Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools AVoption XL - 5.1.3 Instruction Manual

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Pro Tools

AVoption|XL Guide

Version 6.1 on Windows or Macintosh

Version 5.3.x on Windows or Macintosh

Version 5.1.3 on Macintosh

Digidesign

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Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA

tel: 650·731·6300

fax: 650·731·6399

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tel: 650·731·6100

fax: 650·731·6384

Product Information (USA)

tel: 650·731·6102

tel: 800·333·2137

International Ofﬁces

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for contact information

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www.digidesign.com

This guide is copyrighted ©2003 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.

DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

All features and specifications subject to change without notice.

PN 932711597-00 REV A 06/03

Chapter 1. Introduction to Pro Tools AVoption|XL

AVoption|XL Components

FilmFrame

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Chapter 2. AVoption|XL Hardware Overview

AVoption|XL Hardware Capabilities

Compatibility

Synchronization Hardware

Local Storage Hardware

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3. Installing AVoption|XL

Installing AVoption|XL Hardware

AVoption|XL Video Connections

AVoption|XL Breakout Box

Starting Up Your System

Installing AVoption|XL Software

Authorizing AVoption|XL

Using NTSC and PAL

Installing the SCSI Accelerator

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 4. Recording and Adding to the Movie Track

The Movie Track

Movie Track Options

Recording Video

Timebase Correction

Setting S-Video or Component Output

MachineControl

Exporting Files from Avid Programs

Adding OMFI Video Clips

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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Contents

iii

Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chapter 5. Playing and Editing the Movie Track

Movie Online

Movie Offline

Playback Viewing

Moving the Movie Track or Video Clips

Copying Video Clips

Clearing Selected Video Clips

Locking the Movie Track

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Appendix A. Slot Configurations for AVoption|XL

Appendix B. FilmFrame Workflows

Index

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Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide

chapter 1

Introduction to Pro Tools AVoption|XL

AVoption|XL combines the powerful audio postproduction features of Pro Tools with integrated support for the import, capture, and playback of Avid video media.

AVoption|XL Components

AVoption|XL consists of software, a Meridien Digital Media Board (PCI card) that you install in a Pro Tools audio system, and a Breakout Box that connects to the PCI card. Pro Tools audio hardware provides digital audio recording, editing, mixing, and processing. AVoption|XL provides video capture and import, full-screen video playback on an external PAL or NTSC monitor, professional quality video compression, and the capability to record and play back uncompressed video.

AVoption|XL includes the following:

• Meridien Digital Media Board

• AVoption|XL Breakout Box

• Connector cable

•AVoption|XL Installer CD-ROM (includes FilmFrame)

•AVoption|XL iLok License Card for Pro Tools|HD systems

– and –

•AVoption|XL Authorizer ﬂoppy disk for Pro Tools|24 MIX and Pro Tools|24 systems

AVoption|XL Capabilities

AVoption|XL lets you:

• Import and capture multiple NTSC or PAL video clips to the Movie track.

• Play the Movie track with near sample-accurate precision against audio tracks in a Pro Tools session.

• Spot or Slip video clips to a new time code location, and spot audio to video.

• Spot individual video clips to new locations in the Movie track.

•View video edits and clip deﬁnitions in the Movie track.

•View the Movie track as a series of picture frames.

• Play video on an external NTSC or PAL monitor.

You can also:

• Import JFIF video media ﬁles from Meridienbased Avid systems such as Media Composer, Symphony, and Xpress into the Movie track of a Pro Tools session.

• Capture JFIF format video media in the Movie track of a Pro Tools session, while recording audio simultaneously.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Pro Tools AVoption|XL

FilmFrame

The FilmFrame™ option enables support for true 24P and 25P (Progressive Scan) picture media in AVoption|XL. Using FilmFrame, you can import and play back 24P or 25P material created in Avid video workstations. 24P indicates 24 frames per second using progressive image storage, as opposed to interlaced fields. 25P indicates 25 frames per second using progressive image storage, as opposed to interlaced fields.

When using FilmFrame, all clips in the Movie track should be 24P or 25P. This is because the first frame in the Movie track sets the video engine to the appropriate speed. If the first clip is 24 fps or 25 fps, the entire Movie track will play at 24 fps or 25 fps. This will affect the playback speed of any subsequent clips of different speeds.

In Pro Tools 6.1, FilmFrame is installed with AVoption|XL, and is authorized with the AVoption|XL authorization. In Pro Tools 5.x, FilmFrame requires a separate authorization.

For examples of common FilmFrame Workflows, see Appendix B, “FilmFrame Workflows.”

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide

chapter 2

AVoption|XL Hardware Overview

AVoption|XL consists of two hardware components: a Meridien Digital Media Board that installs in a PCI slot in your computer, and an AVoption|XL Breakout Box that connects to the card in your computer. A Video I/O Board, installed in the AVoption|XL Breakout Box, provides video inputs and outputs from your computer to the rest of your video equipment.

AVoption|XL Hardware Capabilities

AVoption|XL hardware:

• Receives composite, component, S-video, or (optional) SDI video signal

• Digitizes incoming video

• Compresses digitized video using advanced JFIF compression

• Outputs composite, component, S-video, and (optional) SDI video signals

• Captures and plays back uncompressed video

JFIF Video Compression

The Meridien board captures and plays back video media in JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF). JFIF compression levels provide variable levels of compression for your video project, depending on the recording input selected.

The available JFIF resolutions for capture and playback of interlaced frame rates (such as 25i or 30i) are:

• Single ﬁeld:

•15:1s

•4:1s

•2:1s

• Dual field:

•20:1

•10:1

•3:1

•2:1

•1:1 (uncompressed)

• Multi-Cam (playback only):

• 10:1m

• 4:1m

Chapter 2: AVoption|XL Hardware Overview

The available JFIF resolutions for playback of progressive scan frame rates (such as 24P or 25P) are:

• 8:1m

• 3:1m

• 35:1

• 28:1

• 14:1

• 3:1

• 2:1

• 1:1 (uncompressed)

High JFIF compression ratios (such as 20:1 or 10:1) do not require as much storage space as low compression ratios (such as 3:1 or 2:1); however, video resolution is much better at low compression ratios.

JFIF Compression and Storage

File sizes for JFIF compressed video media will vary, depending on the selected video input.

The following tables list the approximate amount of video storage, in megabytes per second, required for each JFIF compression level.

Storage for Single-Field JFIF

JFIF level

15:1s .7

4:1s 2.7

2:1s 5.5

Storage Required for Dual-Field JFIF

JFIF level

30/25 FPS Storage (MB/second) (approximate)

30/25 FPS Storage (MB/second) (approximate, except 1:1)

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide

20:1 1.1

10:1 2.2

3:1 7.3

2:1 11

1:1 22

1:1 (uncompressed) data storage levels are not approximate. The amount of data required to store 1:1 video is always the same, regardless of the video input used.

Compatibility

Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved.

For a list of Digidesign hardware systems, Digidesign-qualified computers, operating systems, and third-party devices and software, refer to the latest compatibility information available on the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).

Supported Computers

• IBM Z-Pro 6221

• IBM M-Pro 6850

• Compaq Evo 8000

• Power Macintosh G4 with a Digidesign-qualiﬁed expansion chassis

• Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White) with a Digidesign-qualiﬁed expansion chassis

Older G3 Macintosh systems (beige) are not supported.

Supported Systems

The following Pro Tools TDM systems support AVoption|XL:

• Pro Tools|HD 6.1, 5.3.3, or 5.3.1 on Windows XP Professional Edition

• Pro Tools|HD 6.1 on Mac OS X

• Pro Tools|HD 5.3.1 on Mac OS 9.1 or 9.2

• Pro Tools|24 MIX 5.1.3 on Mac OS 9.1 or 9.2

Minimum System Requirements

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed computer

• At least 512 MB of RAM

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed expansion chassis (required for Macintosh, optional for Windows)

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed storage adapters (one for audio and one for video):

• SCSI HBA: a Digidesign-qualiﬁed SCSI HBA (such as the ATTO UL3D) is required for 1:1 or 2:1 video)

• FireWire (audio only)

• Fiber Channel for Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork or MediaNet

• Power Macintosh 9600 (Pro Tools|24 MIX

5.1.3 only)

Chapter 2: AVoption|XL Hardware Overview

3:1 Video Compression or Higher 2:1 Video Compression or 1:1

(Uncompressed)

Minimum AVoption|XL System Requirements

Item Minimum Requirement

Computer IBM Z-Pro 6221 or M-Pro

6850, Compaq Evo 8000,Power Macintosh G4, Blue & White G3, or 9600

PCI Expansion Chassis

SCSI accelerator Digidesign-qualiﬁed SCSI

SCSI hard drives Digidesign-qualiﬁed hard

Striped hard drives Depending on the drive

Avid Unity MediaNetwork or MediaNet (optional)

Sync peripheral SYNC I/O with HD or MIX sys-

Digidesign or Magma 13-Slot (optional on Windows, required for Macintosh)

accelerator (such as the ATTO UL3D); for more information, see the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

drives are required; for more information, see the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

speed, a 2-way striped or 4way striped drive may be necessary for video playback.

