Understanding capture cards (aja, blackmagic, etc)

hello, i've always been curious to know about capture cards. does anyone know a good article or website that does a good explanation. i am looking to get a 2.8 mp w/ fcs 2 and cs3. i would like to get into documentaries and independent film editing - both in sd and hd.
i read a little about the aja kona leh and i/o hd (it's a bulky little thing). what's the difference between the two? and for what i would like to do, do you guys recommend one or any other device?
what about vcr's. my mom has a bunch of old family videos that i would like to transfer to dvd for her. do these capture devices work on older vcr's?
thx

Macs will deal with firewire based capture natively for DV (DVCAM, DVCPro, DV25) and HDV. That is, you need no additional devices to ingest materials from tape based cameras in those formats.
All other HD formats as well as Standard Definition analog video (aka SD) needs a device to convert it to some digitally editable form. That is where the capture cards come into play. The particular device required depends on the format of the original material and what you want to do with it (output). DVCProHD on a P2 card is special case as well as the newer Sony tapeless variations. If you shoot that, you'll need to understand that work flow.
If you are editing DV & HDV for 'school projects' you won't any card for capture. In working with HDV you may want something like the Black Magic Intensity or the Matrox MXO to monitor your HDV material. DV can be easily monitored via firewire and an A/DV converter.
Spend time reading through the manufacturers (AJA, BlackMagic, etc) web pages and read through posts here. It will all make sense in time.
The easiest way to convert VHS tapes to DVD is get an all-in-one VHS/DVD player recorder. Pop the tape in one side, put a blank DVD in the other and tell it to record. You need no computer and the transfer happens in real time.
Good luck,
x

Similar Messages

I don't understand capture cards - PLEASE HELP

I've seen other posts that dance around this, but what I want to know is ... what exactly does a capture card do and when do you need it? I'm about to edit a feature to be shot on the panasonic hvx200. We will transfer the p2 cards into my G5 each night. From what I understand, Final Cut 5 allows you to transfer the p2 files directly into the project. So, my second question is this: can I edit 1080p footage on my G5 and play back the sequence in full screen on my 23 inch HD monitor and get a true high def image? Or, do I need additional equipment. Thanks for the help!

For your workflow, or the DVCPRO HD workflow for that matter, does not require a capture card. With the P2 cards, you just transfer the footage. If you shot with the Varicam, then you can capture via firewire with the use of a DVCPRO HD deck. No cards needed.
Capture cards are required for footage that cannot be captured via firewire: BetaSP, Digibeta, HDCam, D5, VHS, 3/4".
With your 23" monitor on it's own, you can preview the footage with Digital Cinema Desktop, but that won't be a "true HD image." For a true HD image you will need to either route thru a Panasonic 1200HD deck, or use a capture card (Kona 2, Kona LHe, Decklink HD, Decklink Multibridge) and use an HD SDI>DVI converter box to route to a SECOND 23" monitor for a "close" to true HD image. The only way to get a true HD image is to use an HD monitor.
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/dvcpro_hd_workflowbalis.html
Shane

FCP, Beta SP and Blackmagic Multibridge Extreme capture card

I'm having problems getting a video signal into FCP via a Multibridge Exteme capture card by Blackmagic Design. I currently have device control and am able to view footage already in FCP on an NTSC monitor so it appears as though the capture card is working. I have my capture setting set to blackmagic NTSC-10 bit (i've tried several different settings). I have the deck connected to the card through the component ports. Here are the specs on what i'm working with:
Mac Pro dual 3.0GHz Xeon
10 GBs of RAM
Blackmagic Multibridge Extreme capture card w/ breakout box
Sony PVW-2650 Beta SP player
FCP 5.1.4
Quicktime 7.1.6
OSX 10.4.10

Under System Preferences go to the Decklink Preferences.
Change the input from SDI to Component and XLR audio
Problem solved.
Phil

