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Blackmagic and AJA Video Output devices with Premiere Pro
Hi all
As a recent switcher to PPro I was somewhat surprised by the limited sequence options allowed for playback via transmit to a Blackmagic Ultrastudio express. It appears at first glance that I have to either set my previews to an uncompressed format (not ideal on a Gig-E shared storage system) or JPEG compression. Other options mean I don’t have video playback via the BM Ultrastudio.
The both obviously involve rendering previews that are not then the format I want to output (we use a variety of ENG and file codecs from P2, Sony F5, to DNxHD OP1a MXF files which was what attracted us to using PPro in the first place) and therefore when we output final quick times (at the moment these are usually DVCProHD QTs) the sequence then needs to be re-rendered on export, which can be slow.
In FCP, we could specify a sequence preset that matched the output format we needed, and the BM or AJA cards we used could display full resolution SDI output without dropping frames extremely reliably once video was rendered. Final export of rendered sequences was very quick usually.
We work in live broadcast environments and need two things: An SDI video output at all times to monitor interlace and colour correct, as well providing a baseband play out option from the edit in case our tapeless transfer fails and secondly: The fastest possible workflow.
So, two questions:
1. Am I doing this right? Do I simply misunderstand the sequence preview options in PPro or have a setting wrong in either the BM Ultrastudio or Ppro?
2. Is the other option for PPro playback, AJA IO XT or Kona 3, simply better with Premiere in giving me more choices for sequence settings and previews? Does one manufacturer have an edge over another in this regard?
I communicated my concerns to Adobe regarding these limitations and was somewhat surprised to be asked if I needed video monitoring. Could I use desktop video instead? The answer is no obviously – but perhaps this shows that Adobe’s focus is more software and web video based than broadcast. I hope not – there’s so much to like in Premiere otherwise.
Many thanks for any insight you can share about this.
Ben
Edit Out Ltd
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FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producerhttps://www.blackmagic-design.com/community/communitydetails/?UserStoryId=8757
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6 Replies
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As of CC you can use whatever sequence presets you want. Just go to prefs and choose the BMD device as your video output device. It’s actually one less step than we had in legacy FCP. In legacy we had to match the sequence to the output setting in FCP, to the output setting for the device in ctrl panel. In premiere it just switches to match your sequence setting.
All assuming you’re using some standard sequence and not some arbitrary dimensions and/or frame rate that the box doesn’t support of course.
And if you have mixed frame rates and dimensions in the bin, the output changes dynamically for each clip as you’re logging. So you see 24p at 24p, and 60i at 60i, etc.
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Bret is correct. We have a few Ultrastudio Express boxes running in a broadcast environment with Premiere CC and are able to choose whatever sequence preset we want. I think you need to double check your settings, We also have several IO XT boxes on other systems. They are substantially more expensive but offer one big benefit over the Ultrastudio Express in that they have two thunderbolt ports so you can loop off the back if needed. The Ultrastudio Express has a single port so it kills your chain. Maybe not a big deal if you have a new Mac Pro, but a bit of a pain on an iMac with only two ports. Also, our editors seem to like having the headphone jack with volume control on the IO XT – which isn’t a feature of the Ultrastudio Express. Outside of those 2 things – we’ve had no issues with the performance of either box.
Don Hertz
The Sportsman Channel -
Thanks to both of you for your replies.
Our own research leads to only certain codecs being acceptable to the Blackmagic boxes for preview – so we were concerned about the workflow consequences.
I’ll be investigating further – overall this is a minor concern at present, and whilst PPro and Mavericks are not very stable, it’s a good product that’s improving all the time.
Edit Out Ltd
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FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producerhttps://www.blackmagic-design.com/community/communitydetails/?UserStoryId=8757
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[Ben Holmes] “2. Is the other option for PPro playback, AJA IO XT or Kona 3, simply better with Premiere in giving me more choices for sequence settings and previews? Does one manufacturer have an edge over another in this regard?”
I will say that the AJA products do have an edge in this area. They can handle a lot more automatic conversion of one format to another for playback and most often, you don’t even notice it. The BMDs do require a little more regimented settings to ensure everything inside the app and the Control Panel matches.
There’s a setting that is available with AJA cards that forces the card to match the Premier Pro Sequence Setting no matter what the card is set up for. That’s a handy setting.
We run both Kona card inside our towers (PC and Mac) and the IoXT / TTap with the iMacs.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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Thanks Walter – that’s the feeling I was getting with the BMD products, it seemed more restrictive than I was expecting. I don’t have an IOXT to test, but do have a Mac Pro with a Kona 3 (somewhere!) and I think some more testing is in order.
Enjoy NAB.
Ben
Edit Out Ltd
—————————-
FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producerhttps://www.blackmagic-design.com/community/communitydetails/?UserStoryId=8757
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[Ben Holmes] “but do have a Mac Pro with a Kona 3 (somewhere!) and I think some more testing is in order.”
The Kona 3 is now a legacy product, though they are still releasing software updates for it. When you go to AJA.com Support for the Software download, you’ll find it in the “Legacy” section on the right side of the screen, not with the other Kona products.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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