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Kona LH or MXO
Have a Dual G5 2.5 with 4.5 gigs of Ram running FCS 2 and Leopard. Kona LS installed.
We just bought a Panasonic Hpx-500 and would like to do some DVD projects in DVCPro HD ouput to Blu-ray. We also bought a Panasonic BT-Lh1700W. I would like to monitor in HD.
So the question is…. Is the extra $500 – $600 that I would spend on a Kona LH worth it, (because of the DVCPro HD hardware assist). Or would I do just as well to keep the LS in the machine, and buy a Matrox MXO for the HD monitoring?
It would be about 60/40 mix of SD/HD editing, and I need the SD capture capability for our broadcast work. -
11 Replies
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I’d opt for the LH. It will replace your LS and allow for HD. The only problem is that if you get a new Macintel, the LH will be obsolete. You will have to get an LHe once you go to intel. The MXO will be transferrable to a new system, but the MXO is an output only device and no input. If you go Macintel you will still need to input from your various sources so you will need to upgrade your LS to an LSe anyway, SO, what I am saying is, get the LH and then get the LHe later.
Jeremy
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Well, I hate to say it Jeremy but you just convinced me to go the other way. I love AJA!, But I don’t want to buy a LH now and an Lhe later which would mean that I would end up with 2 cards (the LS and the LH) that would be e-bay fodder. Maybe AJA would do a trade up program! hint hint….
John 3:16
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See, but you are going to have buy another card anyway when you get a macintel. You are spending no matter what!
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both of you are wrong – had you purchased a simple I/O at the very beginning, instead of cheaping out on the Kona LH, your original I/O would be used on your old systems, on the MAC Quad, on the MAC Pro, on the new to be released MAC, and on future MACs, as long as they have FW ports. The AJA I/O is a fantastic product, and if you want to get into HD, you simply add the Kona 3 (which would be the cheapest part of your HD investment), and would be able to do EVERYTHING.
Long live the I/O.
Bob Zelin
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[Bob Zelin] “Long live the I/O. “
Sorry, Bob, doesn’t help him get HD out of his G5 today.
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Don, take a look on eBay. I bought a used Kona 2 a few months ago for $400 (with the K-box!), and it works just like it was new.
Arnie
Now in post: Peristroika, a film by Slava Tsukerman
https://www.arniepix.com/blog -
And i’d stay away from the MXO. But that’s just me.
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I have decided to buy the Kona, it just makes more sense in the long run…
Thanks for your help! and God Bless
Don WalkerJohn 3:16
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I thought that the MXO was strictly for monitoring HD material on an ACD for “true” color. While the Kona cards and I/O are for capturing and layback to tape. The way I see it, they work independent of each other because the MXO is a good economic way to get precise color on non-CRT monitors. So why wouldn’t you get an MXO AND either the Kona card (of your choice) or I/O?
Winston A. Cely
Editor/Owner | Della St. Media, LLC“If God could do the tricks we can do, He’d be a happy Man.” – Peter O’Toole – “The Stuntman”
Mac Pro 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
4 GB RAM | Final Cut Studio 5.1.4 | Aja Kona LHe -
The Kona is and input and output device. You use if for monitoring as well as capture. If you have a Kona, an MXO is overkill. you will need a monitor that is up for the task, though and Mr. Walker has a monitor that is ready to go to work.
Jeremy
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