Lingering Decklink SP FCP questions

[Luke Maslen]

Hi Carey,

[Carey Dissmore] “When digitizing via the Decklink SP from Beta SP source, can I get component video pass-through working to my NTSC monitor”

Yes, that will work fine unless you are using the DeckLink card to output black video back to the deck during capture. Details are provided at Broadcast monitor goes black during capture.

If you are using external reference, such as a blackburst generator, then you can set the Black Video Output to Deck in Capture menu to Disabled and this will allow you to monitor video via any SDI or analog video outputs during capture.

[Carey Dissmore] “I also digitize DVCPro50 via 1394. Although it is less likely on this front, can I get Decklink SP to pass through that video to my NTSC monitor during capture?”

DeckLink cards will allow you to monitor DV material after you have captured via Firewire but I don’t think you can monitor during capture from Firewire. I will see if we can test this out in the next couple of days when there is a free moment.

[Carey Dissmore] “The Decklink SP can give me SD down-converted pass-through timeline imagery only when the FCP playhead is parked, not when playing. Is it possible to get full motion play-through of DV100 sequences on my SD monitor via Decklink SP?”

This should work fine assuming your HD frame rate is at a NTSC or PAL-compatible frame rate. Can you check View>External and ensure it is set to show All Frames?

Regards,

Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design

[Carey Dissmore]

[Luke Maslen] “[Carey Dissmore] “The Decklink SP can give me SD down-converted pass-through timeline imagery only when the FCP playhead is parked, not when playing. Is it possible to get full motion play-through of DV100 sequences on my SD monitor via Decklink SP?”

This should work fine assuming your HD frame rate is at a NTSC or PAL-compatible frame rate. Can you check View>External and ensure it is set to show All Frames?”

Hey Luke, it’s not. The High-Def DV100 material is 24p. I have experimented with different Decklink SP video out settings and can’t get it to play back the downconverted signal in real time, but if I pause playback by hitting the space bar, or step through hitting the arrow keys, I see the frames just fine. In playback, the previous freeze frame is held while audio continues and of course I can see the video on my computer monitor in the preview window, but not on the NTSC display. I have tried numerous Video output settings in the NTSC realm (8-bit 29.97, 10-bit 29.97, 23.98 of the same things, HDTV of the same things…all exhibit the same problem. Of course, video output is set to ‘all frames. Help?

Interestingly, I work with Standard-dDef DV50 material in a native 23.98 sequence in FCP all the time, viewing it via Decklink SP at the 8 bit NTSC setting and playback is fine. (I have tried NTSC 23.98 but see no difference)

BTW thanks for your other answers above. I now have component looping through on digitize (I have a blackburst generator), but did not find a way to get DV50-over-firewire to loop through the Decklink SP on digitize (never did have high hopes for that one).

Carey

[Luke Maslen]

Hi Carey,

You’re out of luck for a few reasons. Firstly, you need to be using a NTSC or PAL frame rate in HD in order to down convert to NTSC or PAL. We also support 1080/23.98 to NTSC 23.98. You would need to reverse telecine any 1080/24p material before you could down convert and I don’t think that is going to be possible with a HDV camera for the following reasons.

I believe that the HDV cameras do not shoot in 1080/24p mode but use something named Cineframe 24 which provides the same “atmosphere” as 24p film.

A Google search on Cineframe 24 revealed a page named Cineframe modes explained which discusses Cineframe 24 amongst other things. It states, Cineframe 24 “… cherry-picks fields from the camera’s 60i video stream to simulate the juddery motion of 24p. However, the motion is worse (more uneven, more syncopated) than true 24p imagery, and it cannot be reverse-telecined to get smooth 24fps imagery.

Regards,

Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design

[Carey Dissmore]

Hi Luke,

Hey, I think we have a little confusion going here over my use of the term DV100. Sorry about that. DV100 is not HDV, it’s the codec used by the high-end Panasonic Varicam DVCProHD. The camera always shoots progressive, 720P Hi-Definition. Frame rate is variable from 4 to 60 progressive frames per second. I’m working with material at the rather common 24 frame per second rate.

The footage was actually captured by someone else but it was captured over firewire with a Panasonic AJ-HD-1200A deck. The redundant frames have already been removed during capture from the clips and it is just plain 23.98 progressive material, 720PHD in the DVCProHD (i.e. DV100) codec.

So, it has nothing to do with HDV, Sony, or the much-maligned cineframe mode of the Sony HDV cams.

Now that we’ve cleared that up…do you support 23.98 SD downconvert of 720P material? (you mentioned you support 1080 at 23.98 so I would think 720P wouldn’t be that hard).

Please advise…

Thanks!

Carey