if armed A The video card audio inputs and the audio card video inputs can t be used at the same time to capture audio The audio monitoring must be done on the used card The audio track arming is done from left to right by a Sony 9 pin remote control A progress bar is displayed in the Timeline when visible during recording Supported File Direct Playback or Import for Numbered Still Images Sequences Record Render Extensions Convert cube VCube native format Yes avi Audio Video Interleave AVI is defined by Yes Microsoft AVI is the most common format for audio video data on the PC Apple QuickTime Yes Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes Moving Pictures Experts Group Yes the Material eXchange Format Yes D10 Render only Audio Interchange File Yes MPEG Audio Stream Layer II Yes WAVE File Format Yes Broadcast wave Yes Pyramix media
246. y way to ensure precise timing for video signal 2 Be sure that the specification of the video display you use does not feature some latency This is usually the case for all plasma displays and some LCD displays If this is the case VCube features independent compensation offset for graphic and video cards Settings Formats amp Synchro gt Synchronization TimeCode gt Graphic Delay Video Card Compensation 3 The previous remark for computer the monitor graphic card output 236 A MERGING 18 In The Field vCube 18 5 8 Frozen Picture on the Video Output of a Matrox Graphic Card Problem The video output of the Matrox Parhelia graphic card is frozen and the preview display is OK in VCube Solution Be sure that the settings of the graphic card are set according this screen shot PureVideo DVDMax Settings Veo sows 4 3 traditional im If Scale only on page flip is enable the Composition needs to use the Page Flipping feature Settings Preview to play on the video output of the Matrox graphic card amp 237 MERGING 18 In The Field vcCube 18 5 9 User Interface and ATI Graphic Card Problem The User Interface of the VCube software doesn t refresh correctly Some labels are missing or looks disabled Solution In Windows Advanced Display Properties be sure that the ATI Troubleshoot Control Panel is set as on the screen shot below Plug and Play Monitor and RADEON 9600 SERIES Proper

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