CS448: Experiments in Digital Television

How to Create Video for DTV Broadcast

1. Digitize Content
2. Format conversion
3. MPEG-2 Encode
4. Create MPEG-2 Transport Stream
 
All four steps have been tested from NLEPC (the only PC in the video lab).

1. Digitize Content
Video Routing:
getting SITN VIDEO to the nlepc to digitize
moviola:~> telect -lntsc -isitn -ofs1
moviola:~> telect -lsdi -ifs1 -onlepc

another example with laser disc
moviola:~> telect -lntsc -ilaserdisc -ofs1
moviola:~> telect -lsdi -ifs1 -onlepc

routing the audio from the laser disc as well, then sending it  to the output so we can hear what we digitize
moviola:~> telect -laudio -ilaserdisc -onlepc
moviola:~> telect -laudio -inlepc -oviewmon

Avid MCXpress::
Launch Avid MCXpress from NLEPC - the PC in the video lab
Select Tools::Digitize
if it pops up and says "Set Deck to Remote" you need to click on the deck
 icon (looks like a little stereo) and select "none" rather than the  Digitbeta.
You then have to close the digitize window and reopen it.

you can then click the green record button and it will digitize whatever input you have.

Once you have finished digitizing, switch to the media library view to do anything with
the clip (save it, put it into a project, edit it) by selecting Tools::Media Library.

Select File::Export::Export Series of Files
Choose tga format.

You'll have to select F as the active drive to see your clips.  Don't use C or D - they
can't actually provide the throughput that this stuff needs.  F is a drive array specially
setup for digital editing, and is also the only drive with any amount of space (32 gigs)
Save all your content in the directory of your username.
When this drive fills up, content with no obvious owners may be deleted.

This section is created by Chris Stolte, our Avid Czar.

2. Format conversion
Next we need to convert tga files to ppm files.
From MSDOS:
>C:\dtv_public\bin\bin_intel\tgatoppm_all.pl  directoryWhereTheTgaFilesAre
This script assumes that you have Perl and ImageMagick installed on your system.

For SGI runtime, see \dtv_public\bin\bin_sgi
 

3. MPEG-2 Encode
Create a parameter file.  See example at C:\dtv_public\bin\bin_intel
Run mpeg2encode from C:\dtv_public\bin\bin_intel

A SGI executable and sample parameter file are available at \\DTV1\C:\dtv_public\bin\bin_sgi

4. Create MPEG-2 Transport Stream
run pespacketizer.exe and then dynamux.exe
These two programs are available at \\DTV1\C:\dtv_public\bin\bin_intel
 

This page is created by miltchen@graphics