BlackMagic Intensity Pro Capture Card & (3) 1TB Internal Hard Drives

Hello,
This is my first time using BM Intensity Pro. Prior to tonight all I used was FW400 & iMovie/iDVD.
I have now upgraded to Final Cut Studio with a BM Intensity Pro Capture Card and Three 1TB Hard Drives (7200 RPM with 32MB cache) - Striped as a RAID set to create ONE 2.7 TB HD for Video Storage.
I have a few questions that I would like some help with.
I would like to capture at the highest video quality possible.
I'm worried that Hard Drives wont be able to handle the capture speed or file size?
I ran the BM Disk Speed Test. I'm just not sure what all these numbers mean?
Can someone please explain to me what the following information is telling me?
Do the results mean that I'm good to go with uncompressed HDV via HDMI?
The first is my OEM Mac Hard Drive. The second is my 3TB RAID set.
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test Results
Date: 2009-06-07 22:10:23 -0400
Mac OS X Version: 10.5.7
Physical Memory: 2047 MB
QuickTime Version: 7.6.2
Read Speed: 62.5 MB/s
Write Speed: 60.9 MB/s
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test Results
Date: 2009-06-07 22:13:26 -0400
Mac OS X Version: 10.5.7
Physical Memory: 2047 MB
QuickTime Version: 7.6.2
Read Speed: 314.9 MB/s
Write Speed: 310.0 MB/s

About using the speed test:
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/124/864289
I would invest in an external RAID controller.
You can find a variety of such from AMUG in RAID5/6 that will support higher sustained thruput.
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/reviews.html
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/highpoint/4322/
http://www.barefeats.com/hard115.html
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/highpoint/3522/
http://www.barefeats.com/hard101.html
Those should also give you a better feel for what to do with those numbers and what to look for.

Blackmagic Capture Cards?

Anyone using Blackmagic capture cards?
I have an Intensity Pro. Composite and s-video work fine. I
cannot get component working with a 720p or 1080i signal. FMLE
doesn't give me the option to select a resolution higher than
720x486. I haven't tested the HDMI input. Any ideas?
Maybe the problem is related to
this
post?

The video doesn't work for me.
I can get video output from the blackmagic media express software.
set to 1080i 59.94
The control panel for the blackmagic is set to 720p HD to SD letterbox 16:9 downconvert....
But when I launch the FMLE i just get a blank screen.
I'm told there is an ACC plugin to fix the audio isssu. HDMI is outputing sound at higher then 44100 so you need a plugin to deal with that...
But my probelm is with the video... I don't get a video stream....
Hell it would be nice if FMLE would support 1900x1080 and not make me mess around with all this....
anyone hanve any ideas?
Using Intensity card and a sony HD hdr-sr12 as video source over HDMI
Help?

I have premiere pro CS6 and a blackmagic intensitiy pro HDMI capture card

I have premiere pro CS6 and a blackmagic intensitiy pro HDMI capture card will I be able to capture HD TV progrsms if I have a HDCP compliant monitor?

No.
As soon as you connect the HDMI cable from your cable box to the BM card it will be seen as non-HDCP compliant.

HD/SD Blackmagic Capture Card for G5 Quad Power PC

Hi,
Can someone give me some advice on buying a good, reasonably priced capture card for my G5 powerpc quad. Its still running very well and I'd like to extend its professional use for a little bit
longer as I suspect that the next incarnation of desktops is possible months away.
I'm assuming a BlackMagic card is best suited due to my limited budget but I'm open to suggestion.

You haven't said what formats you're hoping to capture, but I'd imagine one of Blackmagic's Decklink cards would work for you (Intensity Pro is not compatible with non-Intel macs).
Pay attention to the hardware requirements though: http://blackmagic-design.com/support/detail.asp?techID=76

QT Broadaster from Blackmagic capture card?

