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EDLP(TM)
The Edit Decision List Processor
for the Commodore Amiga(TM)
from BCS Software
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
DEMO
Version 0.05
Mar 87
Copyright 1987
by Mike Berro
All Rights Reserved
EDLP - Edit Decision List Processor
Copyright 1987 by Mike Berro
All Rights Reserved
Written by Mike Berro
BCS Software
13432 Lochrin Lane
Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 362-6031
CIS: [73267,3361]
Published by Prism Computer Graphics
Jeff Bruette
14755 Ventura Blvd. Suite #1-600
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 906-9977
SOFTWARE LICENSE
BCS Software grants to the customer a non-exclusive license to use on
the customer's computer(s) the software received. Title to the disk
on which the program is recorded is transferred to the customer, but
not title to the software.
The customer may make a reasonable number of backup copies of the
software for the customer's own use only.
LIMITED WARRANTY
This software and manual are sold "as-is", without warranty as to
their performance, saleability, or fitness for any particular purpose.
BCS Software shall have no liability to the customer or to any other
person or entity with respect to any liability, loss or damage caused
or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by computer software
sold by BCS Software.
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Program Description................................... 2
2. Starting the Program.................................. 3
3. The EDLP Screen....................................... 4
4. Entering Data From the Keyboard....................... 5
5. Entering Time Code.................................... 7
6. The Menus............................................. 9
7. The Gadgets...........................................14
8. The Time Code Reader..................................15
9. Transferring Data Using the Serial Port...............16
10. Error Messages........................................17
11. Accessing an Edit List Using AmigaBasic...............19
Page 1
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
1. Program Description
EDLP allows you to create and manage edit decision lists quickly
and economically. It is very valuable as a teaching aid, and you can
imagine how much time and money you can save by preparing your edit
lists off-line or at home before an expensive edit session.
The program works with either Drop or Non-drop frame time code,
and also allows mixed-mode lists. With the BCS Time Code Reader
Interface (TCRI), it can read SMPTE time code, and then you may select
the Source In and Out points with the push of a button.
EDLP allows you to transfer lists directly to other computers and
editing devices using the RS-232 serial interface. In addition, the
data is easily accessible to your own custom Basic programs if you so
desire.
EDLP is very easy to use. There is always a prompt telling you
what the program wants you to do, and what it will allow you to do.
Most commands can be initiated from the menu or the keyboard. Help is
available on-screen for every menu selection. Error messages are
given in English, and not some numerical code.
EDLP is very fast. The entire list is recalculated ("rippled")
every time you make any change to the list. Therefore the list is
always accurate, and you don't have to wait to find out if an entry is
correct.
EDLP is versatile. You can enter events by specifying the Source
In and Out times, the Record Out times, or the duration of each event.
The column headings can be changed to any description. Lists can be
appended together to form longer lists, and the printout can be
customized to your own requirements.
Page 2
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
2. Starting the Program
Please make a copy of the EDLP disk before using it, and keep the
original in a safe place. You will find EDLP very useful, and will
probably come to depend on it. Since disks do occasionally fail, we
strongly recommend that you do not use the original except to make
copies.
Before you begin editing a list, you may move EDLP to any disk,
including a Workbench disk, although a WB disk won't leave you much
room for data. However, EDLP should always be in a disk's main
window, never inside a drawer.
EDLP requires at least 160K of free memory. If it is not
available, the program will not be able to open its screens. If this
happens, clear the computer of other tasks and try again.
You may start the program in one of three ways: You can select
(double-click) the EDLP icon from Workbench, you can select any one of
the data icons from Workbench, or you may run EDLP from CLI. If you
select a data icon, then EDLP must reside in the main window of the
same disk as the data icon. Of course, it is OK for the data icon to
be inside a drawer.
If you use several different formats constantly, you may want to
save an empty list for each format. Then, when you want to use that
format, just select the appropriate data icon, and EDLP will load the
format for you.
Page 3
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
3. The EDLP Screen
Once you have started the program, the EDLP screen will appear.
