• Profile: Batch file to open all ProLinks at once
• Setting the Time and Date
• Storing the Time and Date in CMOS memory
• Faster Floppies
• VPE Ram Disk
• Upgrading to HD Floppy Drive on the VPE-241
• Setting the HD Floppy Drive ID#
• Aux Bus Preview Shifts
• On-Board Diagnostics/Boot Thumbwheel settings
• Color Monitor Nomenclature and Resolutions
• Not Enough Timecode at the Head of a Scene?
• Formatting the Hard Drive
• Initializing Hard Drive
• Hard Drive Parking on VPE-151 and
• EP Recovery on the DPE-500 Series
• Diagnostics for DPE-500 Series

Batch File for NLE use with the GVG Profile video server (also available in .pdf format )
This is an example of a Batch File (typically called "ps.bat") located in the Profile Directory that will open all ProLinks and minimize them..

Create the following text file using your favorite text editor:

Sleep 1
Start/min prolink P1

Sleep 1
Start/min prolink P2

Sleep 1
Start/min prolink P3

Sleep 1
Start/min prolink P4

Save this as a text file named "ps.bat" in the Profile directory and create a Shortcut of the "ps.bat" file and drag it to the desktop.

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Setting the Time and Date on updated, Y2K compliant VPE editors
Exit Super Edit to get to the RT> prompt:

To set the time, type: time hh:mm:ss [enter]
(use 24 hour time hours:minutes:seconds with colons in between)

To set the date, type: date nn-mmm-yyyy [enter]
(where nn = the day (use preceding 0 for single digits), mmm = the first three letters of the month, and yyyy = the four digits of the year with a hyphen in between the day-month-year)

This will temporarily store the time and/or date (until powered off). To Store the Time and Date in CMOS memory, see below.

Setting the Time and Date on non-Y2K compliant VPE editors
Exit Super Edit to get to the RT> prompt:

To set the time, type: time hh:mm:ss [enter]
(use 24 hour time hours:minutes:seconds with colons in between)

To set the date, type: date nn-mmm-yy [enter]
(where nn = the day (use preceding 0 for single digits), mmm = the first three letters of the month, and yy = the last two digits of the year with a hyphen in between)

This will temporarily store the time and/or date (until powered off). To Store the Time and Date in CMOS memory, see below.

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Storing the Time and Date in CMOS memory

VPE-131	Put Utilities Disk in DF0: and type: run df:setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-141	Put Utilities Disk in DF0: and type: run df:setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-141L	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-151	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-241	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-241L	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-251	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-331	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-341	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]
VPE-351	At the RT> prompt, type: run setclk.sav [enter]

If you have difficulty finding the setclock file on your default drive, load your Utilities Disk (1 of 2) into DF0: (right hand drive) and at the RT> prompt type: run df:setclk.sav [enter]

Return to the main menu by typing: menu [enter] or "return to edit" by typing: return [enter]. You can check the time and/or date at any time on any day by typing: time [enter] or date [enter] at the RT prompt.

Faster Floppies

FFORM floppy disk formatting
Many of us have been using pre-formatted DOS floppy disks right out of the box for the VPE editor (after initializing them for RT of course). This works. However, if you were to format those disks on a VPE editor using the FFORM utility at the RT> prompt, or with the Format and Initialize Utility on the main menu, something wonderful happens. They copy files and boot, etc. about 4 times faster. This is because the DOS formatted disks you buy are formatted with a 1 to 1 interleave factor. We format disks with a 2 to 1 interleave factor. Our hardware works most efficiently with a 2 to 1 interleave factor. Using a 1 to 1 interleave, when it reads a single sector, the disk has to rotate a full revolution befere it can read the next sector.

So, if you want lightning fast disk operation, use FFORM at the RT> prompt or the FORMAT and INITIALIZE Utility on the VPE main menu to format your floppy diskettes.

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VPE RAM DISK ( 20KB, 2 pages)
This procedure will allow you to run Super Edit from the Ram disk of your VPE in the event that you have a non-functioning hard drive on your system.

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Upgrading to HD Floppy Drive on the VPE-241 ( 18KB, 1 page)
If you are currently using or plan to install Super Edit Version 8.0 or higher software, your VPE-241 will have the ability to utilize a high density 1.44MB floppy disk drive.

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Setting the HD Floppy Drive ID# ( 25KB, 1 page)
When adding or replacing a HDFD (High Density) floppy disk drive in your IPS or VPE system, it may be necessary to change the default drive number setting of the new floppy drive(s).

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AUX BUS PREVIEW SHIFTS (aka "Sweet 16")

It has been noted that when previewing on a switcher AUX Bus, there is often a video shift at the In-point of a VVV preview. This is usually a16-line shift caused by the video from the R-VTR being advanced.

The timebase corrector (TBC) in a modern VTR is typically 32 lines long, and it is nominally ½ full. In playback mode, the VTR head servo is fed "advanced" sync to lock to. This advances sync is typically 16 lines. The head drum is kept 16 lines ahead to properly position the Record-Play (R/P) head so the video output is aligned with the incoming video reference.

When the VTR is placed in the Insert-edit mode as a prelude to either E-E preview or record, the R/P head cannot be advanced but must be positioned directly over the video to be replaced. In addition, the incoming video signal is used for the servo reference rather than the VTR reference video. Since the R/P head must not be advanced, and since the TBC is still active, the output video will be delayed by 16 lines.

During a VVV Preview, therefore, the roll-in and roll-out video (the first and third Vs of VVV), coming from the R-VTR are advanced. The inserted video (the middle V), coming from the switcher and presumably aligned with house reference, will be on-time but will appear to be delayed relative to the video from the R-VTR.