Can QuickTime Broadcaster take input from Blackmagic's
capture card? Also, can Broadcaster work as an encoder
source to Real's Helix server?
Thank you,
Mike

Not if you are limited to sending back out HDV. The reconforming process is slow (as you have experienced).
in the for what it's worth category, this is why it's takes time.
Sony's version of HDV is formated into a 15 frame GOP (group of pictures). Simply put, this means there is one full frame (I frame) then 14 frames that reference the differences to the full frame. These reference frames do not contain full information and only make sense when compared to the last I frame and any intervening frames.
When you make a cut in this GOP, the chances are you are NOT editing on an I frame, you are cutting somewhere between them. This means FCP must generate an internal I frame at that point. As you can imagine this is an editing nightmare. That FCP gets it to work is truely a bit of wizardry.
When you are all done, FCP must re-conform the the footage, that is, generate a continuous 15 frame GOP structure from the beginning of the footage. Some I frames become reference frames and new I frames must be generated in the correct pattern. This is very computationally intensive and is totally dependent on processor speed.
So, If you want to speed up output to HDV, get a faster machine.
good luck,
x

In Need of Video Capture Card

Hello
I am a digital video editor working with Adobe Premiere 6.0. I have noticed that when I try to capture video on the program all I get is a grey screen with no video and no audio ,however, I do get device control. I have learned that I do not have a video capture card installed on my computer. I was directed to this link to assist me with possible video capture card brands http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/capturecard_partners/#head2 I have learned that AJA, which is on the list, does not have ANYTHING for Adobe Premiere 6.0 because of how old the program is. I moved on down the list and contacted Blackmagic Design. They have contacted me back, however, do not have an answer ready yet. Here are the specs for my computer...
Software Program: Adobe Premiere 6.0
Operating System: WINDOWS VISTA
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2220 @ 2.40GHz 2.40GHz
Memory (RAM): 4.00 GB
System type: 32-bit Operating System
If anyone out there has any advice or video capture card preferences, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank You

Hey Bill,
We recently purchased the A-D Bridge from tiger direct. It is the ADVC-110 from Canopus. We believe we have it hooked up correctly, but unfortunately we have the same problem.
Bill
hah ! this is what happens when your sausage if full...you get all the fun questions !
I was going to say something but my feelings are hurt.... I'm going to the lounge instead....( time for a beer )
ps.. I use SCLive to capture...costs about $29....worth every penny....

Recommendations on Capture Cards

Greetings,
What would be recommendations for good capture cards and break out boxes?
I've looked at the AJA KONA 3 - I've also looked at the Blackmagic - any recommendations? Also does anyone have a preference with a broadcast monitor that they use. I'm in the stages of revamping my workflow.

In order to give you the best recommendation, we need to know what you do. What workflows are you employing, what kind of footage are you working with, what kinds of things do you need to do, and what is your budget. There are SO MANY options, that cover a wide variety of things. I don't want to do what a lot of people do and say "Kona 3...period. It does everything." Because it isn't true, it doesn't do everything. Plus it might be overkill for your needs. THe Kona 3 works with 2K, and can upconvert, but it is digital in only, have analog sources you are outta luck, unless you shell out more money for converters. And it doesn't have HDMI out. The LHi has HDMI I/O, and analog IO, and upconverts. But wait, you want this to work on a laptop too! OK, Matrox MXO2 line, AJA IO Express...
Like looking at cars...you don't want people to say "Get the BMW 7 Series...it's the best car built" when you a) can't afford that and b) don't need everything it does. You might just need to drive around town. Or, you might have to drive 7 people (you and your 5 kids), which you can't do in a BMW 7 series. Or you might need to haul gear. OK, analogy over.
What are your needs/workflows?
Shane

HDMI capture card for a Power PC G5

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a card HDMI capture card that could be used in a non-intel G5?
If not, is there anyway I could use a HDMI to fire wire adapter and use the existing firewire port etc without degrading the HD signal? or capture via the ethernet port using a HDMI Ethernet extender?
Any thoughts or real world experience would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Dame Hyndman

I apologize - I thought it was the Studio card that had official G5 support, but when I re-read the specs page, it looks like it is only the HD Extreme card is the only supported card in the G5.
That being said, I was also told by BlackMagic that the Intensity wouldn't work in the G5 either (although they declined to elaborate as to why), but it does work and every driver release has been Universal. Like I said in my original post, I believe that the card is the source of some system instability, but if you're not doing capture very frequently, then you can remove the card when you're not going to be using it (which is what I do sometimes). I've only used the Intensity Pro to capture from S-video sources, but it works fine and the video output to a monitor also works as well.
I have no information for you on converting HDMI to DVI or ethernet. Might want to ask in the Final Cut forum.