The EDLP screen allows up to sixteen colors for easier identification
of the various screen areas.
The top grey line is the warning line; red warning messages will
appear there, accompanied by a beep if you have the audio output
connected to a speaker.
The second grey line is the prompt line; green prompting messages
will appear there to tell you what the program is expecting. Unless
it is obscured (as when files are displayed), you may always look here
to find out what the program wants you to do.
Below the prompt line is where the title will appear. It is
blank when you first start the program or select New, because you have
not yet entered a title. The title will appear in purple letters, and
will always be centered.
Just below the title area are the column headings; these are in
yellow. The columns are described as follows, but note that the
column headings are user-definable:
> Event number. A three digit number from 0 to 999.
> Reel Number. Up to six characters identifying the source reel.
There is no restriction on which characters may be entered in this
column
> Trac. Specifies whether the event refers to video, audio channel 1,
audio channel 2, or some combination of the three. This column is
automatically formatted so that no matter in what order you enter the
information, it will appear as V/An, where n is the audio track number
if required. This column is also automatically always in upper case.
You may also enter a "B" for both, this will be converted to "V/A".
> Type. This refers to the type of edit; either Cut, Dissolve or
Wipe. Only the first letter is required. If the event is a wipe, you
may add three digits following the W to specify which wipe.
> TR. This is the transition rate in frames for a dissolve or a wipe.
> Source In. This is the time code that you enter for the start of
the take.
> Source Out. This is the time code that you enter for the end of the
take.
> Record In and Out are calculated by the program. You cannot move
the cursor into these columns. The list itself appears in grey when
you first start the program. This is because any event that has not
been assigned a track appears in grey.
Near the bottom of the screen is the grey track record line. The
record in times for all three tracks for the current cursor position
are always displayed there. This will come in very handy when you are
doing split edits.
Below the track record line the current contents of the "paste"
buffer are displayed in dark red. Anytime you copy or delete an
event, the event will appear here. The contents of the paste buffer
may be inserted into the list as many times as needed.
Page 4
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
4. Entering Data From the Keyboard
There are three methods for entering data into EDLP: you can
enter data from the keyboard, from the time code reader and from the
RS-232 serial port. This section describes general procedures and
techniques of entering data from the keyboard. A more specific
description of entering time code is given in the next section.
Entering data into EDLP from the keyboard is very much like using
a full screen editor or word processor, except that there are certain
places you cannot make the cursor go. In a standard event you cannot
make it go between columns, instead, it just skips to the next column.
You also cannot make the cursor stop on one of the separator (colons)
in the time code columns, the cursor will skip to the next digit
instead. It will not go into the Record In column under any
circumstances, but you can make it go into the Record Out column if
you so desire, although that is not normally required.
When you are typing data onto the list, EDLP is always in
"type-over" mode. This means that what you type will be placed "on
top" of what was already there. This is not true of gadgets like the
title gadget, the record start gadget, or the drawer and filename
gadgets. In the gadgets, what you type is inserted into the text, and
you must use DEL or BACKSPACE to erase existing text.
As you type the cursor will move to the next character. When you
get to the end of a column the cursor jumps to the next column. Often
the column you just left will change, as EDLP formats or capitalizes
it for you. The entire line may change color as you enter data into
the Trac column. You can avoid quick changes of color by using "B" in
the Trac column to stand for both. EDLP will convert it to "V/A"
automatically.
If you have repeated data (for example the same Reel # for every
event), there are two techniques for duplicating information. The
first is to GET the "prototype event", and then INSERT it as many
times as needed. The second method uses CONTROL-P. Pressing
CONTROL-P grabs the character from the same column in the previous
event. CONTROL-P does not work in comments.
The cursor will not automatically jump to the next line when you
finish typing in the last column (Source Out). This is to give you a
chance to see the effect of that last digit before you move on to the
next event. If you are happy with the line, press TAB or RETURN to
jump to the first column of the next line. If you don't like the
line, you can either fix it, or just press ESC to restore the line to
how it was before the cursor got to it.
