While some consider IEEE-1394 as an I/O typical of hobbyist-grade NLEs and thus strictly for editing wannabes, in the real world, it's just another I/O - and a very nice one at that! In common with most businesses, we have a need to work with whatever material a client may have - everything from VHS to Digital Betacam. Hence, if our Vegas Video 3.0c workstation is to be of professional use to us (i.e. other than as the single-purpose miniDV-only low-end NLE it's marketed as), I needed to find a way to integrate it with the various edit decks with which our edit bay is equipped. If, like us, you too need to integrate professional edit decks (i.e. those using the 9-pin RS-422 Sony-protocol) with Vegas Video, this may be of interest.
Background: Various transport protocols exist for controlling decks (and cameras). Protocols range from those typically marketed toward consumers and low-end professionals, through higher-end professionals. These include Control-L, Lanc, and most recently IEEE-1394 (iLink and Firewire are nomenclatures in common use) at the low end.
Further up the food chain (so to speak), are those decks using the RS-232 serial-protocol (yes, the common serial port found on computers). Unfortunately, like Unix operating system, it suffers from widespread incompatibility as individual manufacturers tweek it for their proprietary use.
Another serial-protocol exists (incompatible electrically with RS-232, but sharing the same ordinary-looking 9-pin connector). It's called RS-422, and it's used in the overwhelming majority of professional-class decks. It's typically known as the 'Sony-protocol' 9-pin RS-422 serial-control. And yes, even here there's trouble in paradise as it too has some (fewer) incompatibilities . . . but nonetheless, it's very common to most professional edit decks.
Other NLEs of the genre, AVID's Express DV 3.5 and Apple's Final Cut Pro come to mind, share the same market segment as Vegas Video (high-end hobbyist/amateur and entry-level professional). They also share the limitation of being designed with IEEE-1394 in mind. Why do I say limitation? Because I, like many others, when possible adapt the tool for my own purpose . . . regardless of the moniker a manufacturer tags a product with. This just means a tool putatively marketed to one segment may, if it merits it, find uses beyond the manufacturers vision.
We have found a video format converter with IEEE-1394 to RS-422 bi-directional deck-control which works with Vegas Video 3.0c. While chiefly marketed for users of AVID's Express DV 3.5, Apple's Final Cut Pro (as is), the device also works with Adobe's Premier 6.5 (with purchase of a 3rd party plug-in) and hence, allows full insert-edit capabilities if the decks are capable of it.
Unfortunately, Vegas Video owners are limited to assemble-edits due to how the software is written. Despite being comparatively emasculated (this may, or may not be addressed in future versions), the device is still very useful in that assemble-edits are better than none! Thus, while delivering only partial functionality with Vegas, it 'does' resolve some of the issues of bringing professional deck control to VV 3.0c.
The device is a rack-mountable black box which can accept composite, Y/C, and YUV-component analog I/O (along with audio via RCA or Canon connectors - 3-pin XLR) "and" IEEE-1394 and SDI Digital Video I/O (along with AES/EBU Digital Audio) - and of course, 9-pin RS-422 Sony-protocol transport! It's available from http://www.promax.com and is their DA-MAX+ Audio/Video Media Format Converter.
When I first opened the box, I was delighted to find it packed in foam pieces designed to suspend the device within the cardboard box. No damage despite apparently being used as a football! Score a point.
Also included was every single thing needed to integrate it into the edit bay. First, there is an RS-422 cable to connect it to an RS-422 deck. There is also a 15' long IEEE-1394 cable - a tasty shielded (braided) cable at that! A pill-style power supply (fortunately, not a wall-wart, but instead one that sits between a cable to the box and a separate power cable to the UPS's 110V outlet). In addition there's a CD and a manual. While the manual obviously comes from an office-class laser printer, and the CD has a 2-color glossy white label (as opposed to an offset-printed/bound manual and a silk-screened CD), they are very professional and detract nothing whatsoever from the overall impression of quality.
Folks, it's obvious proMAX has given every attention (consistent with prudent business practices) to deliver a completely professional package. At first I thought they'd not dlivered the ears to permit mounting the box in the rack, but a closer examination revealed they were indeed included! Score more points.
