Check that the previous day’s transcodes and scripts have completed processing
Restart every computer that ran overnight
Patch the Audio and Video for the format you are using at your station
Power on all equipment, allowing it to warm up (monitor, TBC, scopes, blackburst, audio mixer, etc)
Empty the dehumidifier located in the Tape Closet if necessary
Pack and/or clean tapes prior to transfer
Bring only the tapes you intend on capturing for the day to your Capture Station
Capturing with vrecord
Follow Start of Day steps above to ensure that your station is ready to run
Clean deck thoroughly, ensuring the entire tape path and heads are free of dirt
Open Terminal and type in vrecord -p (passthrough mode)
Ensure that your video settings in vrecord are correct. If not, type vrecord -e and select the appropriate configuration for that specific client and/or format. Return to vrecord’s passthrough mode
Insert a Bars & Tone tape to adjust waveform/vectorscope and audio within Broadcast range (or -18dB)
In some case, audio levels may need to be adjusted on a TBC
Eject the Bars & Tone tape and insert or thread the client tape to be captured
Observe the threading and press Play (if necessary)
Watch and listen to the tape movement in the deck. If there is ever any sign of struggling or loud squeaking; if you have any concerns whatsoever - STOP THE TAPE
Set the levels to the program utilizing the scopes or vrecord to guide you
If Bars & Tone is present on the client tape, set to these levels first. If those levels are off, make subjective adjustments to the content
If you feel your eyes have adjusted and hue or saturation is still off, look away for 30 seconds and come back to it
Set the audio levels during the loudest moments of the content. Do not allow the dB to drift into single digits. -10 dB should be the threshold
Center the Horizontal framing by locating Input H-Position or H-Pos in a TBC
If you are pleased with the settings, rewind and eject the tape, and re-clean the tape path
Open Salesforce and locate the Preservation Object by typing in the tape’s 7-digit barcode
Copy the entire Digital File Name
Exit and reopen vrecord, this time typing in vrecord -e
Double check that the configuration is correct
Follow the prompts and paste the digital file name where it asks for the Client Identifier
Type _take01 to the file name
Press Enter to activate the capture. Start/play the tape from head at the same moment
Capturing with Media Express (only do this if you need to capture timecode or an upscaled video from the Teranex)
Open BlackMagic Media Express
Open Log and Capture window
Save Media Express project as the same name as the project folder, and save to folder
In the top right-hand corner, go to Preferences and set Capture Audio and Video To: and Capture Still Frames To: to your project folder on the storage raid
While in Preferences, ensure that Project Video Format is set to the correct settings:
For analog tape captures:
Framerate: 29.97 NTSC
Capture File Format: 10 bit Uncompressed
Use Dropped Frame Timecode should be checked
For upscale HD captures:
Framerate: Make sure to set this according to the client’s specifications
Capture File Format: ProRes 422 HQ
Use Dropped Frame Timecode should be checked
Navigate to Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup (should be in the dock) and ensure that your settings are correct for both video and audio set up
Use bars and tone tape to set levels
Ensure your capture station is set up correctly for the selected format AND the video input you are using
During the Capture
Keep your eyes and ears on the transfer, taking notes on any artifacts or errors
Notate these artifacts using the following timecode formula HH:MM:SS (Hours, Minutes, Seconds)
Example: 01:13:42 - Crash record;
Regularly check the waveform monitor and vectorscope as you capture, being watchful for signal variances outside of broadcast range
Watch the audio meters, ensuring that the audio is not peaking
Once the recorded content has ended, press Esc
Ensure no more content exists on tape. If complete, rewind the tape fully
Eject or remove the tape and return it to it’s case
Wrap a green elastic band around the tape/case if the capture was successful. If unsuccessful, wrap an orange elastic band
Clean the tape path
File Trimming
There is now a script that can help with file trimming, located on the SAN
/Volumes/SymplyUltra/Scripts/trimmer.sh
Open a terminal window
Drag in the script or type in the path to the script above
Drag in the file you want to trim
Enter the timecode you want the trimmed file to start and end in the format HH:MM:SS
Optional: enter how many hours you want the script to wait before running
This script only works on uncompressed .mov files. DV files (even .movs created from DV) will need to be trimmed manually using this ffmpeg command:
Generally, transcoding should take place EOD as to not interfere with other processing
If the file was captured to a local RAID, it will first need to be rsync’d to the SAN
Regular BAVC clients and archives (such as the Walt Disney Archives) have variable requests pertaining to their deliverables. Check the project’s **Salesforce Opportunity for those specifications prior to creating the derivatives
For the most commonly used script, open Terminal
Drag in the file from the SAN scripts folder called transcodeEngine.py
Add one space and type -i
Drag the folder containing similar .mov files to be transcoded alike (i.e. all files with left channel audio only - do not mix)
Hit Enter and follow each step
creates the Access file or H.264/MP4
De-interlace (unless otherwise specified)
Choose how to map the audio (Usually choosing from “Keep Original” or “Sum Stereo to Mono”)
640x480 unless otherwise specified
creates the Mezzanine file or ProRes/MOV
De-interlace (unless otherwise specified)
Choose how to map the audio (typically “same as original” unless otherwise specified) - Move the files to the PresRaid
When prompted, enter the folder name on the PresRaid, i.e. PV22_ClientName
Note: you do not need to type in the full path to the project folder, the script will automatically assume it goes in the InProgress folder - Create a QCTools file and Checksum
We typically create MD5 checksums without sidecar files
Update Salesforce
Transfer Details
Fill out the Transfer Environment section
Fill out the Video Transfer Elements section
Signal Notes
There are two Salesforce fields where we put information about the tape quality. Each has a slightly different format:
Technicians Notes
This field contains information about the tape’s quality in general
Here are some common notes:
Intermittent dropouts
Flagging
Headswitch error in underscan
Audio buzz
Audio hiss
Timecode Stamped Notes
This field contains information for mandatory errors, or any content of note specific to a certain time
Use the following format for each instance:
HH:MM:SS - This is a timecode stamped note;
HH:MM:SS - Every note but the last ends with a semicolon;
HH:MM:SS - The last note does not have a semicolon
Digital File Metadata
The transcodeEngine.py script will create a mediainfo.py file and automatically sync this file to Salesforce. If you want to do the sync manually you can run the sfsync.py script in the Scripts folder on the SAN
If you want to refresh the metadata in Salesforce, you can recreate it from any file or a folder of files using the metaharvest script
End of Day
Power off all decks, monitors, and power conditioners