newscutter release 2.0 release notesresources.avid.com/supportfiles/attach/nc_rn_2_0.pdf · the vtr...

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Important Information

Avid recommends that you read all the information in these release notes thoroughly before installing or using any new software release.

This document describes compatibility issues with previous releases, hardware and software requirements, software installation instructions, and summary information on system and memory requirements. This document also lists fixed bugs and all known remaining bugs or limitations.

n If you are upgrading to Release 2.0, read about important changes. See “Hardware and Software Requirements” on page 18.

Contents

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5New Features in Release 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

DV 25 / DV 50 Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Serial Data Transport Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7VTR Record Emulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7AvidNet and TransferManager Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Four Channels of Audio with Eight Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Audio Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Display Controller Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

NewsCutter®Release 2.0 Release Notes

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AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Media Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9MCS3 Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9User Interface Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Installation Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Hardware and Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Saving Existing Project, User, and Site Information . . . . . . . . . 20Removing Previous Releases of the

NewsCutter Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Removing the TARGA 2000 Video Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Installing NewsCutter Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Performing a Custom Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Reinstalling or Removing Application Software . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Updating from an Earlier Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Updating Your Application Key (Dongle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Updating the Video I/O Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Loading the Edit Display Controller Board Driver . . . . . . . . . . 31Reinstalling the Network Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Verifying That the Drivers Have Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Service Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Windows NT Maintenance and Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Setting Up User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Creating a Windows NT Repair Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Using the Windows NT Repair Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Saving the Disk Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Software Files and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39AvidStartup Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Disk Mounter Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Suggestions for Optimum Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Special Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Goodies Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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Adding a Page File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Configuring a Second Paging File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Anti-Virus Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Audio Hardware Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44SDTI Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Recording via SDTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Digital Cut via SDTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Using the 4X Transfer Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50PAL Versus NTSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Performance Issues with SDTI Confidence Monitoring . . 51Consumer Digital Video (DV). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Notes on SDTI VTRs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Panasonic VTRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Supported Decks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Compatibility with Avid Video Editing Products . . . . . . . . . . . 54Partitioning Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Hidden Disk Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55AVX Plug-ins and Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Importing QuickTime Files Created with an Avid Codec . . . . 56Optimize for Batch Speed Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Mark Locators Shortcut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Displaying Locator Creation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Changes to the Timing of Video Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Simultaneous Output Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Genlock Timing Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Operation of the Green Video Sync Light on

the Meridien I/O Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Black Levels When Outputting SDI from NTSC Input . . . . . . 60

Hardware Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Slot Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62MIDI Installation Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

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Rack-Mounting Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Storage and Deck Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

SCSI Controller Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65MediaDock LVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Using MediaDock LVD Manager Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

EZ-SCSI for the IBM IntelliStation Z Pro 6866 . . . . . . . . . . 67EZ-SCSI for the Compaq Professional

Workstation AP500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67MediaDock LVD SCSI IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Limitations When Using Consumer Video Decks . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Recording from Unstable Time-Base Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 68Green Line in VHS Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Documentation Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Fixed Bugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Known Bugs and Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Deck Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Digital Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Import and Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Technical Support Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

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Symbols and Conventions

These release notes use the following special symbols and conventions:

Look here in the margin for tips.

In the margin, you will find tips that help you perform tasks more easily and efficiently.

✔ A check mark indicates a bug that has been fixed.

✘ An X indicates a known bug or limitation. Where appropriate, a workaround is provided.

n A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions.

c A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data.

w A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm. Follow the guidelines in the manual or on the unit itself when handling electrical equipment.

New Features in Release 2.0

The following sections list the major features that were added in Avid® NewsCutter® Release 2.0. See “User Interface Features” on page 10 for changes in the interface.

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DV 25 / DV 50 Compression

NewsCutter now supports DV 50 in addition to DV 25. Sequences with mixed video resolutions will appear red in your bin to alert you. If you have DV 25 media, you can convert it to DV 50, but the media will not have DV 50 quality.

n To use DV 50 media, you must now 2-way stripe your media drives. For more storage and striping information, see the Avid NewsCutter Setup Guide.

Your playback device might not be able to accept a sequence that contains both DV 25 and DV 50 resolutions. Most playback systems can play back only one format or the other. If you are sending media to a playback device from within NewsCutter, you will need to perform a mixdown to consolidate any mixed-resolution sequences into the format that your playback device supports.

c You cannot send a mixed DV 25 and DV 50 sequence to a playback device or out to a digital cut. You must perform a video mixdown on the sequence first.

Serial Data Transport Interface

An optional Serial Data Transport Interface (SDTI) adapter is now available for NewsCutter. The SDTI board installs in a PCI slot in the NewsCutter system. When using SDTI, NewsCutter can exchange media with other SDTI devices using the SDTI compressed audio and video data interchange standard. SDTI retains the existing serial digital interface (SDI) infrastructure, provides faster-than-real-time video transfers, and reduces the number of video compression/decompression cycles. For more information, see “SDTI Summary” on page 46.

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c The Meridien I/O box and the SDTI deck must be genlocked to the same house clock. If you are not using a common house clock to synchronize the components, you will eventually experience an overrun or underrun error.

Workgroups

NewsCutter Release 2.0 introduces support for workgroup environments including Avid Unity™. This includes support for Avid Unity MediaManager Release 2.0 and Avid Unity TransferManager Release 1.0.

n You can use Avid Unity only in a workgroup environment.

MediaManager Release 2.0 allows you to autocatalog to shared storage and to check in and check out from MediaManager to your NewsCutter bin. MediaManager Release 2.0 also includes MediaDeleteService, which allows you to delete any unnecessary media on the Avid Unity shared storage. For additional information, see the documentation provided with MediaManager.

TransferManager Release 1.0 allows you to ingest from external devices such as the Grass Valley Group (GVG) Profile® PDR400 or to play back to devices such as the Avid AirSPACE™ system. TransferManager also allows you to transfer files between Avid Unity for News workgroups. For additional information, see the documentation provided with TransferManager.

VTR Record Emulation

You can now record media using RS-422 VTR emulation in the Record tool. The recorded media generates a master clip in your selected bin. This feature allows you to initiate a record using the extended BVW command set. The VTR Emulation settings provide selections for the type of device to emulate, when to start playing from a cued position (in frames), when to send a record command before an IN point (in fields), and preloading for improving playback.

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When VTR emulation is active, a yellow outline appears around the Play button in the Source/Record monitor. The VTR Emulation menu selection behaves like a Local/Remote switch on a playback device.

AvidNet and TransferManager Support

TransferManager in an Avid Unity environment is the next-generation media transfer tool that replaces AvidNet™ Transfer Tool. TransferManager Release 1.0 is distributed with NewsCutter Release 2.0. NewsCutter Release 2.0 does not support AvidNet Transfer Tool.

Four Channels of Audio with Eight Tracks

A second audio I/O board has been added to the Meridien™ I/O box. You now have four channels of audio with eight tracks. You can monitor only four tracks of audio at a time.

Audio Default

NewsCutter Release 2.0 has a new default audio setting of –20 dB, which more closely matches the current industry standard. If you are upgrading from an earlier release, your default audio setting and existing hardware is calibrated to –14 dB. Upgrade kits are available from Avid that include two-channel audio I/O boards calibrated to –20 dB. For details on the changing the audio setting, see “Audio Hardware Calibration” on page 44.

n Now that the audio I/O board and Audio Project setting are set to –20 dB, audio that was recorded at –14 dB will play more loudly.

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Display Controller Board

This release of NewsCutter uses an edit display controller board provided by Avid in place of the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) board shipped in IBM® systems. The edit display controller board functions as the video board in your system. The edit display controller board and the AGP board cannot be installed in the system concurrently.

AudioSuite Plug-Ins

AudioSuite™ plug-ins have been included as part of this Avid software release. Plug-ins such as Time Compression Expansion allow you to adjust the duration of a selected clip by creating a new master clip. This increases or decreases the selection’s length without changing the pitch. Another plug-in, Pitch Shift, allows you to change the pitch with or without changing the length.