Qualiﬁed Fibre Channel PCI card (ATTO 3300, JNI FCE3210C, or JNI FCE3210N).

tems or Universal Slave Driver (USD) with MIX systems

Minimum AVoption|XL System Requirements

Item Minimum Requirement

Computer IBM M-Pro 6850 or Compaq

8000,Power Macintosh G4, Blue & White G3, or 9600

PCI Expansion Chassis

SCSI accelerator (video)

SCSI accelerator (audio)

SCSI hard drives Digidesign-qualiﬁed hard

Striped hard drives Depending on the drive

Avid Unity MediaNetwork or MediaNet (optional)

Digidesign or Magma 13-Slot (optional on Windows)

Digidesign-qualiﬁed SCSI accelerator (such as the ATTO UL3D); for more information, see the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

drives are required; for more information, see the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

speed, a 2-way striped or 4way striped drive may be necessary for video playback.

Qualiﬁed Fibre Channel PCI card (ATTO 3300, JNI FCE3210C, or JNI FCE3210N).

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide

Sync peripheral SYNC I/O with HD or MIX sys-

tems or Universal Slave Driver (USD) with MIX systems

On Windows with Avid Unity, 1:1 video is not currently supported with an expansion chassis.

Synchronization Hardware

Synchronization Peripheral

SCSI Hardware and Drives with Video Compression Level 3:1 or Higher

If you are using 3:1 video compression or higher at all times, then your system requires only a single dual channel SCSI accelerator, with audio drives connected to one channel and video drives connected to another. Qualiﬁed dual channel SCSI accelerators (such as the ATTO UL3D).

Sync Source

For accurate synchronization during capture and playback, a common video reference is required:

• Black burst

• House Sync source

• Local video source (such as the TBC video output of the machine)

Local Storage Hardware

SCSI Accelerators

To support the high transfer rates required by AVoption|XL video, a Digidesign-qualified dualchannel SCSI accelerator is required, with audio drives connected to one channel and video drives connected to the other channel. For 2:1 compression or 1:1 uncompressed video, two SCSI accelerators are required.

Using Two Hard Drives

For scenarios that do not require a high audio track count or a very long video segment, you may use two hard drives.

In this scenario, one drive is used to record, import, and play back audio data, and the other is used to do the same for video.

Using More Than Two Hard Drives

To get the highest possible performance from your AVoption|XL system, you can use more than two hard drives. In this scenario, you can use striped hard drives for video data. Striped volumes appear to AVoption|XL as a single volume.

Striped drives are supported for video only. Striped drives are not supported for audio.

Audio

AVoption|XL can store audio data to multiple hard drives. You should allocate audio tracks to different hard drives manually. Round Robin disk allocation is not recommended in a system that includes video drives. For more information, see the

Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 2: AVoption|XL Hardware Overview

Video

AVoption|XL can capture a contiguous video track to multiple hard disks. This is useful if the length of your video session exceeds the storage space available on a single drive. For example, 26 minutes of video material, using 3:1 compression, requires approximately 11.1 GB of storage space.

4-way striped drives should be connected in pairs to the video accelerator, with 2 or more drives connected (in even amounts) to each channel.

Pro Tools with AVoption|XL does not support striped audio drives for local storage.

SCSI Hardware and Drives with Video Compression Level 2:1 or 1:1

If you are using 2:1 or 1:1 video compression, your system requires two Digidesign-qualified SCSI accelerators (such as the ATTO UL3D)— one for audio and one for video.

Striped Drive Requirements

Striped

drives are configured so that multiple hard drives behave as if they are one hard drive. This makes higher data throughput possible. Requirements will vary depending on the drives. For instance, the 5th-Generation Avid/DigiDrives™ (released November 2001) require 2-way striped drives when capturing or playing uncompressed (1:1) video. For earlier generations of drives, 4-way striped drives (4 drives acting as one) are required when capturing or playing uncompressed (1:1) video. 2-way striped drives (2 drives acting as one) are required when capturing or playing 2:1 compressed video.

For information on Avid Unity MediaNetwork or MediaNet, refer to your Avid documentation.

2-way striped drives should be connected in pairs to the video accelerator, with 1 drive connected to each channel.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide

chapter 3

Installing AVoption|XL

If you do not already have currently supported Pro Tools hardware installed, you must ﬁrst install your Pro Tools software and hardware. For detailed installation information, refer to the

Getting Started Guide

Pro Tools system

Be sure to follow the correct PCI slot placement of your Pro Tools cards according to the information in Appendix A, “Slot Configurations for AVoption|XL.”

Once you have installed your Pro Tools system and verified that it is functioning correctly, proceed by installing the AVoption|XL hardware and software.

Be sure to install AVoption|XL hardware before installing AVoption|XL software.

that came with your

Installing AVoption|XL Hardware

AVoption|XL PCI Slot Conﬁgurations

To install your AVoption|XL hardware, ﬁrst determine the PCI slots where you will install the hardware. For detailed information, see Appendix A, “Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL.”

Audio Hardware

Refer to the your Pro Tools system for audio hardware installation information. You may be required to move hardware that is already installed to new PCI slot locations in your computer or expansion chassis, based on the information in Appendix A, “Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL.”

Getting Started Guide

that came with

Installing AVoption|XL Video Hardware

To install AVoption|XL video hardware:

1 Unplug and open your computer or expan-

sion chassis according to the instructions included with it.

2 Release any static electricity by touching the

power supply, or another grounded item.

3 Remove the Digital Media Board from the

anti-static bag, being careful to handle it only by the edges.

4 Locate the PCI slot where you will install the

Digital Media Board. To identify the proper PCI slot location, see Appendix A, “Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL.”

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL

5 Line up the Digital Media Board with the in-

stallation slot, and slide the card into place gently so the PCI connector is lined up with the PCI slot.

6 Press down ﬁrmly on the card with even pres-

sure. The connector should click into place in the PCI slot.

PCI card alignment and installation

7 Close the computer or expansion chassis.

8 Attach the connector cable from the Digital

Media Board (connector labeled M) to the Computer connector on the AVoption|XL Breakout Box (see “AVoption|XL Breakout Box” on page 11).

AVoption|XL Video Connections

The following video I/O capabilities are available with the AVoption|XL Breakout Box:

• Inputs for composite, component (Y, R-Y, B-Y), S-Video, and (optional) SDI.

• Outputs for composite, component (Y, R-Y, B-Y), S-Video, and (optional) SDI.

•Video Ref input to allow the video to be locked to an external source such as house sync or a blackburst generator.

Note that only one video input source can be used at a time. For more information, see “Recording Video” on page 25.

The AVoption|XL Breakout Box can only output from either S-Video or Component outputs. You must set this option in your Movie track. See “Setting S-Video or Component Output” on page 26 for instructions.

COMPONENT

COMPOSITE

ININ

R-Y B-Y

S-VIDEO

COMPOSITE

REF

OUT

B-Y

R-Y

OUT 1

OUT 2

SYSTEM

OUT

IN / OUT

S-VIDEO

OUT 3

LTC

OUT

Connecting the Digital Media Board to the Breakout Box

9 If you need to install a SCSI accelerator card,

do so now (see “Installing the SCSI Accelerator” on page 18).

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide10

AVoption|XL Breakout Box

The following sections provide figures and tables that describe the function of the AVoption|XL Breakout Box.

AVoption|XL Breakout Box Front Panel Indicators

The front panel of the AVoption|XL Breakout Box (see Figure 1) has six indicators and a power switch. When you turn on the AVoption|XL Breakout Box, the indicators turn on and off as it goes through a power-on self-test (POST). After the POST, the POWER indicator remains lit.

Some indicators do not light, or do not indicate correctly (see illustration). To see the correct indications, use the indicators on your Digidesign SYNC I/O, USD, or the Pro Tools Session Setup window.

44.1 kHz

kHz

Audio sync (this does

not light)

Sample rate (44.1 or 48

is always lit)



Video sync

Figure 1. AVoption|XL Breakout Box front panel

The sample rate indicator is not accurate for sessions with sample rates greater than 48 kHz.

AUDIO SYNC

VIDEO SYNC

Pull down (this does not light)

PULL DOWN

POWER

Power indicator

Power switch

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL 11

Video I/O Connectors

1 2 3 4 5 6

COMPONENT

COMPOSITE

ININ

R-Y B-Y

S-VIDEO

REF

COMPOSITE

OUT 1

B-Y

R-Y

OUT 3

OUT 2

OUT 1

OUT

SERIAL DIGITAL

OUT

S-VIDEO

20 19 18 17 16 1521 13 12

7 8 9 10

OUT 3IN

OUT 2

SLAVE CLOCK

SYSTEM

IN / OUT

OUT

LTC

OUT

Figure 2. AVoption|XL Breakout Box back panel showing video connectors

Table 1. Video I/O Board Identiﬁers

Number Label Function

1 COMPONENT Y IN Video Y component input, BNC connector. Connects to ana-

log video output of decks.

2 COMPONENT R-Y IN Video R-Y component input, BNC connector. Connects to

analog video output of decks.

3 COMPONENT B-Y IN Video B-Y component input, BNC connector. Connects to

analog video output of decks.

4 COMPONENT Y OUT Video Y component (Betacam) output, BNC connector. Con-

nects to analog video input of decks.

5 COMPONENT R-Y OUT Video R-Y component (Betacam) output, BNC connector.

Connects to analog video input of decks.

6 COMPONENT B-Y OUT Video B-Y component (Betacam) output, BNC connector.

Connects to analog video input of decks.

7 SDI IN (optional) Serial digital input, BNC connector. Connects to a serial dig-

ital output from a digital video source.

8 SDI OUT1 (optional) Serial digital output number 1, BNC connector. Connects to

VTR input, a video monitor, or other serial digital device.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide12

Table 1. Video I/O Board Identiﬁers(Continued)

Number Label Function

9 SDI OUT2 (optional) Serial digital output number 2, BNC connector. Connects to

VTR input, a video monitor, or other serial digital device.

