wrong component output colour on multibridge extreme

[Michael D]

If the tint rolls (moves vertically up the screen) then you might try lifting the ground on the monitor. However, if the tint is stationary then you might have a problem with the analog out of the multibridge extreme in which case the analog out, in my experience, should only be used for qualitative monitoring during capture (and in which case there is nothing wrong with your Sony monitor). I have a green tint on the component out (but not the composite out) of my standard definition Pro card. I alerted Blackmagic support of this problem starting in June of last year (yes, nearly one year ago) without resolution. I will be glad to forward several of the many lengthy emails with attachments that I sent to Blackmagic support. These may be helpful for isolating your problem.

[Miles Blow]

Hi Micheal
Wow that seems very wierd,that they dont see this as serious. Dont a heap of users of these capture cards dump everything to betacam sp. How would you do that without rgb out put throgh the bnc connectors? Maybe they have fixed it with the latest 5.6 drivers wich also support s-video out throgh the same connection via an adaptor.

thanks for you reply
our email is

mulesfilm@optusnet.com.au

I would love to see what they said in those emails

[Kristian Lam]

Hi Miles and Jules,

I don’t have the specifications for your monitor but can you verify that it accepts component video Y, B-Y, R-Y instead of RGB?

regards

Kristian Lam
Blackmagic Design

[Nick La belle]

This Sony has RGB inputs, guys, and thats not “YUV” / “Y, R-Y, B-Y” / or Video Component, whatever you wanna call it. That’s why you’re having these strange colours. Output to Beta SP will be fine.

[Michael D]

You are correct, connecting the analog component output of the DeckLink card to the RGB input of a monitor will cause strange (if that is the best description) colors

[Miles Blow]

Ok guys
Thanks for getting back. Ok it’s our monitor that the problem. So the component output from the multibrige is like the componant out put from a dvd player? Come to think of it that is what it looked like when we pluged dvd player into it once.
So our monitor should be fine with the new 5.6 drivers which support s-video(using componant to s-video the adaptor cable)?

Thanks
Miles

[Bob Zelin]

Michael D writes –

And I interpreted the description as similar to a very subtle green tint the analog component out of my DeckLink Pro card exhibits. The colors are not strange but there is a very subtle green tint most noticeable on black and white files using the component out and essentially undetectable on color files using the composite out.

The subtle green tint in my system, in my opinion, is a function of a problem with the card and/or the drivers.

REPLY – the ONLY way to tell what the problem is with your system is by using a component waveform monitor, to observe the levels. You have not specified what monitor you are using, but EVERY Sony PVM 14M2U, 14M4U, 20M2U and PVM-20M4U was MISALIGED at the factory, and every one of these monitors had the “black bias alignment” incorrectly done, so that if you simply selected “component” on these monitors, it would appear that there was green in the blacks. I addressed this issue with Sony Broadcast in New Jersey years ago, after checking my old AVID system and Beta VTR with a Leader 5100D waveform monitor (and getting the green tint in the blacks, from multiple monitors), and Sony’s response at the time was “if you want a truly critical monitor, you should purchase the BVM series”. Now, I am not saying that you don’t have a problem with your BMD card, but it’s pretty unlikely – and it’s pretty likely that the component input and the setup of your monitor is incorrect.

You can take a source tape from your Beta VTR, and stick its YRB output directly into the monitor – observe it’s color (in component), and then pass this same signal thru the BMD card, and observe the output of the card in analog component. Simply putting up “known histograms” proves nothing.
Ultimately you will need a component waveform monitor to resolve these issues. Even the output of your Beta VTR can drift in alignment – its all analog circuitry, and has single turn potentiometers inside it to align the YRB levels – very easy for drift to occur. Blame this before blaming the all digital BMD card.

Bob Zelin

[Meeroo Sareew]

Yes, but… I have similar problem only the tint is blue or purple and I don’t think it has nothing to do with monitor because this tint appear (on monitor and on Export to tape window) when I try to export to tape from FCP to Betacam SP (1800p). My monitor is connected to Video 2 output (composite) on Betacam. I’ve tried all different settings available in Blackmagic preferences but nothing helps.

Mac Quad 2.5; OS 10.4.6
Final Cut Studio HD
Multibridge Extreme
Sony UVW-1800p
Sony HVR-M10E

[Michael D]

Thank you for your detailed response. Unfortunately, I cannot adequately summarize 12 months of experience in a single post and so most of your response does not apply to my problem. For your information, I used the DeckLink Pro card to do uncompressed capture of digibeta tapes (telecine transfers of both color films and black and white films) and connected the analog component output of the card into the component input of my JVC BM-H1310SU monitor to verify capture. I noticed the green tint as soon as I started to capture black and white files.

The first test I did was to connect the analog component output of the digibeta deck directly into the component input of the monitor and view the black and white files with the best scopes I have

[Bob Zelin]

both of you are clearly showing why professional waveform monitors exist. Believe me, I am not saying “there is NO WAY that the Blackmagic card has a problem” – it very well may have a problem – but without proper test equipment – specifically designed to identify these issues – it will be very difficult to pin down the problem. I also understand how insanely expensive component and digital waveform monitors are (almost as much as the entire edit system) – but it’s hard to “point the finger” without hard facts. In the example I gave (about the green tint in the Sony monitors) – it was hard for me to believe that almost all the PVM series had been misaligned, and before I had the audacity to call Sony and complain (of which they didn’t care anyway) – I gathered as many facts as possible. I had the luxury of having access to the proper scope to do this.

Bob Zelin