PAL Camera

Andy,

After changing the s-video mode, you have to power cycle the unit or reboot the computer for the changes to take effect. This is due to some bugs in the ATI driver that don't always handle changing modes on the fly. Therefore we have required a reboot to occur for the new mode to be active.

Also, the S-Video has to be set to External for this to work. When set to Internal it will always only function as NTSC for the internal camera.

I would not reccommend changing the internal cameras. There is a lot of tight integration that we do in communicating with the camera. Changing to a different camera is not something that we'd be able to provide support for and could cause other issues.

When you are only using the DL.2 fixtures with other DL.2's it doesn't really make much of a difference if the cameras are PAL or NTSC since they are all operating in their own network. If you want to feed the camera signal to something else, then a scan converter would probably be cheaper to use at that point in the camera network rather than replacing all the cameras. Those internal cameras are not cheap at all.

Thanks, I will try this.

The PAL camera I am using is a Sony FCB-EX480CP which is the PAL version of the Sony FCB-EX480C that was originally fitted to the DL2 that I looked in. I am hopefull it will work but if the internal camera setting is to NTSC only this may torpedo the whole idea.

Yes this works, I had forgotten to set camera to external. The PAL camera seems to work fine also, I seem to get all the same modes. I did not expect to have to set it to external as I had removed the switching board and connected directly but it is interesting that the internal cam is always NTSC. Could this be changed for people who are usually interfacing with PAL system. By the way I did not find the cost of the PAL camera too bad.

I do belive that possibly offering a DL2 with a PAL default setting and camera in Europe could be a improvement.

The problem we run into is that gear travels all over the world, so it creates a bigger compatibility issue of having mixed units out there.

Most of the time the cameras in the DL.2 are only used with other DL.2 fixtures so it is not an issue.

Dear Andy,
I worked last week with the WDR TV-station (Cologne) at the "Leverkusener Jazztage" using 6*DL.2 in the set.
Together with the CameraCrew we feeded the DL.2 camera signal through a Folsom Scan Converter to the broadcast system ot the WDR.

The engineer analysis stated:
Signal quality is o.k.. Use the DL.2 Cam for internal use by routing the Cam-signal through the DL.2 Camera Kit to other DL.2s. The DL.2 angle for special effect shots is what really made everyone happy.
Creative use with night-vision might been an option, which we didn't use unfortunately with the first two shows.

Use Contrast and Blackpoint to enhance the visual brightness with the lighting desk.

What would be great to have with the DL.2 Cameras is to manually control the stop-down through the lighting desk, because by now the stop-down adjust itsself automatically.

IF "we europeans" would like to enhance the camery system: Why don't search for SDI-cams???

I will get a DVD from the TV-station until the end of november from this event. Let's stay in contact.

Ruediger
ARCUS GmbH
Germany

Thanks for you help. I did not fit the PAL camera eventually due to the problem with the NTSC input to the computer. I used Extron USP 405's to sort the NTSC/PAL conversion and change the YC to SDI to send to the tour video system and an AJA D4E to convert SDI to YC for input into the DL2 from the video system. (Pal input).