Serious Audio related issue with AJA IoHD

[Gary Adcock]

I do not understand what your issue is?

Audio and video ALWAYS need to play together and you are breaking that rule by sending the audio out a different signal path than the video is playing thru- thats why they are not in sync.

You are not supposed to play the system audio out directly via your output device. You should not do this with a Card either. Every studio diagram I have ever seen or done tells you to route all audio thru an external mixer, why is that not acceptable?

By using the Iohd for the system sounds you are allowing the CPU to handle the video while the audio has to be passed out over FW ( with +/- 6 frames of latency)- so the DVD you are watching could be as much as 12 frames out on playback before any compression / decompression handling.

Not to mention the normal delays in Mpeg processing and playback.

this is not a serious audio issue – IMHO It’s operator error

gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows
Inside look at the IoHD

[David Bispham]

The issue is audio and video are out of sync while playback in FCPro, similar to Ravi’s issue.

The audio and video reside on the Sonnet drives. Playback of these files is thru the AJA ioHD. Rapid scrubbing enhances the problem and sometimes the sync problem just arises thru timeline navigation. If I stop playback, wait 2-3 seconds, resume playbck….viola sync has magically appeared.

The only reason I have system sounds (DVD, Adobe Encore playback etc.) routed thru the System line out(not handled by the AJA) is so I don’t get the echo while playing FCPro Audio. I have connected (from the MAC audio output) to the second input on the speakers so I can hear it. That way I don’t have to keep going into my System preferences to change it.

You are correct, it would be best to go thru a mixer, but that would not solve the sync issues handled by the AJA.

[Gary Adcock]

[David Bispham] “The issue is audio and video are out of sync while playback in FCPro, similar to Ravi’s issue”

Since you are jumping into someone else’s issue– would you mind offer up some info
( on the lines of RAVI’s info would be nice) on your setup/ software / etc.

the issue is not magic- 99.9999% of the time the issue is something you overlooked, or it is an issue with your hardware not being able to keep up.

the “sync” issue is really an FCP issue – the kona’s and Iohd only capture and playback the audio as it is within FCP – when playback is controlled by FCP – not the hardware ( like when using AJA TV) – the AJA devices force FCP to handle the video and audio correctly, and if it is not correctly setup or handling something happens.

My first test for any issue is to turn off all RT and see what needs rendering.

gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows
Inside look at the IoHD

[David Bispham]

Here you go Gary,
and thanks to Ravi for the example…..

OS: Mac OS X Version 10.4.11
Processor 2x 3.2 Ghz Quad-core Intel Xeon
Memory 16 Gb 667 Mhz DDR2 FB-DIMM

Hardware:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro2,1
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 3 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per processor): 8 MB
Memory: 16 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP21.007F.B08
SMC Version: 1.15f3
Serial Number: 407420BL08S

iOHD Driver software Version 5.1.1

Hardware ID: IoHD (0x10224000) S/N IH002596
VideoProc Bit file: 2007/12/04 13:00:16 (DownConvert)
/Library/QuickTime:
5.1.1 – AJACodec.component
5.1.1 – AJADigitizer.component
5.1.1 – AJAMuxer.component
5.1.1 – AJAUncompressedCodec.component
5.1.1 – AJAVideoOutput.component
5.1.1 – AJAVideoOutputClock.component
5.1.1 – AJAVideoOutputCodec.component
1.5 – FCP Uncompressed 422.component
1.4 – DVCPROHDCodec.component
1.2 – AppleIntermediateCodec.component
1.3.2 – AppleHDVCodec.component
1.0.2 – AppleProRes422.component
/Applications:
5.1.1 – AJA ControlPanel.app
/Applications/AJA Utilities:
5.1.1 – AJA Conflict Checker.app
5.1.1 – AJA Data Rate Calculator.app
5.1.1 – AJA DPXToQTTranslator.app
5.1.1 – AJA IoHDUpdater.app
5.1.1 – AJA QTToDPXTranslator.app
5.1.1 – AJA System Test.app
5.1.1 – AJA TV.app
5.1.1 – AJA Uninstaller.app
/System/Library/Extensions:
5.1.1 – AJAIoHD.kext
/Library/LaunchAgents:
11/20/2007 16:10 – com.aja.ajaagent.plist
/Library/Application Support/AJA/AJAAgent:
02/13/2008 19:33 – AJAAgent
/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro System Support/Plugins:
02/13/2008 19:42 – AJA Kona RT Enabler

As far as Aja iOHD Frmware Details, I cannot find those details, basically I don’t know where to look. I am new this year to Macs.

Also in the AJA control panel setup was the line…..
Possible conflicting QuickTime components: No conflicting files found.

The firewire hook up is FW800 and have tried FW400 and it made no difference.
The cable is maximum 6 feet long.

The video format is CCIR 601 NTSC (40:27) and (video and audio) was ingested via SDI.
The FCP project is Apple ProRes HQ 422

I might add that the systems were set up by professional installers who were the resellers of the products.

Thanks for your input and timely responses to this issue.
David

[Lawrence Shea]

I am experiencing the same problem. Not to mention the audio sync problems that I’m having when capturing SD through the ioHD. When I re-attach my old io, using all of the same connections/settings, everything works perfectly. What worries me is that this audio sync problem may not be recognized by aja as a technical issue and is instead being dismissed as operator error…

Mac Pro
Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor – 3 GHz
Memory – 10 GHz

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Lawrence Shea] “When I re-attach my old io, using all of the same connections/settings, everything works perfectly.”

And this is with driver uninstalls and reinstalls between the two different io’s?

[Lawrence Shea]

Yes. This is with driver uninstalls, reinstalls, etc…

[Charles Wantman]

I’ve been having audio sync problems with the IOHD since I got it — about seven or eight months ago. We’ve had 3 AJA boxes in, spent hours and hours with AJA tech support, and no satisfaction.

I can actually see the audio lagging on the AJA led meters on the front of the box. Both audio and video are going through the box, but audio arrives later, sometimes a full second or two.

I am about to wipe my drive, upgrade the os, and reinstall all the software.

I see that there hasn’t been a response in this thread for about six months. Has the issue been resolved and I just haven’t found out.

Appreciate any help available.

Charles Wantman
Audio Vistas, Inc.
333 West 52nd Street #1208
New York, NY 10019