Newbie to Video Switching

[scottwolcott]

Hey Everybody. I am sort of a newbie to video switching and I could really use some advice.

I have a guy that wants to buy us a video switcher and I can't really decide what to get. I would like to get as much as possible for as little as possible (wouldn't we all!). Basically, right now, we have two camera's, an XL-1 and a GL-2, and our computer. That being said, I would like to be able to expand in a year or two by adding a couple of remote controlled cameras. Therefore, I could really use something with more than just four inputs (i.e., the datavideo se-500, or the edirol v-4). However, I understand that getting one that is big enough could immediately put me up past my desired $2000 limit.

What is perhaps even more important than the money however, is that I don't really know what else I am looking for. I don't know what brands are good brands, I don't know what features are important, etc... If it helps, right now, I run the camera's and computer into a radio-shack a/v switcher which runs directly to a dvr and the sound comes from a sound board into the dvr as well.

[zactommo]

First thing to think about are your goals here. What are you trying to achieve for your church. Is it DVD's of the service, IMAG, or a TV show for broadcast?

Given your small budget, secondhand may be the way to go.

[scottwolcott]

I don't have a problem with buying second hand at all. I just need to know what to look at and what to stay away from. My goals are primarily to produce a quality DVD of the service. That being said, I would love to be able to produce a tv show in the future, but I am trying to stay focused on one goal at a time here.

Given that DVD's are my goal...I would particularly be interested in how to create a system whereby I could include a standardized intro sequence, a closing sequence, and even put information on the screen such as the name of the speaker, the date of the service, etc... I understand much of this will come from integrating a computer program into the system, but I need that to be a consideration as I look for a switcher / mixer.

I have looked at the datavideo se-500 and edirol v-4 and v-8, but I don't know if they are really what I am looking for or not. Any comments on those two units?

[zactommo]

I just had a quick flick through e-bay, and spied this model:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-3D-effect-D...item439d157085

Definatly worth a look.

Basically, in the world of video switchers. Switcher that can take non-synced source, and switchers that require the input to be genlocked. You are after the first catagoery; A switcher that contains frame syncs, to sync up all the input sources. The user manual for the sony I suggested above says that it does have frame syncs, but if someone on the forum has used one of these, feel free to chime in and confirm that, because I haven't used this particular model.

Other good options for used switchers is: The panasonic MX-50, and the Edirol V-4. There seem to be lots of these available on ebay, but I am suggesting the sony instead because I think the sony is higher quality than the other two options (The MX-50 will soften your picture) and will provide more features, and a better user friendly layout for whoever is operating it.

As far as the whole system in concerned; I think it would be best to record straight to computer, but also possibly run a DVD recorder as a backup incase something goes wrong. Things such as title sequences, name graphics etc are better to be put on in post production on a video editing program on the computer. Do you have any experience with editing video on computer? Do you have a PC available to do the recording, or will you need to purchase one? You will also need a peice of hardware to convert the analogue output signal of the switcher to digital for the computer to record it. This is most commonly done with a device like this: http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc110
This connects to the computer via a firewire cable.

You will also have to source audio from somewhere. Generally just recording the output of the mixer is a bad idea. If you can source a spare mixer to do a seperate mix, that would be ideal, but a cheaper solution is to use an aux send to do your broadcast mix.

I hope this is making sense, and giving you an idea of the sort of gear you need.

[scottwolcott]

Wow, that last post was great. That is exactly the type of information I am looking for. I really appreciate it.

In answer to your questions regarding my equipment and background. I am pretty familiar with post-production and have a fair amount of experience doing it. It is just the live production and the equipment that goes with it that I am clueless about. I currently use final-cut on a mac for editing and I suppose I could set the mac up to record the live feed. Is there a reccommended software or an industry standard for this purpose? otherwise I suppose I could just use iMovie or something. I also have a PC that we use to run MediaShout during the services, but I suppose I would think that it would run the risk of doing too much if I asked the same computer to record the live feed. Anyone have any thoughts or experience on that? I know it depends on the computer obviously, but I just bought a new one with quad-core processors and a terabyte of space and plenty of memory, so that wouldn't be an issue I suppose. Is there a reccommended software for the PC if I decide to use that?

Also, after reading your posts and then doing more research, I am wondering if anyone has any experience with or comments about the Videonics MXPro or MX-1. A guy here in town reccommended the Pro to me, and I found the 1 online for about $500 or so. Any comments would be appreciated.

I also had a question about adding the title sequences, etc... I realize that, like you said, I can do this in post-pro in finalcut. However, I was wondering if it is possible to do it live by maybe having a standard sequence on a DVD that I play at the start of our services into the video board. Then, for the name graphics and such, I was thinking that the chroma key feature I hear so much about on these boards might do that. Any thoughts on that? It would just be nice to have a better finished product to hand someone as soon as service is over.

[zactommo]

Videonics is prett much the cheapest, and therefore worst switcher you can buy. I'd stay away from it if at all possible. I used to have a MX-1, and the chroma key on it was pretty much useless!

You mentioned that you do post production in Final Cut, so I would say that it would be best to do your recording in Final Cut too; this allows for the fastest turnaround because your recording in the format that your editing in, which minimizes rending and conversion time.

I think the name graphics are a viable option for you, but I can see rolling the in titles in realtime being slightly impractical. The problem I see is that you want the pastors first words, and intro to be tight out of the end of the titles, but in reality the pastor is working to the audience, not the cameras, so getting that right live could be very difficult.

The other thought I have is that if you wanted a really tight turnaround, you could look out for a program and/or hardware that will record or encode your video input in realtime in MPEG2 that is compatible with DVD Studio Pro (assumming that is what you use) then you can add your title sequence on in the DVD studio pro timeline, and if everything is already in the correct MPEG2 format, then theoritically there should be minimal conversion time, just a matter of DVD studio burning the master disc.