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My BlackMagic Design Experience – May be useful to someone out there
This may apply to some of you as well. But my general overall experience with my purchase of a BlackMagic DeckLink HD Extreme has been a negative one.
The frame offset via HDMI was about 7 frames in FCP, when adjusting the offset inside FCP the audio became extremely out of sync rendering the monitoring option of this card (the reason I bought it) useless. I bought some speakers with xlr input thinking that the delay was caused by the line out option not coming from the BM Card itself. This didn’t fix the problem. The card is no good with HDMI ..DO NOT USE..
When tested with an SDI connection it did work (as in, it was in sync) however I am yet to purchase a broadcast monitor and therefore have nothing with an SDI input. In the meantime I am not monitoring via the card but still have it installed.
Since I now have the card installed I am editing a pilot on Media Composer 6.0.1 and have found that MC 6 does not allow you to switch off 3rd party hardware usage. As it recognises the BM Card installed I do not now have an option to play Full Screen because MC assumes I am using a client monitor from the card (as stated I am not). Although I know this isn’t Black Magics fault. It is still inconvenient.
HOWEVER, something that is an issue directly because of the DeckLink has been the audio on this project. I am monitoring audio out of the BM Card. When the playhead in my Avid passes over one clip to the next (when playing the cut) there is excess audio audible from the previous clip. For some reason this is audio overrun / underrun however you wish to describe it. This is a comedy pilot and sound is extremely crucial. The DeckLink card is not allowing me to monitor audio correctly.
The only thing my £680 has been able to provide me thus far has been a card I bought for monitoring that is useless at monitoring video and audio in the ways for which I bought it.
What is the point of an affordable product if it doesn’t allow you to do the thing you need it to most in the ways in which it advertises.
I have now removed the DeckLink card and can monitor audio perfectly via headphones in my Avid and play full screen (again the full screen is not a BM issue but the audio certainly is). I find that the DeckLink also makes my Avid quite sluggish compared to the Avid with the DeckLink removed.
I am really nothing but frustrated with this product.
Maybe this will give people some preparation as to what to expect when buying this product.
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2 Replies
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Have you tried the latest drivers?
I ask cuz im using a Deckling Extreme HD 2 with no problems whatsoever in FCP 7, and the performance isn ow really really good in Avid too with the latest drivers.
No lag, everything in sync, and audio is fine.
I’d check your system and drivers and all that before you blame BM outright, cuz the card is working form e, and a few others i know.
Neil Goodman: Editor of New Media Production – NBC/Universal
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aahh go ahead..and Dont WOrry at all
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