Multibridge Eclipse unstable HD-SDI output when in FCP "Edit to Tape"
by Steve Herring
on
May 22, 2009 at 11:25:32 pm
Hey everyone,
I've had a support request open with Blackmagic since the beginning of March regarding this issue, and I'm hoping someone else can confirm/deny the existence of our little problem.
We have a Multibridge Eclipse connected to an 8-core Mac Pro. We had been steadily upgrading firmware/drivers as they were released to get the latest features offered by BM. When we switched to the 7.x.x Multibridge drivers, the output of the Eclipse became unstable when in an HD project and the "edit to tape" window was open in FCP. After some consultation with Blackmagic, we did an RMA of the hardware, and after swapping Eclipse hardware the problem was still present.
On a lark, we switched back to the 6.7.1 Multibridge drivers, and the problem went away. Switching back to 7.x.x and the problem returns. Is anyone else experiencing this behavior?
To replicate, open an HD project in FCP, have a timeline ready, open the "Edit to Tape" window, and watch the HD-SDI output become very unstable. It's so bad when connected to one of our HDCam SRW-5500 decks that the deck flips into a "drum error" mode where a hard-reset of the deck is required. Connecting the output directly to an HD CRT monitor gives a very unstable picture with a very high frequency whine and constant switching noise as the monitor tries to lock to the incoming signal. Interestingly, if you can manage to get FCP to go into "edit" with this problem, the output stabilizes exactly at the the beginning edit.
Re: Multibridge Eclipse unstable HD-SDI output when in FCP "Edit to Tape" by Baz Leffler on May 23, 2009 at 2:45:31 am
Just a guess Steve but its not a 'reference' issue somewhere in your signal path? Maybe there was some software changes made in the 7.x.x drivers that invoked a feature which brought to life a little wiring error you may have had in your setup... as I said, just a guess....
Re: Multibridge Eclipse unstable HD-SDI output when in FCP "Edit to Tape" by Steve Herring on May 26, 2009 at 2:40:00 am
Hello Baz,
I highly doubt it to be a reference issue. We have house SD/black running to lots of gear that is stable all day/week long. For off-brand framerates/frequencies, we have a tri-level generator set to an appropriate matching sync (ie. 1080/23.976). Wiring/setup on these types of things is not that complicated for a 1080/59.94i output. If I take the HD-SDI output directly out of the Multibridge while the "Edit to tape" window is open, and patch that directly into a Sony BVM-D14H5U's HD-SDI input, the CRT screams a horrible pitch, and you can hear the input clicking trying to lock to a signal that is not stable. Monitors generally don't care about or need reference to operate properly.
Just curious Baz, but does this mean that you have a Multibridge Eclipse with the latest drivers running with "Edit to Tape" in FCP working just fine for you? What deck(s) do you output to most frequently? We have two Sony HDCam SRW-5500's and a Panasonic AJ-HD1400.
Re: Multibridge Eclipse unstable HD-SDI output when in FCP "Edit to Tape" by Baz Leffler on May 29, 2009 at 6:04:50 am
[Steve Herring]"Just curious Baz, but does this mean that you have a Multibridge Eclipse with the latest drivers running with "Edit to Tape" in FCP working just fine for you? What deck(s) do you output to most frequently? We have two Sony HDCam SRW-5500's and a Panasonic AJ-HD1400."
Hey Steve - I have the Multibridge Eclispe connected to a PC running Premiere CS4.
I did have it connected to a Octocore MacPro but not with the latest drivers. I have a Multibridge Extreme on the Mac system now with the latest drivers and no problems given that the drivers are the same for both boxes.
I connect them to our HDW1800 HDCAM decks but I have to be careful sometimes with the reference the deck is receiving and can get similar result to what you report if the deck locks to incoming SDI (the multibridge) and the Multibridge has the capture window open connected to the deck (they are trying to lock to each other).