10 SDI OUT3 (optional) Serial digital output number 3, BNC connector. Connects to

VTR input, a video monitor, or other serial digital device.

11 SYSTEM Audio and video I/O connector from the system interface

board.

12 LTC OUT Sends LTC time code out (not used).

13 LTC IN Brings LTC time code in (not used).

14 SLAVE CLOCK OUT Clock output, BNC connector (not used)

15 S-VIDEO OUT Super-video output, 4-pin connector. Connects to analog

video input of decks.

16 COMPOSITE OUT3 Composite video output, BNC connector. Connects to analog

video input of decks or monitor.

17 COMPOSITE OUT2 Composite video output, BNC connector. Connects to analog

video input of decks or monitor.

18 COMPOSITE OUT1 Composite video output, BNC connector. Connects to analog

video input of decks or monitor.

19 S-VIDEO IN Super-video input, 4-pin connector. Connects to analog video

output of decks.

20 COMPOSITE IN Composite video input, BNC connector. Connects to

analog video output of decks.

21 Video Reference (REF) Blackburst or house sync input, BNC connector. Synchro-

nizes the system with the global clock source provided by the house sync or blackburst generator.

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL 13

SYNC I/O Connections

The following illustrations show SYNC I/O connections for Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|24 MIX systems with AVoption|XL. The SYNC I/O Guide provides more specific information about this peripheral.

House Video Reference

VIDEO REF

Serial cable to computer

HOST SERIAL

SYNC I/O video connections

from Loop Sync Out

(audio interface)

9-PIN OUT 1

OUT

9-PIN OUT 2

to Loop Sync In

(HD audio interface)

SYNC I/O connection to a Pro Tools|HD audio interface

VTR out

OUT

VIDEO

to COMPOSITE VIDEO

AC 100-240V, 50-60HZ, .5A 30W

LOOP SYNC

INTERNALLY TERMINATED

MTC OUT

USD Connections

(Pro Tools|24 MIX or Pro Tools|24 Systems Only)

The following illustrations show USD connections. The Universal Slave Driver User’s Guide provides more specific information about this peripheral.

House Video Reference

VIDEO REF

Serial cable to computer

MAC SERIAL

VTR out

OUT

VIDEO

to COMPOSITE VIDEO

USD video connections

85-264VAC, 47-63HZ, 115 W

9-PIN IN / ACC

9-PIN OUT

OUT

SUPER CLOCK (256X)

to Slave Clock In (audio interface)

USD connection to an audio interface

Connecting House Video Reference or Blackburst

OUT

WORD CLOCK (1x,256x)

to Slave Clock In (x256)

9-PIN OUT 1

9-PIN OUT 2

(MIX audio interface)

OUT

LOOP SYNC

AC 100-240V, 50-60HZ, .

SYNC I/O connection to a Pro Tools|24 MIX audio interface

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide14

In most AVoption|XL setups, three blackburst or house video reference (house sync) connections are required:

•To VIDEO REF IN on the SYNC I/O or USD

•To a video input on your VTR (a video reference input if available)

•To the VIDEO REF connector on the AVoption|XL Breakout Box

Read the documentation for your blackburst generator for more information.

Connecting a VTR

A VTR can be used to provide video input and to record video output from AVoption|XL. In most situations, there are three connections you need to make:

• Connect a blackburst or house sync output to a video input on your VTR (preferably a reference video input).

• Connect the AVoption|XL Breakout Box Composite IN, Component IN, S-Video IN, or SDI IN connectors to the corresponding output or outputs on your VTR.

• Connect the AVoption|XL Breakout Box Composite OUT, Component OUT, S-Video OUT, or SDI OUT connectors to the corresponding inputs on your VTR.

– or –

• Connect the AVoption|XL Breakout Box Composite OUT or Component OUT connectors to the corresponding input on an NTSC or PAL video monitor, then connect the outputs from this monitor to the corresponding inputs on your VTR.

The AVoption|XL Breakout Box can only output from either S-Video or Component outputs (S-Video is a type of Component output and you must choose which component output you want to use). You must set this option in your Movie track. See “Setting S-Video or Component Output” on page 26 for instructions.

Connecting an External Video Reference Monitor

Connect an external NTSC or PAL video reference monitor to a Composite, Component, SVideo, or SDI output.

Centralized Video Switching and Routing

Many professional facilities have centralized video switching and routing systems. These systems can be used to route AVoption|XL inputs and outputs to flexible input sources and output destinations.

Starting Up Your System

To ensure that the components of you Pro Tools AVoption|XL system communicate properly with each other, you need to start up your system in the correct order.

Start up your Pro Tools AVoption|XL system in the following order:

1 Turn on the Expansion Chassis, if any.

2 Turn on any external hard drives.

3 Turn on the SYNC I/O or USD.

4 Turn on the Pro Tools audio interfaces.

5 Turn on the AVoption|XL Breakout Box.

6 Start up your computer.

For professional quality video layback, export audio from Pro Tools and import it into an Avid workstation with the video track. You can also layback the audio to video tape.

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL 15

Installing AVoption|XL Software

To install AVoption|XL software on Windows:

1 Start your computer and log on to Windows

with Administrator privileges.

2 Wait for the Found New Hardware Wizard di-

alog to appear and leave it open.

3 Leaving the Found New Hardware Wizard di-

alog open, insert the AVoption|XL Installer CDROM in your computer’s CD-ROM drive. Locate and launch the Setup.exe ﬁle.

4 Click Next.

5 Click Yes.

6 Wait for the installer to ﬁnish installing all

software components. When installation is complete, click Finish to restart your computer.

To install AVoption|XL software on Macintosh:

1 Start your computer. If you are running Mac

OS X, be sure to log on with Administrator privileges.

2 Insert the AVoption|XL Installer CD-ROM in

your computer’s CD-ROM drive.

3 Locate and launch the AVoption|XL Installer

ﬁle.

4 Follow the on screen instructions to install the

AVoption|XL software.

5 When the installation is complete, quit the in-

staller and restart your computer.

Authorizing AVoption|XL

Once you have installed your AVoption|XL software and hardware, launch Pro Tools to authorize AVoption|XL using the iLok USB Smart Key and the licence card (see “iLok” on page 16), or the authorizer key disk (see “Key Disk Authorization” on page 17).

iLok

AVoption|XL is authorized using the iLok USB Smart Key from PACE Anti Piracy. One iLok USB Smart Key is included with Pro Tools HD Core systems. This key can hold over 100 authorizations for all your iLok-enabled software. Once a software authorization is added to an iLok USB Smart Key, you can use the iLok to authorize that software on any computer.

Authorizations are added to an iLok using License Cards that have a small punch-out GSM plastic chip. License Cards are specific to each Pro Tools option or plug-in you purchase.

To add an authorization to an iLok:

1 Insert the iLok USB Smart Key into an avail-

able USB port on your computer.

2 Launch Pro Tools. You will be prompted to au-

thorize AVoption|XL.

3 Follow the on-screen instructions until you

are prompted to insert the License Card into the iLok USB Smart Key.

4 Separate the License Card from the larger pro-

tective card by pulling the cutout up and out with your thumb.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide16

5 Insert the License Card into the iLok. You will

be able to visually verify that the License Card makes contact with the iLok’s metal card reader.

iLok USB Smart Key with License Card

6 With the iLok USB Smart Key inserted in any

available USB port on your computer, click Authorize.

7 After authorization is complete, remove the

License Card from the iLok USB Smart Key. (If you have to remove the iLok USB Smart Key to remove the License Card, be sure to re-insert the iLok USB Smart Key in any available USB port on your computer.)

Key Disk Authorization

(Pro Tools 5.1.3 Only)

To authorize or deauthorize AVoption|XL:

1 Insert the Authorizer diskette into the ﬂoppy

drive. (Pro Tools should NOT be launched during this process).

2 Click Authdeauthorizer in the pop-up win-

dow that appears.

3 Click Set-up Authorizer or Deauthorizer.

4 Choose Authorize or Remove. (If you are re-

moving an authorization and a “?” appears over the application icon, the diskette you inserted is not the one you originally used for the authorization. You should see a gold key icon. If you continue through the deauthorization process with a “?”, the application will be deauthorized, but an authorization will not credited back to the diskette for your next installation.)

5 Select disk location and click Authorize or Re-

move.

6 Quit.

You can also use an Authorizer diskette to authorize or deauthorize AVoption|XL. After you install the software from the CD-ROM, the Authorizer diskette permits you to authorize and use a single copy of AVoption|XL.

AVoption|XL software is installed in a specific location on your hard drive, and should not be moved or altered. The Authorizer diskette permits you to reclaim authorization from your hard drive if you want to install AVoption|XL on a different hard drive, or if you want to re-initialize or format your drive.

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL 17

Using NTSC and PAL

When switching between NTSC and PAL formats, settings must be changed in three places:

• In the Pro Tools Session Setup window, select the correct frame rate from the Frame Rate pop-up menu (25 FPS, 29.97 FPS, or 29.97 FPS Drop).

• In the Session Setup window, the SYNC I/O or USD must be set to the correct format (PAL or NTSC).

When a video clip is imported to the Movie track, Pro Tools 5.3.1 or later sets the correct format (PAL or NTSC) on the SYNC I/O automatically.

• If you are going to capture video with AVoption|XL, select the correct video format (PAL or NTSC):

• In Pro Tools 5.3.1 on Windows or Pro Tools

5.1.3 on the Macintosh, click the Track Options button on the Movie track and select the correct video format (PAL or NTSC) from the Video Format pop-up menu (see Figure 3 on page 23). This setting can be modiﬁed when the Movie track is armed for record.