Media Cleaner

NewsCutter provides an export link to Media Cleaner® EZ, which converts clips and sequences into streaming files. A Media Cleaner EZ CD-ROM ships with your NewsCutter.

MCS3 Controllers

Navigate through your media with a Media Control Station (MCS) controller. The MCS3 allows you to switch between jog and shuttle modes and provides an alternative to using the keyboard and mouse for editing footage. Avid supports two types of controllers:

• JL Cooper Media Control Station3 (MCS3)

• Avid controller

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User Interface Features

Table 1 through Table 6 list the new user interface features available in this release.

Table 1 Audio Features

Feature Description For More Information

Audio Loop Play button

An Audio Loop Play button has been added to the Audio Mix, Automation Gain, Audio EQ, and Audio Punch-In tools, and the AudioSuite plug-ins windows.

See “Adjusting Volume While Playing an Audio Mix Effect” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the user’s guide.

Resizable Audio Mix tool and Automation Gain tool

You can resize the Audio Mix and Automation Gain tools.

See “Resizing the Audio Mix Tool” and “About the Automation Gain Tool” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the user’s guide.

Audio Mix tool change The Render Effects button has been added to the Audio Mix tool.

See “Rendering an Audio Effect” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the user’s guide.

Audio Punch-In tool (voice over) enhancement

You can monitor any three previously recorded audio tracks in addition to the track being recorded during an audio punch-in.

See “Voice-Over Narration” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the user’s guide.

Audio sample rate conversion options

Audio sample rate conversion options have been added to the Audio Project Settings dialog box.

See “Adjusting Audio Project Settings” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

AudioSuite plug-in changes

Working with AudioSuite plug-ins that support stereo processing is now more straightforward. You can now render or remove AudioSuite plug-ins from all tracks. You can also create custom templates for AudioSuite plug-ins.

See “Digidesign AudioSuite Plug-Ins” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the user’s guide.

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Automation gain and Clip gain changes

Automation gain and Clip gain are now additive.

See “Automation Gain Values and System Clip Gain Values” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the user’s guide.

Default audio calibration setting

The default audio calibration setting for two-channel audio I/O boards is now –20 dB.

See “Audio Hardware Calibration” on page 44 of these release notes.

Off-speed play monitors

Off-speed play monitors are now gold and not green.

See “Monitoring Audio” in the “Using the Timeline” chapter of the user’s guide.

Project settings Output settings are now Project settings. See “Adjusting Audio Project Settings” and “Using the Audio Tool” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

Soloing audio tracks You can solo multiple audio tracks in the Timeline.

See “Monitoring a Solo Track” in the “Using the Timeline” chapter of the user’s guide.

Table 1 Audio Features (Continued)


Table 2 Recording Features


Controlling decks from the keyboard

You can use the J-K-L keys to control a deck from the Record tool, the Digital Cut tool, and the Deck Controller window.

See “Controlling Decks from the Keyboard” in the “Recording” chapter of the user’s guide.

Record tool changes New items include the Video and Audio pop-up menu.

See “Methods for Setting the Video and Audio Input” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

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Recording to the Timeline with handles

You can record footage directly from tape to a sequence loaded in the Timeline with handles in one step.

See “Recording to the Timeline” in the “Recording” chapter of the user’s guide.

Recording with external timecode

You can use the Toggle Source button in the Record tool to access the External Timecode icon. Choose LTC Input from the TC Source pop-up menu.

See “Recording with Time-of-Day Timecode” in the “Recording” chapter of the user’s guide.

Ejecting tapes after batch recording

You can select “Eject tape when finished” from the Batch tab of the Record Settings dialog box.

See “Batch Record Settings” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

Ejecting tapes with a button or key

You can use the Command palette to map the Eject button to any button in the Tool palette or any key on the keyboard.

See “Activating Commands from the Command Palette” in the “Using Basic Tools” chapter of the user’s guide.

Naming a new tape while recording

You can name a new tape from the keyboard while in Record mode.

See “Naming a New Tape from the Keyboard” in the “Recording” chapter of the user’s guide.

New Record settings The following options are included in the Edit tab of the Record Settings dialog box:

• Enable Edit to Timeline

• Handles

See “Selecting Settings” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

Returning to previous place in the Select Tape dialog box

If you leave the Select Tape dialog box and reenter it, you now return to your previous location in the list of tape names.

See “Returning to the Previous Place in the Select Tape Dialog Box” in the “Recording” chapter of the user’s guide.

Rewinding tapes when finished

You can now select a setting to automatically rewind tapes after you finish batch recording.

See “Batch Record Settings” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

Table 2 Recording Features (Continued)


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Table 3 Editing Features


Archiving and restoring media files using videotapes

You can archive to videotape the source media associated with sequences, master clips, subclips, and group clips.

See “Archiving and Restoring Media Files Using Videotapes” in the “Managing Media Files” chapter of the user’s guide.

Configuring a controller

Adding a controller to your NewsCutter provides an alternative to using the keyboard and mouse for editing footage. Avid supports two types of controllers:

• JL Cooper Media Control Station3 (MCS3)

• Avid controller

See “Connecting an External Fader Controller or Mixer to Your NewsCutter System” in Appendix D of the user’s guide.

Connecting to the Avid Production Network™ Web site

You can access AvidProNet™ from the Help menu. The AvidProNet Web site is a Web community site designed for professionals in the media creation business.

See “Connecting to the Avid Production Network” in the “Starting a Project” chapter of the user’s guide.

Media Creation Settings dialog box

The Media Creation Settings dialog box allows you to set the video resolution and to select drives for recording, creating titles, importing, and performing audio and video mixdowns. This dialog box replaces the Compression tool.

See “Setting Media Creation Resolutions and Selecting Drives” in the “Preparing to Record” chapter of the user’s guide.

Navigating in dialog boxes and menus

You can now use the space bar and the Page Up, Page Down, Tab, Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, and Down Arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate in many dialog boxes and menus and to select and deselect options.

See the “Using Basic Tools” chapter of the user’s guide.

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Play Length “In Use” indicator

After you click the Play Length Toggle button, which appears in the Play tab of the Command palette, the Play button highlights in white. This reminds you to turn off the Play Length function before an important play and review session.

See “Controlling Playback” in the “Viewing and Marking Footage” chapter of the user’s guide.

Playing selected clips in a loop

You can view several clips one after another in a continuous loop by loading the selected clip into the Source/Record monitor, selecting the clips in the bin, and then choosing Loop Selected Clips from the Bin Fast menu.

See “Starting a Playback Loop” in the “First Edits” chapter of the user’s guide.

Reviewing an edit The Edit Review command allows you to review an edit or other changes that you have just made to a transition. You can set how far the position indicator backs up in the Pre-roll option in the Trim Settings dialog box. The Edit Review button appears in the Play tab of the Command palette.

See “Reviewing the Trim Edit” in the “Working in Trim Mode” chapter of the user’s guide.

Selecting a bin for video mixdown

You can now select a bin for video mixdown rather than having the mixdown automatically assigned to the sequence bin.

See “Mixing Down Video Tracks” in the “Exporting and Exchanging Material” chapter of the user’s guide.

Start Filler Duration option

This is a new option in the Edit tab of the Timeline Settings dialog box, which can be accessed from the Settings scroll list.

See “Customizing Timeline Views” in the “Using the Timeline” chapter of the user’s guide.

Trimming video tracks In Trim mode, when you click the A-side or B-side of a transition, all trim rollers are set to the selected side. If you want to set only the trim rollers on the video tracks, press the Alt key and click either the A-side or B-side. The trim rollers appear only on the video tracks of the selected side.

See “Selecting Between Trim Slides” in the “Working in Trim Mode” chapter of the user’s guide.

Table 3 Editing Features (Continued)


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Undo Only Record Events

The Undo Only Record Events option, available in the Edit tab of the NewsCutter Settings dialog box, limits the undo to only record actions.

