DSE

you could look at it as being screwed, or look at it as the current and future camera designs aren't optimal for common skydiving practices but in a word..."screwed" probably sums it up best. At some point, tape has to die. Sony and Canon are very much keeping HDV alive, while JVC has unofficially said they're done with small format, tape-based devices. So has Panasonic. Given that Sony, Canon, and TEAC have huge plants that manufacture tape drives/mechanisms, we'll see 2-3 more years at best in tape formatting. Then it's all SD, Flash, HDD, DVD for low-cost camera format storage, and likely in the AVCHD codec, or CineForm-type codec. Panasonic's new AVCI format might gain legs as well, but I'm skeptical. REDCode might grow legs at some future point as well, but when you burn it down to the ground, tape will die, and reasonably soon (2-3 years). All that will be left is some form of solid-state or DVD-based media storage. I'm not of the opinion that this is a bad thing, however.

but looks like it's on the RED's to-do list Yes, I'm sure it is, somewhere down the line. We made some difficult decisions at the show, and opted for the 2K workflow for now, using the SI camera and detachable head. 4K is nice, although there are few editing options available to date, but there will soon be. SI is jumpable for high-end projects right now, and the detachable head can be used as an exceptionally lightweight aerial camera right now, for a very reasonable cost of 25K for a fully fitted system. Heck, if you don't mind cheezy quality that looks reasonable when downsampled to SD, the little Sanyo isn't bad at all.

Didn't bring up anything to usefull.... Actually, it does bring up something useful. Do the search, and see how many DZ employees live and EAT on the cheep. I believe that was AFFI's point.

Were you able to address some of the Skydiver friendly features that we all wish their cameras would incoorporate or bring back? somewhat, but I already knew the answers. A-Sony has never built a professional grade camcorder that is in the palm-type that skydivers prefer. B-NAB is a professionals-only trade event, the Sony consumer division exhibited at CES, where I'd inquired about body changes, etc. Answer to that question comes down to the end-of-life of this style of camcorder. Tape-based camcorders are effectively dead in design, and Sony/Canon/JVC/Panasonic's consumer divisions are all but done manufacturing consumer-oriented camcorders. Due to this, several manufacturing facilities have been converted to HDD/DVD/Flash manufacturing and design. We'll likely never see a design in this format again, as the design most skydivers appreciate is based on a tape transport, which no longer exists. C-SD is dead, dead, dead. No one is developing a non-HD camcorder and obviously won't return to that format. Not that it is relevant to the above commentary, other than to say that the life of SD is extremely short in the grand scheme of things, so either folks continue to use their PC-series for as long as they can, or figure out new helmet designs to accomodate the new camcorder designs, as eventually, aerial videographers are forced to move to HD/newer formats. D-Skydiving represents less than .0001% of the worldwide purchasing that Canon/JVC/Sony/Panasonic enjoy, so we'll likely always be a last consideration. Canon's HV20 has the design, but this is due in great part to previous manufacturing facilities and a late design. Flash/SD based camcorders are clearly where all this is going, AVCHD will be the format of choice if you're shooting for cheap cameras, small body, long battery life. Editing AVCHD is currently a bitch, but that'll change soon enough, even if the computer proc isn't ready to decode it in real-time. Not the answers folks are hoping for, but there it is.

Dunno, JT, but you missed a helluva night; we made the front page of the NAB Daily show newspaper and the closed NAB television news. It was huge. FeFe, the XDCAM EX bears no relationship to the Z1 at all. Sensor isn't related at all. Pictures might be deceiving, however. Sony also released a new shoulder-mount HDV cam, and made it very clear the A1 is still a very current model in their lineup. Sony Japan/International was knocked on their tails by the skydiving footage/canopy piloting footage from the Factory Team in the Grand Canyon. Was nice to meet a couple fellow skydivers there, such as Brooke, Thad, and a few other guys. Wish we'd have had more time to chat.

