Why I want to switch to DaVinci Resolve 15

There’s one thing–only one thing–that keeps me stuck on Windows 10 on my laptop, and that’s my need to edit video for the Category5 TV Network. It has to be pro, and Linux has traditionally lagged far behind in its available offerings in comparison to Mac or Windows when it comes to video editing.

I’ve used Cyberlink PowerDirector for years. I know, it’s a cheap application and professionals will laugh at me. But fact is, it works very well, and has all the features I need to make a professional looking broadcast.

But it only works on Windows, and so I’ve been stuck on Windows.

I’ve been watching the progress of DaVinci Resolve from BlackMagic since it was first released, and even tried getting it going a few times, but it’s always been unstable on Linux. So I’m still stuck. But seeing video tutorials about it, and watching the changelogs, it really looks like it could be the video editor of Linux.

I installed LMDE 3 to see if it would take DaVinci Resolve, and I see BlackMagic has still not made any strides toward improving Linux support. The installer sucks. The software depends on old libraries, yet doesn’t install them. It’s trash, really. A sad state to be sure.

I’m going to do some tinkering, try moving over to Linux Mint to see if the Ubuntu base helps things (ie., proprietary NVIDIA drivers will probably be a bit newer), convert Resolve’s installer to a deb pack, and try installing it there. I’ll probably go through a few distros just trying to see where I can get Resolve working stable. I have v14 working on our family desktop computer running Ubuntu, but it’s unstable. Hoping for better results with Resolve 15.

So beyond the Windows requirement I’m currently under, there are a few things I absolutely require out of my video editor, and these are things that have prevented me from being able to move to a Linux editor in the past, but DaVinci Resolve appears to meet the requirements.

ProRes 4:2:2 editing. Yeah, I need that now that we’re recording to an Atomos Ninja Flame. Cyberlink PowerDirector handles ProRes files like a boss. I know DaVinci Resolve will do the same.

When I produce shows like New Every Day, I badly need multi-cam editing functionality in my editor. We only have one camera on that set, but because it is 4K we punch in to cut it into 3 different camera shots. In Cyberlink Power Director, I assign each of these “cameras” (punched-in shots) to keyboard keys, and simply press the key to change cameras. It automatically creates the edits on the timeline, and saves me a TON of editing work, while making the show appear like it has 3 cameras. I’ve even thought about getting a second StreamDeck (or even a mini) just for multi-cam editing.

Multi-Cam Editing looks just as good, and possibly better in DaVinci Resolve than it is in Cyberlink PowerDirector. Though this video doesn’t mention anything about keyboard shortcuts, I can’t imagine you actually have to use your mouse to switch shots. If it does not have keyboard-based switching, I’d have to give this one to Cyberlink PowerDirector, but it’s close enough to make the transition to DaVinci Resolve work.

Dynamic Zoom is just as easy in DaVinci Resolve as it is in Cyberlink PowerDirector. I use this heavily to give the punch-in shots some movement as if there’s someone operating the faux camera.

So there are a few reasons I think DaVinci Resolve might be ready, and might be able to help me transition fully to Linux on my laptop. As long as it is stable. Here’s hoping!

[Update]

Linux Mint 19 took DaVinci Resolve like a champ! Just had to install libssl-dev and ocl-icd-opencl-dev with apt, and it loaded up just fine! No other tricks or gimmicks, and no having to create symlinks to libraries!

Obviously I had to active the NVIDIA drivers, and Resolve warns me performance may suffer on my old lappy, but I’m running!

DaVinci Resolve 15 running on Linux Mint 19

[Update 2]

Okay, so it’s running. However, even with gstreamer-plugins, vlc, and Mint’s multimedia codecs installed, Resolve only sees the PCM audio for MP4 files shot on the Sony FDR-AX53, which are XAVC.

XAVC-encoded video from the Sony FDR-AX53 is only showing as PCM Audio in DaVinci Resolve 15 on Linux Mint 19

At the same time, there is no audio coming out of the speakers, though DaVinci Resolve 15 is the first version to include native audio support (using ALSA) in Linux.

So I’ll try converting the video to ProRes using the format settings I see in mediainfo C0001.MP4:

apt install ffmpeg
ffmpeg -i C0001.MP4 -c:v prores -vf "scale=3840:2160,fps=30000/1001,format=yuv422p" -b:v 110M -c:a pcm_s16le output.mov

I go to try it to see if it worked, and immediately start to think my old laptop might not be up to the task.

On the plus side, converting the video to ProRes worked (having rebooted, I can load it):

And there is sound now that the video has been converted!

But, it seems a sad fact that my computer is not up to the requirements to do this. Yet it works perfectly in Windows 10 with Cyberlink PowerDirector. So disappointing.

I’m going to continue tinkering with settings to see if I can squeeze some life out of this old girl.

Clean Fullscreen Live HDMI from a Nikon D5100

Please Note: A full video tutorial on how to do this will be presented on an upcoming episode of Category5 Technology TV.