– or –

• In Pro Tools 5.3.3 or later on Windows or Pro Tools 5.3.1 or later on Macintosh, select the correct video format (PAL or NTSC) from the Video Format pop-up menu in the Session Setup window.

• If you import an existing video ﬁle to the Movie track, the Video format is set automatically to NTSC or PAL according to the ﬁrst frame of the imported video.

Installing the SCSI Accelerator

To install a SCSI Accelerator card:

1 Unplug and open your computer or expan-

sion chassis according to the instructions included with it.

2 Release any static electricity by touching the

power supply, or another grounded item.

3 Remove the SCSI accelerator card from the an-

tistatic bag, being careful to handle it only by the edges.

4 Line up the SCSI accelerator card with the in-

stallation slot, and slide the card into place gently so the PCI connector is aligned with the PCI slot.

If installing the SCSI accelerator card in your computer, always install it in the highest numbered slot available. If installing the SCSI accelerator card in an expansion chassis, see Appendix A, “Slot Configurations for AVoption|XL” to determine the correct slot placement

5 Press down ﬁrmly on the card with even pres-

sure. The connector should click into place in the PCI slot.

6 Fasten the card in place using the included

screw to attach the card bracket to the computer mounting bracket.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide18

Updating the SCSI BIOS

(Windows Only)

When starting your computer, you will see which version of the ATTO SCSI BIOS is installed on the ROM of the ATTO SCSI card. If it is not version 1.6.6 or higher , you will need to ﬂash the SCSI BIOS with 1.6.6 or higher ATTO SCSI BIOS. If the ATTO SCSI BIOS is already at version 1.6.6, proceed to installing the Windows device driver (see “Installing the Windows Device Driver” on page 19).

Installing the Windows Device Driver

(Windows Only)

Verify that the ATTO SCSI BIOS is version 1.6.6 or higher. If it not, you will need to update the SCSI BIOS (see “Updating the SCSI BIOS” on page 19).

To install the ATTO Windows device driver:

1 Start up your computer. Note the version of

the ATTO SCSI BIOS when booting.

To update the BIOS on the ATTO SCSI card:

1 Insert a High Density PC formatted ﬂoppy

disk.

2 Copy the DOS folder from the ATTO folder on

the AVoption|XL Installer CD-ROM to the ﬂoppy disk.

3 Shut down your computer.

4 Disconnect any hard drives connected to the

SCSI card.

5 Boot your computer with the ﬂoppy disk in

the ﬂoppy drive.

6 When prompted, press Control+Z.

7 Press Enter.

8 Select Adapter Menu.

9 Select Update Flash ROM.

10 Press Enter twice.

The SCSI BIOS will be updated. This may take a few minutes.

11 Select Conﬁgure Adapter Channels.

12 Set Host Adapter BIOS to Scan Only.

13 Press the Esc key twice.

14 Select Save Parameters and Exit, and press

Enter.

2 Insert the AVoption|XL Installer CD-ROM.

3 Launch the System control panel.

4 Select the Hardware tab.

5 Click Device Manager.

6 Select SCSI and RAID controllers.

7 Double-click the LSI PCI SCSI Adapter.

8 Select the Driver tab.

9 Click Update Driver.

10 Select “Install from speciﬁed location.”

11 Select “Don’t search, I’ll choose the driver to

install.”

12 Click Next.

13 Click Have Disk.

14 Click Browse and navigate to the ATTO

folder on the AVoption|XL Installer CD-ROM.

15 Select EXPRESS.INF and click Open.

16 Click OK.

17 Click Next.

18 Click Finish.

19 Click Close.

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL 19

20 If you have a dual-channel SCSI card, repeat

steps 7–19 for the second channel.

21 Click OK.

Formatting Hard Drives

(Windows Only)

On Windows, format your video and audio hard drives as NTFS or FAT32 with 32k clusters using Windows Disk Administrator or PartitionMagic. Striped drives are supported for video, but not for audio.

• UL3D with HD hardware: “160 (80)” (160 MB/sec at 80 MHz)

• EPCI-DC, SCSI64, EPCI-UL2D or EPCIUL3D with MIX hardware: “20 (10)” (20 MB/sec at 10 MHz)

4 From the PCI Burst Rate pop-up menu, select

the correct setting for your setup:

• EPCI-DC, SCSI64 with HD hardware: “32”

• UL2D with HD hardware: “128”

• UL3D with HD hardware: “128”

• EPCI-DC, SCSI64, EPCI-UL2D or EPCIUL3D with MIX hardware: “32”

Flashing the ATTO HBA NVRAM

Mac OS 9

ExpressPro-Tools is supplied with Pro Tools 5.1 or later and every ATTO SCSI card. It allows you to flash the ROM on the SCSI card. Digidesign strongly recommends that the firmware be set on SCSI channels where audio storage is connected.

These settings are optimized for the size and frequency of SCSI transactions demanded by Pro Tools. If you have a dedicated SCSI card for video media, you do not need to apply these settings to it.

To update the ATTO host bus adapter ﬁrmware using ExpressPro-Tools:

1 Launch ExpressPro-Tools after booting your

system and mounting all drives.

2 Double-click Media Drive.

3 From the Sync Rate pop-up menu, select the

correct setting for your setup:

• EPCI-DC, SCSI64 with HD hardware: “20 (10)” (20 MB/sec at 10 MHz)

• UL2D with HD hardware: “80 (40)” (80 MB/sec at 40 MHz)

5 Click “Apply to All” (sets the card for all drive

IDs on that bus).

6 Repeat if necessary for the other bus.

7 Quit ExpressPro-Tools.

8 Restart you computer.

Mac OS X

ATTO Configuration Tool is supplied with Pro Tools 6.0.1 or later and every ATTO SCSI card. It allows you to flash the ROM on the SCSI card. Digidesign strongly recommends that the firmware be set on SCSI channels where audio storage is connected.

To update the ATTO host bus adapter ﬁrmware using ATTO Conﬁguration Tool:

1 Start up your computer.

2 Insert the Pro Tools Installer CD-ROM.

3 Locate and launch the ATTO Conﬁguration

Tool installer (in Pro Tools Installer/ATTO Utilities/ATTO Conﬁguration Tool). Follow the onscreen instructions to install the application and drivers.

4 After installing the ATTO Conﬁguration Tool,

restart you computer.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide20

5 Locate and launch the ATTO ExpressPCI ap-

plication (in Applications/ExpressPCI Conﬁguration Tool).

6 In the left pane, expand hosts to localhost:Ex-

pressPCI.

7 Select the ExpressPCI.

used to initialize all audio and video drives on Mac OS 9. Both HFS and HFS+ file systems are supported for audio drives on Mac OS 9 (HFS+ is recommended). On Mac OS X, use the Apple Disk Utility to format your drives Mac OS Extended. Select the Install Mac OS 9 Drivers option for compatibility with Mac OS 9 systems.

8 In the right pane, click the Flash tab. The Flash

options appear.

9 Click Browse and navigate to ATTO Utili-

ties/ATTO Firmware Images on the Pro Tools Installer CD-ROM.

10 Select the appropriate firmware image (either

the UL3D or EPCI-DC).

11 Click Update. A message box appears telling

you to unmount all devices.

12 Click OK. The ﬁrmware updates. The update

is ﬁnished when a message appears at the bottom of the ATTO Conﬁguration Tool window.

13 Close all the open windows.

14 Restart your computer.

Initializing Hard Drives

(Macintosh Only)

The following is hard drive initialization information for three different scenarios: Pro Tools with no interchange, Avid to Pro Tools, and Pro Tools to Avid.

Pro Tools and AVoption|XL do not support striped audio drives, but they do support stripped video drives.

Pro Tools with No Interchange

In installations where Pro Tools will not be routinely sharing projects with Avid Media Composer systems, ExpressPro-Tools from ATTO (provided with Pro Tools 5.1 or later) should be

Avid to Pro Tools

For projects originating on an Avid Picture Authoring system, such as Media Composer, a single HFS drive initialized with either Avid Drive Utility (ADU) 2.1 or later is supported. This drive may contain either video or audio media files, or both. Pro Tools with AVoption|XL supports playback of audio and video tracks from a single drive, as long as track count does not exceed one stream of video (at a compression of 3:1 or higher) and a maximum of eight audio tracks.

When this drive is used in a Pro Tools session, additional audio tracks (beyond those imported from the Avid workstation) should not be added, for bandwidth reasons.

Video-only drives initialized as 2-way or 4-way stripe sets by Avid Drive Utility 2.1 (or later) are also supported. It is recommended that video drives be added to the SCSI channel dedicated for video in order to balance demands on the SCSI bus.

Pro Tools can only recognize a maximum seven drives per SCSI channel.

Pro Tools to Avid

When a drive is being sent from a Pro Tools system to an Avid picture workstation, the drive should be initialized as HFS or HFS+ using ExpressPro-Tools on Macintosh. When an Avid

Chapter 3: Installing AVoption|XL 21

system is inheriting files from Pro Tools, a “finder copy” of these files may be necessary to transfer them from the Pro Tools drive to a drive the Avid workstation will recognize.

If a drive is moved from a Pro Tools system to an Avid workstation, so that files from the Avid system can be copied and returned to the Pro Tools system, the drive should be initialized as HFS or HFS+ using ExpressPro-Tools on Mac OS 9 (HFS+ is recommended), or Mac OS Extended using the Apple Disk Utility on Mac OS X, before being mounted on the Avid workstation.