We don't have that on either of the two I've jumped. Got a pic? I'm curious. Dave, AFAIK, all PAC's have it, the PAC in Nagambie and Picton both do, FWIW. Nagambie's PAC has the area forward of the spar elevated, so you're sitting above the rest of the floor, but some a/c have the spar sitting across as a "curb." Maybe you don't sit in the forward area of the cabin since you're always one of the first out?

he can't become a TM in one year. IMO, doesn't matter how much time he has in the sport, if he's dedicated enough of his life and money to do 800 jumps in a year, more power to him; he's probably damn good, based on currency alone. Jonathan Tagle did 800 jumps his first year, he's a world champion. Maybe your guy is on that same track?

Yes, the HC5 has EIS, HC7 has OIS, but they're internally the same. FWIW, I have a few of both. As I mentioned in the last post, once NAB is out of the way, I'll post settings with images/micro-tutorial if you will. BTW, someone mentioned the HC5 hack to turn it into a 7; it's out there on a Netherlands site, I can't find the link at the moment. Bear in mind it will void your warranty. It's done via 1394 access.

I assume you mean Vegas. Right click, Insert Envelope, set envelope value to -100.

If you can tell me what my sig line is from I will consider it. If not then you don't understand its context Unless someone said it earlier, it's a famous line from "Ski Patrol" back in the late 80's/early 90's. The character was Suicide, and I can't remember who played him.

First, I was speaking to Mykel. Second, no one lectured, but provided commentary. Third, this is what I do for a living, 24/7. It's not a sideline. Fourth, there are a lot of elementals missing from your vid. If you "understand how the world works" then you wouldn't be violating multiple copyrights, as one small example. Finally, you may not comprehend it, but in creating a product that could contain such flaws only serves to draw negative attention to our sport should someone be harmed as a result of the information and/or it's presentation. When creating a training scenario, you MUST consider all potential interpretations of your content. You don't know if the person watching is a moron or a genius, challenged or gifted. But you MUST create for all those potential viewers, language must be carefully chosen to clearly explain all visual content and the potential ramifications of various alternative actions. Simply saying "you'll die if you don't do XXX" doesn't work. I applaud your effort, but cannot applaud not the content. It's amateur in presentation at best, from what little I've seen Were it easy to create this content, it would have been done in full long ago by skydiving instructors far better than you or I. There are incredible video talents and instructor talents in the skydiving world today; why do you suppose they haven't come up with a cohesive replacement for face to face FJC? Because of liability, because a video can't read the comprehension on the face of the student and slow down the educational process, and because a video can't see that the student is overwhelmed. FJC by it's very nature is designed to give the student exactly what they need to survive the first jump, and subsequent student jumps. TMI/Too Much Information is just as deadly as not enough information. As far as specific criticisms, AFF I's have given you strong feedback; what you choose to do with it will define what happens next. It sucks to have people criticize your efforts; been there all my life and deal with it every day. But the reality is that some efforts are well-intended yet fatally flawed from the first execution. One mark of a professional is realizing at some point, and being able to walk away from heartfelt motivation and excitement to the next project or experience. I'm sorry you see this as criticism vs helpful information. No offense is meant by my words; consider it the experience of someone that works full-time in the production field. But apparently you already know all that you need to know. Good luck with your project. [edited to add:]I think something like this could be very helpful if done right Of course this is correct. Problem is, you're not doing it "right" based on what feedback you're receiving. Aside from everything else, why are you using copyrighted content in a commercial video?

