First post. Be gentle please!
Just picked up my spanking new EX1 (plus a couple of 16GB cards, spare batteries etc) - its a great camera - a real step up from the Sony V1 that I've been using up till now.

I also have the chance of owning the AJA IO HD box and was wondering of anyone here is using the AJA with an EX1 and FCP6 - and if so, do they play well together? I understand that the workflow would be to ingest via the SDI output of the EX1 into the SDI input of the IO HD - which would then convert to ProRes 422 - and enable me to cross convert, up-convert or down-convert as i see fit. I make documentaries (mainly historical/political stuff) and would like to have my team be able to edit in the field (I also have the Sonnet Fusion F2 SATA Raid drive for the MacBook Pro on order) - just wondering what people think about the IO HD and its use with the EX1. Great forum by the way - helped me hugely when buying the camera - thanks to all.

Simon Cox

Author:
Cracking The Da Vinci Code
Illuminating Angels & Demons
The Dan Brown Companion
The Simon Cox A to Z Series
Unlocking The Solomon Key (2008)

www.henuproductions.com

wouldn't that be the same as use the import function in FCP, then the media manager to convert to prores 4.2.2 ?

On one hand you spend time playing your footage to the IO but you get prores data.
On the other, you import in FCP in few seconds (or minute) but spend time encoding to prores.

You may do the test and tell us which one is more efficient :)

One test, which haven't be done as far as I know, is compare the quality between get the footage from the sxs card, or import it through the 4.2.2 HD-sdi output. As everything comes from the same source (the SxS card), it should be the same quality...

The big advantage to the AJA IO would be having a laptop with FW800 and being able to capture direct to the laptop in 422 prores. That gives you an I-Frame codec in 422 and bypasses the cards and long GOP compression.

Once you've captured to the cards, the AJA doesn't give you much of an advantage on the capture end... it does give you all sorts of options for monitoring and mastering back to all types of tape formats.

Thanks for the replies. So it would seem that there is no real advantage to having the IO HD inserted into the workflow for me then(?), apart from more monitoring capabilities and output options when deciding on delivery - would I be right? In which case there are far cheaper options (though only for the desktop Mac) out there.

Thanks again.

Simon Cox

Author:
Cracking The Da Vinci Code
Illuminating Angels & Demons
The Dan Brown Companion
The Simon Cox A to Z Series
Unlocking The Solomon Key (2008)

www.henuproductions.com

I would think there is a clear advantage to going through the AJA box.

If you are talking about a live feed out of the HDSDI port of the EX-1 which is a 10 bit signal and putting that into a 4:2:2 100 mb wrapper instead of a 4:2:0 35 mb wrapper.

If you are talking about transferring the video recorded on the card through the AJA then the advantage is lost.

I would think there is a clear advantage to going through the AJA box.

If you are talking about a live feed out of the HDSDI port of the EX-1 which is a 10 bit signal and putting that into a 4:2:2 100 mb wrapper instead of a 4:2:0 35 mb wrapper.

If you are talking about transferring the video recorded on the card through the AJA then the advantage is lost.

I've been wondering about this too. It sounds like a great way to go especially for green screen or any stage work.

Is the output stream immediate from this , so it flows directly into your laptop via firewire while you're shooting?

What about audio, that doesn't come from the SDI right, so does audio also go into the box and get sent in with the ProRez or are you effectively breaking up into dual system?

Are you losing the MFX wrapper and all its info (there is an MFX wrapper in SxS like in P2 isn't there?)

Also, how big & heavy is the box and does it need A/C or cn it run off a battery or say an inverter?

Lenny

Is the output stream immediate from this , so it flows directly into your laptop via firewire while you're shooting?
Lenny

The EX1 firewire only sends HDV (HDV2 in this case) & compressed audio. The video will be 4:2:0, not 4:2:2. The video should be the same quality as the EX1 SP mode.


What about audio, that doesn't come from the SDI right, so does audio also go into the box and get sent in with the ProRez or are you effectively breaking up into dual system?
Lenny

Yes, there is 2 CH uncompressed audio via the SDI. I'm using it without any problems.

I believe audio is in the stream when going through the HD SDI, so that shouldn't be a problem. The wrapper on the SxS cards is MP4.

It is approximately 8x12x5 and needs AC power. It's only 35 watts so just about any inverter will do.

I couldn't find anything about weight but it has a carrying handle... so you must be able to carry it. :)

December issue of VIDEOGRAPHY has an excellent review and assesment of workflows.

Stephen I was referring to firewire output from IO box not the camera. It is firewire into the computer from the Box isn't it?

Yes, it's Firewire from the box to the computer. Caution: it's FW800.

So is the conversion happening in realtime flowing out to the firewire while you are shooting?