AJA System Test Lite tool for video performance evaluation

[Bob Zelin]

you are going about this all wrong.

You are working with video footage from a camera
What is the resolution (NTSC, HD, 4K, 6K, 8K)
what is the frame rate (23.98, 30)
what is the compression codec (ProRes, XDCam, XAVC, R3D, etc.)

if your answer is “I don’t know” then you need to ASK THE CAMERA PERSON these questions.
You cannot go into an edit session, with no knowledge of how the media was shot.
I love when people say “I am working in 4K” – what does that mean – MP4, R3D, ProRes ? There are millions of variables.

Your answer will help you set this. If you feel that AJA System Test is too overwhelming, try Blackmagic Disk Speed Test.

You have not even described your drive array that you are testing – how many drives, what is the interface to the computer ?

Bob Zelin

Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
bobzelin@icloud.com

[Abbott Clark]

Thank you for helping a rookie. Now it make sense on the output results of the AJA System test tool. I will ask for the details from the camera person.

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test can test only till 2K and hence using AJA System Test. Any other test tool to test till 4K?

One more thing
>> Number of frames = 6137
>> Write rate = 132 frames/second
>> Write rate = 88 MB/second
>> Minimum rate = 18 MB/Sec
>> Maximum rate = 93 MB/Sec

Any way to find out the Minimum fps from the Minimum rate given by the tool?

>> You have not even described your drive array that you are testing – how many drives,
>> what is the interface to the computer ?
It will be 12 * 12Gb SAS drives over 10GigE NAS.

Thanks for your help.

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Abbott –
you say that the WRITE rate is 88 MB/sec, but you have not said what you are getting for the READ speed.

It sounds like you are testing a 1G connection, not a 10G connection. A 1G connection will max out at about 100 MB/sec read and write. Using the free download AJA Data Calc, Apple ProRes 4444 for Ultra HD 4K at 23.98 frames per second required 148.55 MB/sec, so you can see that your system is not fast enough for this. Even regular ProRes codec for 4K Ultra HD at 23.98 is 66 MB/sec, so you are barely fast enough with that array.

However you state that your array is 12 12TB drives in a NAS. What brand NAS ? Are you the one setting it up ?
Do you have a 10G connection on your computer (Mac or PC) to go to the NAS ? Lot’s of variables here.

Bob Zelin

Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
bobzelin@icloud.com