Sean Oneil
Forum Replies Created
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[Shane Ross] “It’ll work if you an eSATA Port Multiplier controller card. TONS of companies make them.”
So you mean that you can use the Drobo software with any 1×5 SATA port multiplier?
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Yeah this is for archiving. The thing that caught my attention is you don’t need to screw on some clunky drive trays. This is the first SATA enclosure I’ve seen where you just plug it in.
Shane, that Drobo thing looks awesome. I’m just wondering if data from Drobo drives can also be read by regular machines w/o the Drobo.
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[Warren] “Are you talking about the Norco 1240 Box? What card are you using with it?
“Yeah that’s the one. I’m actually using it for my iSCSI SAN box, which uses a 3ware 9550SX card.
But it should work with any SATA card if you use the right cables and/or adapters.
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For the other end of the spectrum (the cheap end) check out Norco (you’ll find a banner ad for them here on the bottom left column). I got their 12-bay multilane enclosure. It is definately NOT built like a tank, it’s ugly, and it was loud until I replaced the fans with quiet ones. And the drive trays are a bit frustrating. But getting that thing saved me a ridiculous amount of money.
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For reasons I won’t get into, 720p24 isn’t a real HDTV standard, so most products can not upconvert/downconvert to it.
Just convert it to 1080psf 24 DVCProHD. It’s the same amount of drive space as 720p.
You just need a 9-pin serial cable for deck control. Get one at Radio Shack if you’re in the US.
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[johnb] “Do I need to purchase the Nattress plugin? Isn’t there a way to convert 29.97 fps standard DV to 23.98 in Cinema Tools?”
No, not unless it was shot in 24p mode.
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Sorry, I don’t know what the problem is. Maybe try exporting the EDL again.
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I agree. Their tech support is the best I’ve ever worked with.
But let me play Devil’s advocate for a moment. The Decklink line is more stable and easier to work with FCP6 than the Kona 3. In the past, certain Decklink drivers have been awful. But at this exact moment in time, BMD has the edge. I have both products here and there’s no question about it. The Kona 3 still has some kinks to work out with FCS2.
One example is some sort of RS-232 polling fix I had to download and install. An indicator of how good their tech support is – but also an indicator of a less that stellar product as far as stability goes.
As far as being easier to work with. With a Decklink I don’t need a tri-level sync generator (although most their cards support one if I do). It has the option to output a black reference during capture in FCP. That means you plug the SDI out to the deck’s input, and the SDI in to the deck’s output – and that’s all you ever have to worry about. But with the Kona 3, I have to patch it in differently and change the sync reference (both on the deck and the Kona Control Panel) if I want to switch between caputre and layback. If you use house sync, then this isn’t as big of an issue – but you still have to patch it differently (the Kona 3 doesn’t like having the signal looped through). If you’re an independent editor, and you just have one deck that’s always plugged in, you can’t deny what an advantage it is to never have to patch anything between capture and layback.
Another advantage Decklinks have is Windows support. Not an issue for most, but with Boot Camp now available this can be a huge advantage for the few who need to use Windows apps on their Mac Pro. I know some people had to buy After Effects for the PC before the Mac version was Universal Binary.
Also, Blackmagic’s tech support isn’t exactly horrible. They have a guy in Nevada and he’s very helpful. I certainly wouldn’t say it’s as good as AJA’s, but Blackmagic tech support does exist.
The Kona 3’s major advantage is the upconversion and downconversion. It kicks ass at it, and I would never use a Decklink for this purpose. That’s why I bought a Kona 3. Hoever, if you use your deck’s conversion or you have a Teranex or something similar, you might not need this feature. Another Kona 3 advantage I just learned about is the ability to layback different kinds of pulldown (3:2:2:3 and 2:2:2:4). Not sure why anyone would want to create a tape that wasn’t regular 3:2:3:2 (the Decklinks can only do this) but the feature is there if you want it.
And of course price should always be considered. Blackmagic products cost much less than their AJA counterparts.
So when you look at the complete picture, it’s a bit more nuanced than “One is cheap and one is good”. They both have advantages and disadvantages, so it really depends on your situation when deciding what’s best for you.
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[Alex Barreto] “the 30fps EDL I need is not a choosable file”
It should be. Is it named “.edl” at the end?
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[johnb] “Should that older footage just be captured at 23.98 or will that ruin it? Is there a way to convert it to 24p?
If it was shot natively 29.97, you need special effects tools to convert it. Nattress plugin does this, and there are higher end tools as well. A Teranex machine will also do this.[johnb]
I’m planing on using After Effects / Motion once the rough cut is put together and am worried that the graphics won’t sync up. Any thoughts?
Not sure what you mean. In AE and Motion your compositions can be whatever framerate you want.[johnb]
Also, I’m correct in doing the pulldown on all my clips before doing any editing, right? And I should be editing in a 23.98 fps Timeline?”Yes and yes.