Re: Ultra scope

Hi Nigel,

Thanks for your questions as they are all really good questions and it's interesting to learn what people are wondering when we announce new products.

[Nigel Thompson] "i disagree with the article saying scopes these days a re inaccurate."

This comment referred to the software scopes in NLE software which just aren't very accurate and we have lots of editors and colorists telling us that they just can't use them because they are inaccurate. Hardware scopes definitely are accurate and companies like Tektronix make fantastic scope hardware. However the interface to a lot of scopes is not very elegant so we've tried to make the UltraScope interface really nice to use.

[Nigel Thompson] "Im a mac person so i guess i have to buy a cheap windows box to run this thing. no biggy, but i need scopes bad. "

Technically there is no reason why we couldn't have made UltraScope for Mac. In fact if we receive lots of requests for Mac support, we could do it easily. However as this is a PCI Express card, the only Mac in which it could be used is a Mac Pro and it would be a complete waste to have a dedicated Mac Pro just to use this card as there is no such thing as a low-end Mac Pro. There are a lot of low cost PC's which would be perfectly suitable for use with the x1 lane PCI Express card in the Ultrascope package so that's why it's Windows-only at this stage.

[Nigel Thompson] "Oh and why a 24 inch monitor?"

The requirement for a 24 inch monitor is because the UltraScope interface is 1920 x 1200 pixels. This allows us to have a large, elegant interface with all 6 scopes on the screen simultaneously. If you are visiting NAB 2009, please drop by our booth and take a look at the UltraScope interface and you will then see why the 24" display is required.

Regards,

Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design