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In a post at http://www.macvideo.tv/BLOGS/index.cfm?blogid=101658&entryid=3201452 Matt Davis links to Sony’s page offering the latest SxS driver which is compatible with Snow Leopard.  Also he points out is bugs/features, irritating rather than show-stopping.   There is also a driver for Windows, I’ll try it under Boot Camp.

• http://www.sony.ca/promedia/drivers.htm

The following has a FAQ about it:

• http://www.sony.ca/promedia/support.htm

To export from Final Cut to WMV, this can’t be done natively, you need to install a third-party app such as flip4mac (”Studio” or greater).

“When you do install something like flip4mac you will be able to export from FCP using quicktime conversion and choose the options for WMV” or can export a QuickTime (self-contained) and use a separate app (incl. QT Pro) to convert it [http://www.iov.co.uk/showarticle.pl?ft=0;id=61821;n=0]

 What is an “Eye” in the sense of an “Eye Diagram” in the digital broadcast world?  I saw an advert mentioning one in TV-Bay magazine.

• http://cnx.org/content/m18662/latest
  • The eye diagram provides a powerful visualization tool to interpret the behavior of the received waveform regardless of the pulse shape.
  • The eye diagram reveals important performance metrics for a communication link, including noise margin, ISI, timing sensitivity, and zero-crossing jitter. In addition, the eye diagram shows the optimum sampling time for the receiver to regenerate a bitstream from the received signaling waveform.
• From my interpretation of a figure in the article at the above link:
  • The vertical size of the eye’s “iris ” is noise margin (amplitude), the horizontal size of the “iris” is timing error sensitivity.

Excel, ODBC Query, PHP, XML 

• http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-phpexcel/index.html

http://www.yousendit.com/cms/plugin-finalcutpro

•  Convenient file sending right from Final Cut Pro!
• 25% faster uploads than the Web application
• Add additional files and folders of any kind to the same upload batch
• Resumable upload- handles network interruptions
• Includes all standard YSI features like password protection, certified delivery, and file expiration control
• Convenient drag-and-drop and right-click sending options
• You must be a registered user to download and use this plug-in.

(Discovered via forum at http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=691764&Replies=5)

 Utilities for FCP from DigitalRebellion, found them serendipitously while googlingfor other stuff, bear them in mind.   In any case wait for any new versions for FCP7 and Snow Leopard).

• http://www.digitalrebellion.com/fcs_maintenance.htm
  • FCP Maintenance Pack
    • Detects bad things (projects, plugins or footage) that may crash or confuse FCP.
    • Interprets FCP crash logs to suggest the probable real-world cause/fix.
  • FCP Versioner
    • Automatically saves projects (in XML) as different versions (as opposed to just overwriting each save)
    • Each version has a change-log, listing exactly what changed.
      • (e.g. “New filter added: Time Remap”)

Links:

• http://www.nzmac.com/reviews/apple/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard.html
  • Great article and easy reading.
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• http://www.fcp2avid.net/blog/?m=200802

This guy, AppleShakeguru, is knowledgable not only in the tools & features but also the practicalities.  His style is to first walk thru at pedestrian pace, sometimes fumbling (as any new user might), so the details can come out.  Then he runs thru afterwards, so it all clicks together.

•  http://www.youtube.com/user/AppleShakeGuru
• Modo - a “no-brainer” 3D modelling / construction / animation app.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfuQFiuRyI8
  • Great favourable review at http://www.creative-3d.net/modo.cfm
  • Bridge Modo->Maya: http://forums.luxology.com/discussion/topic.aspx?id=9354
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1. iMovie rough-cut to XML to FCP to QT (reference) to Compressor
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTrxEAPGY5Y

• ScreenFlow for screen captures
  • e.g. 5 minutes exported as ProRes 422 gives 10GB
• iMovie:
  • Rough edit in iMovie
    • Trims, cuts and AutoAdjust (for levels)
  • Share > Export Final Cut XML
• Final Cut:
  • Refined cuts, transitions etc. and add soundtrack
    • e.g. Soundtrack Pro (STP), find music etc from library, reveal in Finder and just drag to FCP project, no obligation to make an “official” STP project.
  • Export to QuickTime - uncheck the “Make self-contained” option if only to be used on same system (e.g. to send to compressor for render-on to some other format).
• Compressor:
  • YouTube template generates 100MB file (for same 5-minute movie
  • For best speed follow QMaster (”multi-core render farm”) tutorial at
    http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=AppleShakeGuru#p/search/177/FeXZO12KZbs

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