Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 169)

168 Part III Setting Up Your Editing System
Device Control Interfaces
Device control is used to remotely control video and audio devices and to transfer
timecode between a device and your computer. Device control cables allow the VTR
and the computer to communicate with each other. The VTR can tell Final Cut Pro
where a tape is currently positioned and Final Cut Pro can tell the VTR to cue the tape
to a new position, pause, rewind, fast-forward and even record during output.
Positional information is conveyed via timecode recorded on the tape. Device control
allows you to control your VTR via Final Cut Pro instead of from the VTR itself.
FireWire (DV) for Device Control
In addition to video and audio data, DV devices can also transfer timecode and device
control via FireWire. This makes connecting DV devices to your computer as simple as
connecting a single FireWire cable.
Serial Remote Device Control Using a 9-Pin RS-422 or RS-232 Connector
For professional equipment, device control data is transferred between a serial port on
your computer and 9-pin connector on a video or audio device. A Macintosh has two
types of serial ports: USB and the internal modem port. With the appropriate adapters,
either of these ports can be used to send and receive device control information via
serial RS-422 or RS-232 protocols.
Scratch Disks
A scratch disk stores captured and rendered media for editing, playback, and output.
Scratch disk performance is a critical aspect of your editing system: the storage
capacity and data rate of your disks must match or exceed the video format you are
using. For more information, see Chapter 14, “
Determining Your Hard Disk Storage
Options ,” on page 179.
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