Echo Fire FAQ

If you have the CD-ROM version of Echo Fire, or a recent Adobe product, you'll find the Acrobat Reader on the installer CD-ROM. If not, you can download the free Reader from the Adobe web site.

How do I run the Echo Fire application?

Echo Fire is not a standalone application, but a collection of plug-ins that you use from within other applications, like Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, or QuickTime Player.

On the Macintosh, setup of Echo Fire is done via the Control Strip or the Echo Fire control panel. Under Windows, setup is done via the Echo Fire System Tray icon, or the Echo Fire control panel.

The User's Guide (see above) covers in detail how you access the Echo Fire functions.

How can I convert from my FireWire connection to analog video?

To convert from the digital FireWire connection to analog video, you need some type of conversion device. We've created a list of available conversion solutions as a separate article.

I don't use the Control Strip on my Macintosh. How can I control Echo Fire?

Under Mac OS 9, you can use the the Echo Fire Control control panel to perform all configuration functions. However, because some of these settings will be accessed frequently, many users still find the Control Strip to be a more efficient way to change the settings.

Under Mac OS X, control-click the Echo Fire icon in the Dock to access all Echo Fire settings.

The Video Source options in the Echo Fire menu are greyed out and inactive. Why?

The Video Source items are greyed out whenever Echo Fire is inactive. To activate Echo Fire, you need to have a valid output device selected and be running an application that makes use of Echo Fire, such as After Effects or Photoshop.

Make sure there is an output device selected by holding down the command key and clicking on the Echo Fire control strip module, or by using the Video Output Device selection in the Echo Fire control panel. Select an output device from the list.

Why is my video display unstable and filled with grey blocks?

If you are outputting to a PAL video monitor, be sure you have a PAL output device selected. The default is NTSC DV, and attempting to output NTSC video to a PAL FireWire device can cause this symptom. Check which output device is selected by holding down the command key and clicking on the Echo Fire control strip module, or by using the Echo Fire control panel.

Some FireWire-to-video converters have the annoying habit of switching video modes on their own. Be sure your converter is set to the same video system (NTSC or PAL) as the device selection in Echo Fire.

This symptom can also indicate a failed FireWire-to-video converter.

On slower CPUs, you may see occasional bursts of grey blocks on the video monitor when the system is busy. This is because the CPU is not fast enough to deliver data to the FireWire at the rate required. However, the display should quickly clear and become correct as soon as the system is no longer busy.

Why is the After Effects 4.x RAM Preview not realtime?

Each frame is being compressed in software, which limits the throughput. Even though After Effects has rendered each frame and has it in RAM, the frames are uncompressed and still need board-specific compression before they can go out to the video monitor. In After Effects 5.0, using RAM Preview automatically disables Echo Fire so that RAM Preview can operate at full speed.

For realtime video previews in After Effects, use Echo Fire's Rapid Preview feature. Instead of using RAM Preview, press shift + space. Echo Fire will begin rendering any frames it needs. When the area you want to see has rendered, press space to begin the looping preview. When done, press space again to stop the preview. There are other Rapid Preview options; please see the manual for details.

I'm using Photoshop LE and Echo Fire doesn't work with it. Why?

One of the limitations of the LE version of Photoshop is that it does not support third-party plug-ins. You'll need to upgrade to the full version of Photoshop to use Echo Fire or any other third-party plug-ins.

Is Echo Fire for Macintosh compatible with the ProMax DV Toolkit?

Yes, although we recommend using the standard Apple DV codec instead. When using the DV Toolkit codec, it may be necessary to quit and restart After Effects or Photoshop when changing codecs using the DV Toolkit Controls control panel. Echo Fire "grabs" a codec when the application starts up and may not realize that the codec has changed, so it may continue to use the old one until the application restarts.

If you're using the Echo Fire waveform monitor or vectorscope, make sure that Echo Fire is set to use RGB (0-255) mapping for either the Apple or DV Toolkit "clamped luma/clamped chroma" codec, or set to use ITU.R 601 (16-235) for the DV Toolkit "full luma/clamped chroma" codec. We don't support the "full luma/full chroma" codec. The Echo Fire settings are in the Echo Fire control strip module when you hold down the Command key.

Is Echo Fire for Macintosh compatible with the Radius/Digital Origin FireWire interface card and SoftDV codec?

Echo Fire is fully compatible with both the Radius/Digital Origin FireWire PCI card and Radius/DO SoftDV codec, although we recommend using the standard Apple DV codec instead.

