When will Kona 2 go PCIe?

[Walter Biscardi]

[Dan Brockett] “Multibridge Extreme and the Kona LHe both offer HD downconversion but neither offer the important feature of SD to HD upconversion. Kona and BMD, are you guys listening, this what MANY of us need!”

Well, AJA has said they don’t have a timetable yet to deliver the Kona 2 or any other card for PCI Express with SD to HD up-convert.

That’s why I’ve been recommending that folks who need SD to HD Upconvert purchase the Dual 2.7 PCI-X machine. If you need that feature today, then you purchase the wrong machine.

We’re running two Dual 2.0’s here with two Kona 2’s and they rock right along. I’m personally waiting to see what the Intel machines are before making any move to PCI-E machines. If I need something faster right now, I’ll go with the Dual 2.7.

I’m waiting to see what MacWorld will show us as far as future Desktops. I’m hoping they at least talk about something. Then of course NAB should be very very intersting all around.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Director, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.com

Now editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Dan Brockett]

Hi Walter:

Thanks for your advice. I am sure that there are plenty of other people out there who are in my same boat in wanting to not buy into an outdated PCI technology. My thought in buying a new G5 and in not buying a PCI-X Mac was that somebody would be porting their cards over to the PCIe technology as both AJA and BMD have done already, it’s just that they have not yet ported over the cards/boxes that have the exact features I am looking for. Since I have posted this, a friend who is under NDA has told me that “something that I want” will be announced at MacWorld by AJA so I am hopeful.

BTW Walter, when you use your Kona 2 to upconvert NTSC material to HD, how is the quality? I have zero experience with upconversion and we may just go with a standalone box by Snell & Wilcox or Cobalt to do the upconversions but I am curious if the “built-in” up conversion ability on the Kona 2 is really very high quality. Since you are posting broadcast shows, what is your professional opinion on the AJA’s upconversion ability? Do you ever upconvert 720P material to 1080i? How does that look? Are there any sound/sync issues in upconverting NTSC audio to HD?

Although I have had good luck with AJA products, what I would really like would be the BMD Multibridge Extreme, because of the layout and options that it offers. If it did upconversion, I would order one today. What is your take on the AJA vs. BMD as far as support and drivers? I have met Ted S. and he seems to be a good guy, running a good company but I have also heard that BMD’s technical support is very good. Opinions and experiences?

All the best,

Dan

http://www.biglittlefilms.com

[Walter Biscardi]

[Dan Brockett] ”
BTW Walter, when you use your Kona 2 to upconvert NTSC material to HD, how is the quality? I have zero experience with upconversion and we may just go with a standalone box by Snell & Wilcox or Cobalt to do the upconversions but I am curious if the “built-in” up conversion ability on the Kona 2 is really very high quality.”

The quality depends very much on what is being upconverted. Some shots upconvert absolutely perfectly. Some shots will exhibit raster jaggies. In that case, we take the shots to a house with a Terranex Converter and make the up-convert there. I would say we do about 70% of the up-converts on the Kona 2 and the other 30% on the Terranex.

[Dan Brockett] “Do you ever upconvert 720P material to 1080i? How does that look? Are there any sound/sync issues in upconverting NTSC audio to HD?”

Every episode of Good Eats is delievered in 1080i HDCAM which is pretty much the standard for broadcast HD these days. The Kona 2 does not perform this cross-convert, though my AJ-HD1200A does a perfect job of it. However, the network requires that we use a Terranex to make that cross convert so that’s what we do. The DVCPro HD master is cross converted to 1080i at a local facility here in Atlanta.

No sound / sync issues at all that we’ve seen and we’ve delivered quite a few episodes so far.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Director, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.com

Now Posting “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters