Analyze, Continuity, & More

Too often, footage shot from one day to the next doesn't match when you get back to the editing bay. Microphones jump location, framing is different, or color and brightness are off. DV Rack HD prevents this problem by helping you compare clips while you're shooting. No more "gotchas" when you're editing.

DV Rack™ HD 2 Features

Powerful Direct-to-Disk Recording

DV Rack HD's direct-to-disk recording is such a revolutionary concept; you have to shoot with it to really appreciate its value. Setup is simple, shooting a breeze, and you'll save time in the edit bay. There's simply no better way to shoot.

Faster Set Ups, Faster Editing

Connect your camera to your laptop via a FireWire cable and you're ready to go. DV Rack SD works with any DV camera, while DV Rack HD works with DV, HDV, DVCPro50, and DVCProHD cameras, including the HVX 200. Choose your recording format and drop you're ready-to-edit clips directly into your NLE.

Flexible Recording Options

The recording controls are laid out just like a traditional VTR. DV Rack HD records a clip to both internal or external hard drives. Name recorded clips individually or set up global names (i.e. Take 01), and DV Rack HD will automatically name each take with the next sequential number. Record for as long as you have hard drive space. A single two-hour event can be recorded to a single clip. No tape changes. No missing footage.

Review & Access Problem Video

While you're recording, the DV Quality Monitor is analyzing the audio and video in real time. It will let you know if your audio is blown out or if the video brightness exceeds a maximum value. These ClipAlerts™ will appear in the DVR showing you the exact place where there may be a problem.

Instant Playback of Footage

Instantly access and play your clips without rewinding tape. Plus you eliminate the possibility of accidentally recording over something you've shot. Provide immediate feedback to your talent and/or know immediately if you need to reshoot a scene.

Ready-to-Edit Clips

DV Rack HD records in a format that is compatible with your NLE. It saves the timecode generated from your DV or HVX200 camera. You get automatic pulldown removal of 24p(a) footage, saving space and making it easy to edit in "true" 24 frames per second.

Advanced Recording Features

DV Rack HD offers advanced recording features like:

• Pre-Record Buffer
• Never miss the beginning of an event again. The Pre-Record Buffer enables DV Rack HD to record before you hit the record button. Specify a buffer time up to 30 seconds and DV Rack HD will always have those last seconds saved in memory and added to your clip.

• Stop-Motion Animation Recording
• Make static objects come to life using DV Rack HD's Stop-Motion Recording feature. This feature allows you to easily record static objects one frame at a time. Once finished, output to a single animation AVI File.

• Time-Lapse Recording
• Record a single frame at regular time intervals to appear as if time is moving faster than it is. Editors using DV or HD footage can easily convey the passing of time by recording variant cloudscape motion, crowd movement, or traffic flow.

• Motion-Activated Recording
• Automatically start recording when motion is detected in a shot. It's the perfect solution for one-man shoots security surveillance, and nature shooters.

• Pause Recording
• Stop in the middle of a recording without creating a new clip. This is especially useful when recording interviews, such as legal depositions.

Accessible Monitoring Tools

Scopes and monitors analyze your video and audio during a shoot. They are extremely valuable for seeing or hearing the things you don't. The price of any one of these scopes can cost thousands of dollars in hardware, but, with DV Rack™ HD 2, you get them all in one low-priced software package.

Evaluate & Review Your Video

Unlike bulky analog reference monitors, this all-digital Field Monitor accepts direct DV, HDV, DVCPro50 & DVCProHD input, displaying the actual post-compression image as it's being recorded. In addition to features found in other high-end broadcast field monitors such as underscan, safe area display, letterbox mask and variable aspect ratio (16:9, 2.35 etc), this monitor introduces an impressive array of video evaluation tools such as freeze, zoom, dual zebra patterns and split. The Field Monitor is available in two sizes: 4:3 and 16:9 (HD up to 1280x720)

Features Include:

• Color bar generator and blue gun mode for properly calibrating Brightness, Chroma, Phase, and Contrast.
• Native DV monitor shows your video post-compression exactly as it will be recorded.
• Split Screen & Onion Skin mode allows live video to be compared with pre-recorded clips to match levels or continuity.
• User-adjustable Safe Area Indicator with center cross-hair.
• User-adjustable dual Zebra modes provide visual feedback. Plus unique "black" zebras to check shadow areas.
• Underscan switch displays entire active picture area including details most camcorder viewfinders can't see.
• User-adjustable aspect ratio from 1.00 to 2.50 (including 16:9).
• Letterbox mask mode for widescreen.
• Zoom into live video to check any part of the picture.
• User-adjustable "rule-of-thirds" overlay indicators to assist with shot composition.
• Freeze video for further examination.
• Full On-Screen Display (OSD) with numeric readouts for all settings.

Identify Lighting Issues

DV Rack HD's Waveform Monitor measures the brightness of the video signal and displays it in a way that you can put a number to. Instantly see if your shot is too bright or too dark and make adjustments on your camera or with lighting to correct the problem.

The RGB Waveform Monitor is a specialized tool that can show the values of the red, green, and blue components of your video. This is extremely useful for blue screen or green screen shoots. Knowing the precise value of the blue or green background can make a big difference in how well your final composite turns out.

Measure Chrominance and Signal Strength

The Vectorscope helps maintain color balance between clips and multiple cameras. This is valuable if users are shooting a scene and the lighting changes during or after takes. The subject may have one skin tone in an earlier scene and suddenly a different one in the next. Or in the case of using multiple cameras, shots from one angle may have a different hue than shots taken from another angle. The Vectorscope will help combat these types of challenges.

Automatically Check Video Quality

Check every frame of footage while still on location or on the set. DV Rack HD's DV-QM evaluates every frame of video and audio for you while you're shooting. It's like having a virtual engineer at your side watching scopes for problems. The DV-QM then visually marks the location of potential problems on the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) clip display. This allows you to review and assess any problem areas with one click. From a brief voice "pop" that wasn't audible on headphones to a flash of reflected light from a passing vehicle, the DV-QM can save the day (and your reputation).

• Automated real-time quality monitoring of video and audio.
• Set your own limits and levels for quality alerts.
• Intuitive visual display of alerts directly on clips in the DVR 1500.
• Video too bright or too dark filtered by area of screen and duration.
• Alert on detection of audio clipping, pops and clicks, hum and buzz, and overall voice level.

Analyze, Continuity & More

Analyze your audio, check continuity between shots, and take advantage of DV Rack™ HD 2's useful production tools to get the best quality video out of your camera.

Fix Audio Problems

The Audio Spectrum Analyzer shows the volume and frequencies of your audio signal. Use it to achieve better microphone placement, recognize imperceptible background noise, and compare audio volume from one take to the next. The Audio Spectrum Analyzer will display your audio by frequency and indicate audio problems visually. Use this information to save your shoot and eliminate wasted time fixing bad audio in post.

Guarantee Scene Continuity

Continuity is simply making sure that everything, such as color, lighting and audio, matches from one scene to the next. When continuity doesn't match, it can ruin an entire project and force a reshoot. DV Rack HD's tools work together to catch continuity errors. Using the Split Screen and/or Onion Skin Mode, compare one clip to another and catch wandering microphones or changes in camera framing, brightness, and more. The waveform monitors and vectorscope also work in Split mode, so even subtle differences in color or brightness can be detected and corrected with ease.

Ensure Accurate Colors

The Spectra 60 is a next-generation scope that bridges the gap between print/painting applications and live video. The Spectra 60 displays the numerical color value of any pixel in your video signal. This is extremely useful for comparing color values between, say, a printed logo done in Photoshop® and the logo on the wall behind a CEO being interviewed. The Spectra 60 can show color in RGB, HSV, even CMYK color space, making it easy to compare values with any type of graphic or print ad.

Guarantee Accurate Timing

DV Rack HD's ShotClock timer/clock module features a stopwatch/event timer that counts up or down in video frames. It features a high visibility time-of-day production clock which can be automatically calibrated to the atomic clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory when connected to the Internet.

Create Storyboards

The DV Grabber module captures and saves high resolution video stills direct from live video or DVR clips. It's ideal for grabbing reference frames for client approval or storyboards. Capture images to standard JPG, BMP or PNG format. Save images to a file, the Windows clipboard, or directly to the DVR.

Objectively Calibrate Your Camera

DV Rack HD's SureShot camera setup module walks you through a simple four step, wizard-like process to objectively calibrate your camera for the best possible quality in a given environment. It's lightning fast and you don't even need to know anything about waveforms or traditional scopes! SureShot works automatically by using the custom calibration charts specially printed on the camera setup cards included with DV Rack HD.

Flip Images Horizontally or Vertically

When using special 35mm lens adaptors, such as the Redrock M2, DV Rack HD allows the image in the Field Monitor to be flipped horizontally and/or vertically so you can correctly review your footage.

BONUS! Convert DVCPro50 & DVCProHD Footage

The HD version of DV Rack HD offers the DVCProHD Decoder, a Video for Windows (VfW) decoder that enables Sony® Vegas® and Adobe® Premiere® Pro users to edit DVPro50 and DVCProHD video files without the need for transcoding. This decoder also includes an easy-to-use software utility that quickly converts native MXF files from the Panasonic camera to standard AVI or QuickTime files.

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