capture card suggestions? anyone? anyone?

[Shane Ross]

[Justin Gray] “few different ATI and Radeon cards out there, but do either of these companies make affordable cards that can give FCP truely great performance?”

Those are VIDEO cards, not capture cards. And no…video cards do not increase FCP performance. Only processor speed does that.

A capture card for around $500? You’re kidding, right? There is only one that I know of for that price, but it only has an SDI interface, not component or other analogue interfaces. You need to look more in the $1000-$2500 range. A good place to look for the lower priced yet really good cards are http://www.decklink.com. They have the $500 card, plus other higher end ones as well.

[Rajesh Bhanushali]

Hey Justin,

As a personal Suggestion, I would strongly recommend
“BLACKMAGIC DECKLINK EXTREME” which would come around your budget.

I have been using it for a year now &…It has s given me “True Value For Money”
About 6 of my friends use the same card and have no complaints till date..

Well as i said this was a personel suggestion, there may be other options too.

Good Luck

Raj

[Justin Gray]

Raj, thanks. I was just checking the Decklink cards. It seems that they offer much more bang for my buck. I was thinking about the Decklink Pro however. The Extreme supports both analog and digital throughput and I will only be working digitally. Thanks again for the info. -J

[Justin Gray]

Thanks for your overwhelmingly pretentious response.

[Shane Ross]

You’re welcome. And sorry about that.

Answered the question though, right? The $595 capture card…I pointed you in the right direction?

There is even a $295 capture card. I forgot about that one.

[Terry Kelley]

You’re never going to need to capture BetaSP?

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Justin Gray] “The system, as of now, really only needs to handle DV”

If you are working in DV, you really don’t need a capture card. DV comes in through firewire which has been built in to each and every mac since the late 90s.

If you are planning on capturing from other formats (which will require expensive decks, which you can rent on a per project basis to keep your costs down) you will need a capture card. If you really want to make FCP “sing” get yourself some fast storage or call the fat lady. I hear she sings, but it might be over after that.

Also, you might want to think about a ‘cheap’ dv deck so as you don’t ruin your dv camera when you are constantly capturing. Check out Sony’s clamshell (it’s a gv 1000 or something like that) or perhaps a Sony DSR-11.

Shane is correct. Upgrading your AGP card will not gain you any more performance in FCP, but it will help Motion if you plan on running that.

Good luck and happy purchasing.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Justin Gray] “Raj, thanks. I was just checking the Decklink cards. It seems that they offer much more bang for my buck. I was thinking about the Decklink Pro however. The Extreme supports both analog and digital throughput and I will only be working digitally. Thanks again for the info. -J”

You should also look at AJA. Outstanding products with the best tech support in the business. They’ve already announced the LHe which is ready for the new line of G5’s.

If all you need is Digital I/O then an AJA Io LD will work just fine. What’s really nice about it is that it’s an external device so if you ever need to work on another computer or even off a laptop, the box will give you uncompressed I/O wherever you need it.

I run the Kona 2 as most of my workflow is HD these days, but also have the Io LA so it can move back and forth to whichever system requires the Analog inputs.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Now editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network

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

[Gary Adcock]

[Shane Ross] “And no…video cards do not increase FCP performance. Only processor speed does that.”

Shane.
thats not exactly correct any longer, as FCP is moving to GPU based performance (like motion) more RT will be seen on the newest generation of cards for Video Displays. Apple has said that it is the new paradigm will rely on cards with extended GPU functions like the ATI X800 / XT850 and the new cards from Nvidia.

Gary Adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation
Chicago, IL USA

[Gary Adcock]

Make sure to take a look at the AJA products also.
There is a reason a good number of Pros use the AJA products, and not just for their support.

Gary Adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation
Chicago, IL USA