Software Field Monitors, Part 2

Figure 1. Adobe OnLocation''s Preview and Waveform Monitors and Digital Video Recorder.
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As I discussed last issue, one of the coolest product categories in the HDV@Work space is software programs that provide video scopes, a large preview monitor, direct-to-disc recording capabilities (DDR), and other features. In this issue, we'll take a closer look at two products in that category. Adobe OnLocation CS3 is the grandfather of software field monitors, and it still has the broadest scope-related feature set of the group. Its interface is based upon the dials and levers found on the actual devices, which can get jarring, and it lacks some advanced functions found on other products, such as the ability to add metadata to captured clips and save workspaces. Still, given the price (free with Premiere Pro CS3), the most significant deficit is that it doesn''t run on the Mac.

Figure 1 shows OnLocation''s Preview and Waveform Monitors and its Digital Video Recorder. Rather than having separate waveform and histogram scopes, the Waveform Monitor has five adjustable modes, including histogram, and you can open multiple windows as I have to display both.

One of OnLocation''s coolest features is the splitscreen view, which can display a partial screen from a captured file in the DVR and a partial frame from the live feed, which simplifies matching framing as well as brightness and color values. In Figure 1, the left half of the preview monitor is the top clip in the DVR, with the right half from the live feed. You can see from the arm of the African American model that the framing is off, and that the blue sky is subtly different in the two shots. Absent a splitscreen view, you''d have to shoot and capture the video and compare the two clips in your editor to notice the difference, which is cumbersome and time-consuming.

OnLocation''s feature set is too lengthy to address in this drive by, but let me note some of those that I find particularly helpful. First, you can display two sets of configurable zebra stripes, which I usually set at 75 (for Caucasian faces) and 100 (for absolute whites). You can see how this helps me ensure optimal facial exposure in Figure 2.

Figure 2. I love having two sets of configurable zebra stripes, here showing good exposure on the face of country singer Jeanette Williams (I know, I know, what about the contrast with the background).
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Note the Zoom button in Figure 2, which zooms in to assist focusing, which is especially useful when shooting in HD. I also like the program''s DV Quality monitor, which detects when your audio or video exceed certain levels. If you study the waveform monitor in the Digital Video Recorder in Figure 1, you''ll notice the red flags that indicate pops, which looked worse than they actually turned out to be (thank goodness).

Speaking of the DVR, note that you can synch the recording function to the record button on your camcorder, so once you press the magic button on your camcorder, you also start recording on the computer. You can also set up a rolling buffer, say of 15 seconds, that gets added to the start of each clip when you start recording, a nice failsafe feature if you start recording a few seconds too late. Finally, Adobe includes setup cards with OnLocation and procedures for calibrating your monitor and setting focus, exposure, and white balance at the shoot.

What didn''t I like? Between you, me, and the fence post, I think the device-centric interface paradigm is getting a bit tired, especially given that an ever-shrinking percentage of users have ever seen standalone tools such as waveform monitors or vectorscopes, much less used them. Even after using the product multiple times over multiple years, I have to consult the manual to perform simple operations like switching the Preview window from DVR to live. That said, OnLocation works very well, provides a great range of functionality and is free with Premiere Pro CS3, so it really is tough to complain.

Figure 3. Divergent Media ScopeBox all tricked out.
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I''m a big fan of the Macintosh computers, but not Boot Camp, which is the only current way to run OnLocation on my MacBook Pro, so I was eager to search for native Mac OS alternatives for OnLocation (note that Adobe showed a preview version of OnLocation for the Macintosh at NAB 2008, but the company hasn't announced a ship date). Since Divergent Media was just releasing version 2.0 of ScopeBox while I was writing this month''s column, I decided to have a look.

ScopeBox shares most of the basic functionality of OnLocation in a much more intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Operationally, each camera gets its own control window, which is the Canon XH A1 window shown on the upper left in Figure 3. You access all controls available for each scope in the Sidebar on the right, which opens automatically when you click to select a window. Once you have the scopes and preview window open to a configuration that you like, you can save it as a custom layout—a great convenience. If you have multiple cameras connected to your computer, you can monitor them simultaneously—another powerful feature.

As you can see in the Preview Monitor, ScopeBox has a full contingent of positioning tools, including center and rule-of-thirds positioning. Zoom controls allow you to zoom to 200-percent views of all pixels to assist focusing, and you can add a custom image to simulate a lower-third title or similar onscreen element. I found the Zebra stripes pretty funky, because they''re only true zebras at 1:1 pixel display. With the entire HDV preview squeezed into the Preview Monitor, the stripes run together and look like a skin rash. I prefer the jarring impact of true zebras as show in Figure 2.

The other irritating characteristic of the program was that it didn''t recover automatically if your camera cycled off before recording; instead, you have to reconfigure your camera selection manually. No biggie, but OnLocation recovers automatically once the camera comes online, which is more convenient.

Once you''ve optimized your lighting and camera settings, you click the red button on the bottom of the camera control window to start recording, and you can sync recording to start when you press your camera''s record button. ScopeBox saves all recordings in a panel on the bottom of the screen.

Figure 4. Compare the live preview (on the left) with a previously captured file.
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After recording, you can load the captured clip back into the program to compare it to the live feed, which I show in Figure 4. You can even load and display data from any of the program''s scopes, which are color-coded to the source, like the green Preview window matching the green source clip.

Overall, ScopeBox worked well and proved very easy to use, proving the concept that you don''t have to mimic the controls of a hardware oscilloscope to be intuitive. On the other hand, note that ScopeBox is one of the more expensive programs in the category at $699, and that there are cheaper Mac alternatives available. To read a comparison of ScopeBox 1.0 and two other Mac programs, DVDxDV Veescope Live and Red Lightning HD Monitor, check out Ben Balser''s article.