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Blackmagic Decklink SP and playback on FCP 5
First of all, let me state that I am new to FCP 5 (5.0.4) and that I recently picked up a Decklink SP card to capture Beta SP from a UVW-1800. I can capture just fine for both audio and video from the Decklink card. However, when it comes to playing back the composited footage on the timeline, nothing will playback in my Sony monitor. I have done a search for video playback and Decklink in both FCP and Decklink forums and cannot find anything to help. Can someone please help me here? I have checked the settings in FCP and when I set the video playback to Firewire (out from Firewire to my DVCAM Deck and to a JVC Broadcast monitor) everything is fine. However, I would like to view my timeline composite on the Sony monitor through the Decklink card. What am I doing wrong? Please help. Thanks.
Seth
FCP 5.0.4
Quad Core G5
8gb RAM
1tb storage -
9 Replies
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I have the same card and do the same thing with the same tape deck. To what is your video monitor connected? The Decklink SP card can be monitored via the SDI connection directly into an SDI-equipped broadcast monitor. That’s how I do it, but you should be able to connect your 3 component cables to the RGB inputs of your tape deck, flip the input select switch on the front of the Sony tape deck so that you are viewing the Blackmagic card output, and monitor your timeline playback that way.
Greg
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Neither one of my monitors have an SDI input or output. They have either RGB or composite (yuck!). Am I not going to be able to view unless I have the SDI card for either monitor? Thanks for helping me understand this.
Seth
PS – I am running composite out from the Deck to my Sony monitor. I know it’s not the best but until my company pays to get the SDI card for the monitor then it is all I am stuck with. I just connected an S-Video cable from the 1800 to the JVC monitor too and am still not seeing anything.
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Also, my video in is set to Y-R-B on the front of the deck.
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Seth…
Here’s my setup:
The Decklink is connected to the UVW-1800 via component. However the Y-out from the Decklink is sent to the “Ref Video” of the UVW-1800. That is “looped through” the deck (the two BNC connectors are adjacent to each other at the back of the deck) and fed back into the UVW-1800 via the Y-in of the deck via a short BNC patch cable. This provides the blackburst reference needed to ensure a stable image. An external blackburst generator is not needed.
I take the Y/C out and feed that to an external broadcast monitor via a Magni MM400 waveform monitor/vectorscope to check the signal and do color corrections.
The Blackmagic Decklink setup preferences are set up as follows:
Output: SDI & Analog Y, B-Y, R-Y.
Input: Y, B-Y, R-Y Video & Analog.
Soutput: HD to SD Letterbox 16:9
Output: On Analog Out
NTSC setup: 7.5 IRE (thanks to Graeme Natress to setting me straight on this!)
Video Desktop: Enabled After Resstart
Video Output Behavior: Single Field Out when Paused is not checked on.FCP’s Audio/Video settings are set up like this:
Sequence Preset: DV NTSC 48 kHz (this can be changed as needed).
Capture Preset: DV NTSC 48 kHz (this needs to match the sequence preset).
Device Control Preset: Sony UVW-1800
Video Playback: Blackmagic NTSC – 8 bit (720×486)
Audio Playback: Decklink AudioGo to the View dropdown menu — External video — All frames.
Hope this helps!
Dean Sensui — http://www.HawaiiGoesFishing.com
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Dean,
THANK YOU for that explanation. I have set everything up as stated and my Decklink settings and FCP settings were exactly as yours.
I do have one final and easy question… I am trying to understand what you mean by “Loop Through.” I have connected my “Y Out” to the Ref Video section but since there are two I am not sure what I need to do to “Loop Through” back to the Y connection on the video in. I have the BNC cables ready I just need to understand this a little better. Can you please provide that information for me and I promise that will be my last question on this matter. Thanks.
Seth
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If you have selected RGB as the input to your tape deck, and if you are monitoring from your deck on the monitor out (composite output) you should be seeing the FCP timeline playback. You do not need the SDI card in your monitor to view your playback–composite will work fine. (There is an alternative way to monitor into a composite monitor using just one of your RGB cables and changing one setting in your Blackmagic control panel.)
If you aren’t able to view your timeline playback, it seems that one of your FCP preference settings is not correct. I’m not sitting at my system right now, so I cannot reconstruct what check boxes are checked for exactly what. I remember one check box that is labeled something like “mirror desktop…” that is an important selection for you to make. If you aren’t successful between now and Monday morning, e-mail me directly at gregwgolden@hotmail.com and I’ll give you some screen shots of my setup. I’m happy to help. I’ve been where you are and know the anxiety and frustration of feeling like the Lone Ranger. That’s the beauty of the COW.
Greg
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Thanks. I am working on it now and hopefully will get this set up soon. Making the move from Windows and Premiere Pro to Mac and FCP has been great and I think FCP is an amazing program (I should have been using this many, many years ago). So any and all help are greatly appreciated. I will let you know if I am successful soon.
Seth
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Got it! Woooohooooooo! Thanks for the help guys.
Seth
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas A. Edison -
Great! Glad to be of help.
BTW, “loop through” can go through either BNC connector. It’ll just pass right through the deck. Some monitors feature this as well. Very handy when you want to pass the signal through a display or waveform/vectorscope.
Dean Sensui — http://www.HawaiiGoesFishing.com
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