OT: Totally P!ssed off at UPN

[Jack Simth]

1)
5->1 rendering time is perfectly acceptable for 45 minutes of professional footage for a 13 episode season one season per year; use low-quality renderings for testing, then let the final run overnight. If it is an issue, you can speed things up by using more computers on a high-quality LAN in a Beowolf cluster (I had a class on it in college - fun stuff - whole new ways to lock up a machine). Run a Linux-based system to help prevent lockups.

2)
I've never rendered video, but I record TV shows on my PC; mpeg-4 Fast Motion works wonders for the file size - at 15 frames/sec, 2700 kbits/second, 48 kh stereo sound, I get an hour long show stored in about a gigabyte, with little danger of errors crashing the capture, and have rather good image quality - and I've only got a little PIII with 128 MB of RAM running Lose98. A little compression can do wonders.
And, ya know, with 200 GB hard drives being fairly common nowadys in the $2000 machine price range, space isn't an issue. If you arrange a filing system that can handle it, it doesn't matter that you burn through 4 GB in 5 minutes (I did this a few times when recording TV on my computer - I had the settings WAY TOO HIGH) - a full 60 minute episode is only 12 5-minute blocks; with the above ratio, that's 48 GB - you can store 4 of those on a 200 GB hard drive, available for purchase at most computer stores.

Yeah, the recourse requirements for video can get pretty high - but modern equipment can get a lot higher fairly readily anymore.

[Sivran]

Youch, 1 gig for only an hour? Chop a couple hundred meg off it with Xvid

[Atrocities]

When I render video it must be absolute quality. Thats 30 frames a second, hi defination. The quality must be there in order for preserve the moment and or if I ever decide to air or cable cast the videos. Reality shows are based upon real life and I have 80 plus hours of hard core dirt bike / quad action. Not to mention all the gun work and such my father has performed on video. Memories worth saving in high quality.

[gregebowman]

Well, to back to the original topic of this thread, I'm getting my black armband out and wearing it. Just heard the news the other day that Enterprise has been cancelled. I knew that when they moved it to Friday nights, it was the kiss of death for the show. At least on Wed. nights I had the chance to watch it. but I'm hardly ever home on Friday nights, and I don't have Tivo (or the satellite equivalent). So I'm ticked off at UPN also. there probably won't be another show, especially if they've stopped making movies.

[geoschmo]

Jack Simth said:
It isn't the machine time that's the problem - it's the time of the artists involved that run the machines.

I am aware of this. When I spoke of technology advances I was refering to software as well as hardware. When computers first started getting into business, database systems were only available to the big companaies that could afford to hire programmers or pay third parties to administer them. Now my dentists office can buy an off the shelf program like Access, or something else specifically tailored to the medical field, and the billing person can maintain it. There's no reason to think image technology won't have a similer progression in time. I can imagine 50 years from now the director could input some basic parameters himself and the computer would do the hard work of turning it into the shot he's got in his minds eye. Then all you need is some actors speaking lines in front of a green screen, or maybe not even that. At some point we'll be to where we don't even need actors. That's fantasy today, but it's coming. When the technology advances to where the computer can interface with your typical non-artist type person, the cost will come down precipitously.

[Starhawk]

A message from UPN to me after I wrote them:

Hello,

Thank you for writing to UPN. The STAR TREK legacy has spanned nearly four decades and has spawned five television series. Ten years ago, STAR TREK: VOYAGER was instrumental in helping launch UPN.

The latest incarnation, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, has reached the culmination of its journey. This painstaking decision came after it was recognized that despite having many loyal fans like you, the audience for the show was declining steadily. Therefore, ENTERPRISE is set to decommission and will be given a grand send-off on Friday, May 13th at 8 PM ET/PT on UPN.

This does not mean that STAR TREK is gone forever. Paramount, the studio that produced all five television series and ten feature films, is looking forward to the next chapter of the STAR TREK saga.

We know that this information may not make you feel any better but we want you to know how much we appreciate your input and we sincerely hope that you will continue to share your thoughts with us in the future.

Cordially,
UPN

[Atrocities]

Oh for the love of God. I would say they just treid to blow smoke up your arse Starhawk. Simply put UPN could not rise up the class of viewer that Enterprise brought in, and more and more educated views were turned off my the second grade programing that they were running. You never give up your flag ship series unless your so frickin broke, like UPN.

This is like firing a journeyman worker and replacing him with six mexicans. (No offense)

[Renegade 13]

Lol Alarikf, I just got the EXACT same message from UPN. Couldn't even take the time to look at anything other than the fact it was about Enterprise.

[Captain Kwok]

Of course you guys are going to get the same form letter. You think they're going to type all those annoyed fans individual letters?

[Atrocities]

Captain Kwok said:
Of course you guys are going to get the same form letter. You think there going to type all those annoyed fans individual letters?

One size fits all..... They must thing we are all just some yahoo's who dress up and go to conventions. Little do they realize that we are far more than this.... We are the conventions!

To bad you cannot report the email as spam. After all that is what is seems to be.