Where can i rent an HDCAM SR deck?

hi all,

Where can I get the best deal on renting an HDCAM SR deck? Or have someone output HDCAM and Digi Beta at the same time so i don't have to pay for twice the hourly rate. it is a 4 hour show.

Thanks, Mark

In LA? Try Visionary Forces

[www.visionaryforces.com]

Michael Horton
-------------------

I'd just go to the Digital Service Station in Burbank. Why fiddle around with deck menus, Kona settings and drive setup when you can have helpful assistants get your project back to tape?

[www.4alphadogs.com]

Kevin Monahan
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I second Kevin's suggestion HIGHLY. HDCAM SR decks are very complicated, and unless you know the machine, you can get lost.

For the same amount of money you can go to Alpha Dog and sit back while they handle everything.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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How would that work if your project is uncompressed HD? I mean, how do you get the project to them if it's on a large RAID?

And is the price really similar to renting a deck and doing it yourself?

- Justin Barham -

An HDCAM SR Deck rents for what....$1500 a day? $2000? Regular ol HDCAM goes for $1000/day so the SR must be higher. So spending that cash (maybe a LITTLE more...but peice of mind) to output at Alpha Dog is the way to go.

How to get the project to them? Export a self contained QT Movie (do not recompress, but yes, self contained), and throw that onto a 1TB firewire drive or two, stitch it together back at Alpha. This is what I do. Take a single DVCPRO HD file to the post facility and output.


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Hi Shane:

Funny you should mention. I am working at a production company in LA today, sitting, working in the lobby. A rental company, I think might have been Visionary Forces, just dropped off an HDCAM SR deck and I asked the editor how much they get it for. They said $800.00 per day. Not bad.

Dan

Really? Well hot damn...that's a good price.

Still, if you have no experience with the deck, I HIGHLY recommend taking your project somewhere else to have it output. If you think Digibeta decks were complex...Whoo boy.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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Actually a Sony SRW-5500/500 Full Bandwidth, Multiple Frame-Rate, HDCAM-SR Mastering VTR rents for $1200 a day at Visionary Forces, but tell them you are from lafcpug and they might give you a deal. But I'd go along with Shane and have someone else do it. DigitalFilm Tree is good too.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Thanks!

Alpha Dogs is cheaper than renting a Deck! Did not try Digital film tree, i will give them a call.

Thanks for all the info!


"""How would that work if your project is uncompressed HD? I mean, how do you get the project to them if it's on a large RAID?

And is the price really similar to renting a deck and doing it yourself?

- Justin Barham -""

Pro Res! it is exelent quality and can play from a fast single drive. Yes it seems Alpa Dogs will be cheaper and much easier than doing it myself. Cant wait till tape diapers!!! DAM AVID.

Mark

I spoke with the on-line editor here. Yes, with the SR and D5 decks, you need a tri-level sync generator, the menus and options are freaking crazy and very arcane. If it were me, without a doubt, I would take my projects to Alpha Dogs or a place like it and let them deal with the hassle.

Yes, we are a long way from DBeta with these decks.

D

Visionary Forces. And no, this isn't a rent, bump, and go kind of job. We rented the sync generator and its full-page tiny type list of options along with the deck, but eventually bought our own. Now we just rent the 5500. Possibly buying a 5800. We'll see. Last two weeks we had a D5 in the house.

Ever see anybody change the system standards for a 5500? Take careful notes. It has to reboot between standards changes.

We must rent. The productions want the tape services somewhere in a broad window of time. No such thing as laying off Thursday at 4PM. We get things like: The European version goes maybe Thursday morning, the center cut 1080 and the letterbox go out maybe Friday Morning...if we get to it. The one with the bug and the disclaimer has to be laid off Friday afternoon for a flight to Chicago. The client is sending over some additional tag footage for playback Thursday afternoon.

Oh, then we'll want home team copies as well as a DigiBeta.

We are old friends with the three-day week.

It's possible they might be able to set everything up ahead of time for you and then it's much more of a dub and go, but still. Even tho those VF people are serious helpful, you can dig yourself a hole.

Koz

Not to over self plug, but we offer this service and do these kinds of layoffs all the time.
We have the HDCAMSR 5500, the Digibeta deck, Kona 3, and a raid that can handle the data.
Be happy to cut a LAFCPUG friendly rate.

Call or email me:
Mike Klinger
(323) 850-6608
clone@clone-town.com

Mike Klinger
Tree Falls Post/Clonetown
Los Angeles

OH...that's right. Mike has an HDCAM SR deck now. I forgot.

I can vouch for Mike. Tree Falls is where I get all my sound mixing and final dubbing done.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]