Amen, Mykel. Many video producers/editors don't consider the ramifications of their liability if they create a bad/misinformed/poorly explained training product. Today's world of inexpensive video gear has a lot of folks jumping in with both feet, but they don't have the backup they need to pull it off. Mercedes-Benz found themselves in a bad situation a couple years ago with streaming files that didn't correctly show a repair feature; a mechanic lost fingers as a result. He sued MB. I don't know the final outcome, but it was a big deal in the DMA (Digital Media Association). I suspect this also isn't why we see "how to" videos in the action sports scene. This is indeed why you see multiple, vehement disclaimers on Stunt Junkies, Mythbusters, and other similar shows. Hell, if Judas Priest can find themselves in a multimillion $$ lawsuit because a song potentially suggested suicide... It's all fair game, and all things are open to personal interpretation. I'm not an AFFI, but do create a substantial amount of training material for Honda, Sony, Yamaha, etc. In the cases of Honda/Yamaha, we are not, nor are resellers, permitted to show any motor vehicle with less than 3 wheels on the ground at any point in the training or commercial presentation for reasons of liability.

Ive (for a laugh) debriefed wingsuit jumps with the TV on its side, does that count? That's the nice aspect of modern media; there is no "side." We just finished a series of tradeshow presentations for widescreen shot from a horizontal up perspective. Widescreens on their side to display two 4:3 images top/bottom, and a basketball player standing full body view. Very fun stuff. May be a fun way to show competitions with two cam views?

That guy is a real asshat. Can't stand seeing him every day in the studio. Many people are of the opinion that MPEG encoders are all created alike. Glad you found out that's simply not so. There are fast ones and slow ones, good ones and bad ones. For the sub 1K encoder range, Vegas is as good as it gets, and better than most of them. I wish Compressor came close.

Tell you what: to save myself some writing... I realize y'all want answers for both/all three of these newer cams. I'm currently at the NAB show in Las Vegas, which doesn't publically start until Sunday. Upshot is, I won't be in the air for 2 weeks, but I can take the time after NAB is over, to write a reasonably comprehensive article on setting speeds, best settings, etc. Between now and then, there is no time, so the fastest answer is: 1-Shoot shutter slow or at 1/60th for best results 2-Be sure the lens is covered with either polarizer or UV to prevent air from getting in there. Besides, the MPEG encoder loves polarizers if you've got a good one. 3. Use VX color.

If you read assumptions, you mis-read. They're questions that any intelligent employer is asking about you, whether he/she verbalizes it or not. I've got guys in their early 60's working for me, guys that are in their late teens working for me. Age matters so little overall. I care about the things I listed before. ~attitude ~reliability ~trustworthy ~people-ability ~skill Our DZ just hired (as manager) an early 40's guy that has an awesome attitude, great people skills, and bad knees. He brings a great vibe to the DZ with his smile, upbeat attitude, and intelligent response to challenging situations. He gets on his knees and packs, he organizes loads, he teaches, he listens, he takes out the trash, he spends personal time with the students and skygods alike. Very little of what I mention has to do with skydiving skill. That is the core of what he DOES, but not related much to who he IS. Consider my earlier questions as rhetoricals if that makes more sense. [edit to add] Did I mention I'm older than you?

Dunno if you "past" your prime, but you may have "passed" your prime. Sounds like you have a solid background, but as an employer, that is about 1/3 of what I need to know/see. Are you reliable? Trustworthy? Capable of having keys to my 'kingdom?' Are you happy? do you have a great attitude? Can you tell someone that they screwed up without them feeling stupid? Can you compliment without giving them false praise? Are you a people person? Talent is important, but easily the smallest aspect of what I'm looking for in an employee. Great; glad to hear you're a skygod. Just cuz you *can* pack, the bigger question is "will you?" I don't think age has too much to do with "prime." The mere fact you ask the question perhaps sets you up for some difficult realizations.

I have a brief article on this subject, written for a magazine. bottom line---get familiar with wide, because there is no more 4:3 being produced, anywhere. Whether you're letterboxing, anamorphically shooting/stretching, or zooming to crop (sucky way to do this), all broadcast in 12 months will adhere to the DTV standard, which will create 16:9 one way or another. Many broadcasters do this now. Vertical framing is identical to 3:2 or 4:3 (same thing, two names) Horizontal framing is a different story. It does take time to become used to the additional third area, IMO.