When formatting DigiDrives over 60 GB for use with Macintosh, it is recommended that you format the drives HFS+ rather than HFS. However, if you wish to format a drive HFS, you should partition the drive using partitions that are less than 69,695 MB.

Special Conﬁguration Requirements

When you want compression levels of 2:1 or 1:1 (uncompressed), a second accelerator must be dedicated to video storage. Depending on your drives’ performance, a 2-way stripe set across both SCSI channels may be required for 2:1 capability, and a 4-way stripe across both channels may be required for 1:1 (uncompressed) capability. Newer SCSI drives, like the 5th-Generation Avid/DigiDrive can record and play back 2:1 video from a single drive, and 1:1 video from a 2-way stripe set. It is not necessary to use stripe sets for 3:1 or higher.

To initialize hard drives on Mac OS:

1 Select the drives you want to dedicate to video

and create your stripe set (if desired) by doing one of the following:

• On Mac OS X, initialize video drives using the ATTO ExpressStripe utility (optional software available from ATTO).

• On Mac OS 9, initialize video drives using the ATTO ExpressRAID utility (optional software available from ATTO).

2 Select the drives you want to dedicate to audio

and do one of the following:

• On Mac OS X, initialize all audio drives using the Apple Disk Utility.

• On Mac OS 9, initialize all audio drives using ATTO ExpressPro-Tools (provided on the AVoption|XL Installer CD-ROM).

Do not use ExpressRAID to initialize your audio drives. ExpressRAID is not supported with audio drives.

Media Management

It is recommend that you dedicate one SCSI channel to audio drives and one SCSI channel to video drives. This configuration is adequate for AVoption|XL with compression levels of 3:1 or higher.

If you want compression levels of 2:1 or 1:1 (uncompressed), an additional dual-channel SCSI card is required for video drives.

If your Pro Tools system is mounting a drive initialized by an Avid picture workstation that contains video files, it is recommended that this drive be installed on the SCSI bus dedicated to video data.

If your Pro Tools system receives a drive initialized by an Avid picture workstation, it is recommended that you do not record additional audio files onto this drive.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide22

chapter 4

Recording and Adding to the Movie Track

You can capture video ﬁles by recording the video through the inputs on your AVoption|XL Breakout Box. You can also import files captured with another Pro Tools system or created in a compatible Avid video workstation.

The Movie Track

The Movie track holds the video clips you capture or add into Pro Tools. A Pro Tools session can only contain one Movie track.

To create a new Movie track:

■ Choose Movie > New Avid Movie Track (New

Movie Track in Pro Tools 6.0 or lower).

The new, empty Movie track appears in the Edit window.

To name the Movie track:

1 Double-click the Track Name button to open

the Name and Comments dialog.

2 Type a name (and any optional comments),

then click OK.

To select a compression ratio:

1 Select Display > Edit Window Shows I/O view.

2 Record enable the Movie track.

3 Select a compression ratio from the Compres-

sion Level pop-up menu (see Figure 3).

Track Height

Compression Level

1st video record drive 2nd video record drive 3rd video record drive

Approximate available record time

Track

Options

AVoption|XL Breakout Box inputs for recording

Video Output format

Record

View Options

Track Name

Figure 3. Movie track controls

To select record drives:

1 Select Display > Edit Window Shows I/O view.

2 Select video record drives from the three Avid

Video Drives pop-up menus (see Figure 3).

In Pro Tools 5.3.1 on Windows and Pro Tools 5.1.3 on Macintosh, the Video Format pop-up menu is located in the Movie track’s Track Options pop-up menu.

Chapter 4: Recording and Adding to the Movie Track 23

To delete the Movie track:

1 Select the track by clicking the Track Name

button in the Edit window.

2 Choose File > Delete Selected Tracks.

Frames do not display properly if you change zoom settings during playback. Black frames are drawn until playback is stopped. You should stop playback before changing zoom settings if you want to view frames.

To clear all video from the Movie track:

■ Choose Movie > Clear Movie Track.

You cannot change names of clips after they have been added or recorded. When added, clips retain the name they were given by the original workstation. When recorded in Pro Tools, the clip name is derived from the Movie track’s name. You can change the name of a new clip by renaming the Movie track.

Movie Track Options

The Movie track can be viewed in frames or in blocks. Frames allow you to see an overview of the actual video content in a session. Blocks allow you to see where clips begin and end, and the names of clips.

Frames

In Frames mode, video data is displayed as pictures in the Movie track. These pictures are computed based on the video image, and scale according to your track zoom and height settings. They do not provide a frame-accurate reference, but allow you to easily find a scene or sequence in the Movie track.

If video pull-up or pull-down is enabled, Frames do not change position and are therefore not a useful reference.

Blocks

Blocks mode displays the Movie track as blocks of compositional data. Blocks are outlined wherever clip boundaries exist. These block names indicate both the boundaries for clips defined in a video editing system and separate clips recorded into Pro Tools. Names from the original clips are retained, and new names are given to newly recorded material. For example, two clips edited together without any transitions or effects, and named “House Ext” and “House Int,” will appear as two blocks bordering each other with those names.

Movie track in Blocks mode

In Blocks mode, you can place the cursor on the Movie track, then press Tab to move to the next video edit in the track.

To set the view for the Movie track:

■ On the Movie track, select Frames or Blocks

from the View Options pop-up menu.

Movie track in Frames mode

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide24

When switching from Blocks mode to Frames mode during playback, the movie track will not update to displaying frames until playback is stopped.

Recording Video

You can record multiple video clips to multiple locations on a single Movie track.

To set video recording options:

1 Choose Movie > New Avid Movie Track (New

Movie Track in Pro Tools 6.0 or lower) to create a new Movie track.

2 Select Display > Edit Window Shows I/O view.

3 In Pro Tools 5.3.3 or later on Windows, or

5.3.1 or later on Macintosh, select NTSC or PAL from the Video Format pop-up menu in the Session Setup window (Windows > Session Setup).

4 Select the video input from the Movie Track

Options pop-up menu (Component or Composite input, or S-Video or SDI).

5 Set the compression level for the video cap-

ture from the Compression Level pop-up menu.

6 Select the target hard drive volumes for the

video capture. Target volumes capture video in order, from the ﬁrst (top) to the last (bottom). In the following illustration, Video 1 captures video ﬁrst, followed by Video 2, then Video 3.

Avid Video Drive pop-up menus

Selecting drives for video capture

As you add or remove volumes from the track, the available record time is updated to reflect available disk space and compression settings. The time displayed is approximate.

Video Format pop-up menu, Session Setup window

Using Pro Tools 5.3.3 or later on Windows, or 5.3.1 or later on Macintosh, if you import an existing video file to the Movie track, the Video format is set automatically to NTSC or PAL according to first frame of the imported video.

– or –

In Pro Tools 5.3.1 on Windows, or 5.1.3 on Macintosh, select a video format by clicking the Movie track’s Track Options button, and then select NTSC or PAL Video Format.

In Pro Tools 5.3.1 on Windows and Pro Tools 5.1.3 on Macintosh, the Video Format pop-up menu is located in the Movie track’s Track Options pop-up menu.

To record video:

1 Use your cursor to mark the point from where

you want to start recording.

– or –

Make a selection on a Timebase Ruler or on a track to select a range of time for the recording. To make selection on a track, Operations > Link Edit and Timeline Selection must be enabled.

2 Record enable the Movie track by clicking the

Record Enable button.

3 Click the Record button in the Transport win-

dow to enable recording.

4 Start playing the video source.

5 Click Play in the Transport window to begin

recording.

Chapter 4: Recording and Adding to the Movie Track 25

6 Click Stop in the Transport window to stop re-

cording.

If there are already clips on the Movie track, and you record over them, the overwritten material will be removed from the Movie track (although it will still remain intact in its original storage location).

Capture Clip and restore the original clips.

For more information, refer to “Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands” on page 29.

Ctrl+period (Windows) or Command+period (Macintosh) will abort a clip capture in progress and restore the Movie track to the original clips.

You can Undo

Capturing and Approximate Time Left

The Approximate Record Time Left in the I/O View of the Movie track is an estimate. AVoption|XL uses variable compression technologies, and record time varies based on the density of the material you are recording. The Approximate Record Time Left is intended to provide you a rough estimate and may not be an accurate reflection of your available record time.

The calculation of Approximate Record Time Left is a conservative estimate based on the highest data rate possible for that resolution. The approximation may vary by several minutes.

Pro Tools uses the Approximate Record Time Left value to allocate drive space before recording. Because of the approximate nature of the estimation process, you may find that you have available record time left after you thought you had filled the drive.

The Record Time Left value is not approximate if you are capturing video at a compression rate of 1:1 (uncompressed) in AVoption|XL. Since this video is uncompressed, it uses the same data rate, regardless of the image.

Timebase Correction

AVoption|XL requires that all sources be timebase corrected.

have built-in timebase correction. To find out whether or not your video deck has built-in timebase correction, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation.

Most professional video decks

Setting S-Video or Component Output

The AVoption|XL Breakout Box can output from either the S-Video or Component outputs. Composite out is always active regardless of whether S-video or Component is selected. This selection must be made in Pro Tools, and will determine which physical connections you use to output signals.

To select component video outputs in AVoption|XL:

1 On the Movie track, click the Track Options

pop-up menu (see Figure 3 on page 23).

2 Use the Video Output pop-up menu to select

the desired outputs: Component or S-Video.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide26

MachineControl

You can use Digidesign MachineControl software to remotely control your external video deck during Pro Tools capture. Blocks mode is recommended when recording to the Movie track with MachineControl. MachineControl is a Pro Tools software option that can be purchased separately.

