Re: [tlug] Questions about specifications for some cutting edge videorecording via laptop

[Dave Gutteridge <dave@example.com>]

> 1. Connecting 3 DV streams on one bus is probably un-possible with 
> firewire. 

Am I not understanding the article correctly? It seems to be suggesting 
that 3 streams is a maximum, not an impossibility. And it also goes on 
to say that the limiting factor is the bandwidth, which can be corrected 
by adding more firewire ports to the PCI bus.
If anything, this article gives me confidence that what I'm looking to 
do is technically feasible. What did I miss in the article?

>
> 2. The actual DV control protocol (to control the DV camera or any DV 
> device)
> should be a standard. 

Okay, that's good to know. I will research that aspect of it.

> 3. Is there any reason you can't just tape what you want and then 
> transfer the footage
> from each camera to the laptop in succession and edit it there ?

That's the standard approach, and what I did on my last video project. 
The method you describe is the assumed process and it does, of course, 
technically work. However, what I found is that this process is 
succeptible to a lot of intangible mistakes and organizational hassles. 
Dealing with dozens of takes spread across tens of tapes, with 
corresponding log sheets for time codes, recorded by three independantly 
acting camera men... well, there's many levels and stages at which human 
error can enter, and it inevitably does.

The system I'm envisioning would allow for the director to see all three 
feeds on one screen, and if I can give a laptop technitian the power to 
control recording stop and start times and file management, I could have 
three synchronized files ready for the editor immediately. It has the 
potential to drastically reduce the number of stages at which human 
error can mingle into the process. And one of my biggest lessons learned 
from my last project is that the real enemy of the independant film 
maker is organization and manpower. I now understand why there's always 
so many people standing around on a film set who look like they're just 
standing around. You need lots of people just to devote their brain 
power to keeping track of details. If I can make a system like this, I 
could transplant a lot of the effort of making a film from people to 
computer, and free up more time for creative descision making.

And then... I take over the world.

> Good luck ;-) 

Thanks. And thank you for the helpful suggestions.

Dave