Kona LHi and RED 2K

[Matt Bishop]

Actually the LHe and even the IOHD can play back 2k files via 1080p from a 2k timeline. Just set your playback to 1080p 23.976 or 29.97 depending on your frame rate.

This is great for screening and even pulling a SD or quick HD copy. If you are pulling an HD master I would go with a Kona 3 as you would have the option for dual link if you had your footage in 4×4 and outputting to a SR VTR.

But for screenings you are just fine with the LHe

[Bjarki Gudjonsson]

This is a really interesting thread. I’ve been trying to decide on a card. I’m in Europe, so my priority is 1080p25 for programming, shot on XDCAM. I’ve been doing a lot of post for commercials however, and that’s mostly RED material 2K or 4K, depending on projects. My output is hardly ever over 1080p, though, but the option of working at 2K would be nice though.

Is the Kona 3 my best option? Would the LHe do the trick? Is there a difference in how much “realtime” I’m getting between the cards?

If not AJA altogether, what’s the competition?

Thanks,
Bjarki.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Bjarki Gudjonsson] “Is the Kona 3 my best option?”

If working with 2K footage, real 2K footage, the Kona3 is your best option, yes. If working with 1080p footage (and no dual link) the LHi will work just fine too.

Jeremy

[Bjarki Gudjonsson]

What’s the difference between LHi and LHe?

Thanks,
Bjarki

[Jeremy Garchow]

LHi, is the newer card. LHe has been discontinued.

LHi allows for 3Gb HD SDI monitoring, it also has HDMI in and out as well as analog/digital hd/sd. There’s also LTC in and out in the LHI as opposed to the LHe. The LHi also has up/down/cross conversion where the LHe only has down conversion.

The LHi will do anything up to 1080p60 (over 3Gb SDI), the LHe will only do 1080i.

Jeremy

[Bjarki Gudjonsson]

Thanks a lot Jeremy, your responses have been incredibly helpful. I’m looking to get an HP Dreamcolor and have been looking at the LHe (having not used it before) or the Kona 3 card, but I think the LHi fits the bill.

I don’t know if you have the answer to this one, but given that the Dreamcolor requires a progressive RGB signal, can I set the LHi to be my output to the monitor or would I be better off with the AJA HDP2 in between my card’s HD-SDI out and the Dreamcolor’s HDMI in (as mentioned in the link below)?

https://nab.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=867184&afterinter=true

Thanks again!

B.

[Jeremy Garchow]

I have been evaluating a DreamColor myself. It does need a progressive RGB signal, so that means p and not psf. In order to monitor with your Dreamcolor and LHi, you can use the HDMI 1.3a connection, but you must be in either 1080p or 720p mode and you can forget about SD. I have the HDP2 as I sometimes have a multitude of formats coming through, so the HDP2 takes the guess work out of it. Plus, if laying off to HDCam tape @ psf, I can’t monitor the outgoing signal properly without the HDP2 as the Kona has to be in psf mode and can’t do psf and p at the same time in the frame buffer.

Other than that, the monitor has been really great at a very nice price point. It really is 10bit and the blacks are very very clean and nice.

Jeremy

[Bjarki Gudjonsson]

[Jeremy Garchow] “In order to monitor with your Dreamcolor and LHi, you can use the HDMI 1.3a connection, but you must be in either 1080p or 720p mode and you can forget about SD. I have the HDP2 as I sometimes have a multitude of formats coming through, so the HDP2 takes the guess work out of it.”

So you CAN use the Dreamcolor with SD material as long as you have the HDP2, or not at all?

Thanks,
Bjarki

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Bjarki Gudjonsson] “So you CAN use the Dreamcolor with SD material as long as you have the HDP2,”

Correct. In order to plug in to the DreamColor engine that will properly display wither 601 (SD) or 709 (HD) color spaces, the signal needs to be RGB and progressive. HDMI already puts out the RGB image on the LHi (converted from YUV) but the HDP2 will display and scale the SD to HD and also make it progressive (as well as RGB). The first time I saw SD on the monitor, I couldn’t really believe it. The HDP2 does a really really nice job.

If you work in anything besides p, it would be silly not to get the HDP2, like I said, it just takes the guess work out of the setup and assures accurate monitoring.

Jeremy

[Bjarki Gudjonsson]

Just out of curiosity – have you had a chance to compare the Dreamcolor to the FSI monitors?

Thanks,
B.