There is no doubling of frames. Don't be confused by the first 4-8 frames went may be off until the pulldown lock in--this is a live pulldown detection algorithm so it need a few frames to learn the cadence. Once it is locked you get a true 24p (i.e. 23.976p.)

So how much would the market want to pay for this device? Please answer thoughtfully as we are listening.

Gotcha - i haven't yet done any substantial testing with the realtime pulldown, but it definitely gives the confidence a boost hearing it from you... We're looking to employ the system i describe in a feature in the coming spring.

You pose an interesting question. I really don't know how other filmmakers/video nerds out there would value something like this, and i could see how the question of whether or not a profitable market exists is a huge one at this point. I definitely believe however, that (and i have the footage to prove it), that the HV20 combined with the correct capturing method and a properly used 35mil adapter can produce some outstanding footage.

We're really on the cusp of very HQ HD acquisition at an unprecedented cost point, and i definitely believe developing a waist-side capture device for HDMI (and whatever else) is the next step.

It's all about building awareness i guess...

But to stop rambling and actually answer your question, i would (and this is totally subject to change in the positive or negative depending on the product offering of course) be willing to shell out 2-4k.

Because the bounds of the capability of such a device are so broad, that's just a gander. There is a lot that could be done - oh the ideas.

Hope this helped - and i can't thank you enough... in this industry we spend so much time wishing we had the know-how to invent all the things we'd like to invent.. it's thanks to companies like Cineform that we get to realize some of our dreams...

(if anyone else is listening - an HV20 (andromadization) hack for 2k would be great!)

To bypass HDV and get some incredible 4:2:2 footage from any HDMI camera will be impressive. I paid $1300 for a Decklink HD, $300 for HD-SDI cables, and $500 for the nanoConnet .. all to get what we're talking about - mind you, I started my purchases before HDMI was an option on HD cameras (I orginally wanted to capture analog HD at uncompressed quality). Add to that a Mac Pro, RAID...

$$$ for something that's become much simpler in only a bit over a year's time. And with the Intensity card and good, fast codecs, much cheaper!

Given that a product like this would work with any HDMI cam, and for time to come, it'd be useful. Cineform's codec has staying power. How much $ for one though...

It'd have to really last, as things are moving so quickly.. a device like this would have to be able to handle resolutions up to 2k IMO. $1200-$1500 is all I'd be willing to spend at this point.. which is proably too little.

Someone will build a unit like this, regardless. Convergent Design's Flash XDR is too expensive for most of us pro-hobbyists, and I like the idea that using a computer like Kevin has allows you not to be locked into one Codec.

You have a good point, Robert.

Recording up to 2k or even 4k, or maybe having different models at different pricepoints might be a good idea.

Features like this are what would really be the deciding factor on where between 2-4k i would spend on this device...

Keep in mind though, it's the portability and convenience of combining the capture cards, the computers, etc.. into one device that's streamlined for that specific task that we're paying for as well. To me that's worth the cost of the hardware plus... really.

Think about it. For instance, we'll be shooting a feature film that will be taking place completely in the woods at night. We REALLY want to shoot full HD, that's NOT HDV. What are our options?

It's worth every penny IMO. Cool to think about...

Value.. how much for what it does. What we're talking about now is really meant for another thread, and I don't think it'd belong in the HV20 section either - by the time I'm ready to shoot 2k, there'll be some other el cheapo yet powerful camera or mod available! Thngs are moving faaast..

With the surge that alternative high-res sensor chips and 35mm adapters and the like have made, users are becoming more open to the idea of not buying a stock camera to fit their every need, and rather, go custom. Either buy small-business products, or make their own. Capturing 4:2:2 out of an HDMI port is right up there with customized options. Anyhow, it'd have to have a technical form factor that'd last, and of course, meet a price point we'd be willing to drop our bucks on. Price point is where I think the problem would lie.

Comparison of motherboard for wearable intensity
 

I looked around at logic supply and found these motherboards - they have a matrix
http://www.logicsupply.com/matrix/ma...=39&column4=46

Some are Santa Rosa - and a couple have been discussed in this forum as well..

Setting CPU affinity
 

How would one set the CPU affinity ?

It's easy. Go into the Task Manager, right click on the relevant applications and do it there.

However, it is highly unlikely that this will help performance that much - if at all - as Windows isn't bad at allocating tasks independently and in this case, the encoder will be doing the vast majority of the work any way.

