Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Looking to capture SDI into MacBook Pro

C

chuuchhackz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2011
26
0
Any card, card breakout combinations you'd recommend?
I've stumbled across the Matrox MXO2 LE as an option... just wondering about others. I would be using it to capture both SD and HD SDI in the field.
Thank you!
 
I use the Matrox MXO2 LE with my tower. Maybe want to check out the intensity by blackmagic too.

One thing to be aware of if you are going to monitor OUT of the MXO2. They disabled core audio in their most recent update because they were having a weird issue. So if you go with it, I suggest using version 2.0 instead of 2.1 or you will only be able to monitor out of NLEs and not core audio.
 
gameface said:
I use the Matrox MXO2 LE with my tower. Maybe want to check out the intensity by blackmagic too.

One thing to be aware of if you are going to monitor OUT of the MXO2. They disabled core audio in their most recent update because they were having a weird issue. So if you go with it, I suggest using version 2.0 instead of 2.1 or you will only be able to monitor out of NLEs and not core audio.
Click to expand...

thanks! again i'd like to restate that this is for a Macbook Pro and field recording for a shoot overseas. I will not be toting the Mac Pro over, however this may be used in conjunction with a tower at a later time. So having said that, same recommendations? Thank you both.
 
They have 2 models of the LE, one for a laptop and one for desktop. The only difference I believe is which card comes in the box, an internal or external. To my knowledge the breakout box are identical and can be moved from laptop to tower in future if you get the internal card. But make sure if you buy it, it says "laptop" in the title, like this. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650569-REG/Matrox_MXO2LE_N_L_MXO2_LE_Laptop.html

Also know that they have a version called MAX if you are interested in hardware h.264 encoding but that will tack on an additional $400.

I use mine everyday and couldn't be happier with the purchase.

Also, while looking at Balckmagic's site, I guess the intensity isn't what you need. Please disregard that suggestion as it only works over USB3.
 
i saw that... what would be the difference between that and the express if I'm just looking to capture into FCP, ect ?
Click to expand...

Interestingly, the Io HD Express and the Io HD are very different products in overall functionality.

The primary difference between the two is that the Express lacks the internal hardware acceleration for ProRes encoding that the HD has (it does it in software instead). For that reason, that Express should be viewed primarily as an I/O box. The HD also supports 8 input channels of unbalanced analog audio and 4 input channels of balanced analog audio, whereas the Express will only handle audio input digitally (up to 8 channels), over HDMI or SDI.

Also note that the Io HD is designed to encode to ProRes on ALL ingested HD material. It won't capture to a computer in HD 10-bit uncompressed (it's impossible to do that over a FW800 connection, anyway). But it can output uncompressed SDI to an external deck for mastering. The HD was originally intended for MacBook Pro users, where encoding to ProRes on the field is a daunting task for a dual-core mobile CPU.

Now, the Express is capable of capturing directly to a computer uncompressed (one of the key things it's designed for), but it requires an eSATA connection an external RAID box (normal single-disk drives will not suffice). Depending on which MacBook Pro you have, this may or may not even be possible for you, as the current 13/15" models lack EC/34 slots.

And then there's obviously the vast difference in price. The HD costs 3.5x as much as the Express. IMHO, AJA needs to bring out a newer Io HD that has the Express's eSATA capture functionality for uncompressed material, especially considering the current one's $3500 asking price.
 
chuuchhackz said:
thanks! again i'd like to restate that this is for a Macbook Pro and field recording for a shoot overseas. I will not be toting the Mac Pro over, however this may be used in conjunction with a tower at a later time. So having said that, same recommendations? Thank you both.
Click to expand...
Do you have to be recording directly into the MBP? If not, check out the Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini from AJA.


Lethal
 
CaptainChunk said:
Interestingly, the Io HD Express and the Io HD are very different products in overall functionality.

The primary difference between the two is that the Express lacks the internal hardware acceleration for ProRes encoding that the HD has (it does it in software instead). For that reason, that Express should be viewed primarily as an I/O box. The HD also supports 8 input channels of unbalanced analog audio and 4 input channels of balanced analog audio, whereas the Express will only handle audio input digitally (up to 8 channels), over HDMI or SDI.

Also note that the Io HD is designed to encode to ProRes on ALL ingested HD material. It won't capture to a computer in HD 10-bit uncompressed (it's impossible to do that over a FW800 connection, anyway). But it can output uncompressed SDI to an external deck for mastering. The HD was originally intended for MacBook Pro users, where encoding to ProRes on the field is a daunting task for a dual-core mobile CPU.

Now, the Express is capable of capturing directly to a computer uncompressed (one of the key things it's designed for), but it requires an eSATA connection an external RAID box (normal single-disk drives will not suffice). Depending on which MacBook Pro you have, this may or may not even be possible for you, as the current 13/15" models lack EC/34 slots.

And then there's obviously the vast difference in price. The HD costs 3.5x as much as the Express. IMHO, AJA needs to bring out a newer Io HD that has the Express's eSATA capture functionality for uncompressed material, especially considering the current one's $3500 asking price.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great response! For this shoot, we'll be capturing SD from Sony DXC35 cameras directly into MacBook Pros so if I understand the specs right and purchase packages, the Express has both the box and the Express card slot with cable. I think capturing ProRes in SD should be fine on the 7200 drives in both machines... correct me if I'm wrong. For HD ingestion I see the need for faster hardware. We'll be using the 17" on the field.

So the HD only does ProRes? I mean it's a fantastic codec to use when I don't have a native one, so I guess that's good enough for me.

Thanks for the great info. Agreed they need a 'tweener device.
 
Thanks for the great response! For this shoot, we'll be capturing SD from Sony DXC35 cameras directly into MacBook Pros so if I understand the specs right and purchase packages, the Express has both the box and the Express card slot with cable. I think capturing ProRes in SD should be fine on the 7200 drives in both machines... correct me if I'm wrong. For HD ingestion I see the need for faster hardware. We'll be using the 17" on the field.

So the HD only does ProRes? I mean it's a fantastic codec to use when I don't have a native one, so I guess that's good enough for me.

Thanks for the great info. Agreed they need a 'tweener device.
Click to expand...

On the MBPs, you'll be capturing to external hard drives, correct? Even for SD material, capturing on an internal drive (regardless of its spindle speed) isn't a very good idea. For 10-bit NTSC (SD) uncompressed (about 26MB/sec), RAID isn't necessary and you would be fine with single-disk solutions, as long as they're dedicated disks and not the internals.

And yes, the Io HD is ProRes only. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. BTW, what in particular will you be shooting overseas? While there are clear advantages to wanting to use uncompressed for SD, as compressed SD codecs make a lot of compromises (especially in relation to chroma subsampling), there's not a lot of truly justifiable reasons to acquire HD as an uncompressed stream unless you're doing heavy effects work in post. ProRes is an online-quality codec.

Cameras like the RED One and the Arri Alexa record using compressed codecs (unless of course, you bypass to SDI - possible on both cameras) and yield fantastic results. Just a thought.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back