Will the KONA3 card act as a TBC for a 3/4 inch Sony deck?

[Bob Zelin]

YOU WRITE –
I’ve got a bunch of 3/4 inch tapes I want to transfer to DigiBeta

REPLY – if you do this first (IF you can do this first), then the output of the Digi Beta SDI out will feed the input of the Kona 3 SDI input beautifully.

TO BE CLEAR –
1) the Kona 3 does not have an analog input, so you can’t feed a 3/4″ or any composite video source into it.
2) The Kona 3 does not have a “frame sync” input, but all SDI sources (Beta SX, Digi Beta etc), all have built in TBC’s so this is a non issue for them.
3) good luck transfering your 3/4″ tapes to Digi Beta. The Digi Beta 3/4″ VTR may not sync up to the heterodyned analog composite input that you are feeding it. A trick that often works is to loop the video input of the Digi Beta with the Ref Video Input of the Digi Beta, to “fool” the VTR into locking. This does not always work.
4) I don’t know what 3/4″ VTR you own, but not all 3/4″ VTR’s work with an external TBC. Only the more professional models (like the BVU800, 820, 900, 920, 9800 and 9850) worked. If they don’t have external sync and sc inputs, a TBC won’t work. You would then need a FRAME SYNCHONIZER. These can be as cheap as $300 (like the Datavideo), but they will SOFTEN the image of the composite video.

Your best bet is to try to dub to Digi Beta first, and then Digi Beta SDI out into the Kona 3 SDI IN.

AND NO – you can’t get an AJA composite to SDI converter, because the 3/4″ machine will never provide a signal that the converter can lock to (this applies to other inexpensive products like Miranda, and Cobalt Digital). However, if you want to spend the big bucks (like $12,000) for a Harris X75 TBC, this has a frame sync. I dont’ know if the AJA FS-1 ($3999) has a frame sync composite input, but it might.

After this long boring post, I am sure you will be doing nothing but dubbing to Digi Beta from 3/4″ . (Your Digi Beta better be a DVW-A500, and not the DVW-500).

Bob Zelin

[Dan Riley]

Thanks Bob.
Yeah, it’s an A500. I’ll do the dub to digibeta first.
I’ve only owned the KONA3 for three months and I keep forgetting
it doesn’t have analog inputs like my old Pipe Studio did.
Turns out the rental house, Bexel, can’t get their old 3/4 inch deck
to run anyway, so now I’m looking for a place in Seattle to rent something else.
I don’t want to pay a facility in town to dub each reel. This is old
air checks for a buddy and some other stuff.

Happy New Year

Dan

[Bob Zelin]

If you PURCHASE or rent a standard AJA I/O, it will take in the 3/4″ signal, FRAME SYNC the input, and turn it into SDI for the Kona 3. It is designed to do EXACTLY what you want, without having to dub it to digi beta first. It is wonderful to own a standard AJA I/O for getting all kinds of analog sources into the Kona 3.

Bob Zelin

[Larry Asbell]

Another piece of gear that has a good quality frame sync in it that you probably have at hand is a typical DVD recorder. Both my Panasonic and Pioneer ones have component analog outs which would feed your digibeta deck very nicely. And I say good quality having had experience with dozens of TBCs in my 3/4″ days. The signal through one of this is as good as the best to them, really.

[Dan Riley]

Larry,
I ended up hooking up the 3/4 deck to our Pioneer DVD recorder
just like you said, but not using the component outputs, (I didn’t
think of it) just recording the 3/4 playback to the DVDs. I wanted to archive
everything to DigiBeta but just ended up recording to the DVDs for now.

I should have tried your idea too. I will next time.

Thanks,
Dan

[Larry Asbell]

[Dan Riley] “Larry,
I ended up hooking up the 3/4 deck to our Pioneer DVD recorder
just like you said, but not using the component outputs, (I didn’t
think of it) just recording the 3/4 playback to the DVDs. I wanted to archive
everything to DigiBeta but just ended up recording to the DVDs for now.

I should have tried your idea too. I will next time.

Thanks,
Dan”

Dan – Yea, I should have been clearer that my idea is to just pass the signal “E to E” through the DVD recorder. Good Luck.