If you type an invalid character (like "Z" in the Trac column),
EDLP will beep at you and display an error message at the top of the
screen. The error message will go away as soon as you press another
key or mouse button. Only the Reel # column allows any character to
be entered.
Page 5
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
4. Entering Data From the Keyboard (Cont'd)
To jump immediately to the next column, you can press either TAB
or RETURN. Pressing ENTER (on the numeric keypad) moves you to the
first column in the next line.
You can also move the cursor using the four arrow keys. Holding
down the shift key and pressing the up or down arrow moves the cursor
up or down one page (8 lines). Holding down the control key moves the
cursor to the top or the bottom of the list. Another way is to use
the mouse. Simply point where you want the cursor to go and press the
left mouse button.
If you use the arrow keys to move around on the screen, you will
not be able to move the cursor into the No. (event number) or Record
Out columns. Since both the event number and Record Out times are
calculated automatically for you, you will rarely need to change these
columns yourself. If you want to change either of these columns you
can use the mouse to move the cursor there. Once inside the column
the left and right arrow keys work normally.
If you change an event number from the keyboard, no other event
numbers are affected. In addition, as the event is renumbered (by
insertions, deletions or the renumber command), the changed event
number keeps the same numerical relation to the rest of the list.
What that means is that if your list contains event number 15, 16, 16
and 17 (fairly common when using split edits), and an event is
inserted at the top of the list, those events become 16, 17, 17 and
18. Use the renumber command when you want to renumber the entire
list.
See the next section about making changes to the Record Out
column.
Here is a summary of the data entry instructions:
> Press RETURN or TAB to advance the cursor to the next column.
Press ENTER on the numeric keypad to move the cursor to the first
column on the next line.
> Entering the last digit of the Source Out does not advance the
cursor to the next column. This is so that the ripple can
take place and any errors detected. After entering in the last
character for the line just press RETURN, TAB or ENTER to advance
to the next line.
> The ALT and CTRL keys are treated like the SHIFT key, except for
CTRL-P, which grabs the character just above it from the previous
event and CTRL-O which moves the cursor to the Record Out column
(except for comments).
> The ESC key restores the current line to the condition it was in
before the cursor moved onto it.
> Use the arrow keys to move the cursor in the four directions. Use
the left mouse button to move the cursor to where you are pointing.
Use the scroll gadget on the right side of the screen to scroll
rapidly through the list.
Page 6
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
5. Entering Time Code Data
Entering the Source In and Source Out time code numbers can be
done in two ways. You can just type them in from the keyboard, or you
can "grab" these numbers from the time code reader.
To type the numbers in from the keyboard, simply move the cursor
to the appropriate column and start typing. You will not be allowed
to enter incorrect values, such as 70 minutes or 25 hours. If you are
in drop frame mode, you will not be allowed to enter hh:mX:00:00 or
hh:mX:00:01, where X is non-zero. If you attempt it, the program will
beep and flash at you, and an error message will appear to tell you
what the problem is.
Entering the time code number from the time code reader is a much
more rapid method of creating the list if you have SMPTE time code on
one of the audio channels of your video tape. See section 8 for
instructions on reading time code.
As you build the list, you will most likely just enter the Source
In and Out times. The Record In and Out times will then be calculated
for you. The list is rippled after every keystroke, so you can
immediately see the effect every change has on the entire list. The
list never needs cleaning, it is always "clean".
Rather than entering the Source Out time code directly, you may
instead just specify the duration of the event. Press CTRL-D (hold
down the CTRL key and press D once), and the last used duration will
appear at the bottom of the screen. Type in the new duration and
press RETURN to accept it. The Source Out time for that event will be
calculated and the entire list rippled. Press ESC instead to abort
the operation.
A third method is to enter the Record Out instead of the Source
Out. This is useful if you are building the list using EDLP as you
are performing the edits. You cannot move the cursor into the Record
Out column using the arrow keys, you must use the left mouse button or
press CTRL-O (hold down the CTRL key and press O once).