See “Undoing or Redoing Edits” in the “First Edits” chapter of the user’s guide.

Table 3 Editing Features (Continued)


Table 4 Effects Features


Controlling a freeze frame with a single button or key

The Freeze Frame command now allows users who have mapped it to a button or key to be able to quickly call up the exact same type of freeze frame every time.

See “Controlling a Freeze Frame with a Single Button or Key” in the “Basics of Effects Editing” chapter of the effects guide.

Deleting and revealing effect clip and motion effect media

You can now delete imported effect clip media (titles and matte keys) and motion effect media from the Delete dialog box instead of having to go into the Media tool. You can also now reveal effect clip media and motion effect media.

See “Deleting Effect Media Files from a Bin” and “Revealing Effect Media Files” in the “Customizing Effects with the Effect Editor” chapter of the effects guide.

Motion effect options The motion effect has a new option, VTR-Style, for rendering effects with two-field media.

See “Creating a Variable Speed Effect” in the “Basics of Effects Editing” chapter of the effects guide.

Quick Transition dialog box enhancement

The Quick Transition dialog box has a new graphic representation of the media available for the effect. You can manipulate the graphic representation directly to make changes to the Dissolve effect parameters.

See “Fading and Dipping Audio” in the “Working with Audio” chapter of the effects guide.

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Table 5 Export Features


AAF export Your NewsCutter now supports AAF export. See “Exporting as an AAF File” in the “Exporting and Exchanging Material” chapter of the user’s guide.

AvidLinks Export to other Avid applications has been streamlined by AvidLinks, which can be accessed from the File menu.

See “Using AvidLinks” in the “Exporting and Exchanging Material” chapter of the user’s guide.

Export workflow enhancements

The Export workflow has been simplified, and the number of dialog boxes a user encounters during export has been reduced.

See “Exporting Frames, Clips, or Sequences” in the “Exporting and Exchanging Material” chapter of the user’s guide.

Media Cleaner link Your NewsCutter links to Media Cleaner to turn clips and sequences into streaming files.

See the Media Cleaner EZ CD-ROM for documentation.

QuickTime™ reference movie export

You can now export your media as a QuickTime reference movie.

See “Exporting as a QuickTime Reference Movie” in the “Exporting and Exchanging Material” chapter of the user’s guide.

Table 6 Import Features


AAF import NewsCutter now supports AAF import. See “Importing Files” in the “Importing Files” chapter of the user’s guide.

Changes to Import Settings dialog box

The Import Settings dialog box is now divided into three tabbed sections: Image, OMFI, and Shot Log.

See “Importing Files” in the “Importing Files” chapter of the user’s guide.

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Installation Check List

This check list covers the major steps required to install or upgrade the NewsCutter application. For more detailed information about each step, see the section referenced in these release notes.

1. Read these release notes completely.

2. Make sure your system meets the hardware and software requirements; see “Hardware and Software Requirements” on page 18.

3. Turn on the system components as described in the Avid NewsCutter Setup Guide.

4. If you are upgrading an existing application, update your application key; see “Updating Your Application Key (Dongle)” on page 29.

OMM import NewsCutter now supports OMM import. See “Using Open Media Management (OMM)” in the “Importing Files” chapter of the user’s guide.

Changes to the Select Files to Import dialog box and the Batch Import dialog box

The Select Files to Import dialog box and the Batch Import dialog box have been enhanced. These changes include the new Single/Dual Drives button, which allows you to store audio and video media on a single drive or on two separate drives.

See “Importing Files” and “The Batch Import Dialog Box” in the “Importing Files” chapter of the user’s guide.

Table 6 Import Features (Continued)


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5. If you are upgrading an existing application, you must use the Control Panel to remove the old version of the software; see “Removing Previous Releases of the NewsCutter Application” on page 20.

6. Install the application; see “Installing the Software” on page 19.

7. If you are upgrading an existing application, update the video I/O firmware code; see “Updating the Video I/O Firmware” on page 30.

8. If you are upgrading from a prior release of NewsCutter, the audio calibration level of your hardware might not match the default value in the NewsCutter Release 2.0 software. For information on changing the NewsCutter application’s default audio hardware calibration for analog 0 Volume Unit (VU), see “Audio Hardware Calibration” on page 44.

9. If you use the AvidNet Transfer Tool, see “AvidNet and TransferManager Support” on page 8.

Hardware and Software Requirements

Your NewsCutter system requires the following system configuration:

• Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0 Service Pack 5 or Service Pack 6A

• Minimum 256 MB of RAM

c Your system must have the required amount of RAM before you install NewsCutter. Purchase additional memory based on the manufacturer’s documentation.

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To verify the version of the operating system and RAM:

1. Double-click the My Computer icon.

The My Computer window opens.

2. Choose About Windows NT from the Help menu.

The About Windows NT dialog box appears and displays the version of Windows NT, the service pack, and the available memory.

3. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Installing the Software

You must uninstall any previous version of the application before installing NewsCutter Release 2.0. If you have a new NewsCutter system, go directly to “Installing NewsCutter Software” on page 23.

n To install or remove the application software, you need to use a login account with administrator privileges.

This section includes the following topics:

• Saving Existing Project, User, and Site Information

• Removing Previous Releases of the NewsCutter Application

• Removing the TARGA 2000 Video Driver

• Installing NewsCutter Software

• Performing a Custom Installation

• Reinstalling or Removing Application Software

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Saving Existing Project, User, and Site Information

The Project, User, and Site settings currently on your NewsCutter system are removed when you uninstall NewsCutter. To keep your current settings, you must save the information before you uninstall the NewsCutter application.

To save your settings:

1. On your Windows NT desktop, double-click the My Computer icon.

The My Computer window opens.

2. Navigate to the drive where you have NewsCutter installed. The default drive is C:\Program Files\Avid\NewsCutter.

3. Copy the following folders to another directory on your system or to a floppy disk:

• Avid Users

• Avid Projects

• Settings

Removing Previous Releases of the NewsCutter Application

If you are currently running NewsCutter Release 1.x, remove the application before installing the new version of the application.

c Remove the application by using the procedure described in this section. The Remove feature on the installation software CD-ROM does not remove all the old files.

Avid Projects, Avid Users, Settings, and AVX_Plug-Ins folders will not be deleted when you remove the NewsCutter Release 1.x application.

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c Some AVX™ plug-ins include files that might be deleted when you remove the NewsCutter application. If a plug-in does not appear in the Effect Palette, reinstall the plug-in. For more information, see the Avid NewsCutter Effects Guide.

To remove the previous version of NewsCutter:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. From the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.

3. Locate the NewsCutter application, and select it.

4. Click Add/Remove.

A dialog box appears, asking if you are sure you want to remove this application.

5. Click Yes.

The system uninstalls all files associated with this application.

c If a dialog box appears asking if you want to delete a shared file, do not delete it. Other applications might be using that file.

6. Click OK when the uninstall procedure is finished.

7. Open the folder that previously held the application. For example:

drive:\Program Files\Avid\NewsCutter

8. Remove all files and folders from the application folder.

n Delete the msmMMOB.mdb and msmFMID.pmr files from the NewsCutter\SupportingFiles\Avid_MediaFiles folder.

9. Delete any shortcuts you might have created on your desktop.

n Remove any .dll files that are in the application folder before you install the application software. If you leave older .dll files in the folder, you might see extra dialog boxes asking if you want to replace existing files with the new version. Always accept the newer files if asked.

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Removing the TARGA 2000 Video Driver

If you are upgrading from NewsCutter Release 1.x, you must obtain the NewsCutter Release 2.x upgrade kit to use NewsCutter Release 2.0. Instructions in the kit direct you to remove the TARGA® 2000 board set and install the new hardware for this release. The new hardware does not use the TARGA 2000 video driver.

