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DVCProHD codec acceleration on FCP using Kona card
Hi guys,
Looking at buying a new MacPro/FCP setup to edit my HVX footage with.
I noticed that the AJA Kona cards feature a DVCPro accelerator.Would this be beneficial when using FCP given that it wraps the files in a quicktime wrapper?
My alternative is to look at the Blackmagic Multibridge Extreme ? Any thoughts on between the two cards?
Regards,
Steve -
8 Replies
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The acceleration that the Kona card is doing is the scaling from 960×720 to 1280×720 (in 720p) and from 1280×1080 to 1920×1080 (in 1080i) and yes it will help in FCP (DVCPRO HD is DVCPRO HD no matter what the wrapper is). This takes the processing off of the computer and leaves more bandwidth for effects/filters. Kona cards work awesome and the support from AJA is outstanding. I have a Kona 2 and will definitely upgrade to Kona 3 when I upgrade my machine. There are some issues with MacPros at the moment so I am waiting for all of those to get ironed out before I take the plunge. SATA cards don’t work in MacPros if you have SATA storage, ATTO HBA Configuration Tools do not work with MacPros (but their drivers do) if you have fibre storage, and for the moment capture cards (AJA & Blackmagic included) will not support more than 2GBs of RAM. If you need a computer right now, perhaps a G5 Quad is in your future, but if you can wait or don’t mind going through the new growing pains then jump in to a MacPro.
I started with a Blackmagic card and moved to Kona as my business grew. I feel it was a good decision.
Jeremy
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Whoa !! thanks Jeremy.
This is the first I’ve heard of all these issues with the MAcPro.
I was intending to go SATA or possibly FC as I want RAID3 or 5, use 4Gb RAM and either go BlackMagic or AJA for the cards.I’m in no rush.. I can wait until the end of the year. Do you know how far away are any othe fixes?
I’m shocked that I was about to purchase all these items and none would work. Can you offer any more detailed info on the issues?
Thanks again
Steve -
Well, our Blackmagic Extreme HD works on the MacPro with 6 GB RAM.
Regards,
Uli
Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.
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hey Uli, what kind of HBA do you have? I think the Apple PCIe fibre card works (which is good for people with XRAIDs). If you have 4Gb fibre storage, you are sorta screwed.
Steve this is from multiple posts from various forums on the cow. The SATA drivers from Sonnet are supposedly coming “in a month”. AJA drivers will fix the problem “soon”, and ATTO is a question mark. The ATTO drivers work, but are causing problems with more than 2 GBs of RAM and the configuration tools are not universal yet which makes it hard to format the RAID on a macpro, Rest assured that everyone will be up to speed with their universal drivers in short order as it’s in their best interest. If you do take the plunge and don’t buy an XRAID (there’s better faster cheaper options out there) be prepared for some trouble shooting and waiting around for a new driver build. It’s tough to be the new kid on the block.
Jeremy
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My Kona 3 rocks and up and down converts. I have good word that within days the 2 gig ram limit will be history. The SATA card issue is due to be solved this week or early next with updated drivers for the CalDigit card. the speed increase is awesome and many more effectsplay in real time than on our previous Quad. As well, it’s the future and AJA will help solve most any issue, be it theirs or not. I think it’s safe now and safer as time goes on. I had to switch in the beginning of a feature and was quite nervouse but after a couple of days all was well.
Don Wilson
AmericanaMediaInc.com -
I figured these would all be quick fixes. ATTO is still the wild card.
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ATTO UL5D workd flawlessly.
Don Wilson
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with how much ram?
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