From DVCAM and HDV to DigiBeta

[Michael Thomas]

Hi all,

 

I've just found this site and in need of advice, I hope I'm posting in the right part of the site! :-)

 

We are a low budget (under $10,000 per film) film company and have had two of our films distributed for a year or so. We've just been asked to provide certain items for two potential sales. We are literally a bunch of film students operating on limited funds, hence needing the advice! :-)

 

We have been asked for PAL and NTSC Digibeta masters for each of our films, they also need to have a 6 track M & E soundtrack. The two films are 85-95 mins long, one shot on DV and one on HDV. Both are fully edited (Final Cut Pro, Apple Macs) and the final films output in their original formats to external hard drives. We have made DVD screeners etc but these are obviously way to low quality for masters.

 

My question is this...

 

How can we make or get these masters without killing ourselves financially? We have the computing power here but no tape facilities or any experience of DigiBeta.

 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

[Chris Burke]

Hi all,

 

I've just found this site and in need of advice, I hope I'm posting in the right part of the site! :-)

 

We are a low budget (under $10,000 per film) film company and have had two of our films distributed for a year or so. We've just been asked to provide certain items for two potential sales. We are literally a bunch of film students operating on limited funds, hence needing the advice! :-)

 

We have been asked for PAL and NTSC Digibeta masters for each of our films, they also need to have a 6 track M & E soundtrack. The two films are 85-95 mins long, one shot on DV and one on HDV. Both are fully edited (Final Cut Pro, Apple Macs) and the final films output in their original formats to external hard drives. We have made DVD screeners etc but these are obviously way to low quality for masters.

 

My question is this...

 

How can we make or get these masters without killing ourselves financially? We have the computing power here but no tape facilities or any experience of DigiBeta.

 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

 

 

 

In order to lay the files to Digibeta tape you would need a video card like a Decklink with SDI out. So in theory, if you could lay your hands on one of those and rent a reference monitor and Digibeta deck, you could do it yourself. But for perhaps the same money, maybe a little bit more, you probably could get the local production house to do it. They often will cut deals for up and comers and students a like. So the choice is yours, you would probably spend less doing it yourself, but a lot can go wrong and if you don't know what do to, then spending money on the pro house is worth it. Either way your spending at least a grand or two. Good luck

 

 

Chris

[Tim O'Connor]

In order to lay the files to Digibeta tape you would need a video card like a Decklink with SDI out. So in theory, if you could lay your hands on one of those and rent a reference monitor and Digibeta deck, you could do it yourself. But for perhaps the same money, maybe a little bit more, you probably could get the local production house to do it. They often will cut deals for up and comers and students a like. So the choice is yours, you would probably spend less doing it yourself, but a lot can go wrong and if you don't know what do to, then spending money on the pro house is worth it. Either way your spending at least a grand or two. Good luck

Chris

 

 

I think this is good advice.

 

Some transfer places that specialize in this work, DVD

authoring/etc. might let you sit in and watch if you become friendly and appear as a potential

new customer for DVD runs. That might give you a chance to learn without learning the hard way

the first time, although if you make too many comments you're likely either going to hear "tour's

over" or pay more.

 

A sign at a gas station when I was a kid:

 

Mechanic: $25.00/hour

 

If you watch: $50.00/hour