To remove the TARGA 2000 video driver:


2. From the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.

3. Locate Truevision TARGA DV2000, and select it.

4. Click Add/Remove.

A dialog box appears, asking if you are sure you want to remove this application.

5. Click Yes.

The system uninstalls the associated files.

6. Click OK when the uninstall procedure is finished.

7. Open the folder that previously held the application. For example:

drive:\TARGA2K

8. Remove the TARGA2K folder, including all subfiles and folders.

After removing the TARGA drives, remove the NewsCutter Release 1.x hardware and install the NewsCutter Release 2.0 hardware according to the Avid NewsCutter Release 2.x Upgrade Instructions that come with your upgrade kit.

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To restart the system:

1. Click the Start button, and select Shut Down.

The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears.

2. Select “Shut down the computer.”

3. Click Yes.

Allow the system to shut down.

4. Restart the system.

5. Install your new hardware boards according to the Avid NewsCutter Release 2.x Upgrade Instructions.

Installing NewsCutter Software

You can install NewsCutter Release 2.0 software on new Avid systems without any preparation. If you are upgrading from an earlier NewsCutter release, uninstall the old software first. See “Removing Previous Releases of the NewsCutter Application” on page 20 and “Removing the TARGA 2000 Video Driver” on page 22.

To install the NewsCutter software:

1. Quit all Windows NT applications.

2. Insert the NewsCutter CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.

If the installer doesn’t start automatically after you insert the application CD-ROM, do the following:

a. Double-click the My Computer icon.

b. Double-click the CD-ROM icon.

c. Double-click Launch.exe to start the installer.

3. In the Avid Technology window, click Installers.

4. Click Install NewsCutter.

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n If you see dialog boxes asking if you want to replace existing files with the new version, always accept the newer files if asked.

5. In the Welcome window, click Next.

6. In the Software License Agreement window, read the agreement, and then click Yes to accept the terms of the agreement.

7. In the Choose Destination window, indicate a location for the application files. The default path uses the drive that contains the Program Files folder.

c If your NewsCutter system is an IBM IntelliStation® Z Pro, Avid

recommends that you install the application on a drive or partition other than drive C.

c Do not install the NewsCutter application on a drive that will be used to store media.

To change the default path:

a. Click the Browse button.

b. In the Path text box, type:

drive:\Avid\NewsCutter

For drive, type a drive other than C.

c. Click OK.

8. After you have indicated a path, click Next.

The AVX Plug-In window opens and displays the default destination path.

c If your NewsCutter system is an IBM IntelliStation Z Pro, Avid recommends that you install the AVX_Plug-Ins folder on a drive or partition other than drive C.

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drive:\Program Files\Avid\AVX_Plug-Ins

For drive, type a drive other than C.

c. Click OK.

9. After you have indicated a path, click Next.

The Application Data Location window opens.

10. In the Application Data Location window, indicate a location for the application data files (project folders and user folders).

c If your NewsCutter system is an IBM IntelliStation Z Pro, Avid recommends that you install the application on a drive or partition other than drive C. The application data files can take up a large amount of space. The installation program displays a message if the drive you have chosen has less than 500 MB of available space.




drive:\Avid\NewsCutter

c. Click OK.

11. In the Setup Type window, select an option:

t Select Typical to install all components except for the serial driver for VTR emulation. This is the recommended installation.

t Select Custom to choose the components you want to install. See “Performing a Custom Installation” on page 26.

12. Click Next.

The installation begins.

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13. When the installation is complete, a message asks if you want to restart the system.

t If you do not want to install any other Avid applications, click Yes. The system restarts.

t If you want to install other Avid applications, click No.

The Avid Technology window reopens. Select the next application.

Performing a Custom Installation

You can perform a custom installation to install particular files from the NewsCutter CD-ROM. For example, you might want to install only the serial drivers or only the Utilities. You can also reinstall an individual component of the NewsCutter application if it becomes lost or damaged.

Depending on which file or application you want to install, the NewsCutter Installation CD-ROM provides two different procedures for installing the components from the CD-ROM:

• Selecting the component from the Avid Technology window

• Using the Custom option in the Avid Application Installer

Table 7 lists the components available when you use the Custom option.

Table 7 Custom Installation Components

Component Description

NewsCutter Installs the application and all the necessary supporting files

Edit Display Copies all the drivers and setup files needed to use the system

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To perform a custom installation:

1. Follow the steps 1 through 10 in “Installing NewsCutter Software” on page 23.

2. In the Setup Type window, click Custom, and then click Next.

The Select Components window opens.

3. Select the components you want to install.

A check mark indicates the component is selected.

4. After you have selected the components to install, click Next.

The installation begins.

5. When the installation is complete, a message asks if you want to restart the system.

t If you do not want to install any other Avid applications, click Yes.

The system restarts.

t If you want to install other Avid applications, click No.

The Avid Technology window reopens. Select the next application.

Serial Driver Installs a modified version of the Windows NT serial driver used for VTR emulation

Utilities Installs the utilities files

Help Files Installs the appropriate Help files

Table 7 Custom Installation Components (Continued)

Component Description

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Reinstalling or Removing Application Software

If you need to reinstall software for the current release, you can use the installer from the NewsCutter CD-ROM.

n To remove software for the previous release, see “Removing Previous Releases of the NewsCutter Application” on page 20.

To reinstall or remove application software:


2. Insert the NewsCutter CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.

If the installer doesn’t start automatically after you insert the application CD-ROM, do the following:

a. Double-click the My Computer icon.

b. Double-click the CD-ROM icon.

c. Double-click Launch.exe to start the installer.

3. In the Avid Technology window, click Installers.

4. Click Install NewsCutter.

5. In the Welcome window, select one of the following options:

• Modify (Reinstalls the application according to new options)

• Repair (Reinstalls the application using previously chosen options)

• Remove (Deletes the application)

6. Click Next.

The reinstallation or removal begins.

When the reinstallation or removal is complete, the Uninstall Complete dialog box appears.

7. Click Finish.

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Updating from an Earlier Release

If you have just purchased a complete NewsCutter Release 2.0 system, the procedures included in this section have already been performed on your new system. You can skip these procedures.

After you have uninstalled an earlier release of NewsCutter and installed NewsCutter Release 2.0, follow the instructions in these sections to complete the upgrade:

• Updating Your Application Key (Dongle)

• Updating the Video I/O Firmware

• Loading the Edit Display Controller Board Driver

• Reinstalling the Network Driver

• Verifying That the Drivers Have Started

• Service Pack

Updating Your Application Key (Dongle)

For information about installing the application key, see the Avid NewsCutter Setup Guide.

The application key, commonly referred to as a dongle, allows the NewsCutter software to run on your system.

c Protect your application key from loss or theft; your NewsCutter software does not function without it, and acquiring a new key from Avid involves a fee.

There are two different programs to update dongles:

• A dongle versioner is a software program created to update NewsCutter and is normally included in a software Maintenance Kit.

• A dongle updater is a software program created to update a specific NewsCutter.

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To update your dongle for this release:


2. Insert the dongle versioner or dongle updater floppy disk into the floppy disk drive.

3. Double-click the My Computer icon.

4. Double-click the Floppy (A:) icon.

5. Double-click Updater.exe.

The Updater window opens.

6. Click Update.

7. When the update is completed, click Exit.

8. Remove the dongle versioner or dongle updater floppy disk from the floppy disk drive.

Updating the Video I/O Firmware

The Video I/O Utility loads the latest firmware into the Meridien I/O box. If you are upgrading an existing system to the new release, run the Video I/O Utility to load the firmware into the Meridien I/O box.

n If you purchased your NewsCutter as a new system, the firmware is already loaded. You need to run the utility only if you are upgrading.

To update the video I/O firmware:

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Avid, point to Utilities, and then click VideoIO Utility.

The Meridien Video I/O Utility window opens.

2. Click the Video I/O Hardware Updater button.

3. From the pop-up menu, choose Video I/O uCode and FPGAs.

4. Click Update.

The system updates the code in less than 1 minute.

