[Neil Sadwelkar]

The UB version of Pro Apps are needed only by someone needing to run these apps on Intel Macs – the iBook CD and the MacBook Pro.

You don’t need to switch to the UB version if you are running FCP 5 on a G5 desktop. Not now not ever. And all of Blackmagic’s products run only on G5s. Not on iMacs, not on PowerBooks, MacBooks etc.

However, the UB version will run fine on a G5 desktop as well. So even if a future version of FCP like 5.5 or 6 or whatver is UB, it will still run on a G5 desktop that is not Intel. As will BM drivers. So what’s the problem?

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I have tri-level sync connected. My house sync is tri-level. It also goes to 2 other FCPs, 2 Avids, 3 smoke, 2 flame, 1 backdraft, one telecine, one lustre. So its definitely there.

With the same FCP system I did manage to make a tape out to D-5 as 720p59.94 (that’s what the deck was set to) Program was 90 mins. And FCP played out flawlwessly.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

[walter biscardi] “Does the BMD card do a true cross-convert from 720 to 1080 or is your monitor doing this?”

I think it is the card. When I switch from 720 to 1080 via the easy setup, the monitor OSD reports the resolution. Likewise when I switch back to 720. Maybe its psF not true P or something like that.

If I keep my out at 720, the deck doesn’t allow 1080 to be an option.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I tried Automator. It chokes. Its just that if you have a folder or a FrameLink volume, just listing about 30,000 frames takes a while. Even in Terminal a ‘ls’ command to see the frames takes a while. Doing a ‘cp’ is about as slow/fast as drag copying.

Definitely the OS. WinXP shows ip folders with a large number of frames faster.

Besides, if the DPX files are on a network drive, then Framlink fails on conversion. Maybe it ‘times out’ or maybe the OS gives up.

I’d prefer a File > Open Image Sequence in QT Player and then the resulting movie saved would carry the timecode.

Haven’t tried AppleScript.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I’ve just finished the grade of a 90 min feature shot and edited on DVCProHD using Framelink and DPX.

The workflow…
1. Flattened QT as DVCProHD 720p24 submitted to us.
2. Broke it into 20 min movies. Still DVCProHD.
3. Exported each ‘reel’ as uncompressed QT Blackmagic HDTV 720p23.98
4. Converted these into DPX with Framelink. QT TC not carried into DPX.
5. Copied these to Lustre. This takes aaaagggeeesss.
6. Graded in Lustre.
7. Took Lustre renders to Framelink and converted to QT – uncompressed QT Blackmagic HDTV 720p23.98
8, Output this to D-5 via FCP.

Framelink works well but finder takes ages to show up the 30,000 odd frames that make up a 20 min ‘reel’. Drag copying too takes very long and one needs to hold down the mouse button after drag till it ‘registers’.

And Framelink doesn’t seem to work well over the network. Meaning if DPX files are on another station, then mounting them to your system over even GigE doesn’t happen. I’ve had to copy them locally before Framelinking them into a QT.

Anyway, coming back to the topic, capture as DPX would be worthwhile if only because…
1. There’s an entire body of people who believe Uncompressed QT is simply not ‘as uncompressed as’ DPX. For them, capture to DPX would be the ‘final solution.’
2. DPX timecode should be supported so one can use them meaningfully in an edit or conform.

Capture as jpg, tga, tiff or j2000 seq is of limited use IMHO. Why? We have Quicktime don’t we?

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I use a PM G5 DP 1.8 GHz, 2 Gb RAM. BM HD Pro Dual link, Apple FC card, 5.6 Tb XRAID.
I started with VVTR ver 4.5 or so and MacOSX 10.3.6. Sometime in Nov ’04.
Gradually upgraded till I now use MacOSX 10.4.3, BM 5.4, QT 7.0.4.

For accurate timecode we use a MOTU Midi timepiece receiving TC from telecine and sending it to the Mac via USB.

The system has been in operation in telecine since Nov ’04. Has worked, by and large. We do have occasional TC issues, but none that can’t be worked around. We record video as SD, BM 10-bit. For offline-only use, we do it as DV-PAL. And for use in Avids, we compress using the Avid Meridien codec. This does not convey TC to Avid, but we stripe TC manually in Avid.

We have managed test captures at HD resolution, but since we don’t use HD regularly, I haven’t tested HD extensively.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I work with both on a daily basis.

The single 30″ is a gorgeous display to work with and not as wide as 2×23″ Also its the only display that can show a 2k frame at 1:1 with room to spare. So if 2k is the size you’re working in that’s the only way to go.

Also, if you plan on using a Wacom then a single 30″ is more practical than 2×23″ as no Wacom is wide enough to accomodate such a wide screen. 32:10 for 2×23 vs 16:10 for one 30″.

For FCP, I prefer the 20″ + 17″ approach that someone suggested. And remember that even 2×17″ is vastly more resolution and screen real estate than most Avids of 3 years old and before. And there are too many around.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I haven’t tried with BM Extreme, but I’ve worked with ST in a BM HD+ and HDPro system. Not extensively though.

What I do know from experience is that apart from FCP that ‘grabs exclusive control’ of the BM card, other apps like ST are a bit polite. So if you have QT Player or iTunes or Safari or any app using QT running in the background, ST gets funky. Even if you have finder and have a preview of a sound clip open, it can be an issue.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

Bob,

The Decklink card can be made to work in the ‘slave’ mode.

I’ve been using my Dual 1.8 G5 system as a slave VTR to telecine since Nov 2004. It has a BM HD Pro card installed. I have a ‘Y’ cable attached to the BM cards’ RS 422 port. One is wired as Master, one as slave. And I need to swap out the cable depending on what I’m doing with the system.

So in my application it would really help if I could do this via software.

Incidentally, I use this application to grab uncompressed SD and HD off telecine without having to go off to tape.

Neil

[Neil Sadwelkar]

In case this helps. I am running 3 Dual 2.5 GHz setups 2 with BM HDPro cards, and one with BM Decklink Vanilla. All three have 30″ displays running off that ‘special nVidia’. And all three have been running since Nov 2004. One does Shake only (2k mostly), and the other two do FCP only – SD mostly rarely HD.

Not a hitch.

I also have three other systems without that nVidia and 30″ displays but with BM cards installed. So I can say for certain that 30″ displays with BM cards are not particuarly different from those without 30″ displays as far as reliability is concerned.

And now I’m about to get two more – Quads this time – all will have 30″ displays and BM cards, maybe even MB Ext.

Go for it.

Neil
14 BM cards old.