TITLE
    Final Cut Pro 1.0: Hardware Setup and Configuration
Article ID:
Created:
Modified: 		60227
4/9/99
4/19/00
TOPIC

    Final Cut Pro is designed to work with DV and Truevision Targa Series hardware. If you are using DV equipment, use the FireWire cable included with this package to connect your camcorder or deck to your computer. DV devices with FireWire transmit device control data, timecode, video, and audio over a single FireWire cable.

    If you are using Truevision Targa equipment, device control and timecode signals are transmitted over one cable while video and audio data use another set of cables depending on the type of video source connection you choose. See your Targa manual for details.

    You can also connect camcorders or decks that do not support device control to capture video clips and export edited sequences. To print to video or edit to tape, the card must have video out capabilities. To connect these devices, you need a QuickTime-compatible video capture card. Go to the Final Cut Pro Web site at www.apple.com/finalcutpro for a list of vendors and qualified products.

DISCUSSION


    Connecting Video Devices to Your Computer
    Devices can be connected to your computer through a dedicated video capture card or FireWire connection. It is recommended that you connect and turn on the device before opening Final Cut Pro so the application can detect the device.

    If you are connecting devices to your computer with video and audio cables:
    • Connect the video and audio cables to the output jacks of your camcorder or deck.
    • Connect the other ends of the cables to the corresponding input jacks of your capture hardware.
    • Connect an appropriate device control cable between your camcorder or deck and the serial port of your computer.

    If you are connecting a DV device to your computer with FireWire:
    • Use the 2-meter, 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable supplied with Final Cut Pro to connect the device to your computer.
    • Plug the 6-pin connector into the computer's FireWire port and the 4-pin connector into the device's DV port. (FireWire ports on external devices are sometimes labeled IEEE 1394 or DV IN/OUT.)

    The Apple FireWire port on your Macintosh is a 6-pin port.

    Warning! Do not attempt to force the 4-pin connector into the computer's 6-pin FireWire port. 4-pin connectors and ports can be especially fragile. Before connecting a 4-pin connector to its corresponding port, be sure it is aligned properly by matching an indent on the connector to the indent in the port. Do not force the two together.

    Both connectors snap into place when properly engaged.

    Once you have connected a camcorder or deck to your computer, turn on the device. If you are using a camcorder, switch it to VCR mode (sometimes labeled VTR.) In VCR mode, the camcorder operates as a playback/record deck and uses the video and audio connectors or FireWire for input and output. In Camera mode, the camcorder acquires video and audio through the CCD sensor and built-in Mic, not through the input connectors or FireWire. Final Cut Pro cannot record to the camcorder while it is in Camera mode.

    Controlling Video Devices With Your Computer
    Final Cut Pro can control devices through a serial or FireWire cable. If your camcorder or deck supports one of the following device control protocols, Final Cut Pro can transmit and receive timecode and transport control data to and from the device. Search mechanisms within some decks can also be controlled by Final Cut Pro.

    Note : If your computer does not have a serial port, but does have a USB port, you can use a third-party product such as the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter, which allows you to attach serial devices to the USB port.

    The following device protocols are supported:
    • Apple FireWire or Apple FireWire Basic
    • JVC RS-232
    • Panasonic RS-232 or RS-422
    • Sony RS-422 or RS-232
    • Sony VISCA or LANC

    Note : The Panasonic RS-422 and Sony RS-422 protocols require special cables. For more information about the various protocols and their cables, see the Final Cut Pro Read Me file in the Final Cut Pro application folder or visit the Final Cut Pro Web site at http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro

    About Apple FireWire
    Apple FireWire is designed to work with digital video camcorders and decks that have a FireWire port and use the DV format. With Final Cut Pro and a FireWire connection, you can control external DV devices and capture DV movie clips to your hard disk. You can then view, edit, and apply effects to the DV clips and render movies in the DV format. Final Cut Pro can also play the movies to your camcorder or deck through the FireWire connection where the output can then be recorded on tape.

    Apple FireWire Basic
    FireWire (IEEE 1394) is a serial bus currently supported by many professional and consumer level camcorders and decks. However, there is a wide range of functionality and adherence to the FireWire specifications among these devices. For this reason, two versions of the FireWire protocol (Apple FireWire and Apple FireWire Basic) are provided in Final Cut Pro's Device Control preferences.

    If your deck or camcorder uses FireWire, begin by using the Apple FireWire protocol. This is the default protocol if you selected DV during the installation setup. While all decks and camcorders support the most basic functions like returning timecode and accepting basic transport commands, other commands may not be supported. If you find that the device does not accurately go to specified timecodes or fails to execute special commands, try the Apple FireWire Basic protocol.