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5. If your system has an SDI option, choose SDI ISP Load.

6. Click Update.

The system updates the code. The updating could take approximately 20 minutes.

7. In the Meridien Video I/O Utility window, click the Close button.

8. Turn the Meridien I/O box off, then on, to enable the new code.

For more information, see the Video I/O Utility Help.

c Do not interrupt the update process. If the process is interrupted, your system might not operate properly.

Loading the Edit Display Controller Board Driver

The edit display controller board driver is included with the NewsCutter Release 2.0 software. After installing NewsCutter Release 2.0 software, load the Avid display controller Number Nine driver from the Display Properties window and reboot the system when instructed.

To load the edit display controller board driver:

1. Right-click on the desktop, and choose Properties.

The Display Properties dialog box appears.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. Click Display Type. The Display Type dialog box appears.

4. Click Change. The Change Display dialog box appears.

5. Click Have Disk. The Install From Disk dialog box appears.

6. Browse to drive:\Program Files\Avid\NewsCutter\EDCInstall.

7. Click AvidEDC.inf.

8. Click Open.

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9. Click OK in the Install From Disk dialog box.

The Change Display dialog box appears.

10. Select the proper board, and click OK.

The Avid display controller appears as a third-party choice.

11. Click Yes to accept the Avid display controller selection.

You will receive a message stating successful installation.

12. Click OK.

13. Click Close to close the Display Type dialog.

14. Click Close to close the Display Properties box.

A dialog box appears, instructing you to restart the system.

15. Remove any floppy disks or CD-ROMs that remain in the system.

16. Choose Yes to shut down the system.

17. Log in as the Administrator.

Windows NT will open the Display Control Panel automatically. An Invalid Display Settings dialog box might appear.

18. Click OK.

n If you get an error during the boot process, stating that a driver did not load properly, reload the driver.

19. Select True Color from the Color Palette list, and set the Refresh Frequency to 75 Hertz.

20. Set the Desktop Area slider to 1024 by 768 pixels.

21. Click Test, and the system will display the resolution chosen.

22. Click Apply to make the change.

23. Click OK.

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Reinstalling the Network Driver

This procedure applies only to the IBM IntelliStation Z Pro 6866. If you have installed a PCI board in a 64-bit slot, the network driver must be reinstalled.

To reinstall the network driver:

1. Right-click the Network Neighborhood icon, and choose Properties.

The Network dialog box appears.

2. Click the Adapters tab.

3. Click Add.

4. From the presented list of adapters, select the IBM 10/100 Ethernet PCI Adapter.

5. Click OK.

6. Confirm the directory path:

C:\i386

7. After the files copies have completed, click Close.

8. Set the TCP/IP parameters as you want.

9. Click OK, and allow the computer to restart.

Verifying That the Drivers Have Started

Verify that the device drivers have started by opening the Devices Control Panel. Look for the following drivers:

• Meridien digital media board device driver — APMPHXNTDriver

• EditDMA device driver — APMEditDMA

• Sentinel device driver — Sentinel

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To check the status of the driver:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, point to Administrative Tools (Common), and then click Control Panel.

The Control Panel window opens.

2. Double-click Devices.

3. Click the driver to select it.

4. Make sure the Status and Startup columns display the following:

- APMPHXNTDriver — Started, System

- APMEDITDMA — Started, Automatic

- Sentinel — Started, Automatic

Service Pack

Reinstall the Windows NT Service Pack as the last step of the upgrade. Avid recommends Windows NT Service Pack 6A. Do not use Service Pack 6. Windows NT Service Pack 5 is the minimum qualified service pack. Avid does not provide service packs.

n Microsoft recommends that you install or reinstall service packs after installing new hardware and software.

Windows NT Maintenance and Recovery

Before you begin using NewsCutter, set up user accounts and create backup disks of system configuration files. The following sections help to prepare you in case of a system failure:

• Setting Up User Accounts

• Creating a Windows NT Repair Disk

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• Using the Windows NT Repair Disk

• Saving the Disk Configuration

c To facilitate proper Windows NT recovery or to rebuild in the event of a failure, create the backup disks described in this section.

Setting Up User Accounts

Your NewsCutter ships with the following two accounts enabled:

• Administrator

• AvidTechnology

These accounts have Administrator privileges and have no password assigned. Avid recommends setting up individual, nonprivileged user accounts after integrating the system into the workplace environment.

Creating a Windows NT Repair Disk

The Windows NT Repair Disk is essential to successful restoration of a user system in the event of a damaged operating system component. The emergency repair disk (ERD), as it is sometimes called, should be updated any time a change to the operating system occurs. This can happen whenever hardware is added or removed or applications have been installed or removed.

The repair disk does not restore applications or device drivers. Instead, it holds copies of the user environment, software associations, passwords, and information about the system configuration.

n A Windows NT Repair Disk has been created for you and is included with the system.

36

Every system ships with a Windows NT Repair Disk, known as an AVID Operational ERD. This disk was created after all Avid-specific integration was completed on the system. All Avid-recommended hardware, drivers, and applications were successfully installed and tested, and the system was as close to the shipping configuration as possible.

This disk should be used as the end-user ERD and should be updated or re-created whenever you make a system hardware or software change.

To create or update an ERD:

1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.

The Run dialog box appears.

2. In the Open text box, type:

rdisk /s

3. Click OK.

c Do not use the Windows NT Explorer to execute rdisk because you do not save the Default and Security registry configuration files when you choose the Update option. To ensure you save all the necessary configuration files, make sure you create repair disks by executing rdisk from the Start menu.

You are instructed to insert a high-density disk (2.0 MB HD DS) into the floppy disk drive.

4. Insert the AVID Operational ERD.

The disk will be formatted, and the appropriate files will be copied to the disk.

5. Exit the Repair Disk Utility.

6. Store the repair disk in a safe, dry, static-free location.

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Using the Windows NT Repair Disk

The repair disk restores only registry data in the event of accidental user file deletion, operating system corruption, or other configuration problems. It does not restore your applications or other essential files. If the system disk is reformatted and a new copy of Windows NT is installed, you will need to reinstall your application.

To use the repair disk, you must initiate a Windows NT Setup by using the IBM Product Recovery CD. You will be given an option to perform a repair operation during this process. For information about using the IBM Product Recovery CD, see the IBM IntelliStation Z Pro User Guide.

c You should use only the Repair portion of the IBM Product Recovery CD. If you need to perform a full recovery, consult your certified reseller.

Saving the Disk Configuration

Whenever you make changes to the disk configuration on a system, such as creating striped sets of drives or changing drive letter assignments, the disk configuration should be saved to a disk. This permits a successful restoration of the disk configuration if a hardware failure or other problems occur. This information is also saved as part of the repair disk process.

n Save the disk configuration after you install all the software.

To create a disk configuration disk:

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools (Common), and then click Disk Administrator.

The Disk Administrator dialog box appears.

2. From the Partition menu, point to Configuration, and then click Save.

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3. Insert a formatted high-density floppy disk into the floppy disk drive, and click OK.

The disk configuration information is copied to the disk.

4. Label this disk, and store it in a safe location.

To restore the disk configuration:

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools (Common), and then click Disk Administrator.

The Disk Administrator dialog box appears.

2. From the Partition menu, point to Configuration, and then click Restore.

3. Insert the saved disk configuration floppy disk in the floppy disk drive, and click Yes.

This action will copy the disk configuration information into the registry.

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Software Files and Utilities

Table 8 lists Avid software utilities and the folders in which the utilities are located.

AvidStartup Utility

AvidStartup is a utility that runs each time you start or restart your system. It sets any attached Avid MediaDrives for the optimal read and write performance. The utility does not make any changes to non-Avid hard drives.

