Blackmagic Design
DeckLink HD Pro 4:4:4
Blackmagic Design's DeckLink HD Pro video I/O card establishes a new milestone on the road to affordable high definition production. The Australian company crams an enormous amount of features and flexibility into its top-of-the-line card, including 14-bit component analog HD and SD output, two channels of SDI I/O with automatic HD/SD switching, Dual Link capability, tri-level sync-compatible genlock input, RS-422 deck control and digital audio I/O with word clock output. At the IBC in September, Blackmagic Design announced an across-the-board price reduction for its DeckLink HD line, making the $1495 (formerly $1995) DeckLink HD Pro an incredible value.
Features
The DeckLink HD Pro system is comprised of a PCI/PCI-X video card and I/O breakout cable. The included CD contains the installer application, user's manual (PDF) and a variety of broadcast test pattern and chart files. Also included are several handy software applications including a simple deck control capture/print utility, a DeckLink-specific disk speed tester, and a live-insert alpha channel keyer.
The DeckLink HD Pro is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows XP operating systems. For typical SD and offline purposes, most reasonably current desktop computers configured for A/V use will do just fine. To take advantage of the card's uncompressed HD capabilities, serious consideration must be given to configuring a top-notch system. Blackmagic Design's website lists up-to-date system requirements and hardware compatibility, and has a comprehensive support section for information on using DeckLink cards with specific applications and video hardware.
On the card itself, the only connections are the two channels of HD/SD-SDI I/O (on four BNC jacks). In a typical single-link HD/SD-SDI (4:2:2) setup, a deck is connected to SDI channel 1 input and output jacks, and a monitor is connected to the SDI channel 2 output. As the name implies, Dual Link operation requires the simultaneous use of both SDI channels in order to achieve its superb 10-bit uncompressed HD 4:4:4 spec.
The rest of the DeckLink HD Pro's I/O connections are located on the breakout cable. Three BNC connections are provided for the card's YUV/NTSC/PAL component output. The analog out uses 14-bit digital-to-analog conversion with active electronic filtering, and can switch automatically between SD and HD formats. The analog out can also be switched to a composite mode when working in standard definition.
The remaining connections on the breakout cable are a blackburst/HD tri-level sync genlock input (RCA), unbalanced AES/SPDIF digital audio input and output (RCA), word clock out (RCA) and a RS-422 deck control serial port.
Most of the popular Mac OS X video applications are compatible with the DeckLink HD Pro, including Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Shake, Motion, Combustion, Cleaner and several DVD authoring systems. On the PC side, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Vegas and Nuendo are supported.
In addition to its top-of-the-line HD Pro 4:4:4 card, Blackmagic Design offers several lower-priced DeckLink HD models: DeckLink HD ($595), DeckLink HD Plus ($695), and the DeckLink HD Pro 4:2:2 ($995). All of the cards feature the same core capabilities, including 10-bit HD/SD-SDI I/O, RS-422 control and AES/SPDIF digital audio output; higher-end features such as analog video output, sync input and digital audio input are added as you move up the line.
In a multi-user broadcast or post environment, several affordable DeckLink HD-outfitted systems could be set up using the lower-priced models, reserving the HD Pro 4:4:4 system for master duties.
In Use
There is no better sign of the changing times than the fact that a piece of sophisticated video gear boasting an array of high-end capabilities can arrive by mail in a package no larger than a trade paperback. Without delay, I installed the DeckLink HD Pro into a PCI-X slot in a dual-Xeon 3.0 GHz PC running Windows XP Professional.I downloaded and installed the latest drivers from the Blackmagic website. Then I had to uninstall the software. This was because I was planning on testing the DeckLink card on a short HD project in Sony Vegas 6, and Sony has only certified an earlier driver version. Once I got that straightened out, the rest of the install went smoothly. I connected the card's analog component outputs to a JVC HD CRT monitor.
Setting up Vegas for use with DeckLink simply required picking the card in the Preferences/Preview Device menu. In the Vegas project on which I was working, the source files were comprised of raw HDV footage shot with a Sony HDR-FX1 camera, Photoshop-created graphics, some simple 3D track-motion animation elements and some pre-renders from After Effects. The image quality on the analog outputs was very impressive. It took several minutes for my ear-to-ear grin to recede. Next, I worked on audio mix for a SD 4:3 corporate video project in Steinberg Nuendo. The analog outs automatically switched over to SD as advertised, and in every respect the DeckLink HD Pro worked flawlessly with the application. I later used one of the card's SDI outputs connected to a Sanyo LCD projector to view some rendered HD projects, while simultaneously downconverting to SD for analog output to an older JVC NTSC monitor.
One of the things I like best about the DeckLink card, and Blackmagic Design in general, is the level of support they have shown above and beyond the hardware itself. One way this is demonstrated is in the useful utility software provided with the DeckLink HD Pro. The Deck Control application provides capture and playback deck functionality via the RS-422 port with a simple timecode in/out interface. The included Live Key alpha keyer software allows the live insert of graphics over the card's video outputs – very useful for live inserting of logos and bugs. It also includes a function for periodically fading in and out graphics, which could be handy for adding "Do not copy" warnings etc. The useful Disk Speed utility provides real-world feedback about your storage system's capabilities relevant to the DeckLink card's performance.
In addition to its general compatibility with most popular NLE and compositing applications, Blackmagic Design has developed tight integration with several of the most popular platforms including Final Cut Pro HD, Premiere Pro and After Effects to provide additional high-end features including real-time effects, RAM preview, renderless transfer of project files between applications, 10-bit uncompressed RGB rendering. See the Blackmagic Design website for application-specific features.
Another of my favorite features of the DeckLink HD Pro is an included plug-in that allows monitoring Photoshop work live on the card's video output – fantastic for previewing and fine tuning graphic work destined for broadcast use. The feature also automatically switches off when Photoshop is no longer the active application. The company also provides a Photoshop plug-in for capturing full bit-depth stills from the DeckLink video input right into Photoshop. Very cool!
Summary
At $1495, it's hard to go wrong with the DeckLink HD Pro. I found it to be easy to use and extremely stable across several different applications. And the amount of support the Blackmagic Design provides – from excellent technical information and tutorials to the included software utilities and third-party software integration – is most impressive.
For those not yet working in HD, the card still provides an enormous amount of features and quality, and it should work just fine in your existing editing computer. And when the time comes to make the leap to a full on uncompressed 4:4:4 HD editing system, the HD Pro puts you right on the threshold.
Stephen Murphy is a video editor and audio engineer with over 20 years of broadcast and production experience.
Key Features:
Mac OS X and Windows XP compatible PCI/PCI-X video card; two channels of HD/SD-SDI I/O; simultaneous HD and SD playback; 14-bit analog component HD/SD and YUV/RGB monitoring; NTSC/PAL support; unbalanced AES/SPDIF digital audio I/O; word clock out; blackburst/tri-level sync (HD) genlock; RS-422 control.
Price: $1495
Contact: www.blackmagic-design.com