This situation does not exist for a VVV preview if the video is being previewed through the AUX-Bus, and if the audio is being previewed through the audio mixer and switcher output is closely aligned with the house reference used for the R-VTR's reference. If neither the audio nor video is being previewed through the R-VTR, the insert command is not sent.

The problem is when the video is being previewed using the AUX-Bus and the audio is being previewed E-E through the VTR. In this case, the editor must send the insert command to the VTR in anticipation of the audio preview. Even if all channels are turned off, the R-VTR enters E-E mode internally and the 16-line advance is introduced. If the Channels Select command is then applied for the audio only channels, then only the audio channels are switched, but the 16-line advance remains for the video.

Historically Super Edit applied the channels command first (at some point early in the roll) and applied the insert and E-E ON commands at the In-point to effect the E-E switch. This operation would result in no shift since the R-VTR would not be in E-E mode while it was supplying the roll-in and roll-out video. However, since the introduction of the BVW15/40 Betacam, Sony VTRs would no longer accept the channels command first so Super Edit was forced to send the insert command first.

Regardless of preview mode, there should not be a video jump on modern (post-1") VTRs at the edit-in point for Record, nor should there be a jump for E-E preview. A jump would be attributable to a timing difference between the house reference and the Record video. A 1" VTR with the confidence head enabled will jump at the in-point of Record due to the displacement of the confidence head from the R/P head.

BOOT thumbwheels
Locations of the BOOT thumbwheels on the various VPEs.

COLOR MONITOR Nomenclature and Resolutions

Not Enough Timecode at the Head of a Scene?
How many times have you had a source tape, usually a field tape, that had the action you needed to use right at the beginning of the recording, with no available pre-roll footage to work with?

Here's a way to work around that problem in a semi-elegant way:

1. Park the source tape at the beginning of the de-sired shot (Example:A-VTR)

2. Press [SHIFT][STOP]. The current position of the source is automatically set in as the IN-point.

3. Open PEGS

Example:
REGISTER? [1]
FUNCTION? [A-VTR]
COMMAND? [1][0][0]
TIME= [0]
Exit PEGS

4. Press [RECORD] or [PREVIEW]
By pressing [SHIFT][STOP] you send a command to Super Edit to perform the event, but to not roll the selected source…kind of like cutting to AUX. The PEGS will roll the VTR at 100% variable speed a few frames before the edit. Remember, that this is a work-a-round, so it's only for when you really need it.

Here are a few things to note:

A. If there is audio in the edit, you may hear a bit of audio ramping up (best to use this for Video only).
B. The longer you let the edit run, the further out of sync it will go… It's not running at PLAY speed, so we are not synchronizing the VTR at the moment. As soon as there is enough heads on the take, bump out and re-edit as normal.
C. Every time you press [ALLSTOP] you reset the [SHIFT][STOP] function. If you do a [VVV] for example, and want to stop the preview, press [VVV] again. This will stop all VTRs active in the preview, but will not reset [SHIFT][STOP].

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Initializing Hard Disk Drives
1. Put Utilities Disk in DF0: and power up the system
2. Go to the “Boot Device Menu,” cursor down to “Boot from DF0:” and press RETURN
3. Answer “N” or “NO” to all questions and stop at the RT> prompt
4. Enter “init/bad dh0:” and press RETURN, takes about 2 minutes
5. Enter “init/bad dh1:” and press RETURN; takes about 2 minutes
6. If no errors occurred, follow the install procedures

Hard Drive Parking on VPE-151 and VPE-251
The newer VPE systems (VPE-331, 341, 351) all have PCM-CIA hard disk drives that automatically seek track zero whenever they are powered down, “parking the heads.”
Unfortunately, the VPE-151 and VPE-251 systems DO NOT AUTO-PARK the heads. We’ve seen a rash of dead drives lately a result of not parking the heads of
the hard disk before moving a VPE system. Once the heads crash against the platters, they are non-recoverable. You will need a replacement hard disk
and these are rare and hence expensive. Replacement MFM hard disks are still available from Editware at a cost of $900.
If you are moving your older VPE, please park the heads before hand.

PROCEDURE for parking heads on VPE-151/251:
1. Run Diagnostics (boot with thumbwheel set at #6, or select “Run Power Up Diagnostics” from Main Menu)
2. Select “Change Registers in EEPROM”
3. Select “Specify Hard Drive Type” (if this choice is not shown on your system, skip step 4 and go to step 5 )
4. Select “K/LOK (or not sure)(615)” (This is a universal setting that works for all types of hard drives; you will now be shown the register’s contents)
5. Press [Enter] twice, then select “Test/Format Hard Disk”
6. Select “Park Disk Heads and Halt”
The heads are now parked and the system is safe to move. The heads automatically “unpark” at the next power on cycle.

Re-setting the DPE-500 Series Processors ( 38KB, 1 page)
Instructions for re-setting the processors on the DPE-500 Series edit systems. These steps are used if the SEDISK (ram disk) becomes corrupt. The main symptom is a warning message "No communication with the EP (or SE) processor" and Super Edit will not load/run.

Diagnostics for DPE-500 Series (Self-extracting file; 141kb)
Save As or Copy this file to an MS-DOS (DOS 5.0 or higher) or Win95/98/NT diskette with System Files on it (disk must be bootable).

DPE Diagnostics Technical Note ( 36KB, 5 pages)
This document describes the various operations and options of the DPE-500 Series editor diagnostics. The diagnostic routines are supplied on a 3.5” high-density floppy disk. Do not copy or transfer these files to your hard disk drive, as these routines run only from the floppy disk. This diagnostics package includes tests for SYNC presence and accuracy, SERIAL PORT continuity, GPI closures, and SRAM. (12/22/2000)