For more information, see the MachineControl Guide.

Exporting Files from Avid Programs

If you already have a project that was created on an Avid video authoring system, you can export it to an AAF (Pro Tools 6.1 only) or OMFI 2.0 sequence so the material can be added into your AVoption|XL system. This exchange of data between systems is significantly faster and easier than other methods, such as laying off to tape and re-digitizing.

When an AAF or OMF sequence exported from an Avid workstation is imported into Pro Tools, the video track displays each of the video files as regions in the timeline. Generally, these regions reflect the regions on the Avid timeline, unless you have an effect which spans more than one video clip.

All video effects, including fades, must be ren- dered before they can be exported in an AAF or OMF sequence. Rendering means that a media file called a “precompute” is created. This precompute is what is exported and what appears in the Pro Tools timeline. For example, if there are three video clips in the Avid timeline and a title effect is laid across all three, the title would have to be rendered before export, creating a

single precompute file. Then, instead of seeing the three original video clips in the Pro Tools timeline, only the one precompute clip will be displayed.

DigiTranslator 2.0 Integrated Option

DigiTranslator 2.0 is included with your AVoption|XL package. Use DigiTranslator to convert AAF sequences (Pro Tools 6.1 only) and OMFI sequences and media ﬁles into Pro Tools session ﬁles. You can also use it to export audio material from Pro Tools sessions to AAF sequences (Pro Tools 6.1 only) or OMFI sequences and ﬁles for import into other systems.

For more information, refer to the Digi-

Translator 2.0 Integrated Option Guide

Avid Unity

Pro Tools with AVoption|XL supports Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork or Media Net, and Media Manager. Avid Unity MediaNetwork and MediaNet provide integrated high-speed network storage systems for Avid (Media Composer®, Symphony™, Avid Xpress®, and NewsCutter®) and Pro Tools workstations. MediaManager is an Avid database product for tracking files on a MediaNetwork or MediaNet system. For detailed information on configuring your Pro Tools system with AVoption|XL as an Avid Unity MediaNetwork or MediaNet client, refer to Avid Unity MediaNetwork or MediaNet documentation.

Chapter 4: Recording and Adding to the Movie Track 27

Multi-Streams and AVoption|XL

While some Avid systems support simultaneous streams of real time video, AVoption|XL supports only one stream. For this reason, it is necessary to make sure that all multi-stream transitions and effects are rendered in the Avid sequence before you export.

If you add a sequence into Pro Tools that includes multi-stream effects, black frames will be substituted in their place.

AVoption|XL does not require the entire sequence to be rendered into one continuous clip (often referred to as a “video mixdown”). AVoption|XL can import and play sequences containing multiple single-stream clips.

Avid Multi-Cam Resolution Files

AVoption|XL supports all Avid Multi-Cam Resolution files for import and playback, but not for capture. Pro Tools will play the clip of an Avid Multi-Cam Resolution file that was being used as the main camera angle when the file was exported to an AAF or OMFI file.

Exporting from Media Composer

This section uses a Media Composer project as an example.

To export an AAF or OMFI sequence with external media from Media Composer:

1 Select the sequence.

2 Choose Edit > Duplicate to make a copy of the

sequence, so the original remains intact.

3 As desired, choose Clip > Consolidate to place

a copy of the relevant media ﬁles (both audio and video) in a single hard drive location.

4 Choose File > Export. In the Export dialog, se-

lect AAF or OMFI Composition with the following options:

• For the OMFI ﬁle type, select Standard-AIFC.

•To specify which data is exported, select Video and Audio.

• For the OMFI version, select OMFI 2.0 and make sure With Media is deselected.

5 Click OK to export an OMFI ﬁle that will ref-

erence external media ﬁles.

To export an OMFI sequence with embedded media from Media Composer:

1 Choose Edit > Duplicate to make a copy of the

sequence you are working with, so the original remains intact.

Consolidating also ensures that only the media used in the sequence is exported and embedded with the OMFI file.

To prepare a Media Composer project for AAF or OMF export and use with AVoption|XL:

■ Make sure all media for the project is online.

■ Render all effects in advance. AAF or OMF ex-

port does not automatically render effects during the process, so if you want to see them, you must render effects before you export.

Pro Tools 5.x does not support import of AAF sequences.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide28

2 Choose File > Export. In the Export dialog, se-

lect OMFI Composition with the following options:

• For the OMFI ﬁle type, select StandardAIFC.

•To specify which media is exported, select Audio Only.

Pro Tools supports embedded audio, but not embedded video.

• For the OMFI version, select OMFI 2.0 and make sure With Media is selected.

3 Click OK to export an OMFI ﬁle with the au-

dio media embedded. All audio contained in the OMFI ﬁle is written in the selected audio format.

Adding OMFI Video Clips

Using the Add Avid Movie command (Add Movie in Pro Tools 6.0 and 5.x), you can add several clips to a single Movie track.

If there are already clips on the Movie track and you add over them, the overwritten material will be removed from the Movie track. You can undo and restore the original clips. Refer to “Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands” on page 29 for more information.

OMFI video and audio files can be managed, opened, and added just like other files if you have the DigiTranslator 2.0 Option installed.

To add OMFI video to the Avid Movie track:

1 If the Pro Tools session does not already have

an Avid Movie Track, add one by choosing Movie > New Avid Movie Tack (New Movie Track in Pro Tools 6.0 or lower).

Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands

You can undo or redo the single most recent video editing command, including Add Movie, Clear Selection, Move Clip, Copy Clip, and Clip Capture. If there are already video clips on the Movie track, and you record or edit over them, the overwritten material is removed from the Movie track. You can undo the video editing command and restore the original clips.

Undo/Redo works only for the single most recent video editing command.

To undo the most recent video editing command:

■ Choose Movie > Undo.

– or –

To redo the command, choose Movie > Redo.

If you have captured, added or moved a clip over a pre-existing clip and consequently truncated it, Undo will also restore the trimmed clip to its original length.

2 Choose Movie > Add Movie.

3 Select the desired OMF ﬁle and click OK.

For more sophisticated OMF import and export options with Pro Tools, use the DigiTranslator option.

Using the Import Movie command to import OMF video is not recommended because it clears the Movie track of its contents, replacing it with the imported video clip.

Chapter 4: Recording and Adding to the Movie Track 29

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide30

chapter 5

Playing and Editing the Movie Track

Video plays back automatically when you play a session that includes a Movie track. There are several different options for viewing and synchronizing the video and audio tracks.

Movie Ofﬂine

If you temporarily do not want to view the movie or have the movie frame location updated, you can take the movie offline.

Movie Online

When the movie is online, the Movie track plays along with the audio session. The movie’s frame location is updated every time you place your cursor in a new location, and the Movie track scrubs along with the audio tracks. The movie is online by default.

Online Edit and Selection Behavior

When Pro Tools is in Grid mode or set for Loop Playback, and the movie is online, Pro Tools will always place your cursor or Edit selection on legal frame boundaries. If you make a selection that is outside of frame boundaries, or you place your cursor outside a frame boundary, Pro Tools will move your cursor to the nearest frame boundary and play.

This is useful if you are working with audio and do not need to see the video.

To take the movie ofﬂine:

■ Deselect Movie > Movie Online.

To put the movie back online:

■ Select Movie > Movie Online.

The keyboard shortcut for Movie Online and Movie Offline is Shift+Ctrl+J (Windows) or Shift+Command+J (Macintosh).

Chapter 5: Playing and Editing the Movie Track 31

Playback Viewing

The AVoption|XL Breakout Box includes video outputs to connect an NTSC or PAL video monitor. You can connect a monitor that has Component, Composite, S-Video, or SDI video inputs.

The video card will display full-screen video on the playback monitor.

The AVoption|XL Breakout Box can only output from either S-Video or Component outputs (Composite out is always active). You must set this option in your Movie track. See “Setting S-Video or Component Output” on page 26 for instructions.

To connect a playback monitor:

■ Connect a Composite output, the Compo-

nent outputs, the S-Video output, or and SDI output from the AVoption|XL Breakout Box to the proper input or inputs on the back of your video monitor.

Moving the Movie Track or Video Clips

You can use the Move Clip command to spot the entire Movie track, or individual video clips, to a new SMPTE frame location. When you move the Movie track, the whole track or sequence is moved to the new frame location you specify. When you move a clip, it is moved to the new location within the Movie track.

If there are already clips on the Movie track, and you edit over them, the overwritten material will be removed from the Movie track.

You can undo Move Clip and restore the original clips.

“Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands” on page 29.

To spot the entire Movie track to a new frame location:

1 Select Display > Time Code.

– or –

Select Time Code from the Main Location Indicator pop-up menu.

For more information, see

2 Enable Spot mode by clicking the Spot button.

3 Shift-click the Movie track with the Grabber

tool.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide32

4 In the Spot dialog that appears, specify a new

SMPTE frame number for the start of the Movie track. In this dialog, you can press plus or minus on the numeric keypad, enter a number, and press the Enter key to add or subtract that number of frames from the currently selected time ﬁeld.

Spot dialog

5 Click OK when you are done.

To spot a video clip to a new frame location:

1 Select Display > Time Code.

– or –

Select Time Code from the Main Location Indicator pop-up menu.

Copying Video Clips

You can copy video clips to a new SMPTE frame location within the Movie track.

To copy a video clip to a new frame location:

1 Select Display > Time Code.

– or –

Select Time Code from the Main Location Indicator pop-up menu.

