Video Equipment Reviews

David Brott
December 1995

Edit Suite Edit Controller
Videonics
1370 Dell Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008-6604
($699)

The Edit Suite A/B-roll edit controller from Videonics has finally arrived. This long-awaited editor offers multi-format and multi-protocol editing at an affordable price point. This unit gives videomakers professional-level editing power without setting foot in a professional studio.

The Edit Suite supports a wide range of VCRs and camcorders. Used as a stand-alone device, the Edit Suite will control up to four video source machines and one record deck. When used in conjunction with Videonics' MX-1 Digital Video Mixer, the Edit Suite effectively delivers A/B/C/D-roll transitions and special effects. Edit Suite is also compatible with third-party mixers and titlers, offering two programmable GPI (general purpose interface) ports. If your VCRs are up to it, the Edit Suite can do audio and video split edits, video edit preview/review, and separate audio or video inserts.

The Edit Suite supports Control-L, Panasonic 5-pin (Control-M), RS-232, RS-422, and infrared (record deck only) control protocols. The unit also recognizes Sony's Rewriteable Consumer Time Code (RCTC), vertical interval time code (VITC) and longitudinal time code (LTC) for improved editing accuracy.

The Edit Suite is a laptop-sized editor with a comfortable, ergonomic design. The unit is easy to use for long periods, thanks to its built-in palm rest and large control buttons. The Edit Suite's keys and their corresponding legends are color coded, making editing decisions easy to execute. Hook-up is simple, the unit comes equipped with three Control-L and Control-M cables, a GPI cable and an infrared wand for control of a record deck.

The Edit Suite has the capability of storing an EDL with up to 250 edit segments. The Edit Suite stores all of your edits in memory, retaining them even when you power the unit down. You can delete the stored edit decision list (EDL) with the push of a button. Using the Edit Suite in conjunction with the Videonics MX-1 mixer or TitleMaker 2000, the EDL will also store GPI events to scroll titles or perform transitions at specific times within your video production.

The Edit Suite will adapt to different editing situations, depending on the equipment that you have. For instance, if you have only two camcorders or two VCRs with Control-L or Control-M, jacks you will still have the ability to edit one scene at a time using one camcorder or VCR as the source and the other as the record deck. On the more sophisticated side, Edit Suite allows connection to a variety of high- end consumer and broadcast-level VCRs and camcorders.

The Edit Suite offers a jog/shuttle wheel for accurate control of videotape location, whether advancing at forward and reverse shuttle speeds or by jogging frame-by-frame. A 40-character backlit LCD displays the EDL, setup parameters, status information and error conditions. The LCD's backlight allows the user to see the display in low-light environments. A built-in contrast control improves character visibility, accommodating a wide range of viewing angles.

The two most common ways to use the Edit Suite are through standard Assemble and Auto-assemble editing. Standard assemble editing allows you to build your production on the fly, one scene at a time. The Edit Suite will create an EDL as you go, automatically storing edit points every time you start and stop the recording videotape. This is a great feature when you are simply off-line editing. Later, you can recall the saved EDL and export the edit data to a computer. The Edit Suite offers a CMX 3400-compatible file export, a useful feature if you plan to transfer your off-line EDL to an on-line editing suite.

Auto-assemble allows you to enter a series of edit points all at once into the EDL. In order to perform the edits, the Edit Suite then takes control of all connected VCRs and production equipment, starting and stopping them according to the EDL.

The Edit Suite maintains EDL data with full frame accuracy. But because VCRs are mechanical devices, they vary in their response to the Edit Suite's control signals. Therefore, different recording decks will perform edits with differing degrees of accuracy. You can easily reconfigure Edit Suite is to compensate for VCR slip and mechanical inconsistency.

When using the Edit Suite as a stand-alone editor, performing single-source A-roll edits is a cinch. The Edit Suite allows you to cut between scenes using a single source VCR or camcorder, recording the edits onto tape one after the other. Remember, for best results, use a recorder equipped with flying erase heads.

Using two or more source VCRs at once, you can assemble a sequence of scenes from multiple tapes. Keep in mind that any record VCR is capable of recording only one video signal at a time--without the hardware to perform transitions, these types of edits would be simple cuts only. So although the Edit Suite will control up to four source decks and a recorder, you'll find that adding a video mixer is the key to really harnessing the Edit Suite's power. By connecting a mixer or switcher to the GPI ports, transitions from one scene to another are possible.

• Digg This!
• del.icio.us
• Technorati
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit