Kona 2 vs Decklink

hey there,

trying to wade through al the marketing hype surrounding both of these great products.

is there a blow for blow comparison of the Kona 2 and the decklink equivilent?

so far it seems blackmagic may have the edge on speed of driver releases and bug fixes

any thoughts welcome


G5 DP 2.0
2.0G RAM
OS 10.3.8
QT 6.5.2
FCP HD 4.5
CineWave 4.7
Cinewave RT Pro
Pro Digital Plus & Pro Analogue BOB

I'd suggest that you read the two forums here and see where "more problems lie" between the two too. That should be an honest evaluation method.

Jerry

Apple Certified Trainer

Author: "Jerry Hofmann on Final Cut Pro 4" Click here

Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D

[paul nevison] "so far it seems blackmagic may have the edge on speed of driver releases and bug fixes"


Actually, AJA is releasing a new driver update every few months and they are adding more fuctionality with each release it seems. I tried a Decklink HD Pro and the Kona 2 and went with the Kona 2. In fact we now have two Kona 2 suites. Just can't beat the quality of the product and the quality of tech support after the sale.

Coming from CineWave you may want to look at the LH as this supports both Analog and Digital I/O. What you give up vs. the Kona 2 is SD to HD Up-convert and 4:4:4 dual link HD. Or you could do what I did and add an Io LA to the system for analog I/O. I use the Up-convert feature all the time now so it's pretty important to our workflow.

I used the CineWave for a little over two years and left that platform after seeing the writing on the wall at NAB 2004. The Kona series is just outstanding as a replacement and you get the added benefit of HD being right on board without the need for any BOB's.

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

G5 Dual 2.0, AJA Kona 2, Medea FCR2X

[paul nevison] "
Walter i know you have already answered this once before - but my brain is swimming in all the advice and research ive been doing. As far as legacy Cinewave clips are concerned can the Kona handle them? I know the decklink HD Pro can handle the old cinewave codec."


Setting up a Sequence with the Kona 2Vuy codec will allow you to play CineWave files in the timeline. I've not ever done this as I have zero CineWave legacy files around here and haven't had the need for it. But that's what the codec is pretty much there for.

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

G5 Dual 2.0, AJA Kona 2, Medea FCR2X

An OEM insight......

I would like to add that the AJA products continue to be at the front of the pack when it comes to a solid foundation for digital images!

We have never had to settle with these products and they have always proven to be a well engineered product. We look forward to every new board release because we know they won't give up quality to get the new features we need.


Cheers,
Ramona