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why a Nitris DX when you can get a Mojo DX ?
I just put in a Mojo DX. When I first saw the Mojo DX, I didn’t like it because it lacked all the I/O provided by the $15,000 Nitris DX. But with the advent of the new low cost A/D and D/A converters with embedded audio that are offered by AJA and Blackmagic, for about $1000 you can turn your Mojo DX into Nitris DX, and save $9000 in the process. Why AVID doesn’t offer a second SDI or HD-SDI output on the Nitris DX, when it appears on every cheap A/D and D/A from Blackmagic and AJA is beyond me. So even with the Nitris DX, you still need an AJA HD5DA to get a second SDI output. And of course, you still need a Tripplite Keyspan USA-19X to get RS422 (thank goodness it’s only $45).
So why would people buy a Nitris DX ?
Bob Zelin
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17 Replies
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To impress your clients?
Well, if you can try those converters on a MOJO and verify they work…Then that would beg the question.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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NitrisDX gives you hardware encoding and decoding to DNxHD, and is supposed to give you more realtime performance on playback. At the very least it saves you on transcoding time over the MojoDX.
Also, I was sure the NitrisDX gave you two SDI out so you can run HD and SD simultaneously. The MojoDX only offers one, and it’s HD or SD depending on the project type. Or am I wrong on that?
Either way, they’re still pretty pricey boxes. Look nice though.
Michael
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I’ll be working late. -
Plus the nitris DX give you the symphony Nitris software, which basically means secondary color correction and a few other features.
They are pricey boxes, but I think they’re worth the investment.
Scott Cumbo
Editor
Broadway Video, NYC -
Michael, wipe that simle off your face –
you write –
“Also, I was sure the NitrisDX gave you two SDI out so you can run HD and SD simultaneously. The MojoDX only offers one, and it’s HD or SD depending on the project type. Or am I wrong on that? ”REPLY –
you are WRONG. The Nitris DX has a seperate SDI input, and single SDI output, and a single HD input, and a single HD output. Which means that if you want to feed both a HD monitor and your HD VTR, you need a DA – you know, from a company like AJA.The Mojo offers only one, as you said – but it assigns via the software. However, the AVID Nitris does not – the HD out is HD, the SD out is SD. You don’t get 2 HD outputs – you don’t get 2 SD-SDI outputs. Again, tough when you are trying to feed a VTR. Well, the HD5DA is only $249 from AJA.
Bob Zelin
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Scott writes –
Plus the nitris DX give you the symphony Nitris software, which basically means secondary color correction and a few other featuresREPLY –
wrong. The AVID Nitris DX gives you Media Composer and the AVID Nitris hardware for $15,000. Only the AVID Symphony Nitris gives you Symphony software for $35,000. So, lets take the cheaper box for $15,000. Media Composer software only (software that retails for $2500). So that extra money is for the converter hardware. Which means that for $5000 you get a Mojo DX, but $15000 gets you a Nitris DX hardware box (and no Symphony software). But with these great converters on the market, you dont’ need the Nitris DX hardware.Is symphony software great- you bet it is. But it is not $15,000 – it’s $35,000.
bob Zelin
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[Bob Zelin] “you are WRONG. The Nitris DX has a seperate SDI input, and single SDI output, and a single HD input, and a single HD output.”
Uh…Bob, you are wrong. Read the specs:
https://www.avid.com/products/1360.htm
Under CONNECTIVITY…
“SD SDI I/O
HD SDI I/O
HDMI output
SD YCbCr Component I/O
HD YCbCr Component I/O
SD S-Video I/O
SD Composite I/O”Separate HD and SD SDI I/O. So you can view both at the same time. Mojo has only one SDI I/O.
And yes, I did forget that the Nitris adds more RT so that you can play multiple formats (Dv, DVPCRO HD, DNxHD, 15:1, 1:1) on the same timeline…out to tape…without rendering. The Mojo DX does not offer this.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Wait…you are NOT wrong…now I get what you are saying. Single HD SDI output…not two like FCP capture cards offer. So you cannot connect one to the monitor and one to a deck. Well, my question is, why would you? Wouldn’t you want to monitor what is feeding the deck? I’d prefer to see…and I do when I output…what is coming from the deck.
Ah…but then you have to power on the deck all the time to have the monitor work. Well, Avid gets around this by having a router on the rack. I have always had Avid setups that had patch panels and routers. So that is an added expense that us in FCP land don’t need as we have multiple SDI outs.
NOW I get ya.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Hi Shane –
in any edit room you have worked in (including linear systems, AVID Meridian systems, and AVID Adrnelaine systems) there has been TWO SDI OUTPUTS (and 2 HD-SDI OUTPUTS on adrenalines). Your monitor (today, and in the linear days) had A and B inputs. Your A input (today called SDI1) has the output of your NLE. The B input (today called SDI2) has the output of your VTR, so you can instantly switch between your NLE output and VTR output. This is the way it was done with CMX 1″ linear systems (A input was CMX Preview Switcher output), and B input was Record VTR output. For NLE systems INCLUDING AVID, AND AJA, A input (SDI1) is AVID Adrenaline out (for example), and B input (SDI2) is DVW-A500 or HDW-M2000 out (for example). ONLY WITH THE AVID NITRIS DX is this not provided for (unless you buy third party DA’s).Patch bays – I make my living installing patch bays. But you as an editor is not going to pick up your ass to repatch the single output of your AVID Nitris DX into the VTR, and add a second patch from the VTR output back into your monitor (that was just monitoring the output of your AVID two minutes ago).
Of course, if you simply buy any AJA or Blackmagic D/A converter, this will give you a redundant output (or outputs) so you can have multiple SD-SDI or HD-SDI outputs.
Moral of story – AVID charges the most, and gives you the least. But at least you can buy third party products to make up for this.
All of this nonsense will be over when AVID agrees to port their software over to third party hardware solutions (like AJA, Blackmagic, MOTU and Matrox).
I propose a pitch fork/burning torch march on Tewksbury that forces AVID to do this, or we do something even more dramatic (like forcing them to change the hold music on their support lines that they never pick up).
Bob Zelin
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https://www.avid.com/resources/360s/nitris.mov
This is very difficult to see (AVID doesn’t really want anyone to see their products until they have completed the purchase), but you can see that their is only one HD-SDI output, and only one SD-SDI output on the back of these hardware boxes.
Bob Zelin
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Hi Bob,
I just looked at the back of my Nitris DX and there is 2 (A,B) HDSDI inputs , 2 HDSDI outputs, 1 SDI input, 1 SDI output.
One thing to note is that the second or B HDSDI input is not active. There was some rumor that this was going to be for future dual link capability.
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