Once the cursor is in the Record Out column you can use the mouse
or the left and right arrow keys to move the cursor. Pressing ESC
returns the Record Out column (only) to its original value. Pressing
RETURN or ENTER exits the column. You may also use the left mouse
button to move the cursor out of the column. Note that the menus and
the scroll gadget are disabled while the cursor is in the Record Out
column.
Every change you make in the Record Out column immediately
affects the entire list. If you are working on a split edit you will
not immediately be warned if the Record Out times do not match,
otherwise you would get a beep on every keystroke until they do.
Instead, you will get the warning only when you leave the Record Out
column (if the error still exists).
Page 7
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
5. Entering Time Code Data (Cont'd)
You will not be allowed to enter a Record Out value less than the
Record In value. You also cannot enter the Record Out column in the
first place if the event does not already have a Record In and a Trac
already assigned to it. In each of these cases you will be beeped at
and told why it was not allowed.
Once you have entered the Source In and Out time codes, you can
modify these values using the Trim command. The trim command is in
the Commands Menu. You must select which column you are going to
trim.
Once you have selected a column, the time code value is
highlighted in green. Press the right arrow to increase the time by
one frame, and the left arrow to decrease it by one frame. The up and
down arrows increase and decrease it by ten frames. The entire list
is rippled after every keypress. Press RETURN to accept the new
value, or press ESC to restore the old one.
Page 8
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
6. The Menus
Most of the menu commands may be initiated from the keyboard, as
indicated in the menus themselves. The menu commands are as follows:
Project Menu
> New. Clears the entire list, including the title. The time code
modes and printer options are unchanged.
> Load. Loads a list from the disk. Two white windows will appear.
The right window will list all of the EDLP data files in the current
drawer. The left window will display the current drawer gadget, the
filename gadget, the LOAD gadget and the CANCEL gadget.
The current drawer can be changed by selecting the current drawer
gadget and typing in a new drawer name. Press the RETURN key when you
are done, and the right window will display the contents of the new
drawer. You will get a warning message if you have not entered a
valid drawer name.
The filename can be changed in the same way, but it is not
recommended that you type the name in. Instead, just point at the
file you want in the right window and press the left mouse button.
The selected filename will then appear in the filename gadget.
Select the LOAD gadget to load the list into EDLP. Note that all
of your settings, including the Drop Frame mode, Skip Record mode, and
printer options are loaded from the disk as well.
If you do not wish to load a list, select the CANCEL gadget to
return to the current list.
> Append. Append works very much the same as Load, except that the
retrieved list is appended to the end of the list already in memory,
and is automatically renumbered. All of the options and time code
modes are unchanged after the Append.
> Save. Saves the list onto the disk. The file name is selected the
same way as the Load command. A Workbench icon will be created for
the data file. All of your settings, including Drop Frame mode, Skip
Record mode, and printer options are saved in the file as well.
> Print. Prints the list according to the settings in Printer Options
(see below.) The program has widow/orphan control, so a comment will
never be separated from its event.
> Xfer. Allows you to transfer the list to and from an external
device via the serial port. See section 9 about transferring data
using the serial port.
> Quit. Exit the program. You will be reminded if you have not saved
the list you were working on. This is the same as selecting the close
gadget in the upper left corner of the window.
Page 9
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
6. The Menus (Cont'd)
Options Menu
> Non-Drop Frame, Drop Frame or Mixed Mode. These options affect the
entire list. If you want the entire list to be either non-drop or
drop frame, select the appropriate one. If you select drop frame, the
entire list is tested for an invalid code. If one is found, you will
be informed where, and the conversion will not take place. If there
is no error, the entire list is reformatted. Drop frame time code is
indicated by a period instead of a colon between the seconds and
frames. If you select Mixed Mode, nothing happens to the list.
Instead, you press funtion key F10 to change the mode of individual
events.
> Skip or Non-Skip Record. Selecting Skip causes the Record In of
each event to be one frame later than the record out of the previous
one. Selecting either mode reformats the entire list.
> Auto or Manual Ripple. Auto ripple causes the entire list to be
recalculated after any change is made. Manual ripple turns off the
auto ripple. In manual mode, press F9 to ripple the list.