Disk Mounter Utility

Disk Mounter is an Avid utility that allows you to easily move striped sets of drives from one NewsCutter to a second NewsCutter. Both systems need to have a copy of Disk Mounter installed because it is used to set up the move on the first system and complete the move on the second system. A new function allows you to erase the disk key from the registry if needed. Complete information about Disk Mounter can be found in the Avid MediaDrive Utilities User’s Guide and in the Help for the Disk Mounter utility.

Table 8 Software Utilities Revisions

Software Default Location

AvidStartup C:\Winnt\System32\AvidStartup

Meridien Video I/O Utility C:\Program Files\Avid\Utilities\VideoIOUtil

See “Updating the Video I/O Firmware” on page 30.

Avid Disk Mounter C:\Program Files\Avid\Utilities\Diskmounter

Avid StorEx C:\Program Files\Avid\Utilities\StorEx

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Suggestions for Optimum Performance

Windows NT is a multitasking operating system. However, background tasks can interrupt time-critical operations, such as recording, playing, or rendering. Make sure that background tasks are not running while you are running NewsCutter.

The following list contains suggestions for ensuring optimum performance when running NewsCutter on Windows NT:

• Do not enable the Windows NT Display setting “Show window contents while dragging.” This setting hinders redraw performance on NewsCutter.

• Do not leave the Console window open when you are editing. NewsCutter performance slows considerably when the Console window is open.

• Do not leave a Windows NT Explorer window open. Windows NT Explorer will try to update file information.

• Do not leave an e-mail application open if it is set to do periodic checks for mail.

• Do not run any application that periodically “wakes up” and performs an action (for example, virus scanners and disk fragment utilities).

• Disable screen savers.

• Disable networking if not needed.

• Do not insert a compact disc in a drive during operation. Most CD-ROM drives and software perform an autoscan or autostart operation.

n NewsCutter ships with Autorun disabled.

• Do not keep media on internal non-Avid drives (such as drive C).

• Always disable system sounds in the Windows NT Sounds Control Panel.

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• Always use small fonts with the display driver to avoid missing characters in the application dialog boxes.

• After unmounting a drive in NewsCutter, you should restart your system. Windows NT will not remove the drives from My Computer on your desktop until you restart the system.

• After moving a drive from one system to another, you should restart your system. Windows NT will not recognize the drive until you restart the system.

• To ensure you do not accidentally delete locked items through your desktop, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and choose Properties. In the Recycle Bin Properties window, click the Global tab. Select the option “Display delete confirmation dialog.”

• When you are advancing by single frames through the Timeline, turn off Render On-the-Fly in the Clip menu to enable faster response time.

• Do not name files with special characters (/ \ : ? ” < > | *) because Windows NT does not recognize special characters in file names.

• Do not schedule automatic backups at times when your NewsCutter might be in use.

• Do not run any application that includes prescheduled or automatically scheduled activities, such as a calendar program.

• Do not leave other applications open. Some applications, such as Microsoft® Office, run background processes.

• Do not allow the Find Fast background process (find.exe) to run. The process will try to update its cache of file and folder locations. Check your Startup folder, and delete the file if it is there.

Special Notes

This section contains important information about system-level changes that affect the way your NewsCutter software and hardware operate.

42

User Settings

User settings are not backward compatible.

Goodies Folder

Avid supplies a Goodies folder located on the NewsCutter CD-ROM. Access the Goodies folder by browsing the NewsCutter CD-ROM. This folder contains programs and files that you might find useful when trying to perform functions beyond the scope of the NewsCutter software.

c Avid is not responsible for the support or sale of the products in the Goodies folder. They are provided as suggestions for users to decide if any of these products fit into their process. Avid is also not responsible for any loss of data or time related to the use of these products. For more information, see the ReadMe files in the Goodies folder.

Adding a Page File

If you have upgraded your NewsCutter from a previous release, you should create a page file. Page files help you to recover from Windows NT operating system crashes. On new systems, Avid preinstalls two page files (pagefile.sys): a 20-MB page file on drive C and a 384-MB page file on drive D. If you install more than 256 MB of memory, you should change the page file size on drive D. The formula for the page file size is as follows:

1.5 times your memory size

For example, if memory is 256, the formula would be:

256 x 1.5 = 384

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Configuring a Second Paging File

If your NewsCutter is an IBM IntelliStation Z Pro, you might experience “out of virtual memory” errors or unusually slow response times because of the drive partitioning on the internal drive. Avid recommends that you create a second page file on the first external drive partition.

To configure a second paging file:


The Control Panel opens.

2. Double-click System.

3. Click the Performance tab.

4. In the Virtual Memory section, click Change.

The Virtual Memory dialog box displays the number of drives attached to the system.

5. Select the first external media drive.

6. Set Initial Size to the size of physical memory.

7. Set Maximum Size to the size of physical memory.

8. Click Set.

9. Click OK.

10. Click Close.

You are prompted to restart your computer.

11. Click Yes.

Networking

Avid does not ship the system with networking pre-enabled. You must determine the type of network used and set up the system accordingly.

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Anti-Virus Applications

Anti-virus programs containing auto-scanning features can interfere with the operation of the NewsCutter application. For example, some anti-virus programs can be configured to run in the background and scan all files for viruses whenever they are opened, copied, or moved. Since virus scanning is a processor- and disk-intensive activity, it can interfere with recording and playing real-time effects in the NewsCutter application.

Avid recommends that you do not scan all files or schedule any background task like virus scanning when you are using your NewsCutter application.

File deletion protection utilities also consume system resources and could interfere with the proper operation of the NewsCutter application. These utilities automatically back up any files that are deleted, even temporary files created and deleted by the NewsCutter application. This consumes a large amount of disk space.

Audio Hardware Calibration

Avid has adopted a new default setting for audio calibration that more closely matches the current industry standard. If you are upgrading from an earlier release of the software, it is highly likely that your audio calibration levels do not match the default value in this release. In all likelihood, your existing hardware is calibrated to –14 dB, and the default setting of NewsCutter Release 2.0 is –20 dB. To change the software setting to match your hardware, perform the procedure described in this section.

n If you received NewsCutter Release 2.0 as part of a new system purchase, your audio hardware is calibrated to –20 dB and matches the default NewsCutter Release 2.0 software settings. In that case, you do not need to change the default settings.

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To change the audio hardware calibration setting:

1. Double-click Audio Project in the Settings scroll list of the Project window.

The Audio Project Settings dialog box appears.

2. Select a new default hardware calibration setting from the Hardware Calibration pop-up menu — in most cases, –14 dBFS.

A message box appears.

3. Click OK.

4. Save the new Hardware Calibration as a Site setting. To establish a global setting, see “Using Site Settings” in the “Working with the Project Window” chapter of the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide.

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SDTI Summary

Serial Data Transport Interface (SDTI) was developed to provide interchange of digital audio, video, and data between cameras, VTRs, servers, and nonlinear editing (NLE) systems. SDTI uses standard SDI cabling and support mechanisms. Connections between devices are established point-to-point, as they are with standard video and audio signals. The benefits of SDTI include:

• A single cable carries compressed video and up to four channels of uncompressed 48-kHz audio.

• Transfer rates of up to four times real time can be achieved.

• SDI cabling, routers, and switchers can be used to route SDTI signals.

The SDTI option for NewsCutter provides DVCAM™, DVCPRO and DVCPRO50 compressed DV transfers to and from SDTI-equipped VTRs. This is achieved via a PCI board and driver.

The SDTI option is active only for the Record tool and the Digital Cut tool.

Recording via SDTI

When the SDTI PCI board and driver have been installed, the SDTI option will appear as a selection in the audio and video input device menus in the Audio Project settings, Video Input tool, and Record tool. When SDTI is selected on either video or audio, it will change both video and audio to SDTI. It is not possible to mix an input signal from the Meridien I/O box with SDTI. For example, you could not have SDTI as your video input and AES/EBU as your audio input. If SDTI is selected as the input, the video and audio inputs must be SDTI.

