External monitoring

[Gary Adcock]

[Anthony Vamvakitis] “Anything that handles ProRes4444 and converts to 29.97 on the fly that runs thru a MacBook Pro?”

No.

Video output solutions for laptops for the most part take up the Express 3/4 card slot to give you proper output ( IE: Aja’s IoXpress or Matrox’s MXO2) and with the 4444 codec at 220mbps you are talking about needing drives that support playback from data that is about 85MBps.- that is beyond the capabilities possible from any FW enclosures.

gary adcock
Studio37

Post and Production Workflow Consultant
Production and Post Stereographer
Chicago, IL

https://blogs.creativecow.net/24640

[Anthony Vamvakitis]

Thank you, Gary. I see it’s a real catch 22. I just bought an eSATA card for that slot so that the drives will run much faster than firewire. Can’t obviously do both.

I guess plan B is to just to use the client’s flat screen as my second monitor (mini display port to HDMI TV connection).

Anthony Vamvakitis
http://www.editor-at-large.net

[Filip Vandoorne]

220Mbps = Mbit/sec is approx 28MByte/s , which can be transfered by most firewire800 drives. The firewire 800 ( which is 800Mbit/sec ) gives up to 70-75MB/s speeds. So you could use the fw800 to play your prores444.
only problem is that the current pciexpress sdi interfaces are 4.2.2 yuv, so the computer needs to recalculated in realtime to another colorspace. Should be tested if this still can be done realtime while keeping the quality and realtime.
you can calculate easily the codec datarates with the new version of the free aja datarate calculator https://www.aja.com/products/software/
The Alexa datarates ProRes444 will be between 30-40MByte/sec

[Gary Adcock]

[filip vandoorne] “220Mbps = Mbit/sec is approx 28MByte/s , which can be transfered by most firewire800 drives. “

Correct but my mistake was that 220mbps is for the HQ codec and that ProRes 4444 is a variable bit rate codec that is targeted at 330mbps but varies from 275mbps to nearly 700 mbps depending on source materials.

1920 1080 @ 24/25 fps is just shy of 40MBps or right at the edge of a consistent playback capabilities over FW. I find consistent playback difficult at this data rate unless I am working with SSD drives, which a still fairly expensive.

“problem is that the current pciexpress sdi interfaces are 4.2.2 yuv, so the computer needs to recalculated in realtime to another colorspace.”

good point,
I was assuming the poster was just looking to monitor with not really use for mastering.

gary adcock
Studio37

Post and Production Workflow Consultant
Production and Post Stereographer
Chicago, IL

https://blogs.creativecow.net/24640

[John Sharaf]

Anthony,

Another solution is the Sonnet QIO which is like an expansion chassis that connects to you Express 34 slot and offers two moure Express Slots and four eSata connectors.

JS

[Anthony Vamvakitis]

Thanks, John. I’ll check that out.

Anthony Vamvakitis
http://www.editor-at-large.net