Boxing week saw some great sales, but also, a lot of liquidation of refurb stock. For example, Henry’s had Nikon D5100 cameras with the 18-55mm kit lens on for just $350. You can probably find a similar deal on a used Nikon D5100 at B&H, but also keep in mind that this is a previous-generation DSLR (replaced with the D5200) so you should be able to find it pretty cheap. Please also try our Amazon links at http://shop.category5.tv/?product=nikon-d5100-dslr-camera-with-720p1080i-clean-hdmi-output since purchasing through them helps support the show, or of course, check B&H for used stock too: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/0/Ntt/Nikon+D5100+Digital+SLR+Camera+With+18-55mm/usedSearch/1

So, what can this bad-boy do, beyond reasonably decent photography and better-than-entry-level 1080p recorded video? Why, HD clean video over HDMI … with a little know-how.

Tonight is our first test: to see if the D5100 could be used as an A camera for Category5 Technology TV while we continue to save up for the 4K option (which we just can’t afford yet).

Our AC adapter (a clever “battery pack” power unit) arrived today, and so I’m finally able to test if 1 hour of live video is possible… since the batteries it relies on typically only last about 30 minutes when rolling video.

40 minutes in, and the hacked camera continues to feed brilliant, crystal clear video to my TV. I’m running it at 720p since that’s the resolution of the show, but the live view will do up to 1080i.

The color saturation is incredible. Really, really impressive. My maroon shirt look exactly the same on screen as it does when I look at my arm.

So far, it’s looking good. I think we’re going to hit that 1 hour mark. If we do, this is revolutionary. A very affordable stop-gap solution… maybe not even that, since it really does look great. Consumer 1080p cameras have nothing on the D5100 as far as video goes.

The biggest failing of the DSLR form factor is its auto-focus. Fine for shooting nature shots, but useless for video. So if all goes well with this test, the next step will be to find a reasonably priced follow focus rig.

My goal is to be able to secure all we need to put together a decent camera rig and have spent only about $1,000… the cost of an entry level prosumer camcorder. This way, we’ll have the follow focus rig already on hand, and when the money is in the bank to buy a 4K DSLR, we will only have to sub out the D5100, which will make a great stills camera at that point, or could be used for B-Roll.

45 minutes in now… fingers crossed 🙂

Update: an hour has passed (now about 1 hour 15 minutes) and still running flawlessly. This means we will begin testing the camera on-air, and then will offer a full tutorial on how to hack and use a Nikon D5100 as a live camera source on Telestream Wirecast.

Hacked Nikon D5100 Clean Fullscreen Live View over HDMI

That’s the DSLR sitting on the shelf next to the TV.

How I plan to bring Internet service to Studio D

Qapla’!

On Tuesday, we were able to successfully broadcast a live show from Studio D via LTE Cellular Internet service! Episode 367 went out in 240p, which is gross, but it worked.

Please visit http://cat5.tv/c to contribute.

Why are we using LTE? Simple: there are no consumer-style (eg., Cable) Internet services in reach of Studio D. We are located in an industrial area where you either settle for DSL, or pay for Fibre.

Through our MiFi 2 we were able to get 8 Mb/sec up and about 25 Mb/sec down using LTE Cellular Internet service. It’s fast, but it’s expensive.

My ISP offers the ability to see your bandwidth usage and price, and so I already know the cost to broadcast that one episode live, in extremely low quality (240p), with no Roku feed and no audio feed, is $25. That’s a little more than $100 per month just to be able to send a crummy quality feed.

It’s good enough for the moment, but we can’t keep that up, nor do I want to sacrifice quality or the ability to watch on Roku or listen via the MP3 feed.

Fibre Internet is available at our location for $740 per month plus installation. That is obviously out of the question.

Wireless Internet is available at our location for $780 per month. Wow… we’d go with Fibre if we had that kind of money to toss around.

So I feel that the best option right now is to look at extending our home Internet (around $150 per month with unlimited bandwidth) to the studio, and we can do that using Ubiquiti Wireless Devices

First of all, in order to extend the Internet service wirelessly using Ubiquiti devices, we need to know if we have line of sight.

There is a really cool tool online for finding out if you have line-of-sight between two or more locations. You can see the tool [here]. According to its output, we’re looking pretty good. We may have to put a small tower on the roof of the studio (represented on the right side of this topography diagram), but all in all, it looks possible.

Using LTE, our cost would break down as follows:
YouTube Feed in 480p: $50 per episode, $200 per month
Roku Feed in 480p: $50 per episode, $200 per month
MP3 Feed in 96kbps: Negligible
Cost per month: $400
Cost per year: $4,800 for 8 Mb/sec up, 25 Mb/sec down

Using Ubiquiti Wireless Devices our up front cost would be:
2x Ubiquiti Rocket AC Lite Transmitter/Receiver Units: $300
2x Ubiquiti Rocket Dish Antennas: $400 (Remember, I’m paying CAD)
2x Mounting Kit, Needed Wires: $200
Total Up Front: $900 + tax ($1,017)

Then, our service fees would be:
Internet Connection, Unlimited Bandwidth: $150 per month, $1,800 per year for 450 Mb/sec direct wireless connection to our home Internet, which is 20 Mb/sec up, 200 Mb/sec down.