2 Enable Spot mode by clicking the Spot button.

3 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macin-

tosh) the clip on the Movie track with the Grabber tool.

4 In the Spot dialog, specify a new SMPTE frame

number for the start of the clip. In this dialog, you can press plus or minus on the numeric keypad, enter a number, and press the Enter key to add or subtract that number of frames from the currently selected time ﬁeld.

5 Click OK when you are done.

Clearing Selected Video Clips

You can clear material from the Movie track.

2 Enable Spot mode by clicking the Spot button.

3 Click the clip on the Movie track with the

Grabber tool.

4 In the Spot dialog, specify a new SMPTE frame

5 Click OK when you are done.

To clear a selection:

1 Using the Selector, click and drag in the Movie

track to select the material you want to clear. You can also double-click to select an entire existing video clip.

2 Choose Movie > Clear Selection.

Chapter 5: Playing and Editing the Movie Track 33

Locking the Movie Track

If you want to permanently associate your video clips with a certain location on your Movie track, you can lock it in place so that it cannot be moved accidentally.

To lock the Movie track:

1 Using the Grabber, select the Movie track.

2 Choose Edit > Lock Region/Unlock Region.

You can also lock the Movie track by tripleclicking in the Movie track (to select all clips), and then pressing Ctrl+L (Windows) Command+L (Macintosh).

When the Movie track is locked, a small lock icon appears in the track, indicating that the Movie track has been locked and cannot be moved. If you attempt to move a locked region, you will receive an error message.

Once a Movie track is locked, you cannot Add video clips to it without first unlocking it. Locking the Movie track only prevents it from being moved. Recording still affects the clips in the Movie track.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide34

appendix a

Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL

This appendix documents slot configurations for AVoption|XL systems, with and without expansion chassis.

IBM IntelliStation Z Pro 6221 without Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only)

Slot Card

AGP Slot Monitor card

CPU Slot 5 (32-bit) HD Process card (if any)

CPU Slot 4 (64-bit) HD Process card (if any)

CPU Slot 3 (64-bit) HD Core card

CPU Slot 2 (64-bit) ATTO 3300 Fibre Channel HBA (Unity systems only)

CPU Slot 1 (64-bit) Avid Digital Video board

Appendix A: Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL 35

IBM IntelliStation M Pro 6850 without Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only)

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Monitor card

CPU Slot 2 FibreChannel card (Unity systems only)

CPU Slot 3 Avid Digital Video Board

CPU Slot 4 SCSI HBA

CPU Slot 5 (64-bit) HD Core card

CPU Slot 6 (64-bit) HD Process card (if any)

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide36

IBM M-Pro 6850 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only) SBS 13-Slot (serial numbers higher than 198487)

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Monitor card

CPU Slot 2 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 3 Empty

CPU Slot 4 SCSI HBA (Audio)

CPU Slot 5 (64-bit) Empty

CPU Slot 6 (64-bit) Empty

Backplane Chassis Slot Chassis Controller card

Chassis Slot 1 HD Core card

Chassis Slots 2–7 HD Process cards (6 maximum)

Chassis Slots 8–11 Empty

Chassis Slot 12 Avid Digital Video Media Board

Chassis Slot 13 SCSI HBA (Video, optional)

or FibreChannel card (Unity systems only)

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from left to right when looking from the front.

On Avid Unity systems, 1:1 Video is not supported with an expansion chassis on Windows XP. Check the Digidesign Web site for the latest compatibility information and software updates.

It is strongly recommended that you only use an expansion chassis if you have a Pro Tools|HD 3 system or greater.

Appendix A: Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL 37

Compaq Evo W8000 without Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only)

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Monitor card

CPU Slot 2 FibreChannel card (Unity systems only)

CPU Slot 3 Avid Digital Video Board

CPU Slot 4 SCSI HBA

CPU Slot 5 HD Process card (if any)

CPU Slot 6 (64-bit) HD Process card (if any)

CPU Slot 7 (64-bit) HD Core card

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide38

Compaq Evo W8000 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only) SBS 13-Slot (serial numbers higher than 198487)

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Monitor card

CPU Slot 2 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 3 Empty

CPU Slot 4 SCSI HBA (Audio)

CPU Slot 5 Empty

CPU Slot 6 (64-bit) Empty

CPU Slot 7 (64-bit) Empty

Backplane Chassis Slot Chassis Controller card

Chassis Slot 1 HD Core card

Chassis Slots 2–7 HD Process cards (6 maximum)

Chassis Slot 8 SCSI HBA (Video, optional)

Chassis Slots 9–11 Empty

Chassis Slot 12 Avid Digital Video Media Board

Chassis Slot 13 FibreChannel card (Unity systems only)

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from left to right when looking from the front.

On Avid Unity systems, 1:1 Video is not supported with an expansion chassis on Windows XP. Check the Digidesign Web site for the latest compatibility information and software updates.

It is strongly recommended that you only use an expansion chassis if you have a Pro Tools|HD 3 system or greater.

Appendix A: Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL 39

G4 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

Pro Tools Expansion Chassis (serial numbers lower than NB0600100C) Magma PCI–13–RX–400V

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 SCSI HBA (Audio)

CPU Slot 2 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 3 Empty

CPU Slot 4 Empty

Backplane Chassis Slot Chassis Controller card

Chassis Slot 1 SCSI HBA (Video, optional)

Chassis Slots 2–3 Empty

Chassis Slot 4 Avid Digital Video Board

Chassis Slots 5–7 Empty

Chassis Slot 8 HD Core or MIX Core card

Chassis Slots 9–13 Additional Pro Tools cards (6 maximum)

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from left to right when looking from the front. These chassis require a supplemental cooling fan kit.

This combination is an exception to the usual slot order and card placement in that the SCSI HBA card does not go in the highest numbered slot in the CPU, but in the lowest, and the Chassis Host card does not go in the lowest numbered slot, but rather the second slot.

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|24 MIX cards are not compatible and cannot be used in the same system.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide40

G4 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

Pro Tools Expansion Chassis (serial numbers higher than NB0600100C) Magma PCI–13R

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 2 Empty

CPU Slot 3 Empty

CPU Slot 4 SCSI HBA (Audio)

Bank 1: Backplane Chassis Slot

Bank 1: Chassis Slot 4 HD Core or MIX Core card

Bank 1: Chassis Slots 5–9 Additional Pro Tools cards (6 maximum)

Bank 2: Chassis Slot 4 Avid Digital Video Media Board

Bank 2: Chassis Slot 5 SCSI HBA (Video, optional)

Bank 2: Chassis Slots 6–10 Empty

Chassis Controller card

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from right to left when looking from the front. Except for P13 and Digidesign chassis with serial numbers ending in 00G, these chassis require a supplemental cooling fan kit.

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|24 MIX cards are not compatible and cannot be used in the same system.

Appendix A: Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL 41

Blue & White G3 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|24 MIX and Pro Tools|24 Systems Only) Pro Tools Expansion Chassis (serial numbers lower than NB0600100C) Magma PCI–13RX–400V

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 2 Empty

CPU Slot 3 SCSI HBA (Audio)

Backplane Chassis Slot Chassis Controller card

Chassis Slot 1 SCSI HBA (Video)

Chassis Slots 2–3 Empty

Chassis Slot 4 Avid Digital Video Board

Chassis Slots 5–7 Empty

Chassis Slot 8 MIX Core card

Chassis Slots 9–13 Additional Pro Tools cards (6 maximum)

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from left to right when looking from the front. These chassis require a supplemental cooling fan kit.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide42

Blue & White G3 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|24 MIX and Pro Tools|24 Systems Only) Pro Tools Expansion Chassis (serial numbers higher than NB0600100C) Magma PCI–13R

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 2 Empty

CPU Slot 3 SCSI HBA (Audio)

Bank 1: Backplane Chassis Slot

Bank 1: Chassis Slot 4 MIX Core card

Bank 1: Chassis Slots 5–9 Additional Pro Tools cards (6 maximum)

Bank 2: Chassis Slot 4 Avid Digital Video Media Board

Bank 2: Chassis Slot 5 SCSI HBA (Video)

Bank 2: Chassis Slots 6–10 Empty

Chassis Controller card

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from right to left when looking from the front. Except for the P13 and Digidesign chassis with serial numbers ending in 00G, these chassis require a supplemental cooling fan kit.

Appendix A: Slot Conﬁgurations for AVoption|XL 43

9500/9600 with 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

(Pro Tools|24 MIX and Pro Tools|24 Systems Only) Pro Tools Expansion Chassis (serial numbers lower than NB0600100C) Magma model PCI–13–RX–400V

Slot Card

CPU Slot 1 Macintosh Monitor card

CPU Slot 2 Chassis Host card

CPU Slot 3 Empty

CPU Slot 4 SCSI HBA (Audio)

CPU Slot 5 Empty

CPU Slot 6 Empty

Backplane Chassis Slot Chassis Controller card

Chassis Slot 1 SCSI HBA (Video)

Chassis Slots 2–3 Empty

Chassis Slot 4 Avid Digital Video Board

Chassis Slots 5–7 Empty

Chassis Slot 8 MIX Core card

Chassis Slots 9–13 Additional Pro Tools cards (6 maximum)

CPU speed of 300 MHz or higher recommended.

Expansion chassis slots are numbered sequentially from left to right when looking from the front. These chassis require a supplemental cooling fan kit.

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide44

appendix b

FilmFrame Workﬂows

The following are three workflow scenarios and the steps to complete them.

Pro Tools 5.x does not support import of AAF files.

Typical Usage

1 Edit your project in an Avid video worksta-

tion.

2 Export an AAF or OMFI sequence that refer-

ences the media. Do not embed the video ﬁles in the sequence.

3 Choose File > Open in Pro Tools to open the

AAF or OMFI sequence.

4 The video track will open and you can start

working immediately.

Adding a Movie

1 Edit your project in an Avid video worksta-

tion.

2 Export a video-only AAF or OMFI sequence

that references the media. Do not embed the video ﬁles in the sequence.

3 Import the video-only AAF or OMFI sequence

into Pro Tools using the Import Movie menu item.

Importing a Video Track

In this scenario, the workflow is similar to the one for typical usage, except that you would only want the video from an AAF or OMFI sequence.

5 In Pro Tools 6.1, choose File > Import Session

Data.

– or –

In Pro Tools 5.x, choose File > Import Tracks.

6 Select the AAF (Pro Tools 6.1 only) or OMFI se-

quence that contains the tracks you want to import.

7 The video composition will be imported to

the video track and you can start working immediately.

Audio Layback to Video

Although you cannot output 24P video to a video recorder with Pro Tools, you can “Punch Down” by adding audio that has been posted to a 24P video clip in Pro Tools to videotape that was created on another video system.

4 The video composition will be imported to

the video track and you can start working immediately.

Appendix B: FilmFrame Workﬂows 45

Playing in Sync with 24 fps Video Tapes

You can play in sync with a video transport playing at 24 fps. To do so, in the Session Setup window, set the Frame Rate to 24 fps, and slave Pro Tools to the video transport. Or, if you have the MachineControl option, you can select the appropriate profile to control the video transport.

Playing in Sync with 29.97 fps (NTSC) Video Tapes

To play in sync with a 29.97 fps video created from a 24 fps source:

1 Slave Pro Tools to the VTR.

For more information on slaving Pro Tools to the VTR, see the Synchronization chapters of the

Pro Tools Reference Guide.

24P Clips and Pull Down When the SYNC I/O or USD is set to pull down, the playback of the 24P clip is pulled down along with the audio. This way, when laying back audio to an NTSC video tape running at 29.97 fps, the Pro Tools video display and the output of the video deck will remain in sync. In Pro Tools 5.3.1 on Windows, or Pro Tools 5.1.3 on Macintosh, other types of video clips are not affected by pull down settings.

Playing in Sync with 25 fps (PAL) Video Tapes

(Pro Tools|HD Only)

To lay back a 24P session directly to a 25 fps (PAL) tape:

1 Select the Video Output from the Movie

track’s Track Options pop-up menu.

2 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup.

3 From the Frame Rate pop-up menu, select

29.97 FPS.

4 In Pro Tools 5.3.3 or later on Windows, or

5.3.1 or later on Macintosh, from the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up menu, select 0.1% Down.

– or –

In Pro Tools 5.3.1 on Windows, or Pro Tools

5.1.3 on Macintosh enable Pull Down.

Audio pull-down is required when you are posting to a 29.97 fps video clip made from a 24 fps source. This is because the 24 fps source is also “pulled down” by the telecine process which produces the 29.97 fps tape.

DigiTranslator Integrated Option Guide46

2 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup.

3 From the Frame Rate pop-up menu, select

25 FPS.

4 From the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up

menu, select 4.0% Up.

index

Add Movie 29 ATTO SCSI card

ATTO Configuration Tool 20 ExpressPro-Tools 20

ATTO SCSI Windows device driver 19 audio hardware

installing with AVoption|XL 9

authorizing and deauthorizing

AVoption|XL 17

available record time 25 Avid Multi-Cam Resolution files 28 AVoption|XL

authorizing and deauthorizing 17 capabilities 1 hardware capabilities 3 installing a new system 9 qualified and required SCSI accelerators 7 striped drive requirements 8 video connectors 12

AVoption|XL Breakout Box 10

front panel 11 rear panel 12 video I/O 10

black burst

connecting to AVoption|XL 14

blackburst 7 Blocks view 24

centralized video

switching and routing for AVoption|XL 15

compression

approximate storage space 4 setting level 25

connecting

AVoption|XL 15

a VTR 15 house sync 14 PAL monitor 15 reference video 15 SYNC I/O 14 Universal Slave Driver 14

external playback monitor 32

deauthorizing and authorizing

AVoption|XL 17

Digital Media Board 10 DigiTranslator 27 disk allocation 7

export OMFI

from Media Composer 28

exporting

media online 28 overview 27 render effects in advance 28

external playback monitor 32

FilmFrame

overview 2

flashing SCSI ROM

using ATTO Configuration Tool 20 using ATTO ExpressPro-Tools 20

formatting hard drives 20 frame boundaries, adjusting to 31 Frames view for Movie track 24

Index 47

hard drives

formatting NTFS or FAT32 20 initializing for AVoption|XL 21 selecting for video capture 25 space required for each JFIF level 4 using more than two 7 using two 7

house sync 7

connecting to AVoption|XL 14

illegal frame boundaries 31 iLok

adding authorizations 16

iLok hardware key 16 Importing files

preparing 27

initializing

hard drives for AVoption|XL 21

installing

ATTO SCSI Windows device driver 19 AVoption|XL

audio hardware 9 authorizing 17 Breakout Box 10 Digital Media Board 10 new system 9 SCSI accelerator card 18 software 16 video hardware 9

AVoption|XL

SCSI channel to video drives 22

monitors

connecting NTSC 15 connecting PAL 15

Movie Offline, working with 31 Movie Online, working with 31 Movie track

clearing track 24 creating 23 deleting 24 Frames view 24 locking 34 naming 23 overview 23 selecting a compression ratio 23 selecting video record drives 23 viewing as blocks 24

multi-stream video 28

NTSC 15, 18

switching between NTSC and PAL 18

NTSC monitor 15

Offline Movie 31 OMFI video

adding to the Movie track 29

Online Movie 31

JFIF video compression 3 JFIF, disk space used 4 JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF) 3

license card 16 locking the Movie track 34

MachineControl 27 Media Composer

exporting OMFI 28

media management

Pro Tools AVoption|XL Guide48

PAL 15, 18

switching between NTSC and PAL 18

Preparing to Import Files 27

recording video 25

selecting target volumes 25 setting compression level 25 setting options 25

render effects before exporting 28 Round Robin 7

SCSI accelerator cards

installing for AVoption|XL 18

SCSI accelerators

for AVoption|XL 7

SCSI ROM

flashing with ATTO Configuration Tool 20 flashing with ATTO ExpressPro-Tools 20

selecting target volumes for video capture 25 setting video recording options 25 storage

using more than two hard drives 7 using two hard drives 7

striped drives 8 switching and routing

centralized video for AVoption|XL 15

SYNC I/O 7

connecting 14 required for AVoption|XL on HD 7

synchronization 7

timebase correction 26

Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands 29 Universal Slave Driver

connecting 14 required for AVoption|XL on MIX 7

USD 7

video

centralized video switching and routing 15 installing AVoption|XL hardware 9 switching between NTSC and PAL 18

video clips

clearing selection 33 copying 33

video connectors

AVoption|XL 12

video storage

disk space used 4

viewing blocks in the Movie track 24 VTR

connecting to AVoption|XL 15

Index 49

Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools AVoption XL - 5.1.3 Instruction Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

contents

Introduction to Pro Tools AVoption|XL

AVoption|XL Components

AVoption|XL Capabilities

FilmFrame

AVoption|XL Hardware Overview

AVoption|XL Hardware Capabilities

JFIF Video Compression

JFIF Compression and Storage

Compatibility

Supported Computers

Supported Systems

Minimum System Requirements

3:1 Video Compression or Higher 2:1 Video Compression or 1:1

Synchronization Hardware

Synchronization Peripheral

SCSI Hardware and Drives with Video Compression Level 3:1 or Higher

Sync Source

Local Storage Hardware

SCSI Accelerators

Using Two Hard Drives

Using More Than Two Hard Drives

SCSI Hardware and Drives with Video Compression Level 2:1 or 1:1

Striped Drive Requirements

Installing AVoption|XL

Installing AVoption|XL Hardware

Audio Hardware

Installing AVoption|XL Video Hardware

AVoption|XL Video Connections

AVoption|XL Breakout Box

AVoption|XL Breakout Box Front Panel Indicators

Video I/O Connectors

SYNC I/O Connections

USD Connections

Connecting House Video Reference or Blackburst

Connecting a VTR

Connecting an External Video Reference Monitor

Centralized Video Switching and Routing

Starting Up Your System

Installing AVoption|XL Software

Authorizing AVoption|XL

iLok

Key Disk Authorization

Using NTSC and PAL

Installing the SCSI Accelerator

Updating the SCSI BIOS

Installing the Windows Device Driver

Formatting Hard Drives

Flashing the ATTO HBA NVRAM

Mac OS 9

Mac OS X

Initializing Hard Drives

Media Management

Recording and Adding to the Movie Track

The Movie Track

Movie Track Options

Frames

Blocks

Recording Video

Capturing and Approximate Time Left

Timebase Correction

Setting S-Video or Component Output

MachineControl

Exporting Files from Avid Programs

DigiTranslator 2.0 Integrated Option

Avid Unity

Multi-Streams and AVoption|XL

Avid Multi-Cam Resolution Files

Exporting from Media Composer

Adding OMFI Video Clips

Undo/Redo for Video Editing Commands

Playing and Editing the Movie Track

Movie Online

Online Edit and Selection Behavior

Playback Viewing

Moving the Movie Track or Video Clips