SDI Capture Card that works with QuickTime Streaming Server/Encoder

I can't seem to find any major SDI video card manufacturer that has drivers which work on a MAC OSX Server using QuickTime Streaming Server & QuickTime Broadcaster. Apple has suggested we try LiveChannel and I have yet to contact them. I have however contacted AJA, BlackMagic, View cast, etc. and none have tested their cards against QuickTime Streaming Server & QuickTime Broadcaster.
We need to be able to do Multicasting
Any help is appreciated!

Sorry but I think I was impatient when I wrote that.
After monitoring the .upcoming file, I saw the new entries appear after a while.
You can modify the .playlist file at runtime without updating QTSS. It will read that file automatically after a while.
It seems to work fine now.
Thanks

Video capture cards, RT effects, render support

I'm looking into buying either a AJA Kona SD or Blackmagic Decklink Pro SD capture card. I'm primarily buying for RT and render support and want to know if anyone can verify the benefits.
I currently don't get much in the way of software-based RT effects support from FCP. It's probably because I'm still using nothing better than a 7,200rpm IDE drive for my media.
Blackmagic provides a list of FCP RT effects they support and mention some of their own. AJA doesn't mention which RT effects they support, just that they support some. What should I believe? I've read in the reviews that all this RT support is pretty limited once I get to a 2-track or 2-stream effect. Is this really true?
Both companies claim "render support" for FCP. (I use FCP 4.5). To what degree is this the case? Can I expect sizeable reductions in my rendering time? Will I only get this benefit if I'm editing in an uncompressed timeline? How about a DV timeline?
Dual 800 G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9) 1.5G RAM, GeForce2 AGP

Lets not leave Aurora out of the picture here. Their capture cards are arguably higher quality than Decklink, and on par or better than AJA. A little less known, but very easy and simple to use...http://www.auroravideosys.com/products/index.php
I use the PipePro Studio and it is a breeze.
Now...for the realtime effects. Nothing helps with this other than a faster processor. The capture cards do not give you more realtime effects. What they mean by realtime is that you get realtime effects with their codecs. So the normal effects you get in realtime, like cross dissolves and 3-way color correcting, the cards support those realtime effects for their capture codecs.
They do not increase the amount of effects that are realtime. That hasn't been supported since the Cinewave card way back at FCP version 3.
Shane

Uncompressed Capture Cards

I have a plan to purchase a G5 for video editing and other post production works. I want to edit my footage in Uncompressed Pal format and my final output is NTSC DVD. I need a Uncompressed capture card(PCI or PCI X). I know about 2 leading Uncompressed Capture cards i. e. Kona 2 from AJA and DeckLink Extreme from Blackmagic design. There is any other cards in the market? Please give me advice.

Yes, and you also need a PCIe SCSI or fibre channel card for your external drive array. ATTO announced the UL5D on 10/20, but I haven't heard when it will ship.
Even after that, we might face the same type of driver update problems we had right after the UL4D was first matched to the 1st generation G5s. It was extremely painful for a while until everyone got on the same page of the playbook.
Are there any other PCIe SCSI & FC HBAs that have been released already?

Capture Cards for HDV

Is it impossible to capture into FCP 5.1.4 without an AJA or blackmagic capture card? would this apply to imovie HD as well? I'm using an song hvr m15u deck....any help appreciated.
best

i am positive the i-link is "off" in the down convert section, and the output i have set to HDV. i've tried automatic, no better luck. such a pain. it feels to me like a setting in the deck, b/c i can't properly play tapes back on a monitor.
thanks again for the suggestions.
best,
timebomb

Understanding capture cards (aja, blackmagic, etc)

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