[quote="Bill D"]I think we are on ver 5.5, I think there is a 6.0, but not sure if it changes too much, I think it does change some bug channel stuff. (may want to see if that would help your bug channel operation) We only use the bug channel in breaking news and other special stuff. Tough to use a mouse to use the bug channel, while switching. Wish they would put keyboard strokes in the software for the bug channels. We use ODBC, database, not even sure what thunder database means, not terrible familair with ODBC either.. but that is what we use. Bill[/quote] We're on version 5.4.0: I'll have to call Av-Pinnacle to see what's up. Our directors build "Thunder Sequences", we're not doing MOS. In a sequence, you can place numbers in the Bug Channel column. The mouse is almost inaccessible to the director or TD during a show. We've wondered about a Touch Screen. A "Thunder Database" is where the Thunder chassis itself is managing the database. I think it's related to the old Flash File systems. ODBC is a separate database machine that is necessary to do MOS. My understanding is that it would also solve our database locking issues. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon. :) Thanks Scott Thomas

[quote="scottgfx"][quote="Bill D"]We also use the X-keys to choose different bgds to go underneath the still. We do all of our still compositing within the Thunder. We rarely key them in the switcher. Bill[/quote] I've got a few questions.... What is the current version of Thunder XL Software? Ours is over a year old? Is it current? What type of database are you using? ODBC or Thunder? What type of background are you using behind the stills when you select them with the X-Keys. (Stills? Clips? Outboard box?) We currently use stills in the "bug channel" over moving backgrounds and they seem to cause a lot of problems. Transitions are out anyway. Scott Thomas[/quote] Scott, I think we are on ver 5.5, I think there is a 6.0, but not sure if it changes too much, I think it does change some bug channel stuff. (may want to see if that would help your bug channel operation) We only use the bug channel in breaking news and other special stuff. Tough to use a mouse to use the bug channel, while switching. Wish they would put keyboard strokes in the software for the bug channels. We use ODBC, database, not even sure what thunder database means, not terrible familair with ODBC either.. but that is what we use. We have two channels of Leitch NEO DDR, that feed into inputs 1 and 2. Input 3 is channel 4's output and channel 4 input is switcher aux (video and key) All show bgds come from those DDR's. If a show is taping (live show gets the outboard DDR's). We use Ch 4 as the show bgd and just select that as a bgd for the other 3 channels The switcher aux is used to do any prepro that we build, dve moves etc, we make a clip in thunder and play it live, which make it easier then doing the effect live. The aux also gets used in situations like breaking news, if I need a courtesy bug and a 'new video' bug. I will put one in the channel, other in the bug channel, and feed the source to the switcher aux and use that as the bgd. Then I have 2 keys on that source without using an ME. Just take the still full.. The great thing about compositing in the channel is you burn no ME's and if you do need an OTS or other cutout over live source, etc. The key signal still leaves the channel even with the bgd on. So you can go key something in the switcher if necessary with the bgd on. Although with the X-keys macros, it is two buttons presses away from shutting off the bgd.. hope that helps a little, we really love the Thunder as our Still store replacement, they wanted to replace the profiles with them as well, which we talked them out of doing, way too slow for clip recall with TD triggered effects.. We have had a few PC related problems that come up a few times a week, but there is an awful lot of good that offsets those bad things.. any other ???, let me know later Bill

[quote="Bill D"]We also use the X-keys to choose different bgds to go underneath the still. We do all of our still compositing within the Thunder. We rarely key them in the switcher. Bill[/quote] I've got a few questions.... What is the current version of Thunder XL Software? Ours is over a year old? Is it current? What type of database are you using? ODBC or Thunder? What type of background are you using behind the stills when you select them with the X-Keys. (Stills? Clips? Outboard box?) We currently use stills in the "bug channel" over moving backgrounds and they seem to cause a lot of problems. Transitions are out anyway. Scott Thomas

[quote="Clint Hendricks"]Yeah - we found out from our Trainer that the Pinnacle Still Stores and tranisitions "are supposed to" work that way - they always have a Normal/Reverse on their wipe patterns....unfortunately we found out that the wipde direction also depends on the stills position in the list, odd or even - so you can set up a sequence correctly and then if you add or delete a still all of your directions change, pretty much usless in a live news situation. We have just started using Pinnacle products. It's my understanding that the Thunder MX is actually a "cheaper" version than the XL. I know when we immediately upgraded to 6.0 before putting it online we had some issues with 3 point looping and recording stills/clips. They had a fix in version 6.1 but we are still encountering a few quirks here and there. We haven't done too much with clips yet, so I am not sure if the key drifting problem I've heard about is still an issue in this release. -Clint[/quote] Clint, I agree I think the MX is a cheaper version of the XL, glad we got the XL before the MX came out, otherwise I am sure they would have gotten the MX. The XL does 4 channels of stills or clips, the MX I think only has 3 channels of still with a clip option. We have never had a problem with keysignals whether sent as a file from Nitrous or TD recorded into Thunder using aux buses as inputs. We have had other problems, it reboots on it's own and we occasionally lose our picons in the sequence. We use 2 Xkeys panels to control the stills, they basically record macros. All of our sequences are built with dissolves, then live on the fly we can hit one button to change the wipes, per item. Maybe this would help with your reverse problem, not sure. The only wipes we really use are the matrix one's, and except for the checks and scan wipes, the rest don't seem very useful. We also use the X-keys to choose different bgds to go underneath the still. We do all of our still compositing within the Thunder. We rarely key them in the switcher. I think the MX, limits you on changing bgds a little compared to the XL, atleast from what I saw at NAB. later Bill

Yeah - we found out from our Trainer that the Pinnacle Still Stores and tranisitions "are supposed to" work that way - they always have a Normal/Reverse on their wipe patterns....unfortunately we found out that the wipde direction also depends on the stills position in the list, odd or even - so you can set up a sequence correctly and then if you add or delete a still all of your directions change, pretty much usless in a live news situation. We have just started using Pinnacle products. It's my understanding that the Thunder MX is actually a "cheaper" version than the XL. I know when we immediately upgraded to 6.0 before putting it online we had some issues with 3 point looping and recording stills/clips. They had a fix in version 6.1 but we are still encountering a few quirks here and there. We haven't done too much with clips yet, so I am not sure if the key drifting problem I've heard about is still an issue in this release. -Clint

We have an older Thunder XL and Pinnacle told us that that's the way it works. BTW, how fast does MX loads the clips? And does it ever loose its key channel?