• Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

  I’m looking for the best card for FCP – (Nick if u r there!)

  Posted by Sachin Verma on June 23, 2005 at 10:48 am

  Hi leaders,
  I want my company to buy FCP for both SD & HD editing. I’m looking for a good performance card within a reasonable budget. So far I’ve found out that there are 3 cards available:

  1. Blackmagic
  2. Kona
  3. Cinewave

  If there are others, i don’t know. I need following realtime things like:

  * SDI – SD&HD(input/output)
  * component (IN/OUT)
  * 2-4 video layers
  * transitions
  * speed (slow/fast motion)
  * alpha channel
  * color correction
  * chroma key
  * some basic effects

  I’m ready to have-

  Apple G5 with dual proccesors
  with 1-2 GB RAM

  * Now you know my requirements, please suggest me the right card.
  * if somone can also give me a rough idea how much the card with breakoutbox will cost

  Nick Price replied 20 years, 10 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Walter Biscardi

  June 23, 2005 at 11:06 am

  [sachin verma] “1. Blackmagic
  2. Kona
  3. Cinewave”

  Forget CineWave, the product is dead and not worth purchasing at this time. Plus you would need to spend too much money to get the HD Breakout Box over Kona 2 or Blackmagic.

  [sachin verma] “I need following realtime things like:

  * SDI – SD&HD(input/output)
  * component (IN/OUT)
  * 2-4 video layers
  * transitions
  * speed (slow/fast motion)
  * alpha channel
  * color correction
  * chroma key
  * some basic effects”

  CineWave is the only product that offers realtime chroma key or alpha channel. But again, the product is basically dead so you’d be on your own for tech support.

  2 – 4 video layers and the other things you mention are wholly dependent on your system, and what format you’re running, not the video card. Look to get a Fibrechannel Array if you’re looking to get up to four channels of 8bit SD.

  Component In will require an analog input device. Neither Blackmagic or Kona 2 HD cards offer component inputs on-board. You’ll need to add something like the AJA Io LA for the analog inputs.

  I looked at both the Kona 2 and the Decklink cards when I made the switch from CineWave and went with the Kona 2. It’s an outstanding card and I much prefer the external K-Box with all the video / audio I/O there to having the SDI ports right on the card.

  Walter Biscardi, Jr.
  Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
  https://www.biscardicreative.com

  Now in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com

  “I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
• 

  Nick Price

  June 23, 2005 at 12:40 pm

  Sacha,
  I would agree with Walter. I use the AJA io as well and i havent heard a bad word about them from anyone one this or any other forum. I believe the Kona is around 1600 pounds, with the breakout box around 200 pounds. If you really need component in then the AJA LA seems sensible, but unless you are onlining from a Beta SP/Dvcam deck, i magine just SDi in would be fine. You can offline using firewire/DV. The AJA LA is around 600 pounds. Or if you wanted to go with blackmagic, you could get their HD card, and the Blackmagic SP card, which has Compnent In, although these two will take up two of your pci slots.

  As walter said it is vital to have the correct hard drives for this too. Ideally a SCSI raid array, i use a Medea RT3 with an Atto scsi card, no probs for a year now. Prepare to pay around 2000 pounds for that. I use plain old firewire drives for offline. At least 2gb RAM is necessary for FCP. Go to crucial.com for that, easliy the cheapest and best RAM on the planet.

  I dont see why you need realtime for the list of things you posted. It will take seconds to render in dv. YOu can then online at 10bit etc.

  best wishes
  NIck

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