Commands Menu
> Insert Comment. Creates a comment line preceeded by an asterisk for
the event under the cursor. If the event already has a comment you
will get an error message.
> Delete Comment. Deletes the comment for the event under the cursor
(the "current event"). The cursor may be on the comment or the event
itself.
> Edit Event. This menu item allows you to delete, get and insert
single events. A comment is always considered part of an event. Use
Delete and Insert Comment to work with comments separately. Use Edit
Block to manipulate many events at one time.
> Delete Event. Deletes the current event and places it in the Get
Buffer, which is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
> Get Event. Gets a copy of the current event and places it in the
Get Buffer, which is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
> Insert Event. Inserts the contents of the Get Buffer into the
list at the cursor location. The contents of the Get Buffer are
unchanged.
Page 10
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
6. The Menus (Cont'd)
> Edit Block. This menu item allows you to delete, get and insert
many events at one time. A comment is always considered part of an
event. Use Delete and Insert Comment to work with comments
separately. Use Edit Event to manipulate many events at one time.
> Cut Block. When you select this command, the CUT cursor appears
(a handsaw). Point to the first event to cut and press the left
mouse button. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the
mouse up or down to highlight the events you want to cut. If you
drag the pointer above or below the list, the list will scroll to
allow you to highlight more events. When the correct events are
highlighted, release the button. If you have made a mistake, you
can still repeat the process, or press the ESC key to abort. To
actually perform the cut, press the RETURN or ENTER key. The block
will be saved in a RAM file, deleted from the list, and the list
will be renumbered and rippled. Note that the RAM file will be
deleted when you exit EDLP.
> Copy Block. Selecting this command is the same as selecting Cut
Block, except that a camera pointer appears, and the block is not
deleted from the list. It is simply stored in a RAM file.
> Paste Block. Selecting this command causes the paste pointer to
appear. Simply point to the line where the block is to be pasted
and press the left mouse button. Press the ESC key to abort the
paste function.
> Trim Event. Allows you to adjust the Source In or the Source Out of
the current event in one frame or ten frame increments. You must
first select the Source In or the Source Out from the Trim sub-menu.
The appropriate time is then highlighted in green. You may then press
the left or right arrow keys to trim up or down by one frame, or press
the up and down arrow keys to trim in ten frame increments. The list
is rippled after every keypress. Press any other key to exit the trim
mode.
> Renumber. This command changes the event number for the current
event, as well as all subsequent events. If you select DOWN ONE from
the sub-menu, one is subtracted from each event number. If you select
UP ONE from the sub-menu, one is to each event number.
The primary use for this command is to create events with duplicate
event numbers, as might be desirable for split events, for example.
Page 11
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
6. The Menus (Cont'd)
Time Code Menu
> Read Time Code. Switches to the time code screen. Time code can be
read with the BCS Time Code Interface, and is displayed in large
characters that may be superimposed over incoming video (with the
genlock option). Press the left mouse button to return the edit list.
The time code read at the moment of exiting will then be displayed in
green near the bottom of the edit list screen. Please see section 8
for complete instructions on using the time code reader
> Capture Source In. Takes the time code displayed in green near the
bottom of the screen and inserts it into the source in column of the
event under the cursor.
> Capture Source Out. Takes the time code displayed in green near the
bottom of the screen and inserts it into the source out column of the
event under the cursor.
> Move the Display. Switches to the time code screen, and allows you
to move the large characters, as indicated by the "move" pointer.
Position the pointer to where you want the upper left corner of the
display to be, and press the right mouse button. Press the left
button to exit this mode and return to the edit list.
Customize Menu
> Change Title. Selecting this will cause the title gadget to appear.
Select the gadget with the left mouse button before typing or changing
the title (WB version 1.1 only). Close the gadget by pressing RETURN,
or by pressing the left mouse button with the pointer outside of the
title gadget.
> Change Headings. Selecting this will move the cursor onto the
column headings (in yellow). You may then type over the old headings.