To use Echo Fire with the SoftDV codec, make sure that you've disabled the "QuickTime FireWire DV Enabler" extension (standard procedure with this codec), as well as the "~Echo Fire� Codec" and "~Echo Fire� Codec QT4" files which were installed as part of Echo Fire. Also make sure you've enabled "Play Frames Out FireWire (LiveDV)" and "Enable SoftDV as Default DV Codec for QT" in the SoftDV control strip.

To use Echo Fire, the Radius/DO FireWire PCI card, and the Apple DV codec, you'll need to create a separate set of extensions with Extensions Manager and restart to load the correct set. For Echo Fire, you'll need to re-enable the "QuickTime FireWire DV Enabler", "~Echo Fire� Codec" and "~Echo Fire� Codec QT4" extensions, and disable all the Radius/DO extensions, which all start with "Rad". To use the Radius/DO FireWire PCI card, you'll need to leave the "RadLynxFWIM" extension enabled, as that's the driver for the card.

Is Echo Fire for Macintosh compatible with the SAN Cube FireWire-based disk array?

Unfortunately, the SAN Cube interferes with the operation of FireWire video devices, causing random interruptions to video playback. Check with the manufacturer to see if updated SAN Cube software is available.

I have FireWire routing enabled, but when I try to play a movie in ProTools or QuickTime Player the playback is only on the computer monitor, not the video monitor. Why?

NOTE: As of Echo Fire 2.1.0, there is an incompatibility between QuickTime 6.0 and Echo Fire's FireWire routing feature. We are working to resolve this issue, but until we do we recommend using QuickTime 5.0.2.

In order for Echo Fire to know to route video playback out the FireWire, it needs to be given a DV-compressed movie, ready to be sent out the FireWire. There simply is not enough computer power available to convert the video format on the fly.

Make sure that the movie you are trying to play is a valid DV-compressed movie. The codec used by the movie must be either Apple DV NTSC or Apple DV PAL. The frame size must be either 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL). Lastly, the audio (if any) in the movie must use a sample rate of either 32 kHz or 48 kHz. The 44.1 kHz sample rate is not a mandatory part of the DV standard and some FireWire-to-video converters may choke on it and reject both the audio and the video.

The simplest way of ensuring that you have a conforming DV movie is to capture your video file directly from FireWire using an application such as Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie. If you are working with existing video files, you can export a new QuickTime movie in the proper format from QuickTime Player Pro. Note that you want a QuickTime movie, not a DV stream.

When using FireWire routing with ProTools, the video is several frames behind the audio playback. How can I correct the sync?

Video delay is an unavoidable part of all digital video, although the delays with FireWire are significantly longer than with other video cards. The exact amount of delay with FireWire video differs depending on the type of FireWire interface in your computer, the type of FireWire-to-video converter you're using, and whether or not you are using a FireWire hub. And since what matters is the difference between the audio and video latencies, the apparent delay is also affected by your audio output system. Fortunately, once you find the amount of delay needed for your system it will remain constant.

The best way to compensate for this delay in ProTools is to use the Sync Offset setting in the Movie menu. This setting allows you to tune the playback delay in increments of quarter-frames. While you will need to tune this setting for your specific system, 14 quarter-frames is a good initial setting.

This setting only affects the video during playback and does not introduce any delay when spotting still frames. For this reason you should first align the video and your audio tracks, then adjust the Sync Offset setting to achieve proper playback sync.

For systems without a means to correct only playback (including ProTools LE) you will need to slide the video in relation to the audio to attain proper sync. Unfortunately, this means that sync will be off when selecting single frames.

Why is playback on the video monitor through FireWire routing very jerky?

Make sure that the entire video playback window (the one displaying "Video Routed to FireWire") is on the computer screen and doesn't span multiple monitors or hang off the edge of the screen. You can reduce the size of the movie playback window to get it out of the way, and you can other windows overlapping it, but it must be completely on a single computer monitor or else the video card driver will severely impact playback performance.

This jerkiness can also occur if you have both the Apple FireWire drivers and the Radius FireWire drivers both installed on your system.

Also make sure that your computer monitor is set to "Thousands" or "Millions" of colors.

Is it possible to use Echo Fire with Final Cut Pro?

Because both Echo Fire and Final Cut Pro need access to the same video output device, it's not possible to use Echo Fire within Final Cut.

However, you can switch between applications that use Echo Fire (such as After Effects and Photoshop) and Final Cut Pro by selecting the "Disable Display When in Background" option within the Echo Fire Control Panel or Control Strip. This will cause Echo Fire to release its video output device whenever switching to an application which is not using Echo Fire.

When switching from After Effects to Final Cut Pro, I get an alert telling me "General Error." What does this mean and how can I prevent this?

