Beta SP deck to Mac G5

[Anonymous]

I just got a used Beta SP deck (Sony UVW-1200) and I need to hook it up to my Mac G5. I didn’t plan on using Beta, but my DP insisted on shooting my indie movie in Beta. Myself and two others shot additional footage using a Panasonic 100A. No problem getting that hooked up.

So, now that I have 35.5 hours of footage to put into FCP, I went ahead and got a used beta deck (great shape – bought it from a major industrial video equipment supplier in Burbank, re-tooled and certified, head with less than 50 hours on it). Question is, how do I link it to my Mac? I’m guessing I need some kind of box to run the RGB leads into, then hook it into the Mac.

Do I need to run the audio as well? How should I handle this?

I wasn’t happy about using the Beta on my movie, but the more I watched his footage the happier I was we did it. Now I just need to make the editing work.

I sincerely appreciate your suggestions. I’ve got a big Fry’s nearby and Ametron is just down the street so I can get my hands on pretty much anything I’d need to make this happen.

Thanks

Ed

[Anonymous]

Hey Ed,

What you’ll need is a capture card with I/Os for the Beta deck. I would suggest going with a card from BlackMagic Design: http://www.blackmagic-design.com/
The cards work with PC or MAC and FCP, PPRO, or Vegas. I’m pretty sure they have two types: one that does SD, the other does both SD and HD. If you’re only working with SD then you can save some $$$ by buying the SD only card. Here is a great place to buy: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=1535&shs=blackmagic&ci=1&ac=&Submit.x=13&Submit.y=8&Submit=Go
The cards also have realtime effects support. Also the cards have on-board audio.

Hope this helps you!

[Anonymous]

Oh btw where did you buy your Beta deck from? I live a short distance from Burbank and am interested in purchasing a Beta deck, most likely used.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info.

I bought it from the Broadcast Store, 1840 Flower Street, Burbank, 818/551-5858. Suzy was the salesperson I worked with. This was a unit they found in New York. They cleaned it up, fixed any problems and shipped it off to me. They certified the drum head and gave me a limited warranty. It cost about $1,900.00 used.

Considering the cost of transferring 35 hours of beta SP to another format so I could edit, it was a reasonable expense.

http://www.broadcaststore.com/

[Anonymous]

Wow! Looks like the Decklink SP is a little wonder tool. B&H’s price is only a few dollars less than local suppliers. I’ll call some of their vendors tomorrow and see if there’s one available.

Thanks, again.

[Anonymous]

Another thought: Paying to have the Beta tapes dubbed to a harddrive instead of buying the equipment to do it myself. Any thoughts on where or how to get this done in Los Angeles? I plan on looking into the cost of this tomorrow vs buying the decklink and whatever else I’m sure will pop up.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info!

I haven’t looked into that service but if I were you I’d just buy the decklink card. It’ll pay for itself over time, and I imagine that dubbing Beta to a hard drive is pricey.

[Anonymous]

I WOULD HAVE SAVED HUNDREDS BY THROWING BACK OUT ONTO MINI -DV AND HAVING SOMEONE ELSE TRANSFER IT TO BETA-SP FOR $40 BUCKS TOPS

[DVine]

Angry caps…..

You would have saved money but you would have also lost some quality.
There is also degradation, especially going analog to digital.

Also, Sony has stopped the production of Beta Sp cameras so transfer is only getting more expensive.

Besides thats a reaosnable price for a beta deck; now he has a deck in case he wants to shoot beta again.

[Author]

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