Press RETURN or TAB to jump to the next column, or use the left and
right arrow keys to move around. You may also use the left mouse
button to move the cursor. Press ESC to restore the headings to the
default names. Press the down-arrow key, or select the close gadget
to exit this mode. Note that these new column headings will be saved
onto the disk along with the list.
> Change Record Start. This allows you to change the initial record
start time. The default is 01:00:00:00. Selecting this command will
cause the record start gadget to appear just under the Record In
column heading. Select this gadget with the left mouse button before
typing or changing the record start time. Use the DEL key to delete
existing digits. Press RETURN to end.
If the time code is not valid, you will get an error message and be
asked to re-enter the data. Select the gadget again before doing so.
Page 12
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
6. The Menus (Cont'd)
> Change Print Options. Selecting this menu item displays a small
white window containing the current printer settings. To change any
setting simply point at it and press the left mouse button.
When you are satisfied with the settings, just point to the OK
gadget and press the left mouse button. The printer options will be
saved onto the disk along with list when you use the Save command.
Please note that some printers do not support all of these options.
The options are:
Draft: If selected, sets the printer to draft quality mode,
otherwise sets the printer to Near Letter Quality (NLQ)
mode.
Page Numbers: If selected, page numbers are printed in the top
right corner of the page.
Date: If selected, the current date is printed in the top left
corner of the page.
Double-Spacing: If selected, each event is separated by a blank
line. There is no space between an event and
its comment, however.
Horizontal Compression: If selected, sets the printer to
Condensed Print mode.
Vertical Compression: If selected, sets the printer to 8 lines
per inch, otherwise to 6 line lines per
inch.
Extras Menu
> Help. Selects the help mode as indicated by the help cursor. You
may then select a menu item with the right button, or a gadget with
the left, and that item will be explained at the bottom of the screen.
You may continue to select items to be explained. To exit, simply
press the left mouse button or any key.
> Find String. Selecting this command displays the SEARCH WINDOW.
You then select the search string gadget and enter the text to be
searched for. You select SEARCH to perform the search, or CANCEL to
abort.
> Find Again. Selecting this command performs a search using the last
entered search string, without displaying the SEARCH WINDOW. If you
have not yet entered a search string, the SEARCH WINDOW will be
displayed as if you had selected the Find String command.
> Invert Screen. This command toggles between white letters on black
and black letters on white. The other colors are also slightly
modified for better readability.
> Information. This menu selection displays the program serial
number, version and copyright notice.
Page 13
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
7. The Gadgets
The scroll gadget on the right side of the screen shows where you
are in the list. If the list is longer than can be displayed on one
screen, you may slide the scroll gadget to move through the list. You
may also "click" just above or below the scroll knob to move one page
up or down.
The front and back gadgets in the upper right corner of the
window move the entire EDLP screen to the front or the back. Select
the back gadget to move the EDLP screen to the back (usually exposing
the Workbench screen). Use the Workbench's back gadget to return to
EDLP. If you are running two EDLP screens simultaneously, you can use
the back gadgets to flip through the various screens.
You may also "grab" the title bar of the EDLP screen and "drag"
the entire screen down to reveal the screen behind (usually the
Workbench screen). To do this, point at the title bar with the
pointer, hold down the left mouse button, and move the mouse toward
you. Release the left mouse button when the screen is in the position
you desire.
Note that the EDLP screen must be "active" before you may use it.
If you are re-arranging screens, the EDLP screen may become inactive,
in which case the menus or the keyboard will have no effect. To make
it active again, simply move the pointer onto the EDLP screen and
press the left mouse button.
Page 14
EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
8. The Time Code Reader
The time code reader is accessed from the the Time Code menu.
You must have the BCS Time Code Reader Interface (TCRI) in order to
read time code.
Connect the TCRI to the second mouse port using the cable
provided. This cable may be extended with a standard Commodore
joystick extender cable. Connect the time code signal to the female
three pin audio connector on the TCRI. The time code signal should be
on pins two and three. It does not matter which pin is ground,
because the TCRI time code input is balanced.
