DIY Project Report #2

Here's the second report on my computer building project. The first post is here. Here are a few notes on the project that might interest you.

Windows Stuff

First off Windows 7 networking sucks...that is if you're trying to network a Windows XP machine with a Windows 7 computer. Windows 7 Networking relies upon the Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) protocol which was introduced with Windows Vista. Of course most of us avoided Vista like the plague, so one should expect that many will be trying to network XP machines with their new Windows 7 computers. You can do it, but it takes some doin'. Here's how:

First, make sure your Windows XP machine is updated with the Service Pack 3. (By the way, you can install the LLTD on XP with Service Pack 2. However, I tried this and the computer still wouldn't appear on the network map. So spare yourself a headache and install Service Pack 3!)

Then, apply this Microsoft Hotfix and LLTD should be correctly installed.

Finally, follow this blog post from the How-To Geek and and you should be able to share resources between machines.

(This is way too much work. Like I said, it sucks.)

I also experienced an issue with firewire drivers. I found that I had to manually change the 1394a driver to OCHI Compliant Host Legacy in order for the computer to recognize and work with my Sony DV deck. It's easy to do. Here are the instructions.

Software

I selected Comodo Backup which is free and has a very good reputation. I'm sure you've read this a million times, but it's very important to set up regular reliable backup routines to protect your data. A major computer hardware meltdown motivated me to build this new machine in the first place. Thanks to maintaining good backups, that computer crash only cost me time. No important data was lost and everything else has been restored to the new machine.

For anti-virus support I installed AVG's free version. I've been running AVG on one of my computers for well over a year with no problems. If you insist on spending money, I recommend ESET's NOD32 which I've had good luck with. (I'm not too high on Norton's Anti-Virus. In my experience, the application ground my computer to a crawl. Totally unacceptable.) If you go with AVG, I suggest you uncheck the option to install the AVG toolbar in your browser. Otherwise there's no way to get rid of it short of completely removing the application.

After installing virus protection and backup software, I installed Adobe's Creative Suite 4 Production Premium. This suite includes the 64-bit versions of Premiere Pro and Photoshop Extended. Nice.

I also installed Magic Bullet Looks, Video Copilot Twitch and Knoll Light Factory. If you use Looks or Knoll Light Factory make sure to confirm that your display adapter is compatible. I made doubly sure by contacting Red Giant Software's support to confirm compatibility with my Nvidia 9800 GeForce GT. (I did get a little scare installing Looks, only to see a message warning that my display adapter wasn't compatible. However, the plug-in works fine and I've had no issues using it.)

Hardware Compatibility Issues

Don't assume that your cards and peripherals are necessarily compatible with the new operating system. A good place to check is Windows 7 Compatibility Center. Since the OS is so new, you may be surprised to see that many contemporary cards and devices still lack drivers. This will change with time, but for now you can hit some snags if your not careful.

For example, the Pyro AVTurbo 1394b PCI card has no Windows 7 drivers as of yet although I expect that will change.

I also own a Tascam US-122 USB audio interface. Same story as no drivers are available. This is an older model so its quite possible there never will be Windows 7 drivers for this unit.


Performance

I won't spend a lot of time on the actual performance of the computer other than to say the computer is very fast. Windows 7 boots up very quickly. The computer's POST takes longer than the time needed for the the operating system to be up and running.

32-bit applications run fast, but 64-bit are even faster. The computer really flies. And the Adobe Creative Suite is tightly integrated to improve the workflow. Adobe has done a great job here.

I'll post additional notes after I've spent more time breaking the machine in.

DIY Project Report #1

Last week I mentioned that I'm in the process of building a new computer build based on the Videoguys DIY-7 specifications. Here are some early observations on that process.

The barebones kit came from Tiger Direct. The kit mostly follows the Videoguys specs, and exactly follows them as far as the motherboard and processor. Putting the machine together was easy and went together in less than an hour. SATA technology as really made hard drive configuration simple.

Tiger Direct's 64-bit workstation which includes a Core I7
processor, 12 GB of ram and 750 watt power supply.
Don't forget to order a video card.

I do want to caution those that have never built a computer before. It can be a frustrating process and Tiger Direct provides no customer support. So if you don't know what you're doing, find a skilled friend who can help you or buy a Dell or HP.

I installed the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional which went very quickly - the full install was less than 30 minutes. System booting is much faster than older versions of Windows.

Things slowed down considerably after that. After installing Adobe's Production Suite and attempting to activate the software, I noticed the computer lost Internet connectivity. To troubleshoot, the first thing one looks at when things go wrong is to examine what changed. I spent a couple of hours online (with a different computer) searching for clues.

As it turns out, the Adobe installation adds a small networking application called Bonjour Service. Apparently on some installations, that service breaks the computer's Internet connection. By disabling the service from the Computer Management Console, Internet service was restored after restarting the machine. Now why this would break the Internet connection is a mystery to me. The same applications ran fine on my old XP Pro machine. And this is the kind of problem that can drive you nuts.

I did see a lot of online griping about Windows 7's networking problems. Now you do have to take what you read online with a big grain of salt. I've never seen a product that didn't get flamed online. But I'm still wrestling with networking my older Windows computers with the new Windows 7 box. I can say confidently that it's not as simple as it should be.