How does it work? I don't know just yet. Sorry, but I'm up to my elbows in a project I simply cannot neglect long enough to try this out (just yet), so please stand by for part 2 . . . but so far, wow, this looks like the cat's meow for resolving how to integrate RS-422 decks with Vegas Video 3.0c . . . especially since the folks at proMAX told me SoFo's Dave Hill chatted with them personally about it (proMAX knew I refused to purchase without assurances it worked with VV 3.0c). I'm stoked folks!
John Beech
Background: Various transport protocols exist for controlling decks (and cameras). Protocols range from those typically marketed toward consumers and low-end professionals, through higher-end professionals. These include Control-L, Lanc, and most recently IEEE-1394 (iLink and Firewire are nomenclatures in common use) at the low end.
Further up the food chain (so to speak), are those decks using the RS-232 serial-protocol (yes, the common serial port found on computers). Unfortunately, like Unix operating system, it suffers from widespread incompatibility as individual manufacturers tweek it for their proprietary use.
Another serial-protocol exists (incompatible electrically with RS-232, but sharing the same ordinary-looking 9-pin connector). It's called RS-422, and it's used in the overwhelming majority of professional-class decks. It's typically known as the 'Sony-protocol' 9-pin RS-422 serial-control. And yes, even here there's trouble in paradise as it too has some (fewer) incompatibilities . . . but nonetheless, it's very common to most professional edit decks.
Other NLEs of the genre, AVID's Express DV 3.5 and Apple's Final Cut Pro come to mind, share the same market segment as Vegas Video (high-end hobbyist/amateur and entry-level professional). They also share the limitation of being designed with IEEE-1394 in mind. Why do I say limitation? Because I, like many others, when possible adapt the tool for my own purpose . . . regardless of the moniker a manufacturer tags a product with. This just means a tool putatively marketed to one segment may, if it merits it, find uses beyond the manufacturers vision.
We have found a video format converter with IEEE-1394 to RS-422 bi-directional deck-control which works with Vegas Video 3.0c. While chiefly marketed for users of AVID's Express DV 3.5, Apple's Final Cut Pro (as is), the device also works with Adobe's Premier 6.5 (with purchase of a 3rd party plug-in) and hence, allows full insert-edit capabilities if the decks are capable of it.
Unfortunately, Vegas Video owners are limited to assemble-edits due to how the software is written. Despite being comparatively emasculated (this may, or may not be addressed in future versions), the device is still very useful in that assemble-edits are better than none! Thus, while delivering only partial functionality with Vegas, it 'does' resolve some of the issues of bringing professional deck control to VV 3.0c.
The device is a rack-mountable black box which can accept composite, Y/C, and YUV-component analog I/O (along with audio via RCA or Canon connectors - 3-pin XLR) "and" IEEE-1394 and SDI Digital Video I/O (along with AES/EBU Digital Audio) - and of course, 9-pin RS-422 Sony-protocol transport! It's available from http://www.promax.com and is their DA-MAX+ Audio/Video Media Format Converter.
When I first opened the box, I was delighted to find it packed in foam pieces designed to suspend the device within the cardboard box. No damage despite apparently being used as a football! Score a point.
Also included was every single thing needed to integrate it into the edit bay. First, there is an RS-422 cable to connect it to an RS-422 deck. There is also a 15' long IEEE-1394 cable - a tasty shielded (braided) cable at that! A pill-style power supply (fortunately, not a wall-wart, but instead one that sits between a cable to the box and a separate power cable to the UPS's 110V outlet). In addition there's a CD and a manual. While the manual obviously comes from an office-class laser printer, and the CD has a 2-color glossy white label (as opposed to an offset-printed/bound manual and a silk-screened CD), they are very professional and detract nothing whatsoever from the overall impression of quality.
Folks, it's obvious proMAX has given every attention (consistent with prudent business practices) to deliver a completely professional package. At first I thought they'd not dlivered the ears to permit mounting the box in the rack, but a closer examination revealed they were indeed included! Score more points.
How does it work? I don't know just yet. Sorry, but I'm up to my elbows in a project I simply cannot neglect long enough to try this out (just yet), so please stand by for part 2 . . . but so far, wow, this looks like the cat's meow for resolving how to integrate RS-422 decks with Vegas Video 3.0c . . . especially since the folks at proMAX told me SoFo's Dave Hill chatted with them personally about it (proMAX knew I refused to purchase without assurances it worked with VV 3.0c). I'm stoked folks!
John Beech