Jump to content

William Demeritt

Premium Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,094

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    64

 Content Type 

Posts posted by William Demeritt

  7. Decimator MD-DUCC for sale

    in Steadicam Marketplace - For Sale

    Posted

    Now selling a Decimator Designs MD-DUCC (Down Up Cross Converter). I bought it new from AbelCine in LA a few months ago, but it turns it it doesn't do what I wanted it to do.

     

    Also, I know it will hurt my sale opportunity, but I'll be honest with you: it's a pain in the ass to configure. Once it's configured, you're golden, but the LED based menu system is a PAIN! The operations manual doesn't really explain to you HOW to navigate the menu, I had Perry Drago at TECADS explain it to me.

     

    However, it does a bunch of things that maybe you have use for: HD to HD, HD to SD (just like a Decimator/Decimator 2), SD-SDI to HD-SDI (NOT analog to HD-SDI, which I thought I was buying).

     

    Lots of bells, lots of whistles. Maybe someone has a use for it? End of the day, it will still do what a Decimator downconverter does, plus a few other tricks that maybe you'll use? Maybe you won't. Either way, buy it off me if you want it.

     

    Sells new for $695 plus tax

     

    Give me $550. I dare you. I'll pay shipping, local LA pickup preferred. Comes with the AC power connector. Otherwise it's going on flEabay.

     

    If you're coming to CineGear, I'll even give it to you personally and buy you a beer somewhere.

     

    Here's more info about the thing: http://decimator.com/Products/MD-DUCC/MD-DUCC.html

  8. Redrock micro WFF

    in Follow Focus

    Posted

    Heden is another option. If yout get a Digital bartech, you may consider Preston motors along with the digital Heden and M-One options.

     

    Anything else, you may be looking at a lower quality motor (cheaper parts, noisier).

  11. Redrock micro WFF

    in Follow Focus

    Posted

    Why is $2500 more manageable than $5000? I can appreciate the desire to save some money, but the Bartech is pretty much bulletproof and will continue to earn your money back well after you've paid it off. Seriously, for the price of a Bartech and it's reliability (both as a product, and Jim backing it up), just make the investment in a Bartech (new or used).

     

    In fact, I just bought a second Bartech to rent almost exclusively.

  14. Voltage Regulator

    in Batteries/Power

    Posted

    If you want to do it cheap, just go buy a car-USB charger. It accepts variable input up to (and I think above) 14.4v DC and outputs 5V regulated. Get one that say it definitely goes to 2 amps, or just says it charges and iPad.

     

    Open the sucker up, tear off the USB cover, clip the center two pins (they're data) and use the outer two pins for power. I forget which is hot and which is ground, but you can find that info online fairly easily.

     

    I did the same thing for my HD reclocking redistribution amplifier, and it works great.

  16. Rumors confirmed at PRO

    in Arms

    Posted

    After they got razzed and beat down over the arm name here...

     

    They know they're quality, we know they're quality, and they've probably sold out on preorders sight unseen for the first batch of Atlas arms (much like they did the battery module 3). If the only complaints are the product name, I would hope Jack and all the folks at GPI will grin and laugh all the way to the bank.

     

    I am looking forward to getting my new Atlas arm!

  22. Thoughts on the Element Technica Mantis

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    Like you said: if you have the long Arri sliding dovetail, keep the camera on that and put a pad on your shoulder (tape it to the bottom of the dovetail) and operate off an onboard LCD. Eyepiece location becomes irrelevant, move the camera where you need, use both eyes for the LCD, hands on the matte box or iris rods. Or, if the eyepiece isn't too far and its close to balanced, go that route.

  25. compact HD distribution amplifier

    in Video Assist and Video Accessories

    Posted

    Nick,

     

    Amplifier maybe not so much, but a re-clocking distribution amplifier can be very useful with some cameras that output excessive HD-SDI jitter, like the Red MX. In my research, I found that most devices that have an active loop-through do not amplify or change the signal (reclock, etc) but simply "turn on" the output port. Analog signals benefit from an amplifier in that the strength of the signal was "increased" to allow for longer runs, but with digital, the signal can attenuate or also deteriorate in quality, or be less than quality to begin with (again, the RED MX).

     

    As is my understanding, a reclocking amplifier will take the HD-SDI signal and "recondition" it to be within SMPTE specifications, as well as amplify the signal (if only in so much as amplifying it from multiple outputs, each with 75ohm resistance instead of splitting out several BNC ports). I had considered the passive single channel splitter Lawrence was using, but it doesn't reclock or actively amplify the signal. I believe it is "passive" in so much that it draws no power to enhance the signal; without further research, I suppose it does something akin to a 75ohm T-barrel without the loss in resistance over the 2 output BNC's.

     

    Again deferring to anyone with greater engineering skill than my own, but to answer the question of "Is a distro amp necessary if you have SDI loop throughs?", if you have no problems with your current setup, I'm inclined to say no. As far as I have researched, loop throughs do not amplify your signal, but SDI signals should run a long run before attenuating or deteriorating to the point of loss.

×
×
  • Create New...