    To switch between FireWire protocols in Final Cut Pro:
    • Choose Preferences from the Edit menu and click the Device Control tab.
    • Choose Apple FireWire or Apple FireWire Basic from the Protocol pop-up menu.

    System Configurations
    A basic configuration includes a computer, a high-resolution monitor, and a video camcorder or deck. Your source footage will be sampled to the internal hard disk of the computer via FireWire or other video/audio connection. Footage can then be edited on the computer with Final Cut Pro and output back to tape through FireWire or other video/audio connection.

    A recommended setup also includes an Ultra Wide A/V hard disk drive, an external set of speakers, and an NTSC video monitor.
    • An Ultra Wide A/V hard disk drive provides a dedicated, high-throughput storage medium where video and audio can be recorded or rendered. The benefit of using a dedicated drive for your media is that the drive contains no operating system software or other applications and files that can fragment the disk. Fragmentation can interfere with the continuous data flow of video and audio to and from the disk. You can add an internal drive to your existing SCSI bus or you can install an Ultra Wide SCSI card to support an external A/V drive.
    • External speakers allow you to hear audio output from your video camcorder or deck. Many camcorders come with a built-in speaker, but external speakers will provide you with higher quality audio output.
      Audio is output through the camcorder or deck
      • when playing back video with audio in the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline
      • when printing or editing video to tape
      Note : When playing video in the Canvas, audio output through the external speakers will be slightly out of sync with the video. Audio from the external speakers will, however, be in sync with video displayed on an NTSC monitor.
    • An NTSC monitor is highly recommended for previewing video output from your hard disk if you intend to output to videotape or broadcast on television. Final Cut Pro outputs video to the NTSC monitor through the camcorder or deck. Many video camcorders have built-in LCD displays that can also be used for this purpose. An NTSC monitor can also be used to view the playback from your video device when you are searching for edit points. Connect the NTSC monitor to your video deck or camcorder using the Component, S-Video, or Composite output jacks.

    Ultra Wide SCSI Hard Disk Drive and PCI Card Specifications
    Digital video and audio demands high data throughput to and from the hard disk drive. For the best performance when working with digital media, use a high-capacity, Ultra Wide SCSI drive. Depending on your system configuration, you may be able to add an internal drive if you have an existing Ultra Wide SCSI bus. If you do not have an internal Ultra Wide SCSI bus, install an Ultra Wide SCSI card in one of your computer's PCI slots. Refer to the Final Cut Pro Web site at http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro for a list of vendors and qualified products.

    About the Internal Ultra Wide SCSI Bus
    If your computer came with an Ultra Wide SCSI card, all devices on the same SCSI bus must have unique ID numbers. However, devices on different SCSI buses may use the same SCSI ID number. (For example, you can have a removable media drive with ID number 3 connected to the computer's built-in regular SCSI bus and a hard disk with ID number 3 connected to the Ultra Wide SCSI bus.)

    Important: Hard disks installed in your computer at the factory and the SCSI card have reserved certain SCSI ID numbers on the Ultra Wide SCSI bus. Other ID numbers are available for assignment to SCSI devices that are added later, as described in the following table.

    Ultra Wide SCSI ID No.
    Device
    0 Factory-installed hard disk drive (terminated)
    1 through 6 Available (If your computer came with two or more Ultra Wide SCSI hard disk drives, use the System Profiler program (available in the Apple menu) to find out the SCSI ID numbers of your drives.)
    7 SCSI PCI card (terminated)
    8 through 15 Available



    If you want to install an internal SCSI-3 drive, use the internal ribbon cable with the 68-pin connector to connect the device to the Ultra Wide SCSI bus.

    Warning! Do not connect any SCSI devices to the external 68-pin SCSI-3 connector or to the internal 50-pin SCSI-2 connector on the PCI card that supports the internal hard disk. Connecting even one external SCSI device to the external 68-pin connector extends the overall cable length of the SCSI bus beyond the limit for which error-free operation can be guaranteed; the combined length of the internal cable and the external cable reduces the reliability of all the devices connected to the Ultra Wide SCSI bus. Connecting a device to the internal 50-pin SCSI-2 connector will cause your Ultra Wide SCSI devices to transfer data at the slower, SCSI-2 rate.

Document Information
Product Area: Apple Software
Category: Final Cut Pro
Sub Category: General Topics

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