is IOHD reliable?

[Jerry Hofmann]

I’ve been running an IoHD for a very long time now… it’s very reliable but only if the system it’s running on was a clean installation, running the latest drivers from AJA for the OS you’re running etc…

For example, Im running an IoHD with latest drivers on Snow Leopard and I’m very stable.

Jerry

Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski.

8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX Cinema Displays

[Amy Wilson]

That is good to hear. I just updated the drivers last week and I believe the system I’m working on has a clean install, but since I didn’t setup the system myself its hard to know for sure.

[Jerry Hofmann]

Well, in almost all cases, the testing done by a manufacturer who has drivers for his gear is tested on CLEAN installs… anything can go wonky if the install isn’t clean. Should be done any time you upgrade from one version of studio to the next and also when you upgrade to a new OS. Updates are OK to run after that, but upgrades should always be done clean.

Jerry

Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski.

8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX Cinema Displays

[Amy Wilson]

Good to know. If that is my only issue then I think I will be happy with the IOHD with everything properly installed. Another option I was considering was to use the IOHD for capturing but get a bare bones capture card to monitor the video if I wasn’t happy with the monitoring abilities of the IOHD…seems like a silly way to do it, but these kind of workarounds come to mind when you aren’t satisfied with a product. Thanks.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Amy Wilson] “but these kind of workarounds come to mind when you aren’t satisfied with a product.”

But you would be doing yourself a disservice as multiple capture cards don’t work well on one machine. I have an ioHD and have used it for a long time as Jerry has said. I have traveled and carried it all over the place, and it keeps working. I used it and a laptop as a KiPro of sorts, before the KiPro became the KiPro. If yours isn’t working, it’s probably something in the setup/installation. You can post specific problems here or always feel free to call AJA support. They are great people who will help you sort out any issues.

Rule number one with an AJA ioHD is to separate the firewire busses. If you are using an ioHD and firewire drives, make sure the ioHD has it’s own bus (not port) meaning you need a firewire PCIe or Express34 card for your machine to separate your hard drives from the ioHD.

Jeremy

[Amy Wilson]

This is true. I am glad to hear that the IOHD can be reliable when properly setup. Since I have had multiple bad experiences I was thinking it was the device, but it makes sense now that it was an upgrade issue. Unfortunately I was not able to dictate the setups in which I have worked with the IOHD. I am not using it at the same time as any other firewire devices. I am looking forward to owning my own io and being able to set it up properly. Thanks for the feedback!

[Jeremy Garchow]

No worries!

Jeremy

[Gustavo Mendes]

After a whole year of everyday use, having endured a new OS instal and a new FCP, I cannot recommend it enough. Best gear I’ve bought in the recent years.

[Michael Sacci]

If not sure I would recommend the IoHD for a MacPro, especially if you plan to use Color for CCing. A card will be more usable, the IoHD power is its portability (and the board set of In/Outs) but the card is better (IMO) for a desktop only application. If you are not using Color it is less of a problem.

[Gustavo Mendes]

Absolutely true, Michael Sacci… I do not need to use Color frequently, but that is the only big con of the IO HD. Nothing beats the Kona 3 when you have a desktop; I’m more of a laptop kind of guy.