Just last week I saw, somewhere, a nifty little adapter set that allows very long runs of USB2 by using CAT5 cable. Maybe something exists for Firewire, also.

I think it was in some mail-order catalog like "PC Connection."

WE shot a whole job - three days of contiual shooting into a laptop running DVRack (incredible product) with a 15' DV cord - Zero problems.
v

Vic,

After buying and enjoying your excellent lighting DVD, I'd be most interested to hear the ways you're using DV Rack, when you have time.


Peter

Sure, but first a disclaimer - I don't work for Serious Magic and they don't pay me. They have on occasion sent me software to try out. I don't owe nuthin' to nobody.

Now - I started life as a still guy and graduated to 35mm film. There I lived for 30+ years. When I stepped into video, you had a crew of "techies" to setup and run the camera for you. They'd say to me, "You can't do THAT" (lightingwise) and point to the oscilliscope. I'd pump up the light intensity accordingly, and off we'd go.

The point is that I NEVER would consider shooting anything without first METERING it! My first DV camera (the wonderful VX1000) had a little "point and shoot" button that served fabulously.

But when the lighting got past "point and shoot" I longed for some sort of light meter to use again. Needless to say, I hardly ever shot a "set-up" situation without a professional video monitor on set to judge everything by, but somehow the picture would often change from the time I shot it, until I got back to the edit suite.Too often I would wish I had given the camera another stop of light.

Then I discovered DV Rack. WOW!
It plugs into your laptop via firewire cord out of the camera.
It was not only a monitor (more about this later), but a waveform montor, an audio monitor, a digital recorder and a vectorscope, plus a couple of other thingy's that were just too good to be true.
I have given up my on set monitor and replaced it by the DV Rack, and I would never consider shooting in a studio without it.

1 - you not only see what the camera is shooting in a large sized image - you are watching the ACTUAL compressed DV image. No more "analog to digital" disappoinment. What you see, is most definitely what you get.
2 - When you press the record button on the camera, the laptop immediately starts to record as well. You've got the goods two times, and there's no time lost transferring dailes back at the shop
Plus, (court videographers take note) - it will record as long as you've got drive space - at 13 gig an hour, a 100G HD lasts a LONG time without stopping.
3 It tracks your picture and sound, and gives you clear visible warning when you are out of usable boundaries.
4. A laptop computer is a heck of a lot lighter than a 9" TV monitor.
6 - On location you can actually pick takes immediately and start editing back in the hotel room (on Vegas, of course). BTW my laptop, a Sony k45 will let me use TWO monitors, just like back at the edit suite. So I pack along a 19" LCD whenever I travel and work.

In the end I love the DV Rack. I love all things Sony. Nobody pays me to say that, and nobody can convince me of anything otherwise. When your next meal (well maybe not your VERY next meal) depends on something as tempermental as current technology, you've got to be able to absolutely TRUST your equipment.

Hope this little "fanatical" rant helps you out.

v

Vic,

Thank you for sharing the above. Do you have any recommendations for laptops in the above scenario (using DV Rack and recording to the laptop hard drive)

Thanks,

TomE

check their website, they give you the laptop requirements. how fast the hard drive should be, processor speed, ram...

that's one on my wishlist.

vegas...... check
dvd architect..... check
mansion..... in progress
bentley..... after the mansion
dvrack..... before i get the mansion...
heehee