> Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 14:36:17 +1100
> From: simonzwise@gmail.com
> To: linux-audio-user@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-blackmagic-production-camera-4k/135611