What Richard said. It probably won't help much, but Dumb Things can happen.

Make sure you have minimal other applications running in the foreground and/or background. Last thing you want is to have two instances of the encoder process bouncing around between processors and around memory because a third application is triggering context switches.

Here is maybe smallest MB for this system
 

http://www.ieiworld.com/en/product_I...odel=NANO-9453
It has PCI-e mini. And is little over 3,5"HDD size. PC/104 is industrial PCI.

Here at bottom of this page is adapter PCI-e mini to PCI-e x1
http://www.adexelec.com/extenders.htm
This way you can probably connect Intensity. (This also enables Laptops to do this)

Motherboard cost around 330$.

Hope this helps someone.

Adjusting the Quality of BM M-Jpeg Codec
 

[QUOTE=Kevin Kondra;723318]Hello Everyone,

The cpu, T7200 with 667 MHz RAM, has enough power to record 60i without dropping frames using BM MJPEG. The data rate seems to be 13 MB/s. What most people may not know is that BM supplies a second MJPEG codec that isn't used with their recording app and has selectable quality values. Upping the bit rate to 20MB/s makes a noticeable difference in visual quality. They number used is similar to JPEG compression quality numbers, where 100 is supposed to be lossless, and 80 is default. 20 MB/s is 92 on the scale.



Hi Kevin and one and all.This is an intriguing thread.I am new to this forum. I am an indie musician who would like to record music videos on a budget and something you wrote caught my eye. I have built my own intensity capture station. HC3 sony Cam @ 1920 X 1080i - HDMI - (Magma expressbox - Intensity) - Laptop Computer. My laptop is not fast enough to encode in the Medium or high settings of Cineform NeoHD ( Core2duo 1.8 Ghz - drops frames consistently ) but handles the BM M-jpeg just fine with plenty of CPU in reserve.I would like to get rid of the fine artifacts that are present in the BM codec and clearly absent in Cineform.If the quality is noticeably better at higher data rates, then that would save me having to upgrade my new laptop.I was wondering where you acquired the second codec that allows quality settings to be adjusted and what capture software you use it with.It would be awesome if I could up the rate to 20 MB/sec.Your help on this is much appreciated.
Kind regards.
Henry

David,
As was mentioned in another thread ("Intensity Capture Station") I think before you make a full "capture station" it would be best to have an ExpressCard version of the Intensity card. Maybe you can talk to the BM folks about this. Or is this already in the works?

Surely an Intensity ExpressCard would effectively put the kibosh on the commercial viability of a standalone capture station? Any standalone capture station? By the time such a product hit the market, I could well believe that quad core laptops with 500gb hard disks would be readily available, making a DIY solution far more preferable for the budget conscious.

The Magma box proves that the PCIe and ExpressCard technology are essentially one and the same so you'd think it would be an ExpressCard Intensity would be an easy product to make. However, when I contacted BMD about it, I got the impression it really wasn't on their radar - definitely not in the short term, any way. The only technical issue I can see is the lack of power on the ExpressCard port, which might require a large scale redesign of the silicon.

Pretty dumb if you ask me, given that's exactly what everyone in these threads essentially needs to have their dreams come true for recording with the Cineform codec on the go.

When we are thinking of a capture station, we are thinking of a Firestore sized device that encodes HDMI directly to CineForm, that is much more convenient than using a laptop in mobile camera acquisition.

I think its a killer product idea that will sell very well today and in the future, given the long run of 1080p HDMI camcorders that will undoubtably continue to proliferate in the market, both pro and consumer, for years to come.

Would an ExpressCard Intensity kill this idea? I think it could eat into it's market share but both should coexist. I think the ExpressCard would be nice to have, but it sounds like BM isn't interested, which I think is foolish. I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to pursue this.

Kevin, looks like you've got the iStarUSA S3 Mini-itx case. I see MSI also has a mini-ITX GM965-based board, this looks like the best solution at this point compared to getting a dang Magma box for $700+. I know I'm late to the thread, but thanks again for your post.

Adjusting MJPEG quality
 

Hi Kevin, Henry! This MJPEG quality setting is driving me nuts - I remember Kevin's post but I can't figure out how to do this..Anyone ???