You looking at TAS or SAS? Hell, I can't even keep up with the three guys I was with, and I don't think I'm really "head-down" according to them. So, either my alti is screwed up, or you go slow. I weigh around 225 with gear on. I don't wear a big jumpsuit though. Now you got me wondering about head down speeds.

Since I'm going through something similar right now.. I call the seller after asking him for his number in PM's. We talked for a while about who we know. We identified a person or two we both know and trust. That person happens to know my DZO. Gear has been shipped to my DZO who is holding my money in "escrow" to be given to the seller if/when the gear is approved by the DZO and myself. Using a third party as an escrow/trust holder is the only way I'd be comfortable with more than a hundred bucks or so. I recently got screwed by an Ebay seller on a Protrack; she doesn't accept Paypal and I was stupid enough to think that because she was a skydiver with a lot of gear sales and feedback...I'd be OK. Lern't my lesson.

As posted earlier, 1/60 is the shutter speed you need to target. Of the 3 clips I've rec'd, all are one of two things, and two of them are exclusively the same issue. rolling shutter. Google it, you'll understand it. Any CMOS video cam will give you rolling shutter artifacts at a shutter speed of faster than 1/250. The other clip, I ran it through EcliPs to see what was transpiring (it's obvious that it's not an Iframe-drop issue when you watch it) and I can see that there are corrupted DCT frames. I've seen this before at lower bitrates, but never at 25mpbs. The header data is missing from the short segment of this one clip, so I can't see shutter speed nor framerate (although I know it's 60i). I suspect the shutter is 1/60 but not sure. I can't head down for shit, but did 4 sit dives on Sat with the exclusive intent of causing issues with my cam(s) and had none with the HC7 or HC5. I shoot with VX on, 1/60, manual focus. I also have a beefy Bogen 3200 series mount, I don't know if that makes a diff, mounted on an FTP, lens overhanging the edge by approx .5" Head down sucked, although I tried. Got one person in frame for all of a couple seconds, it was fine. Data stream of the clouds/sky/ground is clean. Altitrack logged top speed at 226, so definitely not hitting the speeds you guys are likely hitting.

A quick read of your owners manual will inform you that you cannot transfer copyprotected works to a computer or HDD system if you're using a 6208 or 6412 DVR systems. Originally, I took your DVR meaning as a deck, my apologies. We use DSR25 and M25 DVR units, but these are decks, not air-programming recorders. the short answer is, if your programming is copyrighted (as it is if it's coming over the airwaves or cable in many instances) you're not going to easily transfer it. I'd check ou the AVS forums, there is a lot of hacker info there if that's what you need to do.

Better yet, have a secondary harness that allows three canopies, with the handkerchief hand-deployed by someone in the aircraft, cut it away around 5k, and fly your usual main for landing.

I don't know. You still haven't told me anything about brand/model of DVR, and haven't told me much about computer card. It also might be that your DVR has restrictions on passing data, hence the reason I asked for brand/model.

What were ya thinking? C Firewire comes in two connection flavors. 6pin and 4 pin. There are no cameras usable for skydiving (that I'm aware of) that use 6pin connectors. JVC HD100/200 series do, but no way are you putting one of those on your head. Same with XDCAM. Anyway... Firewire is just a real-time transfer protocol, like SCSI, parallel, USB, serial, etc. I think you're looking at a Y/C connector and calling it "6 pin." I'm not sure how to tell you more about firewire input. It sounds like your camera may have a bad connection, your computer has a bad card, or you have a bad cable. Firewire transfer is pretty straightforward and simple, as the various posts have suggested. When you plug in your firewire cable to either computer or camera, does your computer "ding?" if so, the computer sees the connection. If not, it might not be seeing the connection. OS information, card information, camera model information would all be helpful here.