Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

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Tim_Ashton

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Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

PostSun Jul 16, 2017 8:01 pm

Hi,

I've just taken delivery of the Video Assist 4K and used it on location for the first time on Friday. It worked perfectly except for three things. Any suggestions or ideas from experienced users very welcome!

1. I purchased two SanDisk Extreme PRO 64 GB UHS-II Class 10 U3 SDXC SD cards which are on the approved list (I was shooting 1080i50). Out of the packaging one worked perfectly but the other was not recognised by the device (at all). My laptop recognised it instantly, I formatted it in exFAT (both fast and normal formatting) and tried it the device after each attempt - still nothing. It's definitely the card not the card reader as swapping between slots on the VA allowed the working card to work in either card slot. Any ideas? Dodgy SD card?

2. Shooting on a Sony PMW-500 via SDI connection to the VA, the trigger record would not work - neither on SDI/HDMI or TC trigger. I had to start it recording each time manually. Is anyone able to use the SDI trigger?

3. Is there a way to hide the on-screen display (i.e. top and bottom strips showing TC, control options, etc.) as this masks the top and bottom of the shot and therefore the cameraman (and the client looking over his shoulder) wasn't able to see if the shot was framed correctly as it was masking part of the video image.

Other than that it was great! The ability to review a shot immediately was ideal (and it was very detailed and complex medical filming) as well as the image zoom and focus assist options being excellent. Most of all having a back-up of all the footage being filmed (as it could not be re-shot) was the main reason for buying.

Thanks,
Tim
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rick.lang

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Re: Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

PostMon Jul 17, 2017 9:00 pm

A swipe up or down may remove all the information you don't want the client to see.


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Rick Lang
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Denny Smith

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Re: Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

PostMon Jul 17, 2017 11:16 pm

Tim, sounds like a bad SD card in the one that is not working. I would return it for a rep,acement, SanDisk is good about this.

Next, VA trigger record works, with a camera like your Sony (and my AF100) you need to use T/C Record trigger, the othermoption is on,y supported by DSLR cameras. On your camera, you need to set Tie. Code to Record Run, not Free Run, before T/C Record trigger will work. I have used this with my AF100, and it works.

Per Sony:
To select how the time code advances (TC Run)
- [Setup] - [TC/UB] - [TC Run] - desired setting.
Rec Run: Advances the time code during movie recording. Select this setting to record the time code sequentially from the last time code of the previous recording.
Even if the time code advances in [Rec Run] mode, the time code may not be recorded sequentially when the recording media is removed.
Free Run: Advances the time code regardless of the operation of the camcorder.


You want RecRun, so TC only advances when you press record on the camera, which is going to need a Sony Memory stick in it, the VA senses the sudden presence of TC in the SDI input, and starts the VA recording. When T/C signal,is no longer detected, recording stops.
Cheers
Denny Smith
SHA Productions
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Aaron Green

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Re: Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

PostTue Jul 18, 2017 11:05 am

You can remove the bottom overlay by swiping down. The top overlay is always there, but it doesn't cover any of your frame. The frame starts right underneath.
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Tim_Ashton

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Re: Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

PostTue Jul 18, 2017 12:26 pm

Thanks very much everyone. All issues resolved as below:

1. I installed the latest firmware, restarted the VA and it recognised the other SD card instantly. Test records show all OK.

2. The record trigger via SDI still doesn't work, however the T/C trigger worked well. I had already tried this with Rec Run set, so possibly the software update helped this too, but thanks Denny for pointing me in the right direction with that.

3. So simple yet exactly what I needed! Swipe down on the screen hides the bottom controls (swipe up brings them back). I hadn't spotted until I tested further that the top bar of info (Record format, TC, etc.) does not cover the picture at all (thanks Aaron) and that stays on permanently.

A great little device from BMD.
Thanks for all your help.
Tim
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Denny Smith

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Re: Video Assist 4K - hide on screen display

PostTue Jul 18, 2017 10:17 pm

Great Tim, good youmgit itmsortrd. It pays to up,aodmthrmlatest firmware that is appropriate for your recorder. As I previously stared, Record Trigger is mainly for Prosummer Video and DSLR cameras, and will not work with Pro video cameras like yours, as they were designed to Record to their internal media only. SDI external recorders are relatively new, compared to your camera, and my AF100.
Cheers
Denny Smith
SHA Productions

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