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All bits are not created equal!
There is some serious discussion in the professional video editing community lately about 8-bit vs. 10-bit capture cards and the quality one can expect from such hardware solutions. While some vendors claim that the issue is irrelevant and solved by software or other means, it has become confusing to many who want and need high-end capabilites. While such a controversy makes for good afternoon conversation the fact of the matter is 8-bits will never be as good as 10-bits – period!
For professionals it is imperative that only the highest quality product be used for their projects especially for broadcast work. No professional can afford to come up short when delivering the final product to a client and have him or her unsatisfied with the work. In order to get the best results, one must always start with the highest quality possible and carry it through the entire project until completion. For many editors using 8-bit cards this has become a daunting task as they struggle with hardware and software options to ensure they don’t get noticeable contouring or banding for example.
Fortunately, there is a solution on the market that delivers true10-bit broadcast quality capture and output at an affordable price. The D1 Desktop 64 series of capture cards manufactured by DigitalVoodoo delivers everything in one incredible package ensuring editors get it right the first time and every time after that!
Breathtaking quality:
So why the big deal? Well, it’s all in the numbers. 8-bit video yields a maximum of only 254 video levels and can lead to visible image contouring. D1 Desktop 64’s full 10-bit allows over 1,000 separate video levels, eliminating contouring altogether. The reason? 8-bit video when transferred to 8-bit RGB Mac applications can suffer from double rounding during colorspace conversion. Pixel calculations that are rounded up on the way in can be rounded up again on the way out. This “double step” shows up as a contour, or banding in the image. 10-bit provides greater precision and a clean conversion that eliminates double rounding which are the causes of image contours and banding.
At true 10-bit and uncompressed, the D1 Desktop 64 video quality is simply stunning and needs to be seen to truly appreciate. Since10-bit eliminates scaling problems when working with 8-bit RGB based Mac applications by allowing for cleaner processing, killing those contouring horrors is a walk in the park. Combining this with internal 4:4:4:4 processing at a wide 32-bits precision, the D1 Desktop is simply the highest quality QuickTime™ card on the planet. Matching this high quality video, the D1 Desktop 64AV integrates the most beautiful audio features ever seen on a video product: 6 channels of incredible quality AES/EBU digital audio at the television sampling rat of 48khz, an absolute necessity for 5.1 surround sound editing. Quantizing is done at the deepest 24-bits, or can be rounded to 20-bits and the more common 16-bits. Although QuickTime™ currently only supports 2 channels of audio, your D1 Desktop 64AV is 5.1 surround sound ready.
Furthermore, the D1 Desktop 64 combines the power of real-time uncompressed capture and playback of SMPTE-259M SDI video with the flexibility of QuickTime™, ensuring compatibility with applications such as Apple Final Cut Pro™, Discreet Combustion™, Adobe After Effects™ and Adobe Photoshop™ at a quality never seen before on the desktop. All this adds up to the freedom to use whatever application’s best suited to the task.
Apple Final Cut Pro™ is fully compatible with the D1 Desktop 64AV raising this powerful editing application to new heights of quality. Batch capture EDL’s from the SDI input of D1 Desktop 64AV from within the Final Cut Pro™ application itself, and all timeline edits play directly out of the D1 Desktop 64AV output. Final Cut Pro’s™ reference movie feature allows edits to be instantly dropped into other applications for effects compositing or compression for the web. Adobe Photoshop™ images can be opened with all layers placed on separate timeline layers for animation. All this adds up to an extremely powerful combination and is the reason so many high end users say that after moving to D1 Desktop 64AV with Apple Final Cut Pro™ they can never look back.
Thousands of users worldwide are using the D1 Desktop 64’s awesome features and unsurpassed 10-bit video capture and playback to produce mind-boggling work. The latest generation of D1 Desktop 64 series of PCI QuickTime™ video cards feature 6 channels of AES/EBU digital audio, allowing the D1 Desktop 64 to extend its lead over any would be competition. With all of these features one would be lead to believe that such power and quality is well out of reach for all but the most prosperous production houses. The good news, it’s the best deal on the planet!
Revolutionary low price:
If you are working on a tight budget, no problem! The D1 Desktop 64’s revolutionary custom chip combines the perfect blend of high quality design with a price you can afford. Shatter old conventions of creative workflow as now each creative operator in your facility can have their own system. No more playing musical chairs!
Three models to choose from:
D1 Desktop 64AV: This product combines video and audio onto the single card to make the perfect match for Final Cut Pro™ editing solutions. Coupled with the monitor view and the included Media Transfer, it is just as powerful as a compositing and paint tool. D1 Desktop 64AV US$3,495
The D1 Desktop 64: By replacing the audio features of the AV model with a dual SDI output for simultaneous video and key output, this option is a great solution for broadcast applications. D1 Desktop 64 US$3,995
D1 Desktop 64 Lite: This card features the same powerful capabilities as the full D1 Desktop 64 model, but excludes the SDI input for a much lower cost. The D1 Desktop 64 Lite makes a fantastic low cost paint system, or broadcast presentation tool because of its 10-Bit key output. D1 Desktop 64 Lite drastically reduces overall system costs when building creative workgroups based on storage area networks. D1 Desktop 64 Lite US$1,495
So what are you waiting for?
If you’re a serious professional video editor and you need a machine capable of capturing 10-bit uncompressed, you need a G4 Desktop turnkey system with the DigitalVoodoo D1 Desktop 64AV offering 4 times better quality than systems costing thousands more! Filamandvideo.com has D1 Desktop 64 options available now. Own a complete 10-bit uncompressed system for under $30,000 and become a believer or, spend twice as much on a competing system with comparable quality – it’s your money. If you would like a demonstration or have questions relating to the D1 Desktop 64 please call use at 602.212.0616. We’re here to make your editing a prosperous and affordable proposition!
User Community: Have an article idea or interested in writing for filmandvideo.com? Drop us a note at info@filmandvideo.com and tell us what’s on your mind! After all, we’re a community of professionals. We share together, we learn together.
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Turnkey editing power was never so affordable. Version 3.0 combined with the powerful G4 Desktop is truly amazing!
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