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Freerun Broken?
AJA has kindly RMA’d the card for me, and I’ll have a replacement on Monday. But I was wondering if anyone has heard of this problem?
Basically, the best way I can describe it is that Freerun doesn’t work. When I open ETT (VTR is pulling sync from video in like it does on all our working machines) I get a bunch of moving green lines and other garbage in the window.
Also when I playback video, I occasionally get crackles in the audio. Plus the thing is really oversensitive to drop frame errors.
BTW, I don’t have the BOB, so terminating the ref loop isn’t an issue.
Before the lectures start, there is no house sync in our place, nor does there need to be. We’re not doing any live video switching or syncing VTRs with audio equipment or anything like that. The studio has multiple NLE machines w/ Decklink cards that do not have a reference in. Thus, the VTRs are always set to pull sync from the video in. And it’s never been a problem before.
Sean
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39 Replies
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most Blackmagic products have a Reference Video in, and require a composite black reference, just like every other piece of video gear in history. Sony Digi Beta VTR’s have all kinds of issues when not using a reference input – and this applies to linear video editing systems, AVID’s, and machine to machine editing as well (see – I didn’t even mention AJA in my response).
Good luck with your crackle audio issue.
Bob Zelin
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Not true at all sir.
Quite a few Blackmagic products do not have a reference input. Decklink standard, Decklink HD, Decklink HD Extreme. And the HD Plus only has tri-level, no regular ref. While their other cards do have a genlock, despite what you say none of them require the use of it. Neither does the Kona 3. You can select freerun or video-in sync.
I have a DVW-500. There’s a little switch on the slide out panel to select video input as your sync source instead of ref. It’s been switched on that way for almost 10 years, since the Media 100 days (which also had a genlock input which I never needed to use before).
House sync is completely unnecessary unless you need to sync multiple pieces of equipment that are running off different clocks. Connecting a single VTR to a single NLE doesn’t fall into that category.
Sean
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What version of everything are you on, what card, what computer, what zip code, blah blah blah. Does this happen on all capture presets? Are you sure you don’t have the wrong format selected in the Kona control panel?
Jeremy
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Hello there
I have the same problem only I’m in PAL land and get white lines when in Capture or Edit to Tape mode.
I’m working directly with a DVW500 and have never had issues with sync with my Decklink cards. I’ve only recently moved over to AJA with a Mac Pro upgrade.
AJA send out a new card which arrived on Friday but the problem was not fixed with the replacement.
I think its a software problem.
This sync problem causes a interlace field problem on capture which results in poor quality video. I’ve tested Edit to Tape and the imaged seems to be recored fine.
I’ve tried syncing the Digibeta to our Black and Burst but this doesn’t stop the AJA Kona 3 from outputting these white lines.
Strange thing is if I set the Kona3 to HD in, so do a up-convert then a down convert the problem goes away although now I’m capturing in HD 720.
Mac Pro
8Gb RAM
ATI X1900
AJA Kona 3
Latest QT
Latest OS X
Latest FCPRory Hinds
mine
http://www.minefilms.com -
Sean writes –
While their other cards do have a genlock, despite what you say none of them require the use of it. Neither does the Kona 3. You can select freerun or video-in sync.I have a DVW-500. There’s a little switch on the slide out panel to select video input as your sync source instead of ref. It’s been switched on that way for almost 10 years, since the Media 100 days (which also had a genlock input which I never needed to use before).
REPLY – Sean, you have never gotten “channel error “lights on your DVW-500 ? You have never had audio distortion before from your embedded or AES audio ? You have never had your audio mysteriously disappear on your DVW-500 ? These are all classis symptoms of no reference into the DVW-500 ?
When you have used your Media 100 in analog component over the years, didn’t you have to send a COMPOSITE video signal into the input of the Media 100, even though you were using component video from your Beta VTR ? If the answer is NO to all of my questions, then I want to rub your head, because you are a lucky guy.
bob Zelin
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[Bob Zelin] “Sean, you have never gotten “channel error “lights on your DVW-500 ? You have never had audio distortion before from your embedded or AES audio ? You have never had your audio mysteriously disappear on your DVW-500 ? These are all classis symptoms of no reference into the DVW-500 ?”
Never. I guess I’m lucky. There’s a menu setting as well for selecting video sync. I don’t remember where or exactly what it is.
Sean
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Kona version 4.0. Mac Pro Quad 2.66. 4gb RAM. FCS 2 with all the updates. QT 7.02. OS X 10.4.9.
Sean
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[Rory Hinds] “AJA send out a new card which arrived on Friday but the problem was not fixed with the replacement.”
Yikes! That makes me nervous.
Your problem does sound similar to mine.
AJA tech support told me that if you have the card in freerun, and you open edit to tape, you should only see black in that window. And I have to agree, that’s how it should work. So that’s why he decided to send me a new one.
Sean
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Yeah thats what I was told too.. it should be solid black on capture and edit to tape.
I think this is a software problem as 2 boards can’t be broken, surely.
Rory Hinds
mine
http://www.minefilms.com -
Mine is usually never black when I first open edit to tape. It usually switches to 1080i when I go to edit to tape, until I actually start the edit to tape and then switches to whatever format I am mastering to. This has been true on a Kona2, Kona3X and now a Kona3. Sometimes, i don’t have a video input routed into the Kona card, just an output, I always thought that this was the reason. On Capture, the Kona card grabs the signal from whatever I am capturing from.
Jeremy
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