Plans for a product like AJA ioHD?

[Bob Zelin]

The Blackmagic Eclipse is an almost identical product, and the identical price. It uses a PCI-E slot however (which requires a Mac Pro), but does allow for uncompressed HD if you wish.

Is $3495 retail a high price for a box that does EVERYTHING you can think of, including all HD resolutions ? The MOTU V3HD only does DVCProHD, and is $3000. What would be a fair price for a full featured audio video I/O box that does every format that exists – $ 295 ? Would you like 24 hour free support with this ? If Blackmagic charged $295 for this “do everything box” would you want a “trade in program” when the next super duper Blackmagic box is announced in April 2008 ?

The I/O HD has the advantage of being able to work with a FW800 port (so you can use your laptop), but it’s only HD resolution is ProRes422 and ProRes422HQ.

If you want to spend very little money, may I suggest that you use the FREE built in firewire port on the Panasonic AJ-HD1400, or Sony JH3 for your HD work on your laptop. This way, you don’t have to spend $3495 (or $295). As you know, all your HDV cameras have firewire ports on them as well, that will work with your laptop.

Bob Zelin

[Chris Poisson]

Hey Bob,

You are the guy who threatened to kill me a couple of years ago if I didn’t get a BB generator to solve some of my Kona woes, and I did, and I’m still alive, so something must’ve gone right.

I’m NOT looking for a $295 solution or any specific dollar amount to spend, because I think whatever the initial price for these things, while fair, will ALWAYS come down with competition in as little as 6 months in many cases.

So, I am just fishing for info on viable alternative products for my laptop which are at a good price. The Eclipse isn’t one of them, I was trying to find out if BM had a FireWire option in the works.

The FW capable decks you mention are a nice option, thanks, I can rent any of them here. But I want an in-house system solution, like the AJA iO HD, only cheaper, that’s as simple as I can make it.

Have a wonderful day.

[Bob Zelin]

If this is for an “in house” solution, you can save a BUNDLE by getting a normal MAC Pro, and stick in a Blackmagic Decklink Extreme, or Decklink HD Extreme. These products will do “almost” everything, and cost 1/3 the price of the Eclipse or the AJA I/O HD. Using a laptop should not be the limiting factor for you, in building a professional editing system (remember, you will need drives too, and you aint’ going to be doing too much HD editing with Firewire drives).

Bob Zelin

[Gene Colburn — email address bounces notices]

[Chris Poisson] “ey Bob,

You are the guy who threatened to kill me a couple of years ago if I didn’t get a BB generator to solve some of my Kona woes, and I did, and I’m still alive, so something must’ve gone right.”

Bob has dead bodies in every pasture. Txf for the chuckle. Mine’s probably next.

The AJA IO/HD is kind of slick.

[Chris Poisson]

Hey Bob,

All true yes, except that I already have a G5 setup with a Kona LH in it which works perfect for all kinds of HD.

On my laptop, surprise surprise, I have a 1 TB SATA RAID, tiny little thing, so I can do what I want there too, so some kind of affordable HD iO is all I’m looking for. I thought maybe BM has something in the works.

Have a wonderful day.

[Bob Zelin]

This is the Blackmagic forum, so I see no reason to promote any manufacturer other than Blackmagic here. If you have a LAPTOP, and want to spend ZERO money, you can take the Firewire port on your Sony JH-3, or Panasonic AJ-HD1400 HD VTR, and capture HD video this way. See – you spend no money. If you have a full size HDW-F500, HDW-1800, HDW-M2000, you have no business complaining that you can’t edit on your laptop, and should use your tower Mac Pro, since the HDW VTR ain’t portable either.

I am trying to show you ways to save money, and all you want to do is cause trouble (which one is better – AJA or Blackmagic) – go out and spend $46,000 for a turnkey AVID Adreanline system (that can’t even do uncompressed HD). That should make you happy.

Bob Zelin