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If the Record tool is active with SDTI selected as the input, the SDTI signal will be passed through from the SDTI input to the desktop and the Playback monitor. An SDTI signal must be present if any of the track buttons are selected. If you have not provided an SDTI signal, a dialog box appears with the message No Signal Present. After you click OK, all video and audio tracks will be deselected. You can then connect SDTI and select the appropriate track buttons.

Once you have successfully set up SDTI as your input source, recording proceeds as it would for any other input source. NewsCutter will automatically adjust to one of the four SDTI signal types shown in Table 9.

The Resolution menu is disabled in the Record tool when you select SDTI as the input. This menu item will be automatically set to the signal type of the incoming signal.

n Before you change the SDTI input signal type, close the Record tool.

Table 9 SDTI Signal Types

Deck Signal

1X DVCAM DV 25, two channels of audio at 48K or four channels of audio at 32Ka

1X DVCPRO DV 25, two channels of audio at 48K

1X DVCPRO50 DV 50, four channels of audio at 48K

4X DVCAM DV 25, two channels of audio at 48K or four channels of audio at 32Ka

4X DVCPRO DV 25, two channels of audio at 48K

a. 32K audio is automatically up-sampled to 48K when recording.

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If you are batch recording while using SDTI as your input signal, the video compression (DV 25 or DV 50) of the batched clips will always be set to whatever the incoming signal is. The option “Use the video compression logged for each clip” (located in the Batch tab of the Record Settings dialog box) is ignored when SDTI is the input signal.

These rules do not apply to audio since all audio must be at the 48-kHz sample rate for NewsCutter.

Digital Cut via SDTI

When the SDTI PCI board and driver have been installed, the SDTI option will appear as a selection in the Target Device menu in the Digital Cut tool. If you want to perform a digital cut to SDTI, choose SDTI from this menu.

When the Digital Cut tool is active, passthrough to the desktop and client monitor will also be enabled. Note that passthrough uses the input device selected via the Audio Project settings, Video Input tool, and Record tool. It does not use the Digital Cut tool Target Device menu for this. Passthrough to the desktop and Playback monitor will stop as soon as you click the red Play Digital Cut button to start the digital cut and will resume when digital cut playback is complete.

Before performing a digital cut, ensure that the SDTI output signal is properly configured. In the Video Output tool, select Out 4: SDTI. Two buttons will appear to the right. The first, Format, allows you to set the SDTI output format. The choices are DVCAM and DVCPRO. The second control, Transfer Rate, allows you to select a speed value for the SDTI data, either 1X or 4X. These settings must reflect the format of the VTR that you are using and the transfer speed it is set to; otherwise, the digital cut might not work.

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When the target device is SDTI, you have the following limitations:

• All effects must be rendered. If you attempt to perform a digital cut to a sequence that has unrendered effects, a message box appears, giving you the option to cancel or proceed. If you proceed, all unrendered effects will play as simple cuts.

• You cannot mix DV 50 material with DV 25 media. If you attempt to perform a digital cut to a sequence with mixed resolutions, a message box appears, disallowing the digital cut. If you have a sequence with mixed resolutions, you must perform a video mixdown to a single resolution to properly perform a digital cut on the material. A video mixdown must also be performed if the sequence contains both DV 25 PAL 411 recorded from a DVCPRO source and DV 25 PAL 420 recorded from a DVCAM source.

Once you have successfully set up SDTI as your output signal, the digital cut proceeds as it would for any other output signal.

n While the digital cut is playing, the video will appear on the desktop display, audio and video will play through the Meridien I/O box, and audio and video will be output via SDTI. While SDTI is being output, the Meridien I/O box signal is not guaranteed to be frame accurate, so you should not be recording these signals during SDTI digital cut. For digital cut of analog or SDI signals, make sure that the digital cut Target Device is set to Meridien.

Using the 4X Transfer Rate

The 4X transfer rate is supported for both DVCAM and DVCPRO (but not DVCPRO50) material. Two VTRs currently support 4X: the Sony® DSR-85 (for DVCAM) and the Panasonic® AJ-D780 (for DVCPRO). The 4X speed must be set manually by the user, and this setting is performed differently on the two VTRs:

• Sony DSR-85 — This VTR uses a software setting. When using this VTR, autoconfigure properly, or manually select the DSR-85 device setting. A button for switching between 1X and 4X appears in the Deck Controller window for this VTR only. The 4X indicator

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on the button is green when 4X mode is enabled. When it is not lit, the VTR is in 1X mode.

• Panasonic AJ-D780 — Use the slide switch behind the door on the front panel of the VTR. Autoconfigure will not be able to properly select the settings for this VTR; it must be done manually.

n Frame accuracy is not guaranteed with either of these VTRs while in 4X mode. The limitation occurs when reading LTC timecode while the VTR is running at four times normal speed. The VTRs return timecodes sporadically, sometimes missing as many as four frames at once. Record and digital cut operations using these VTRs running at 4X might be off by as much as four frames.

Audio

The following are SDTI audio behaviors:

• When you are recording or preparing to record from SDTI, the audio meters in the Audio tool respond to the audio levels on the SDTI input signal. These audio meters are about 1 second ahead of the audio and video signal monitored through the Meridien I/O box. This visual discontinuity is normal.

• The Meridien audio output is suppressed during 4X digital cut.

• When you are recording from an SDTI deck using deck control, audio monitoring drops out during the deck preroll time. Video monitoring continues through preroll.

• There is no provision for outputting audio at 32K for the DVCAM format.

PAL Versus NTSC

The SDTI board and driver cannot be easily changed between PAL and NTSC formats from within the NewsCutter application. Scripts are used to switch the SDTI option to PAL or NTSC. This switch causes the SDTI driver to be stopped and started; therefore, these scripts must be used only when the NewsCutter application is not running.

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It is possible to open a project that is using a video standard that does not match the configuration of the SDTI driver. In this case, a message box appears when you open a project that indicates that the current project’s video standard does not match the configuration of the SDTI driver. The remedy is to quit the NewsCutter application, configure the SDTI driver for the proper video standard, restart NewsCutter, and reopen the project.

Performance Issues with SDTI Confidence Monitoring

Since SDTI video signals are input to the system in compressed form, they must be decompressed before they are displayed on the desktop passthrough window and in the Playback monitor. Each incoming video frame must be processed through the hardware DV codec. This processing does not happen immediately; it requires a startup time known as the pipeline delay. Therefore, if you are shuttling a VTR while watching the desktop or Playback monitor, you will notice a delay of up to 2 seconds. For more precise cueing, connect a monitor directly to the VTR. Confidence monitoring will freeze for up to 2 seconds between capturing individual clips on-the-fly.

Consumer Digital Video (DV)

Frame accuracy and fidelity are not guaranteed if you are recording from tapes that were created using a consumer DV format, even though these tapes might be playable on professional DVCPRO or DVCAM VTRs. There are two reasons for this:

• The consumer DV recording format uses a tighter track pitch than DVCPRO and DVCAM. Playing consumer DV tapes on professional VTRs produces problems, such as dropouts or entire frames being dropped.

• The consumer DV format lacks a separate LTC timecode track, required for precise cueing.

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Notes on SDTI VTRs

This section contains a comprehensive list of all known SDTI VTRs, along with comments. The VTR models Avid has tested are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Sony VTRs

On Sony VTRs, SDTI is referred to as QSDI. All VTRs support only the 1X transfer rate unless otherwise specified.

• DSR-60 (discontinued) — DVCAM editing player; requires DSBK-110 option for SDTI

Since this VTR is the play-only counterpart to the DSR-80, Avid expects that it records similarly to the DSR-80.

• DSR-70 — DVCAM portable editing recorder; requires DSBK-150 option for SDTI

• *DSR-80 (discontinued) — DVCAM editing recorder, SDTI standard

This VTR functions well for 1X capture and digital cut of video and audio. Avid has not tested a PAL version of this VTR, but it would probably be comparable to the DSR-85 operating at 1X in PAL. Avid has noticed that this VTR sometimes has the tendency to read NDF timecodes as DF at slow speeds. The workaround is to have the VTR already playing at speed when starting a digital cut or record.

