Re: [Avid-L2] Best Collaboration/Review/Notes Tool for MC?

P.S. Apparently, if you contact Zoom support, they might enable HD for your regular webcam signal, and that would prevent the need to do the screensharing trick.

J

On 15 Nov 2020, at 19:26, Job ter Burg (L2B) <Job_L2@terburg.com> wrote:

Many credits to Sofi Marshall, who had posted a blog on remote editing via Zoom, way before we were all forced to start WFH in Q1.

https://sofimarshall.com/real-time-remote-editing/

However, her setup had the Avid signal as a webcam, which prior to the pandemic, may have streamed HD video, but the folks at Zoom had to cut that datarate off at some point. Hence my advice to 'screenshare' the Avid as a 'second camera', which can do 720p30.

J

On 15 Nov 2020, at 17:01, David Dodson <davaldod@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you so much, Job, for taking the time to write all this out. This is a monumental help.

DD

David Dodson

davaldod@gmail.com

On Nov 15, 2020, at 1:00 AM, Job ter Burg (L2) <Job_L2@terburg.com> wrote:

Hi David,

I've been using Zoom, and that works quite well.

To properly see the Avid's playback you need

EITHER:

- an Avid with an I/O device that sends out HDMI.

- an HDMI-to-USB device, such as the Magewell USB Capture (approved by Zoom), or a BMD WebPresenter or a BMD Atem Mini.

OR: 

- you can use the free Virtual NDI software and MC's built-in NDI playback feature (not sure this works on all systems/OS's).

So the HDMI from the MC system goes into the USB Capture device, which runs back into the MC system (over USB). Zook can see this USB Capture device as a camera and microphone. BUT: it is much better to select 'Share Screen', Advanced, Content from 2nd Camera, and tick the boxes 'Share computer sound' and 'Optimize Screen Share for Video Clip'. Because zoom will set the regular webcam resolution to something like 800x600, while screen share allows 720p in a quite decent quality. If you're using WebPresenter on Mac, you will then need to click 'Switch Camera' until you reach the desired resolution (as Webpresenter shows itself as 25 different webcams, one device for each resolution/framerate it supports) — this is not needed with the Magewell unit.

Also, in your Zoom profile, you need to allow the option to 'Turn on Original Sound', and in the meeting you need to click that option (top left of the screen). This will strip all 'sound enhancement' features, which generally kill all BG noise etc. as this is not something you want while reviewing footage or cuts.

Then it becomes a matter of how you like to work. Me, I use a _different_ computer for my own webcam/mic. You can do it on one system, but I found it cumbersome, and it required using tools like Loopback to route the different sound sources, and I definitely don't want to work with headphones on all friggin' day.

So I log into the same Zoom meeting twice. Once on my Avid system, once on my webcam/mic computer (iMac). So the Avid system is a participant, and so is my iMac. On this iMac I will now see exactly the same picture and sound as the remote client does. I can also chat with the other party while reviewing stuff.

You need a Zoom Pro account to be abe to host sessions longer than 40 mins (and perhaps even to have more than 2 people on a call).

Obviously, looking at an iMac screen all day and hearing just the iMac sound isn't great. So for my studio setup, I do it somewhat differently:

- Avid system runs HDMI into Magewell, is a participant on the call, sharing its screen.

- Webcam and microphone run into a Mac mini, which is attached to my large OLED client monitor and to my audio monitoring system.

This means that I actually look at the same screen and via the same speakers as I would when not Zooming. Obviously, with some delay, but it is manageable.

Other folks may prefer to use one system, and keep their own regular monitoring, without the delay. But then you will definitely need to work with unidirectional microphones and headphones, or headsets.

I personally never share the timeline/source/record monitors, but it is possible. I just never had the need to do so. 

In my experience, these Zoom sessions are way more tiring that the regular way of working. I hardly ever did more than 2x 3hrs of Zooming on a given day. Normally I would do half a working day editing alone, half a working day collaborating via Zoom.

In order for things to work nicely, all parties need to be on wired internet. You don't want any wifi issues ruin the connection. If the connection is not stable enough, using the higher quality screen share will quickly run out of sync.

Hope this helps.

Best

Job

On 9 Nov 2020, at 18:42, David Dodson <davaldod@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi, guys,

Shooting has ended on a feature I'm cutting, and now we've got a Covid-era situation in which the the director and producers who would nominally participate in the room are going to be in Iceland, Palm Springs, and here in L.A. during the process.

I need to know what people like for a kind of screen sharing app (even Zoom, maybe?) that allows everyone to see my Media Composer desktop and watch along as I hack and chop and everyone throws in their two cents or two króna.

Opinions, referrals appreciated.

DD

David Dodson

davaldod@gmail.com