The time code reader reads SMPTE longitudinal time code. It is
frame accurate at forward play speed, but can also read time code from
about one-third to three times play speed in either direction,
depending on the quality of the audio source.
You can tell at a glance whether the time code reader is frame
accurate or not. If the colon between the hours and minutes is solid
white, then it is frame accurate (play speed). If the colon is
outlined in light green, it is not frame accurate (shuttle). If the
colon is solid light green, then it is not reading at all; the tape is
most likely running too fast or too slow.
When reading time code, the multi-tasking capabilities of the
Amiga are disabled. This means you cannot do anything else on the
computer while reading time code. The background screen is set to
color zero. This means that if you have an Amiga genlock, you can
superimpose the time code characters over incoming video. This allows
you to view one monitor for cueing the tape and creating the edit
decision list. The time code reader can also be used to make "window
dubs" (visible time code on tape), but you should use the TCWD (Time
Code Window Display) program for that, as it is specifically designed
for it.
To exit the time code reader, press the left mouse button. No
other action (other than rebooting) will stop the reader. When you
exit, the last read time code will be placed into the time code
buffer, which is displayed at the bottom of the EDLP screen. You can
then insert this time code into the Source In or Out column of the
edit list. You can build an edit list very quickly this way.
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EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
9. Transferring Data Using the Serial Port
You can transfer edit lists to and from an external device using
the serial port. EDLP uses the CMX 340 standard for transferring
data, please contact BCS regarding other data standards.
The serial port must be configured for your particular device.
Consult the manufacturer's instructions to obtain the serial port baud
rate. You must then use Preferences on your workbench disk to set the
serial port to the same baud rate. Only 300 and 1200 baud are
supported by EDLP; you will get an error message when you try to
receive data if the baud rate is different.
Connect the external device to the Amiga serial port using a
serial cable. Please note that the Amiga supplies power on pins 14,
21 and 23, SOME EXTERNAL DEVICES MAY BE DAMAGED IF THESE PINS ARE
CONNECTED. Use a serial cable that has these pins disconnected (a
modem cable specifically designed for the Amiga should not have these
pins connected).
You are now ready to transfer data. If you are sending data to
the external device, prepare the device to receive the data. When it
is ready, select Send from the Xfer submenu (or press Right-Amiga-X).
The sleepy z's will appear during the transfer, and each line of data
will appear at the bottom of the EDLP screen as it is being sent. The
normal pointer will re-appear when the transfer is complete.
If you are receiving data from the external device, prepare the
device for transmission, but do not start it yet. First select
Receive from the Xfer submenu. You then have ten seconds to start the
external device's transmission. The received data will appear at the
bottom of the EDLP screen as each line is received. If there is no
data received for a period of ten seconds, EDLP will assume the
transmission is complete. You can also abort the receive function at
any time by pressing any key or button.
When you select Receive, you will be warned if you have not yet
saved the list in memory. Once you initiate Receive, THE LIST IN
MEMORY IS WIPED OUT. Save the list in memory before using the Receive
function.
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EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
10. Error Messages
Error messages appear in red letters in the error status line
near the top of the screen. A beep will also sound if you have the
Amiga audio connected to a suitable amplifier and speaker. The
following error messages may appear:
> Time Code is not valid for Drop Frame!
Certain time code values are not valid in drop frame mode, and
this message will appear if you try to enter a non-valid number.
> Invalid Drop Frame time code at event #nnn!
This message will appear if you change to the drop-frame mode,
and one of the time code values in the list is not valid. If
this happens the offending event will be displayed, and the cursor
will be positioned at the start of the offending code. The Drop
Frame Mode will not be affected until there are no more errors.
> Hours value must not exceed 24!
You will get this message if you try to enter a time code value
greater than 23:59:59:29.
> Not a valid character for this column!
Only in the Reel # column can you enter any keyboard character.
The other columns only allow certain characters, which are
displayed in the prompt line. If you try to enter a non-valid
character you will get this message.
> This is the top of the list!
You will get this message if you try to move the cursor above the
first event.
> The list ends here!
