Kona3 vs Multibridge

[Adam Levine]

Can’t speak to the Kona, but I am delieriously happy with the MBE, which I’ve only had up and running a couple of weeks now. Well worth the money, given the profusion of formats I’ve had to deal with increasingly. Just this last 2 weeks, I had Beta SP, DigiBeta, HDCam and Sony SR CineAlta decks hooked up, working in everything from 8 bit NTSC to 10 bit 444 1080. Freaky.

[Jim Gregware]

Nice. Are you really getting simultaneous HD and downconverted SD out put from the unit? Also are you using the DVI connector to monitor your HD output? How’s that working. Final question, does the MBE have any real time effects acceleration as well as Open GL acceleration? Thank you so much for getting back to me on this. I’m finding it very difficult to get good, accurate info on this unit. It bothers me that Black Magic sends me to local resellers in NYC for product info. They really have no idea what the MBE does. The “most reputable” of which told me it’s only an interface box which needs to be coupled with one of their capture cards to work. Oh boy! Am I going to have the same problem when it comes to tech support? Again thanks Adam for your help.
Jim Gregware

[Adam Levine]

[Jim Gregware] “Are you really getting simultaneous HD and downconverted SD output from the unit?”

Yes, all outputs operate at the same time. You can only choose one set (A+V) of inputs, however (e.g., SDI A+V; SDI V + AES A; etc.). I have my box set to output both HD and SD anamorphic simultaneously. The downconvert quality is excellent

[Jim Gregware] “Also are you using the DVI connector to monitor your HD output?”

Yes, looks great on both consumer monitors I’ve tried (Panasonic plasma 720 and Sony CRT 1080). Clients like the big plasma, even though the picture is much better on the CRT IMO. The CRT is in my living room now, gloriously TiVo-ing away. But it is not a solution for HD color correction, which should be done idealy on an HD reference CRT, which would cost more than the whole rest of the studio :(. Personally, I don’t like color correcting on a downconverted signal (into my Sony PVM-20L2), though strictly speaking at can be done.

[Jim Gregware] “Final question, does the MBE have any real time effects acceleration as well as Open GL acceleration?”

It uses is the same RT as FCP for most things, but the RT effects which BM designed pre-FCP 4 are still available. This is a much more limited set than the FCP ones, but I like the RT quality of BM’s color correction better, so I use the BM FX for that (easily changed through a setting in FCP)

[Jim Gregware] “I’m finding it very difficult to get good, accurate info on this unit. It bothers me that Black Magic sends me to local resellers in NYC for product info. They really have no idea what the MBE does. The “most reputable” of which told me it’s only an interface box which needs to be coupled with one of their capture cards to work.”

Oi. We have the same problem here in LA — I do a lot of research before I make large purchases and I invariably know more than the salesman I talk to, so I’ve just started ordering online and putting it together myself. I can only recommend you try Digital FilmTree here in LA, where you will usually get the straigt dope. Your guys in NYC were refering to the old Multibridge (i.e., not “Extreme”) which was a standalone convertor that could also hook up to the BM line of cards via its SDI in. The MBE can also be used that way, if you don’t hook up the PCIe card (it has a really neato-looking interface as a standalone that I’ve never used).

AFA tech support goes, I am on my 3rd BM product (original DL, DL Pro, MBE), and I have yet to have a problem with BMD hardware/software that stopped me from working. That being said, if you watch the boards here, the biggest problems these days seem to come from 1) Windows users; 2) Configuration problems (i.e. user error); 3) MBEs with pre-5.5 drivers (not an issue anymore). BMD seems pretty quick to respond to tech issues here at the Cow (though them being many time zomes away doesn’t always help), as well as jumping on established bugs quickly. My biggest problem in the past was trying to utilize all the digital audio outputs on my DL Pro last year, which was a bit of a sticky wicket. No one at BMD could fully answer my question, but one of the other Cow-boys here helped me out.

One final note towards how I use it: I’m working right now on a museum installation (multi-screen HD). The source material ranges from archival material to recent footge, and the range of formats has been everything from VHS to Panasonic Varicam HD and pretty much everything in between. Moreover, we’re onlining to Sony SR 444 RGB. So far, every deck I’ve brought in has hooked up with not problems

Anyway, the MBE does everything I would like it to do and then some. That being said, the Kona 3 with the breakout also seems like a great solution. Both companies make great products, IMO. I choose BM just because I’ve had great experiences with them since Jan 2002

[Kristian Lam]

Hi Jim,

if you’re having trouble getting info about a product, email us through the support webform. I’ll promise not to hardsell anything 🙂

https://blackmagic-design.com/support/contact/

regards

Kristian Lam
Blackmagic Design

[Jim Gregware]

Adam,
How great are you to get back to me with such detail. Thank you so much for all of your feedback. I think I’ll be making a move this week and your help has been invaluable.
Cheers to you,
Jim Gregware

[Adam Levine]

You’re welcome, and good luck with the purchase. Honestly, I think you good either way you go.