I’ve been fighting memory-related lockups and random wonkiness on a Dual 2.7 PowerMac G5 for the past few days. I first noticed random weirdness on this machine occuring soon after it began capturing HDV footage, this computer had previously only been used for DV editing.

I guess that the HDV capture was using more of the 2.5GB of installed memory than normal, and one of the not-oft-used DIMM’s had some issues. To make matters all the more lovely, one of these DRAM-related unscheduled SUDDEN reboots also caused some hard disk corruption on the System drive. Joy.

Hopefully the steps that I went through to resolve the issues will prove helpful to some poor Apple-based editor. Read on…

I wasn’t sure if the System hard disk errors were the real cause of the lockups, so I decided to tackle them first. Disk Utility would not complete a “Repair Disk” function, even after booting from the Install Disk. It kept reporting “The underlying task reported failure on exit”. Not the most helpful error message, but what do I know…

So after some digging, I discovered a solution that worked. Per Apple’s fsck instructions, I booted into single user mode and ran the “/sbin/fsck/ -fy” command a few times (till fsck reported no errors).

With the hard drive successfully repaired, I then used Rember to check the G5 memory DIMMs for errors, and then narrowed down which physical DIMM it was with the Apple Hardware Test. Rember is a handy gui frontend to memtest, and it detects the bad DIMM(s) very quickly. The only snag is, it won’t tell you which one it is though. At least I couldn’t figure it out by reading the log…

The good news is that the Apple Hardware Test will tell you the DIMM number that fails the test (DIMM5 in my case). FYI, the DIMMS are numbered in pairs, from top to bottom, counting from the inside out. It’s simple, but sounds hard, here’s a ASCII diagram that will hopefully confuse you thoroughly:

7 =———-= 4
5 =———-= 3
3 =———-= 2
1 =———-= 1

2 =———-= 1
4 =———-= 2
6 =———-= 3
8 =———-= 4

The numbers on the left are the actual DIMM numbers as reported by the Hardware Test. The numbers on the right side of each DIMM are what you can physically see printed on the motherboard (when looking at the motherboard with the front of the case pointing to your left). The numbers on the right side don’t seem to mean much of anything except perhaps serving as a reminder to install matched pairs of memory.

The happy ending is that OWC (macsales.com) is going to replace the faulty memory DIMM, thanks to that handy lifetime warranty. Their warranty RMA process is quick and painless, and customer service is professional and responsive.

Notes:
FYI the Mac startup keyboard shortcuts I can never seem to remember are (after the “ding”):
*Hold down SHIFT to boot in Safe Mode.
*Hold down OPTION with the OSX Install DVD in the drive to choose a startup disk or run the Apple Hardware Test.
*Hold down COMMAND+S to boot in single user mode or COMMAND+V for verbose boot mode.

There is a new support document concerning the 15″ MacBook Pro whining issue that some users have reported. DailyTech contacted Apple support and confirmed that the repair would be covered under the standard 1yr warranty. The repair involves either a fan or board replacement, or both.

In other digruntled-fanboy-related news, Apple has also announced that they will replace discolored white MacBook cases that fall in the serial number range 4H617XXXXXXXX through 4H627XXXXXXXX. It must first be confirmed that the dicoloration cannot be fixed with approved cleaning solutions.

Canon has announced two new HDV camcorders, with features aimed squarely at the Sony FX1 and Z1U competition. Camcorderinfo has wonderful preliminary coverage and specs, as well as a very detailed feature comparison chart between the Canon XH A1, XH G1, XL H1, Panasonic AG-HVX200, and Sony HDR-FX1. Chris Hurd also has coverage and a FAQ on the new models.

The two models are designated XH A1 and XH G1, and MSRP is listed at $6999 and $3999, respectively. The only differences between the two models is a jackpack on the XH G1 that offers HD-SDI/SD-SDI Output (with embedded audio), SMPTE Timecode Input/Output, and Genlock Input.

The XH models share the same image sensor, specs, and many of the features of the Canon XL H1 professional camcorder. 1/3 inch native 16:9 1440 x 1080 CCDs, 20x zoom lens, Super Range Optical Image Stabilization, 60i, 24F, 30F frame rates and highly customizable image controls with 9 different programmable image presets. Image presets can be transferred between cameras via SD memory cards. There will also be an optional upgrade on both models to equip them with PAL 50i/60i scan rates.

There is already talk that these cameras are Sony FX1 and Z1U “killers”…and with these features it’s a valid point to debate. But I’d also point out that this might be an inadvertant Canon XL H1 killer!

The differences between the XH and H1 models are slight, and now we are seeing features on these new camcorders that you can’t get on the H1. Features like gain that can be manually adjusted up to +36dB (the XL H1 tops out at +18dB), a larger/higher-res LCD, wider lens FOV, a “sky detail” function for removing noise in the sky without affecting other areas of the image, and the new Instant AF focus system which uses a separate IR sensor that gauges subject-to-camera distance using contrast to “ballpark” the focus before the normal AF system takes over.

There are a lot of shooters out there that don’t utilize the interchangeable lenses for the XL H1…and if you remove that feature from the equation, there suddenly aren’t many other reasons now go with the H1. I wonder if Canon will inadvertantly cannibalize sales of it’s own pro line, even more than they affect sales of the Sony HDV camcorders?

The new Canon HDV XH A1 and XH G1 camcorders will be available in mid-November 2006.

Need more memory for your After Effects heavy lifting? By default, Windows XP limits the amount of RAM to 2GB per process. But with the helpful instructions of Jonas Hummelstrand, you can bump that up to 3GB per instance of AE. Not too shabby.

The tip is effortless to execute, it basically requires adding the “/3GB” switch to your boot.ini file default OS call, and rebooting. There is even a flash video tutorial that details the steps (creative commons licensed, no less!)