You will get this message if you try to move the cursor below line
number 999.
> Only one comment per event!
This message will appear if you try to insert a comment for an
event that has one already.
> This event has no comment!
This message will appear if you try to delete a comment from an
event that that does not have one.
> Cannot open the PRT: file!
This message will appear if the program is unable to print the
list.
> Unmatched split Record In times at event #nnn!
This message will appear if the two or three tracks of the split
edit are not the same length. For example, if the video track is
one minute long, but the audio track is only 59 seconds long, then
there'll be a one second "glitch" on the audio track. This error
may occur as you enter the data, or if you change drop-frame or
skip-record modes.
> You cannot renumber this line!
This message will appear if the cursor is not on a valid event when
you select the Renumber command.
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EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
10. Error Messages (Cont'd)
> Event number cannot be zero!
This message will appear if you try to renumber down one on event
number 001.
> Specify the Trac column first!
You cannot change the Record Out time of an event that does not
have a valid Trac assignment.
> Record Out must be greater than In!
You cannot specify a Record Out time that is less than the Record
In time.
> String not found!
This message will appear if the Find String function could not find
the desired string. Remember that the find function searches down
the list only, and starts it's search on the line immediately
following the one that the cursor is on.
> Cannot open the serial device!
This message will appear if EDLP could not open the serial device.
Under normal conditions this error should occur only if some other
program is currently using the serial device exclusively. If this
occurs terminate the other program before attempting to transfer
data using the serial port.
> Serial baud rate is not 300 or 1200!
EDLP supports only these two baud rates. Use Preferences on your
workbench disk to set the baud rate.
> There is nothing to paste!
You have selected the Paste command without having first Cut or
Copied a block.
> The list will be too large!
You have attempted to Paste a block into a list that does not have
room for it. You must create two lists if it exceeds 999 lines.
> Demo version allows only 29 events!
If you get this message when the cursor moves past event 29, then
you must have the demo version. Call Prism Graphics and order the
real thing!
> Demo Reset!
This message will appear after about 1000 keystrokes on the demo
version.
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EDLP INSTRUCTION MANUAL V0.05
11. Accessing an Edit List Using AmigaBasic
This section is for those of you who wish to write your own
AmigaBasic programs to access and manipulate an edit list. Included
is a sample program that prints an edit list to the screen.
The first 804 bytes in the data file contain all the information
about the list, including the title, the initial record start, and all
of the option settings.
Bytes Length
Offset in Bytes Description
32 4 Skip-Mode Flag: 0=non-skip, 1=skip
36 4 Drop-Frame Flag: 0=non-drop, 1=drop
44 4 Draft Mode: 0=draft, 1=NLQ
48 4 Date Flag: 0=no date, 1=print date
52 4 Page Flag: 0=no page, 1=print page numbers
56 4 Double Flag: 0=single-space, 1=double-space
60 4 Horiz Flag: 0=standard, 1=horizontal compression
64 4 Vert Flag: 0=standard, 1=vertical compression
80 78 The list title (ASCII)
160 11 The initial record start time (ASCII)
180 78 The list heading line (ASCII)
The actual list data starts at the 804th byte. The list is
stored in ASCII format. Each line of data is exactly 80 bytes long,
and there is no line-feed at the end of the line. Only 77 characters
maximum are used. A line with event number but nothing else is
indicates the last event in the file.
The following program is an example of accessing a list using
AmigaBasic:
Rem EDLP Access Program
OPEN "EDLP_data" FOR INPUT AS 1 <use the appropriate filename.
file_length = LOF(1)
D$ = INPUT$(1,file_length) <D$ contains the entire file.
CLOSE 1
skip_mode = ASC(MID$(D$,38,1)) <we only care about the
drop_mode = ASC(MID$(D$,42,1)) last byte of each flag.
title$ = MID$(D$,801,78)
heading$ = MID$(D$,181,72)
print title$:print
print heading$:print
i = 805 <file location pointer
WHILE (i < (file_length - 80))
print MID$(D$,i,77)
i = i + 80
WEND
END
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