I'll post more on my progress soon.

Adobe's 64-Bit Commitment

You may have read about this elsewhere, but it's worth noting that future versions of Premiere Pro and After Effects will only run on 64-bit operating systems. In my view this is a smart decision by Adobe and should serve to make your work flow faster and better able to support HD video formats.

64-bit computing has been around a long time but Microsoft Windows and processors from Intel and AMD have matured to the point where upgrading to a 64-bit system is relatively affordable and bug-free.

Adobe boasts performancegains of up to 227%
using Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 on a 64-bit system
with more memory.

But what are the advantages of 64-bit computing for video makers? The main advantage is performance.

Adobe notes in its FAQ: "With a 64-bit operating systems you get a wider address system and data path, providing access to essentially unlimited RAM. On 32-bit systems, each application is limited to 4GB of RAM (and in practice this number is actually smaller). More RAM means applications can manipulate larger chunks of data, cache more information, and handle a wide range of tasks more efficiently."

At EventDV, Jan Ozer documents the performance gains, "...the 64-bit system was 67% faster on my standard DV test file, up to 63% faster on HDV-related tests, up to 50% faster on AVCHD tests, and up to 227% faster on tests using footage from the RED camera."

Now with the new release of Windows 7, 64-bit computing looks even more promising. Microsoft received nearly universal and well-deserved atomic dope slaps for its awful Vista operating system. However, having recently installed and worked with Windows 7, I'd say things are looking up. I'm in the process of building a new computer build based on the Videoguys DIY-7 specifications. I'll follow up with a review after I've tested this 64-bit monster.

Premiere Elements 8 Reviewed

Here's a short review of Premiere Elements 8.

I tested the software on a HP xw4400 Workstation - Core 2 6600 processor @2.4 Ghz, 2 GB ram. Make sure to review system requirements, especially if you want to edit HD.

Premiere Elements 8 user interface

Pros:

Friendly user interface with a fairly logical work-flow. The interface supports both timeline and storyboard editing. After editing, it was very easy to export a file for web upload, export to tape or burn a DVD.

Many of Premiere Pro's keyboard shortcuts apply to Premiere Elements 8 too.

Worked very nicely with both SD and HD footage. (SD footage was captured from a Sony VX2100). Easily imported HD files from a Canon Vixia HF S100 and a DXG-567 HD camera. Mixed HD and SD footage with no problems.

Using the titler was pretty easy for the most part, but I still haven't figured out how to applying a stoke (outline) to text.



Cons:

I had some trouble with the Welcome Screen. Several times when attempting to open a project, the system appeared to be working but wouldn't progress beyond that screen. When this occurred, I had to launch Windows Task Manager to force the application to close and then launch the application by double-clicking the project file.

The good news on this is that Adobe has a fix if you encounter this problem.


Conclusions:

This is definitely an ideal video editing application for the hobbyist or casual user. I having some difficulty identifying where the cutoff would be for higher end users. One of the advantages of this application is that with each new release, more advanced features trickle down from Premiere Pro without boosting the price tag for Elements. (For instance, motion tracking was just added.)

My recommendation for mid-range users is to try Premiere Elements 8 before assuming that you need the full flexibility and power of Premiere Pro CS4. You may just find that you have everything you need and save a lot money too. (Right now Premiere Elements goes for less than $90.)

A trial version is available for download here - available for Windows and the Mac.

Learn To Light Better

Here's the link to a great site created by Lowel Lighting to improve your lighting skills.

Interactive features allow you to see the effect of
each instrument in a lighting setup.

The site reviews and demonstrates lighting placement, use of lighting controls, interview lighting, and soft lighting. Lowel also provides a number of lessons to teach you how to light typical setups.

Each lesson includes a wide shot to show lighting
and camera placement relative to the position
and orientation of the subject.

Lowel has long been recognized for selling quality gear at affordable prices. This useful site demonstrates a growing trend among manufacturers to educate customers in the proper use of the gear they sell.

More Than An Inconvenience

Recently I needed to edit DVCam footage which was closed-captioned.

What is Closed Captioning? Closed-captioning ensures the hearing impaired are able to view television, and has been a federal requirement for most television stations since the early 1990's. This Wikipedia article delineates the technical standards for captioning.




Back to the story:

I was surprised to learn that while the DV standard does support closed captioning, the process of capturing the footage in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 stripped the captions from the footage.

I reported the problem to Adobe and received this prompt response:

"I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and I understand that when capturing DVCam material that is already closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired, that the captioning is removed.

After collecting all the information provided by you, I researched on this issue in my resources and have found that this is the product limitation that through which you are facing inconvenience. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause to you." (sic)

To be fair, this isn't solely an Adobe problem. It appears that most nonlinear applications fail to retain captioning information when footage is captured.

But this is a problem that's been around for years and NLE manufacturers need to correct it soon. Or perhaps federal regulations need to be expanded to included video software companies too.

Online Video Hosting Compared

While I complete tests on the latest release of Premiere Elements (we're now up to version 8), here's a link to the site Alternatives To YouTube. It's interesting to see which service mangles source footage the least.

View on ExposureRoom

This clip is hosted by ExposureRoom, a hosting service for both standard and high definition video. Clearly YouTube isn't the only game in town.