720P video out timecode and slate issues

[verlaine]

I am a Video Assist/Playback Operator in Toronto.
I have spent the last 4 days shooting children on very long takes.
The fact that I can't see timecode or slate on my monitor has made this shoot extremely hard, especially when capturing in Final Cut.
Please give the camera one more 720p out with the ability to show timecode and slate so that I may find a playback point accuratley with the script supervisor.
I realise that if you unplug the eyepiece and just use the onboard or vice versa this is possible, but you cant do this on a big budget commercial.
If there is another way around this issue I would love to know.

 

[Stuart English]

Timecode output on HD-SDI

Timecode output on HD-SDI

Please give the camera one more 720p out with the ability to show timecode and slate so that I may find a playback point accuratley with the script supervisor. I realise that if you unplug the eyepiece and just use the onboard or vice versa this is possible, but you cant do this on a big budget commercial.
If there is another way around this issue I would love to know.

The answer is give up the RED-LCD and use an HD-SDI based LCD for that monitor i.e RED-EVF, one HD-SDI out to an LCD, and then your HD-SDI out.

 

[verlaine]

Hi,
thats not a solution that we can use in our business, especially on a commercial with such a large budget. The DoP needs his viewfinder, and the Camera Assist needs lcd, and i need timecode as a video assist.
Is this something you guys could maybe rectify on a future build?

 

[Kyle Mallory]

Verlaine,

Stuart wasn't suggesting that you give up the AC's monitor, rather that you change it out for a HD-SDI monitor. "Big Budget" productions do this all the time, using a 7" Clarion or Nebtek monitor for the AC.

 

[Vlado Struhar]

Nab

Nab

You should get a proper HD Video Assist software that shows you timecode embedded into SDI.

There will be an awesome solution presented by Offhollywood at Reduser event at NAB.

 

[Casey Green]

The above solutions are good: HD-SDI monitor or Timecode reader from embedded SDI out, but I agree it would be nice not to have to disable the RED LCD to gain this ability.

I very much hope this is addressed in Scarlet and RED EPIC where each output can have it's own individual overlay controls.

 

[Alex Carr]

Yep, I'd rather pull focus off a real monitor with peaking anyway...

 

[Rob van Gelder]

The answer is give up the RED-LCD and use an HD-SDI based LCD for that monitor i.e RED-EVF, one HD-SDI out to an LCD, and then your HD-SDI out.

Excuse me, but I think this is not a proper answer. As said before, in decent budget productions, all technicians involved want all options possible.
So if you have a RED LCD, giving you all the menu info as well as check options as focus-assist etc. you CAN NOT give up this item and most, if not all, focus pullers will laugh just at the idea that they have to do without the LCD because of such an issue with the timecode.

This way of thinking is just not conform the productions that RED want's to see using their cameras.

For your information, the Arriflex video assists have - since many years - 2 outputs, one clean and one with all info. Certainly the timecode, if used, is visible and it can be placed anywhere on the screen. This is standard practice, its not rocket science and the techniques/electronics are available for a long time now and it wont hurt for the RED designers to have a closer look at the way things worked with the "old style filming", because there are definitely some good working practices out there!!!

 

[Alex Carr]

You should get two Display Clocks. One for your Cart, and for Video Village.

 

[verlaine]

timecode vs evf/lcd

timecode vs evf/lcd

Thanks for all the replies. I did almost find a really basic solution using AJA Vtr Exchange, but the playback jumps now and again, which would be devastating on a big shoot. You can set an IOHD to see the timecode from the red, it just wont work with FCS 2.0