Total for first year: $2,817
Total for subsequent years: $1,800

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$1,017Thank you for your support$400Thank you for your support39%
As you can see, sharing our home Internet just makes more sense. It is much faster, and much cheaper, even with the initial expense of hardware. This also carries additional benefits, such as being able to backup to our home server via a wireless LAN connection.

So the inevitable question is to our community. Can you help with this expense?

Initially, we just have to get the hardware. I will install it myself (and show you the process step-by-step).

I know we also need a camera, and we’re still a ways off from that, but at the moment, this is pressing, as you can see from the numbers above.

If you can support this project, please donate at http://cat5.tv/c or send a cheque made out to me (Robbie Ferguson) with the memo “Studio D Internet” to PO Box 29009, Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4N 7W7.

THANK YOU for your support! Here’s to establishing a great, solid Internet connection at Studio D.

-Robbie

Studio D: Day 33

Day 33 was exciting! While Hillary recorded Tuesday’s show, I worked hard to pack up all the gear. Yes, this meant her poor microphone got disconnected and I heard non-stop complaints in the chat room about the on-board camera audio for Episode 366, but hey… it had to be done.

The moment Hillary signed off, I tore apart the studio desk, and we moved everything over to Studio D.

Tali tagged along to help with the video portion, and while it’s a bit “herky jerky”, I enjoyed giving her the chance to learn how to use a video camera… one day she’ll be part of the Category5 on-air crew, so it’s a good experience for her. And some of her commentary really made me laugh. And some of her commentary really impressed me. It struck me as I listened back to the recording that she’d actually been absorbing the things I’d taught her through this process. That really impressed me.

So, enjoy the video! More to come as we setup the room, and inevitably paint before our first live show in Studio D on September 30th.

Thanks for all your love and support!

-Robbie

Studio D: Day 26

Wahoo! I did my first “real” drywalling! I mean, I cut the drywall… I didn’t even have Christa cut it for me.  Haha!

That’s right, I got some scrap pieces of drywall and built the window sills. They may not be lovely pine or oak sills, but they were free!  The Landlord will like that.

I think I did an okay job, to be honest. We’ll see how they look once the adhesive dries, and then [gasp] I will have to mud it.

Sasha stopped in to see how things are shaping up, and my daughter Tali looked in the brush for frogs. I think because we found one a while back, she expects she’ll find one every time she visits Studio D. I hate to see her disappointed, so I might have to buy a few frogs and hide them like Easter eggs – haha!

Here’s the video from Day 26:

-Robbie

Studio D: Day 25

After all the work that has been put into sealing up the building from leaks, I called on Andy Christie from Safe Homes Canada once again to come in and find out if our drywall is a dry wall.  😉

Come along…

Thanks for all your support through this crazy adventure!

-Robbie

Help me choose a door decal for Studio D

We have a small storage room at Studio D, and the topic came up about having the random white door in the middle of our cool new studio.

So I suggested, why don’t we decal it?

Help me choose! Which door decal should we choose?

The TARDIS from Dr. Who?

11fb_tardis_door_cling

 

Or one of these awesome sci-fi inspired door coverings?

168c_sci-fi_door_decals

We wouldn’t go with the gun one … just doesn’t suit our family-friendly style.

Which of the 3 would you like us to go with?

Which Door Decal Should We Choose?

  • Dr. Who TARDIS (57%, 4 Votes)
  • Airlock (29%, 2 Votes)
  • Other (Please Comment) (14%, 1 Votes)
  • Danger: Do Not Enter (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 7

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UPDATE
I am pleased to announce that the storage room door will lead to a room that is much bigger on the inside! TARDIS it is! Thanks for your feedback.

Studio D: Day 24

Hillary stopped in while I was at work to give us a good jump on the ceiling tiles! They’re looking great with a little primer on them. It’s going to really brighten up the place.

I also got to install my first-ever piece of drywall. I know: Christa and Brad already pre-cut it to size for me, but it was still an accomplishment!

-Robbie

Studio D: Day 23

I’ve got to admit, I was getting really worn out, and just knew I had mudding to do. So I got rocking on the mud, and kept pressing on, but was feeling a little like I was marching up hill while pushing a train full of bowling balls.

But then, Christa and Brad showed up unexpectedly to review my work, and to put up the “more complicated” drywall which I would not be able to do. I really felt like that gave me my second wind: to be reminded in that moment that I was not doing this alone… that I have friends, viewers, and supporters who are right here with me.

No matter how tiring this gets, I’m pressing on!

Thank you for your support!

-Robbie

Studio D: Day 22

Some days I just don’t have the time to stay at Studio D for hours on end, but I still want to get things done. Day 22 is one of those days.

The landlord visited the night before (I didn’t have the camera with me, nor would it have made exciting video) to simply turn off the power to the wall receptacles, so on Day 22 I could safely replace the outlet which Paulo had discovered to be rusted out, having been filled and drained of rainwater many times through the years.

Tali was with me so she held my phone to capture the video for you. It’s not the best quality clip, but at least it’s not vertical  😉

Here ya go! Day 22…

Have an amazing night!!

-Robbie