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Smart slate question


AlexG

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Hey everyone, quick question, I'm currently a student, planning an equipment list for my senior thesis and I'm curious about the current line of the Deneke slates, as opposed to the legacy models from years past.  My school owens a fully operational Denecke Decode TS-1, which I've been using for a while to mixed success (not all of our cameras can shoot true 24), but I have it within my budget to include a newer model, like the TS-3 in my rental package.  From what I can see reading about the newer models, not much as changed, but maybe there's something I'm missing as I've never actually put my hands on anything other than the TS-1?   

 

My question is pretty simple; am I gonna be missing out on anything other than drop frame options (not an issue as we can just shoot true 24 with the camera we're using)?  I want to have as much experience with current equipment as I can before I graduate, but if there's little difference between the models I'll save the cash.

 

Thanks

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50 minutes ago, thebrengun said:

Save the cash. In fact, on a budget, use a regular slate! Those dollars would be better served using a sync box in my opinion if anything at all. Syncing footage isn’t hard unless you’re on a tight schedule or have a lot of it.

 

Okay cool thanks for the confirmation. Also yeah I've plan on renting a tentacle for the project as well.   

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The TS-1 is entirely functional and still a valid choice.

 

I assume that your school’s example is fitted with a sync box to make it operate independently. Without that box, one would need to feed timecode from your master clock -presumably the camera - via cable. But the sync box is a nearly ubiquitous addition to a TS-1.

 

The TS-1 does have an anomaly that was corrected in subsequent models. The code as displayed on its screen lags actual recorded timecode by one frame. This occurs because, when jamming, the device must “listen” to all eighty bits of data stream to identify the signal. Consequently, as it displays that number, it lags actual code by that one frame. In practice, this is not a real obstacle; one just applies a one frame offset when syncing. But it is an operational note you would want to be aware of, especially if, at anytime, you intermixed the TS-1 with a later model. 

 

Starting with the TS-3, Charlie Parra implemented software to correct for the reading error. 

 

David

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Yeah our model is fitted with a sync box, but the kit we have also comes with a comtek which as I understand it from reading through the manual, was to be used with a sync pulse coming out of a Nagra so you could keep it in sync wirelessly.  Also thanks for the info on the frame anomaly, that's good to know!   

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1 hour ago, AlexG said:

a comtek which as I understand it from reading through the manual, was to be used with a sync pulse coming out of a Nagra so you could keep it in sync wirelessly. 

Not quite. 

 

Music videos were a primary use for these slates when they were first available. That’s a playback situation so the slate would never be able to operate independently with a sync box. The Comtek radio link allowed working without a nuisance cable from the recorder’s sync output. And, of course, all of this is functional only with a time code Nagra (or other TC machines); a sync pulse Nagra (e.g. 4.2) wouldn’t output any timecode. 

 

David

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