Hi,
Actually I think the reason Leo made those comments is related to the 10 bit uncompressed video feature both the Kona SD and Digital Voodoo cards have. He owns both these cards, and does a lot of high end work. This is why 10 bit uncompressed video is so important to him, and why he needs a card that has this feature.
I understand why Leo would make this post, because some of the other posts had said there was no visible difference between 8 and 10 bit. Based on his experience, Leo really understands why 10 bit is important. It's not so much about perceived quality, but having enough quality for effects and other intensive work.
I agree that the CineWave might have better codec quality with the hardware installed, however Pinnacle really need to get their software codec sorted out. It's the weak link here.
I think the concern I also have is any video files created with this codec could also be played on the Kona SD, and in that case the video output would look worse than if the video was compressed with the Blackmagic Codec.
I think a lot of CineWave users might not even know they can use the Blackmagic Codec, and would just pass the CineWave codec to outside designers, or add it to other systems. This means it's easy to feed video encoded with this software codec to CineWave systems ,and then to see the results Marco gets in his tests.
I know sometimes people get passionate about their views, but I think as long as everyone is respectful, then these debates really help people. I am actually quite proud of how these threads has progressed, and I don't think anyone has become personal or insulting.
I know people have different views, and want to make sure their points are heard, however the thing I really have been impressed by over the last few weeks is how no one has insulted each other here. It's really nice, and the Kona forum has become a really interesting place with a lot of talented people here. It's a great place to hang out!
Regards,
Grant Petty
Blackmagic Design
http://www.blackmagic-design.com
