Prime Image Freeze II question

[pgoelz]

Just scored a clean Freeze II on Ebay and it works great. Most of it is very self explanatory without the manual, but there are two switches I can't figure out. The two rightmost switches are labeled (in blue, indicating they are second functions) "H(0)" and "SC(0)". There is a momentary effect when they are toggled or held, but only momentary. I don't see any lasting effect on the output. I'm guessing they have something to do with GenLock phasing (I am not using GenLock) but I'm not sure. Does anyone know what these two switches do?

Now to try and find a remote so I can put it out of the way somewhere.

Paul

[lordsmurf]

H = Horizontal Phase
SC = Burst Phase

It's explained on page 14 of the Prime Image 50-II Freeze TBC manual

[pgoelz]

Thanks LS. I registered and downloaded the manual. Didn't know it existed! Looks like my supposition was correct... the two switches seem to manipulate the horizontal phase and burst phase relative the genlock. The manual wasn't totally clear on the burst phase though... it says "relative the reference video" as opposed to "relative the genlock" for the horizontal phase. But since I see no change in hue at the output as I manipulate the burst phase switch, I have to assume they mean genlock in both cases and the switches have no function when running on internal sync.

I'll have to play with the comb filter and see what affect it has. Didn't know how to turn it on or off until I read the manual.

Thanks again,
Paul

[lordsmurf]

I have a Big Voodoo TBC, and it has a lot of the same functionality.
Don't really use it, just have it.

[Cornucopia]

Thanks LS. I registered and downloaded the manual. Didn't know it existed! Looks like my supposition was correct... the two switches seem to manipulate the horizontal phase and burst phase relative the genlock. The manual wasn't totally clear on the burst phase though... it says "relative the reference video" as opposed to "relative the genlock" for the horizontal phase. But since I see no change in hue at the output as I manipulate the burst phase switch, I have to assume they mean genlock in both cases and the switches have no function when running on internal sync.

I'll have to play with the comb filter and see what affect it has. Didn't know how to turn it on or off until I read the manual.

Thanks again,
Paul

When running on internal sync, it wouldn't really show up as a discernable change, and can be ignored.

Comb filter is for >BETTER< separation of the luma from the chroma. If you are running S-Video or Component Inputs, this would be unnecessary (don't remember what that box has). Is there a knob/pot or just an on/off button?

Scott

[pgoelz]

The unit has composite and S-Video ins and outs (no component). At present, I am running composite IN and S-Video OUT because I only have one S-Video cable. That will change tonight.

[NJRoadfan]

Just an FYI, "reference video" generally means the same as "genlock". Unless you are running a studio, you don't need to worry about it. How is this unit with correcting horizontal jitter? Most of the older broadcast units generally are great frame syncs, but aren't the greatest at removing actual time-base errors (like JVC's Digipure does).

[pgoelz]

Sorry, didn't notice your reply.... I see no jitter whatsoever, either full frame or line to line. My source video is actually pretty stable for VHS, but the output of the Freeze II looks even more rock solid. For examples of what I have done with it, go to my YouTube channel and check out the most recent uploads. A good example is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/paulgoelz#p/a/u/6/doLyyv9_rJI

That one looks pretty good because it was shot outdoors and I think it was at SP speed. The other recent uploads were at the other end of the performance spectrum for early 1980s vintage consumer video gear.... low light and LP speed (hey, tape was expensive back then). All the most recent videos were captured witht my AG-1970, the Freeze II, ADVC55, processed and de-noised (NeatVideo) in Vegas Pro, rendered to Sony AVC (h.264) and uploaded to YouTube. I get the levels and chroma as close as I can with the controls on the Freeze II and then do the rest in Vegas. Levels used for encoding were "broadcast RGB". My experimentation seems to show that the black level is pretty spot on when played on YouTube but the white level might be able to go all the way to 255. Not sure and no one seems to have any solid data.

The colors are just a tad off on many of the low light vids. Partially because that camera didn't do green very well in low light and partially because there seems to be a slight yellow-green shift between the Freeze II and the ADVC-55 (I notice the same thing without the Freeze II). I can't completely correct it using the RGB color balance controls in Vegas but I can get close.

Paul

[NJRoadfan]

Tube camera quality left alot to be desired in low light. It also didn't help that consumer level gear didn't clamp the black level, it goes all over the place depending on the light.

[pgoelz]

Yeah, I am VERY grateful for modern digital processing! Actually, I found that in low light the black level was fairly stable. But it was indeed all over the place in intermittent backlight situations. I captured one recently where I had to use the keyframe animation feature in the Vegas color corrector plugin to deal with the black and white levels. It took FOREVER to set it up (why isn't there an automated plugin) but I got a decent capture.

Note that I think I have solved the color shift issue while capturing with the ADVC-55. Using the "proc amp" in the Enosoft digital processor (also used for capture to file) I can manipulate the Cr and Cb values (as opposed to the RGB values in Vegas) and that cures the green-yellow tint nicely. It is a little more clumsy to use compared to WinDV but I like the ability to properly correct the color.

Paul