Nice work, Jonas.

EventDV has an article on event shooting with multiple cameras. Author Jan Ozer offers several tips and tricks on both shooting and editing that event shooters should appreciate.

When you engage in a scattergun approach to curbing piracy, I guess it’s only a matter of time before you run across someone willing to fight back. And it seems that the Motion Picture Association of America’s number came up. Last fall, the MPAA informed Digital Point Solutions founder Shawn Hogan that he was being sued for pirating “Meet The Fockers” via bittorrent. As is the modus-operandi of the **AA cartels organizations, they offered to settle for far less than the claimed damages.

Hogan has decided to fight the lawsuit, saying of the MPAA “They’re completely abusing the system� and “I would spend well into the millions on this.�

I believe this incident marks the first time an individual has chosen to fight an MPAA piracy lawsuit. This should be interesting. You can check up on Shawn at his blog.

(Via Cinematech)

“Now that version 4 of Grass Valley EDIUS NLE software is shipping, an updated, unrestricted trial version of the acclaimed EDIUS Pro nonlinear editing software is now available. This version permits users to test every feature within EDIUS Pro version 4, including the new Multicam and Nested Timeline Sequences features without limitation for 30 days.”

The Good News is that you have an HVX200 and you just shot a ton of 1080p footage. Lucky bastard. Now (wetting your little film-student pants with excitement) you are attempting to load that beautiful bean footage into FCP 5.1.1…and the Bad News is your realization that FCP has detected your 23.98 media as 29.97 video. Which is totally uncool. And you even checked the little box…

Have no fear, HD For Indies has the linkage to a 235Studios tutorial (warning: PDF link) on how to use Cinema Tools 3.1.1 to remove the 3:2 pulldown from your beautiful 1080p HVX200 footage, the pulldown frames that were supposed to be removed when you ticked the “Remove Duplicate / Adv. Pull-down Frames� setting. Nifty.

Cinea has released a portable USB key that in concert with Cinea’s S-View encoding/watermarking technology is able to control access to digital dailies and production footage. Additionally, the encrypted footage cannot be accessed without a password, and the USB keys can be de-authorized remotely. Sounds like a job for Jon Lech Johansen…

Kata has announced a new line of bags, backpacks and cases dubbed “Ergo-Tech”. The press release talks about space to “…accommodate a range of electronics, including digital cameras, cell phones, MP3 players, PDAs, laptops, and more…” and they also mention specific design traits aimed at photographers.

The Ergo-Tech line exterior shell is made from Elasto-Guard, a flexible material that adjusts to the shape of your body, as well as the equipment inside. The interior features Kata’s ‘yelloop’ material that allows you to attach and adjust dividers. Ergo-Tech products feature internal “designated safe guard zones” that offer extra padded protection, as well as molded-yet-flexible exterior Flexi-Shield ridges for even more protection.

The new line of Yel-Flexi-Ergo-Loop-Shield-Guard bags from Kata should be available in late September ‘06.

This website will slap some code onto your video link and give you a popup player window. A boon for lazy vloggers.

VideoGrunt is the monthly video podcast that offers back-to-basics instructional programs. They make seemingly hard concepts much simpler to wrap your head around. It’s a great resource, check it out.

Camcorderservice.nl has an amazing gallery of images taking you through a step-by-step deconstruction of the Sony HDR-FX1.

I’m not really sure how useful this is to the average shooter…but it sure looks neato.

The following are current rebates and specials from Sony. Of note are substantial rebates on the A1U HDV camcorder, the HVRM10U deck, and the venerable standard-def PD170.

*Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder $500 Rebate
Receive $500.00 mail-in rebate for the purchase of a Sony HVR-A1U HDV product. Expires 9/30/2006

*Sony Business Z1U Starter Package
Receive a dual battery pack, DigitalMaster tape (10 pack) and Vegas 6.0 software rebate by mail following purchase of an HVR-Z1U model Sony HDV Camcorder. Expires 9/30/2006

*Sony Digital Master Tape Promotion
Receive five (5) Sony Digital Master HDV tapes by mail following purchase of a HVR-M15U or HVR-M25U model Sony HDV video tape recorder. Expires 7/31/2006

*Sony HVRM10U $400 Rebate
Receive $400.00 mail-in rebate following purchase of a HVR-M10U model Sony HDV Pro Video (deck). Expires 9/30/2006

*Sony DSRPD170 $300 Rebate
Receive $300 rebate by mail following purchase of a Sony DVCAM Camcorder. Expires 9/30/2006

*Sony DSRPDX10 $200 Rebate
Receive $200.00 mail-in rebate following purchase of a DSR-PDX10 model Sony DVCAM Pro Video. Expires 9/30/2006

*Sony DSR250 $300 Rebate
Receive $300.00 mail-in rebate following purchase of a DSR-250 model Sony DVCAM camcorder. Expires 9/30/2006

If you know of any other brand or model specials, please drop us a line or post links below.

The Photoflex Lighting School is a free, intensive, in-depth education on lighting and the general use of Photoflex products. What’s great is that even if you aren’t a Photoflex product user, the concepts that are taught in each tutorial scale and transfer to whatever equipment you might have. The good news is that Photoflex makes fantastic equipment, and many of their kits are very cost-effective. Either way, these tutorials are very, um, enlightening. It had to be said…

Many of the tutorials are aimed at photographers, and again, most of the principles transfer directly over to video (sans the parts about strobes, etc).

There are a ton of tutorials available, from lighting basics like “Angle of Reflection = Angle of Incidence” to “cookbook” type tutorials like “Beach Product Shots”. There are also an extensive selection of tutorials dealing with traditional subjects and issues like “Indoor Portraits”.

Read. Learn. Make better films.