• *DSR-85 — DVCAM editing recorder; supports 1X and 4X, SDTI standard

The DSR-80 with 4X mode added functions well for 1X capture and digital cut of video and audio in NTSC and PAL. This VTR sometimes has the tendency to read NDF timecodes as DF at slow speeds. The workaround is to have the VTR already playing when starting a digital cut or record. See “Using the 4X Transfer Rate” on page 49 for notes on the 4X mode of this VTR.

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• DSR-1500 — DVCAM half-rack-size editing recorder; requires DSBK-1502 option for SDTI

• DSR-1600 — DVCAM editing player; requires DSBK-1602 option for SDTI

• DSR-1800 — DVCAM editing recorder; requires DSBK-1802 option for SDTI

• DSR-2000 — DVCAM editing recorder; SDTI standard

Panasonic VTRs

The interface on Panasonic VTRs might be labeled as CSDI or SDTI. All VTRs support only the 1X transfer rate unless otherwise specified.

• *AJ-D780 — DVCPRO editing recorder; supports 4X only; SDTI standard

The 1X mode is provided for reviewing footage only. This VTR is guaranteed by the manufacturer to function properly only at 4X speed. For information on the 4X mode of this VTR, see “Using the 4X Transfer Rate” on page 49. This VTR completely shuts off SDTI when it falls out of standby mode, causing problems for the desktop and Playback monitors.

• AJ-D850 — DVCPRO editing recorder; requires AJ-YAC850 option for SDTI

• AJ-D940 — DVCPRO/DVCPRO50 editing player; PAL/NTSC switchable; requires AJ-YAC940 option for SDTI

• *AJ-D950 and AJ-YAC960 — DVCPRO/DVCPRO50 editing recorder; PAL/NTSC switchable; requires AJ-YAC950 or AJ-YAC960 option for SDTI

This VTR functions properly, except when it drops out of standby mode. When this happens, it reverts output on the SDTI to whatever the system format is, DV 25 or DV 50. This sudden change in format causes problems in capture and confidence view. The workaround for this is to set USER menu item 013 PB FORMAT to 0000 MANUAL. This instructs the VTR to always output the system format through the SDTI interface, regardless of

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which tape is loaded. To switch the VTR playback and record between DV 25 and DV 50, change USER menu item 012 SYS FORMAT to 0000 25M or 0000 50M. When switching between DV 50 and DV 25, close the Record and Digital Cut tools.

Supported Decks

For an updated list of supported decks, search for “Supported Decks” in the Avid Customer Support Knowledge Center.

To access the Knowledge Center:

1. Go to www.avid.com.

2. Click Support.

3. Click Knowledge Center.

4. Log in.

n If you are not already a registered user of the Knowledge Center, register now. Registered users can access more information.

5. Click the Documentation tab.

6. Search for “Supported Decks.”

From the resulting list, choose the Supported Decks section of the Qualification Guide for your system.

Compatibility with Avid Video Editing Products

For information on compatibility among Avid video-based editing products (such as moving a project between Symphony® and Media Composer®) see the Avid Products Collaboration Guide, available on the Avid NewsCutter Online Publications CD-ROM. The most recent update of the Avid Products Collaboration Guide is available in the Documentation section of the Avid Customer Service Knowledge Center.

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To access the Knowledge Center:

1. Go to www.avid.com.

2. Click Support.

3. Click Knowledge Center.

4. Log in.

n If you are not already a registered user of the Knowledge Center, register now. Registered users can access more information.

5. Click the Documentation tab.

6. Click the link for the Avid Products Collaboration Guide.

Partitioning Restrictions

The Windows NT operating system allows you to create multiple partitions on a single drive or striped partitions across multiple drives as a way to manage projects and files. However, Avid does not support extended partitioning.

n For information about drive partitioning, see the Avid NewsCutter Setup Guide.

Hidden Disk Space

Windows® NTFS hides a small amount of disk space for its own use. NewsCutter assumes that 30 MB are reserved for NTFS on your local drive. Be aware that there is a discrepancy between “freeKB” and “realFreeKB.”

NewsCutter will not show this space as available because it is reserved. Windows NT programs display your total free space even though a portion is reserved.

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AVX Plug-ins and Memory

Multiple AVX plug-ins that you have applied to a sequence are now kept resident in memory at the same time. When you close a bin containing the sequence, the plug-ins are also closed, freeing the memory.

If you find your NewsCutter running out of memory and you are using many plug-ins:

1. Choose Console from the Tools menu.

2. Type closeallavxplugins, and press Enter.

This command closes all currently opened plug-ins. They will automatically open again when needed.

Importing QuickTime Files Created with an Avid Codec

If you are importing a QuickTime™ file created with an Avid codec, and the file’s resolution does not match the current Import setting, a dialog box appears by default. This dialog box asks which resolution you want to choose and to which files you want to apply your choice. Make your choices, and click OK to continue with the import. See the limitations listed under “Import and Export” on page 77.

Optimize for Batch Speed Option

When you select “Optimize for batch speed” in the Batch tab of the Record Settings dialog box, the system speeds up batch recording by allowing the deck to continue to roll forward between adjoining clips. For more information, see the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide.

For this release, this option records without preroll only if the tracks to be recorded for each clip are the same. For example, if one clip has a video track only and the other has a video track and two audio tracks,

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and the system is set up to record both audio and video tracks, the system must preroll between them. However, if the system is set up to record only video (that is, only the track selector for video is selected and the selectors for audio are off), the system can record without prerolling for the second clip.

Mark Locators Shortcut

In previous releases, Ctrl+Alt+T marked a segment between locators. The new shortcut is Shift+T, which is equivalent to the Mark Locators button.

Displaying Locator Creation Information

You can display creation information for each locator displayed in the Locators window. Displaying the creation information is useful when you are using the Review and Approval process.

You can display the following information for each locator displayed in the Locators window:

• Name of the user that created the locator

• Date the locator was created

• Time the locator was created

To display information about a locator:

t Choose Details from the Locators Fast menu.

The Locators window displays the User, Date, and Time columns.

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Changes to the Timing of Video Signals

Genlocking is now different from that of Avid video-based editing products for Macintosh systems before the use of Meridien boards. The system’s timing is now modeled on that of a VTR; it uses only a single time-base that is switched between input and output.

Note the following operation modes:

• Timing during video capture: When capturing (that is, recording) an input video signal, sync timing will be derived from that input signal. The timing of the captured video and audio will be correct. The green Video Sync light on the Meridien I/O box will be lit when synchronization to that signal is attained.

Passthrough video outputs: During capture, timing of the recorded media files will be correct. The timing of the passthrough output signals, however, will be correct relative to themselves but will have slight delays relative to the input time-base. In particular, the composite output will have one line of additional delay, due to comb filter operation compared to Serial Digital and other analog modes. This is normal operation.

Passthrough audio versus video: During capture, the recorded video and audio will be correctly timed. However, since passthrough audio does not undergo delay, the previously described video delays will exist relative to the undelayed audio. In media files, the video and audio will be synchronized.

• Timing during capture for audio with no video present: Timing will be derived from any signal present on the REF input. If no reference signal is detected there, the timing will automatically switch to an internal, free-running, highly accurate time-base and the green Video Sync light will not be lit.

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• Timing during playback: In all playback modes, the video timing is derived either from the external genlock source (the REF input) or from the accurate internal time-base. If a composite reference signal is present on the REF input, that signal will be used for deriving genlock and system timing. The green Video Sync light will be lit. If no lock is detected to a signal on the REF input (or if no signal is present), the system will automatically switch to its internal timing source and the Video Sync light will not be lit.

n For additional information on recording with consumer or prosumer video decks (such as VHS, Hi8, and some ¾-inch decks), see “Limitations When Using Consu

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