This is the error message that Final Cut Pro displays if its video output device is in use by another application. In this case, Echo Fire has control of the video output device which Final Cut wants to use.

To avoid this, first make sure that the "Disable Display When in Background" option is set within the Echo Fire Control Panel or Control Strip. This will cause Echo Fire to release its video output device whenever switching to an application which is not using Echo Fire. Thus Echo Fire will release the video output device when switching from After Effects (or Photoshop) to Final Cut Pro.

You may still see the General Error message, however, if Final Cut requests access to the video device before Echo Fire has completely released it. In this case, switch from After Effects to the Finder, then to Final Cut, giving additional time for the video output device to be released.

In some cases, such as with the Digital Voodoo D1 Desktop card, you may not see the General Error message, but instead Final Cut will simply not do any video output. In that case, switch to the Finder then back to Final Cut so that Final Cut has time to reestablish its connection.

Is Echo Fire compatible with the uncompressed version of the Igniter card?

Yes it is. Be sure to select the correct video output option (uncompressed or lossless) in the Echo Fire control strip module or control panel.

When using the Media 100 with Echo Fire, I see that in After Effects several frames may be displayed on the video monitor before the correct frame is shown. Why?

This will happen if you have Media 100 compressed footage on the timeline in the area being previewed. The Media 100 software will display a frame from each footage item, then Echo Fire will display the preview. This is a result of both the Media 100 software (codec) and Echo Fire sharing the same video monitor.

When switching from After Effects back to the Media 100 editing application, I get an alert telling me that the hardware is in use. How can I prevent this?

Echo Fire needs to release the Media 100 hardware so that the Media 100 editing application can use it. You can do this manually by selecting a Video Source of none, or using the display toggle hot key. You can also have Echo Fire automatically release the hardware by selecting the "Disable Display When in Background" option in the Echo Fire control strip or panel.

You may occasionally see this alert even when the "Disable Display When in Background" option is selected. This is caused by the Media 100 software attempting to gain access to the hardware before Echo Fire has completely released it. Simply click OK and the alert should disappear.

With the Fuse card, if I hold down the mouse button for a long time or do another lengthy operation, the video preview disappears. Why?

The Fuse card requires a periodic refresh to keep the video preview present. If the card is not refreshed in time--because you are doing something that is keeping the computer busy--the video output will revert to its idle display, which may be black, blue, or color bars. Releasing the mouse button will redisplay the correct video preview.

Which video output cards does Echo Fire support?

Echo Fire for Macintosh directly supports any device with a QuickTime Video Output Component (VOUT), such as Apple DV FireWire and the Pinnacle Systems Targa 1000 and 2000. It also support additional output cards, such as the Media 100, Digital Voodoo D1 Desktop, and Aurora Igniter, via built-in drivers.

We maintain a complete list of video output cards compatible with Echo Fire for Macintosh.

Echo Fire for Windows supports OHCI-compatible FireWire interfaces which use the standard Microsoft drivers and codec.

Is Echo Fire for Macintosh compatible with the D1 Desktop 64 and 64AV?

Yes, Echo Fire 1.1.3 and later will work with both the 32- and 64-bit versions of the D1 Desktop.

When doing a Rapid Preview in After Effects, I don't get a realtime preview, but instead a very jerky preview. How can I fix this?

Check the Rapid Preview settings in the Echo Fire control panel and make sure you have assigned the Rapid Preview Cache Folder to a disk array capable of maintaining the data rates required by your video card.

On the Macintosh, also check the control panel to make sure you have selected disk-based previews. It may seem counterintuitive, but RAM is slower than disk in this case, and the RAM-based preview can't maintain the required datarates. This is because transferring data from RAM to the D1 Desktop card involves the CPU, whereas transferring from the disk array to the card is a direct, high-speed DMA operation. Echo Fire for Windows always uses disk-based previews.

When are you going to bring out a Mac OS X version of Echo Fire?

Echo Fire 2.1 works with Mac OS X 10.2 and later, as well as Mac OS 9. Echo Fire does not work in OS X Classic mode, as the operating system does not provide access to the video hardware from Classic mode.

Does Echo Fire for Windows work with the Avid XpressDV FireWire drivers?

No. Echo Fire for Windows works with the standard Microsoft FireWire codec and drivers.

Copyright © 1996-2007, Synthetic Aperture. All rights reserved. Color Finesse is a registered trademark, and Synthetic Aperture, Video Finesse, Echo Fire, Test Gear, Test Pattern Maker, Colorociter, and LiveFire are trademarks of Synthetic Aperture. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Comments, corrections, and suggestions should be sent via our feedback form.

This page was last updated Thursday, February 15, 2007.