[QUOTE=Henry Olonga;766691]

David,
While a "Firestor" like HDMI device would be very usefull for run and gun situations, I personally would MUCH rather see an ExpressCard HDMI capture device.

1) Direct capture, straight into NLE.
2) The laptop acts as a convenient/largish monitoring station. Perfect for focus, great for director/others to watch.
3) Cost. (Should be $500 or less.)
4) Flexibility.

What about this?
 

This is the card we all own, check the date of the article!

Mj-peg adjusting not possible
 

Hi Anmol.Yeah it was driving me nuts too and I e-mailed support at Blackmagic Design.Turns out they do not have the option to adjust the quality and I quote .....( I had quoted Kevin words in the e-mail )

'Now, the quote you are talking about actually refers to a PHOTOJpeg codec that is only for use on the Mac. It is not available on the PC at all.

The MJPEG codec does not have the option to adjust it's quality slider at this time.'

In other correspondence ...'WE can capture uncompressed, M-jpeg, and Cineform'.

Cineform is soooo much better than mj-peg (it's not bad though)so I purchased Neo HD.The option to adjust Mj-peg would have been neat I must say - I am on a PC and my laptop cannot keep up with Cineform high or medium encoding but is fine for m-jpeg.1.8 Core2duo.I use the magma PCI - expresscard solution and it is very good.Cineform told me my laptop is way too slow so would need a Santa Rosa running at 2.66 ghz; so I would need a new laptop to take advantage of the codec really.Thing is I just bought this one so it kind of sucks but such is life.I was thinking out loud so I e-mailed them back to enquire about the possibility of encoding using Cuda.Graphics cards are WAY more powerful than a cpu and my laptop has a 8XXX series Nvidia card.

The reply was

'We have no plans to do any GPU-based code because it limits the customer base that can benefit from it.'

I think I see their point so the easiest thing is for me to do is just upgrade again.But surely there must be others out there who are in this boat?Perhaps it will spawn a whole new opportunity.Cost of the whole portable setup comes in quite reasonable.Around £ 3000 all things considered.Poor man's Wafian ha ha.

Laptop £ 1000.Magma Chassis £ 500.Cineform Codec $ 599.00 ( not sure of Forex conversion) .Intensity Capture card £ 160.Portable Xantrex powerpack £100.HDV Camera with HDMI out £ 700.

Still not the most mobile setup (the Xdcam EX looks like a treat) but beats a desktop.I completely agree with Joseph.Perhaps if a company came out with a product that allows you to record direct from the HDMI or SDI output to expresscard that would be the day. So I e-mailed Blackmagic about this and ....


'Again it is a great solution and something that we are fully aware of. Our people are looking into it, but at this time we have no plans to release such a solution. This is not to say that we will never tackle such a beast, but I have no information regarding when/if ever this solution will be present in our line of products.'

So perhaps in the future,perhaps never.I think that that would be the holy grail though.

That would be so freakishly cool. Do it already:) You absolutely got a market here...

Couple of questions of Intensity w HV20
 

I had 2 questions - one is partially answered..
1. When I toggle the DISP button I can remove most of the icons on the display - except the TAPE operation. The green STOP or PAUSE or the RED record icon in the top right corner.. Problem is that this gets output on the HDMI side. How did anyone manage to avoid this problem ? I see frame grabs without this - please let me know..
2. The topic of 24P pulldown using HV20 and INTENSITY - Cineform does it, After Effects does it. And the freeware solution described on the web is for HDV - is there an alternative solution for MJPEG ?? Also, does Vegas Studio 8 remove the pulldown or not - I can't seem to get a definite answer on this :-( ?

Thanks!

Anyone seen this yet? Looks like our prayers will be answered:
http://www.cineform.com/products/CineFormRecorder.htm

Thanks Andrew (and Cineform)
 

Thanks Andrew for letting us know about this. Thanks also to Cineform and its partners for working on this.

GetCatalyst works with BM Intensity
 

Can anyone confirm if the GetCatalyst works with BM Intensity ? Thanks!

So did anything happen....?
 

Hi all, i read the entire fascinating thread -

- did cineform ever release a firestore like device to capture HD out of a Canon HV20/30?

Thanks!!

They are working on it:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=107885

low price but good mini-ITX mobo for this project:
Newegg.com - ZOTAC NF630I-D-E LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Looks nice, especially the price on this one.
 

REckon this would be great as a HTPC as well. I think I'll order 2.