Direct RS-422 Control of the HDW-F500 for NTSC Offline

The new HKDV-507D pulldown board is now available. With this board, and the new software needed to support it, an HDCAM user can digitize into an Avid NLE running at 60i (59.94, of course) directly from the VTR, running at 24P (23.98). Both the board and the software are necessary to ensure the accuracy of in/out points, and to fix the audio "advance" when compared to the SD and HD Pulldown output, which can be delayed by up to two frames from the Analog and AES/EBU outputs which come directly from the HDW-F500.

If these changes are implemented, and the F500 is locked to both 23.98 Tri Level sync,and 59.94 black burst, the "A" frames of the Pulldown and down converted outputs will occur at frame numbers 00, 05, 10, 15, 20, and 25, and the analog and AES/EBU audio outputs will be exactly two frames ahead of the pulldown and D/C video. This "Dual Reference" mode (hence the name 507D) is required for A frame coincidence. This essentially means that the HD output is locked to 23.98, and the SD output is locked to 59.94. The references coincide 6 times a second, at which points the 3:2 pulldown sequences begin (the "A" frame).

Companies such as Evertz Microsystems make sync generators which can output 23.98 Tri-Level, while locked to 59.94 BB. This is the key to producing the locked A-frame.

PDF versions of Technical Bulletins describing the software and hardware updates for the HDW-F500 are available from the Sony CineAlta Europe website.

Menu Settings

Don Kenzinger
Dynamix

The Avid should be set to the HDW-500 deck settings for control. A 10 second preroll was tested, however, shorter prerolls may also work.

The deck needs to have specific settings made with its menu. Within the Maintenance Mode:

Look at the ROM version of the VTR. It must display the following values:

SYS1 V2.5 SYS2 v2.51
SV1 v1.0 SV2 v1.0
DT v2.0 DR v1.0
FP v1.0 RF v1.0
CP v2.50 FL v3.0
APR v3.20 TCRG v2.0
PD v2.53
SWC v2.01

Menu Items:
A01 ON or OFF
A02 30F
A03 ON
A04 NDF
A05 Lock2
A06 ON
A07 OFF
A10 30F

#821 (Audio Advance Mode) to "OFF