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Using DeckLink SP with an old Beta deck
I had my DeckLink SP sitting around since I took it out of my G5, so I decided to try it in the G4 with my old portable Beta deck. This Beta deck is one of those portable composite only models, not SP, but it will play Beta SP tapes so I was thinking this could work as an auxillary capture and SD edit station.
Well, the G4 still had the BlackMagic 4.8 drivers in it, so I figured I’d be good to go. BTW this machine is running FCP 4.5.
Everything looked encouraging, I immediately opened the capture window and there was video but no audio. So I fiddled around with the connections through the mixer and got audio, so far so good. BTW there’s no control on this deck, so I was using non-controllable device. Capture worked fine, so now I figured I’d see how it performed editing, but although I can see the video in the canvas and on the audio meters, FCP is not sending either to my monitor or speakers. Playing video and audio from the Beta deck goes through fine, but not from the timeline.
I have checked my playback settings, refreshed devices, checked for all frames, tried wiring to the monitors differently, nothing.
I have the “Y” in and out set and in the BM control panel it says that I have a composite only connection. Can’t get it to work.
Is this old machine not capable of wotking in this setup?
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8 Replies
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Hi Chris,
What specification is the G4? If it’s a slower unsupported model, there’s a high chance of running into issues.
Are you able to get a video desktop when just in the OS X Finder?
regards
Kristian Lam
Blackmagic Design -
Hi Kristian,
The G4 is a 1.42 dual with about 2 gigs of RAM. running 10.4.3. FCP 4.5. I used it with the DeckLink SP for about a year when I first got the card, only then it was connected to my UVW1800 and it worked great. I moved it over to the G5 when I got that and it worked great there too, but I took it out when I got another card. So it was just sitting around and I thought i’d put it back in the G4 with my old Beta deck. It is a Sony BVW 25, not an SP machine but it plays SP tapes.
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Hi Chris,
If you take the clip captured using Final Cut Pro and use Blackmagic Deck Control, does it play out?
Do you get a video desktop on the output of the card when just in the OS X Finder?
regards
Kristian Lam
Blackmagic Design -
Kristian,
No and no.
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Hi Chris,
What is the workflow of connections? Are both the composite video and analog audio input and ouput of the DeckLink SP connected to the Beta deck? If so, how are you monitoring video and how are you monitoring audio? Do you have your broadcast monitor and speakers connected to a spare output of the deck?
Please try connecting a composite display directly to the composite output of the DeckLink SP. Does that allow you to see video?
Regards,
Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design -
Hey Luke,
Been a while, thanks for the response. The deck has one composite input and two composite outputs. Video in and out (Y cable only) are routed through these to and from the card. The DeckLink control panel is set to composite. The second comp output goes to my NTSC monitor and the audio is routed into and out of the DSP card through my mixer, the same basic installation I used to use with component when the card was in the G5 with my Beta UVW 1800. So other than the difference between component and composite video the connections are all the same.
The Beta deck plays tapes to the monitor and I can hear the audio, and when I launch the FCP capture window I can capture 8 or 10 bit with audio like normal, but I am not getting the Mac desktop on the monitor and nothing on playback from FCP, thus my original post. After Effects also gives me nothing to the monitor.
So I suspect that the old deck (Sony BVW 25) is the problem, although how capture can work and not the rest is what’s giving me fits. Seems like it should work.
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Hi Chris,
Can you please temporarily interrupt your workflow by connecting the Composite Y output of the DeckLink SP directly to your NTSC monitor. Does the monitor now display a desktop? This will help understand if the deck is introducing a technicality.
Regards,
Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design -
Hey Luke,
Great idea, I will try it this afternoon. Sorry to not get back sooner, I’ve been out of town, but thanks.
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