Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time?

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Ramona Howard on Aug 17, 2005 at 12:40:10 am Most don't know that the AJA products were the first boards used by ILM and many manufactures like myself are using them in our products and better yet they support any board I need to use. A $2500 board that does everything the K2 does a few short years ago would have cost upwards of $10,000(in fact the OEM Dual Link boards did)so you should really be asking not will the board be around but what else can they come up with. Will the boards ever be consider outdated? yes, when AJA releases the next awesome product but with this board you should be set for a while. Remember you are getting a proven product here. This is not a company that just started doing this. We have been working with AJA on HD for about 5 years now and working on Dual Link HD for at least 2 of those and every card is better than the last. Best of luck, Ramona My $.02 Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Bob Zelin on Aug 17, 2005 at 2:22:43 am George - if the Kona 2 only was around for ONE YEAR (it's already been 2 years, and it ain't going away any time soon) - but if it was for only ONE YEAR - wouldn't you make your money back over and over again on such an inexpensive product. If the cost of doing business was only $2500 per year - wouldn't that be CHEAP ????? What if you owned an AVID or Discreet product? Do you know how much that costs to keep running EVERY YEAR. One year of AVID assurance (the ability to call them, ask questions, and get software updates) is about $4000. Doesnt't his make the Kona 2 seem practically free? George - you should be asking a MUCH MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION - will the MAC G5 stand the test of time. Will the MAC G5 exist in late 2006 ???? Bob Zelin Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Walter Biscardi on Aug 17, 2005 at 12:40:25 pm [Bob Zelin] "George - you should be asking a MUCH MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION - will the MAC G5 stand the test of time. Will the MAC G5 exist in late 2006 ????" Bob, I think you pretty much answered the question in your own post. If you use the machine for one year, it should have paid for itself several times over. In four years I have gone through 4 different Mac machines so as long as I get one to two years out of any Mac, I'm happy. As for the Kona 2, I switched from CineWave back in April 2004 when it was obvious from Pinnacle's booth at NAB that CineWave was going away. At only $2,000 for an HD / SD card complete with the HD I/O, just one job pays for the product. Heck for the price of a CineWave with an HD BOB, I could set up 3 Kona 2 workstations. Technology changes, the Kona line will most likely evolve over the years, but as a company, AJA is building solid products and they have a solid relationship with Apple so I feel very confident using their products today and recommending them to anyone moving to FCP. Walter Biscardi, Jr. Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media http://www.biscardicreative.com Now in Production, "The Rough Cut," http://www.theroughcutmovie.com "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" - Adam Savage, Mythbusters Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by gary adcock on Aug 17, 2005 at 2:00:47 pm [Walter Biscardi] "Heck for the price of a CineWave with an HD BOB, I could set up 3 Kona 2 workstations. Technology changes, the Kona line will to" I am going to jump in on this also, I set up my first HD suite using a Kona HD Card in 2002, the card at that time carried a retail price of something like $24,999.00. The 1.25 T of storage (160W-SCSI) ran something like $85K. The final cost of the complete suite was about $225,000 and I did not yet even own an HD Tape Deck. Fast forward to today. I carry that same set up now in 3 cases ( G5, Kona2 Card,K-box, 2T SCSI storage, Cinema Display) - in short everything but an HD deck for less than $25,000.00! I was offered discounted pricing to purchase the new board for over 1 year. AJA even allowed me to keep my old HD board if I wanted. They did everything they could to make sure that as a previous customer, I stayed on as a return customer when they migrated their hardware. gary adcock Studio37 HD and Film Consultation Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Walter Biscardi on Aug 17, 2005 at 2:05:02 pm [gary adcock] "They did everything they could to make sure that as a previous customer, I stayed on as a return customer when they migrated their hardware." That's really all you can ask of a company and their track record is hard to beat. Walter Biscardi, Jr. Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media http://www.biscardicreative.com Now in Production, "The Rough Cut," http://www.theroughcutmovie.com Now editing "Good Eats" in HD for the Food Network "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" - Adam Savage, Mythbusters Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Jared on Aug 17, 2005 at 3:47:49 pm I agree AJA has great support! Several years ago when I decided to start my own post house, I had never heard of AJA and never used FCP. When I took the leap and bought FCP with an Kona SD board I did not know what to expect. All I can say is that I have been in pure bliss since. The decision to go with the Kona was probably one of the best I have ever made. Currently there are what, about 2 other options for FCP (as far as cards). While I believe they they are good options (and will also probably be around for at least a little while) but none really compare to the ease and functionality of the Kona 2. Personally I see it as the only contender out there, but that is just what I think. Jared Idea Spring Editing, Inc. Denver Final Cut Pro UG Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by David Battistella on Aug 17, 2005 at 4:04:52 pm As a recent owener of AJA products I have to say that the support is very, very impressive. Though I have recieved great support over the years at Aurora Video systems too :). I wish these companies could get together, I think it would be an awesome match! I was blown away by the professionalism and responsiveness from AJA when I had a tiny problem out of the gate. Really top shelf service, the kind nobody would expect and rarely recieves. I think that is why I went with AJA over decklink HD products, the experiences I had heard from AJA users. The products are well thought out and the system has been very sable. Hats off to AJA. The KONA 22 on a G5 is as long a term investment as you can buy for FCP right now. David Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Walter Biscardi on Aug 17, 2005 at 5:41:33 pm [David Battistella] "The KONA 22 on a G5 is as long a term investment as you can buy for FCP right now." Wooooooo, you got the Kona 22? WOW! That's the one with the special 450 GTO Rendering Engine in it, right? Wooooo, baby, that thing probably smokes the 1/4 mile! Sorry David, couldn't resist. Typos, you gotta love em! :-) Walter Biscardi, Jr. Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media http://www.biscardicreative.com Now in Production, "The Rough Cut," http://www.theroughcutmovie.com Now editing "Good Eats" in HD for the Food Network "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" - Adam Savage, Mythbusters Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by David Battistella on Aug 17, 2005 at 7:16:42 pm Sorry walter, I obviously meant a KONA 22 on a G55. You know the quad pentium processor G55 that Apple is releaseing next year. :) David Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by Walter Biscardi on Aug 17, 2005 at 10:42:46 pm [David Battistella] "I obviously meant a KONA 22 on a G55. You know the quad pentium processor G55 that Apple is releaseing next year." Aw DUDE! You're making some serious dough over there if you got the Kona 22 AND the G55. Whew, I'm betting the girls just line up when you take for a spin. And speaking of spin, you did get the spinners for the tires right? I mean, a G55 with normal hubcaps, that just ain't right. Walter Biscardi, Jr. Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media http://www.biscardicreative.com Now in Production, "The Rough Cut," http://www.theroughcutmovie.com Now editing "Good Eats" in HD for the Food Network "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" - Adam Savage, Mythbusters Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Kona 2 - Will it stand the test of time? by David Battistella on Aug 18, 2005 at 11:14:32 am Yes walter, I got the full "bling bling" package with this g55 and a free ipod that captures HD footage too. It;s called the ipod U2_HighDefjam. You will only see it on "Pimp my ride", "Overhaulin'" and at select NASCAR races. David Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index