24 Nov
2014
24 Nov
'14
11:25 a.m.
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 14:36:17 +1100
From: simonzwise(a)gmail.com
To: linux-audio-user(a)lists.linuxaudio.org
Subject: [LAU] AV i/o hardware
They are well motivated to
maintain the drivers for the devices they use, and they have the budget and
skills to do so. But their main customers have real budgets to, the gear is
expensive, but these two could be useful if you have the cash:
analogue, sync, SDI, more serious multi-channel audio, keying etc: $700-ish
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/decklink/techspecs/W-DLK-12
analogue video, much more basic audio etc: $250-ish ...
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/intensity/techspecs/W-INT-01
(the thunderbolt and USB3 versions are not for Linux, only the PCIe)
I would class these in the prosumer range. Really not expensive at all when it comes to
professonal video hardware!! Trust me on that one! Although I have worked for some very
well known companies that have used their products. Still they were only considered
suitable, and high enough quality for certain applications (eg News, not serious Drama or
high end productions) along with ffmbc* (the broadcast version of ffmpeg) but that
probably says more about the ffmbc encoding/conversion than it does about the capture
cards. Certain editors/producers complaining about the quality when downconverting from HD
to SD. As I said they considered this good enough for News (where you might need many such
systems nationwide, if not worldwide, and cost is an issue and turnover rate of material
is very fast) but they wouldn't even entertain it for Production.
From what I recall the drivers were written by the
company in this case but I couldn't tell you if written from the ground up or modified
or how much help might have been provided by Black Magic themselves...
Seems the Beeb considers their cameras good enough for production these days though...**
* https://code.google.com/p/ffmbc/
**
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/thewire/bbc-hit-daytime-drama-moving-shot-…