Working on a DSR-11 SDI solution

This isn't a post with a question, it's informational on an solution I've been testing... thought you guys might be interested...

Short of buying a DV deck with an SDI output, a pricey endeavor, I've been looking for a solution for FCP to keep me from re-configuring the entire system just to bring something in over firewire. I normally work in Beta SP via component capture on the Io. As you know, the AJA box really doesn't like any other firewire devices plugged into its bus. So I've been playing with a device called the SD-Connect from Convergent Design. Hook the DSR-11 into the SD-Connect, hook the SD-Connect up to the AJA box, and the SD-Connect will convert the 1394 signal into SDI and embed the audio into the SDI stream on the fly. Sounds great but I haven't worked out the deck control in FCP yet. I have been able to get the SD-Connect to read time code off of the DSR-11, though.

The other reason to do this is you get to capture DV in 10-bit uncompressed. AJA's 10-bit uncompressed codec is way WAY cleaner than the DV codec. DV footage captured on my DVX-100a looks extraordinary when encoded in the 10-bit codec.

If I get it all working, I'll have an uncompressed SDI solution for my DSR-11 for about $1400 bucks. Not bad! I'm not trying to sell SD-Connect boxes or anything. The interface on the box is horrible, and setup has taken me weeks just to get this far. But I'll post more about this as the project advances.

cheers,
-mjd