AJA KONA LHe Operation Manual
www.aja.com
Installation and Operation
Guide
Because it matters.
Published: 5/4/11
ii
Trademarks
®
AJA
, KONA
and Io
Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, FireWire and Macintosh are registered
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Final Cut Pro, QuickTime and the QuickTime Logo are
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. TASCAM is a registered trademark of TEAC Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Notice
Copyright © 2011 AJA Video, Inc. All rights reserved. All information in this manual is subject
to change without notice. No part of the document may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording,
without the express written permission of AJA Inc.
FCC Emission Information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential
area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct
the interference at his own expense. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by
AJA Video can effect emission compliance and could void the user’s authority to operate
this equipment.
®
, Ki Pro® and XENA
™
are trademarks of AJA Video, Inc.
®
are registered trademarks of AJA Video, Inc. Ki Pro™, Io HD
™
Contacting Support
To contact AJA Video for sales or support, use any of the following methods:
180 Litton Drive, Grass Valley, CA. 95945 USA
Telephone: 800.251.4224 or 530.274.2048
Fax: 530.274.9442
Web: http://www.aja.com
Support Email: support@aja.com
Sales Email: sales@aja.com
When calling for support, first read the Chapter on Troubleshooting at the back of this
manual. You can often save time and effort by looking there first for simple remedies and
information on how to get support from AJA and Apple Computer Inc.
Limited Warranty
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Limited Warranty
AJA Video warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and
workmanship for a period of three years from the date of purchase. If a product proves
to be defective during this warranty period, AJA Video, at its option, will either repair
the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement
in exchange for the defective product.
In order to obtain service under this warranty, you the Customer, must notify AJA Video
of the defect before the expiration of the warranty period and make suitable
arrangements for the performance of service. The Customer shall be responsible for
packaging and shipping the defective product to a designated service center
nominated by AJA Video, with shipping charges prepaid. AJA Video shall pay for the
return of the product to the Customer if the shipment is to a location within the
country in which the AJA Video service center is located. Customer shall be responsible
for paying all shipping charges, insurance, duties, taxes, and any other charges for
products returned to any other locations.
This warranty shall not apply to any defect, failure or damage caused by improper use
or improper or inadequate maintenance and care. AJA Video shall not be obligated to
furnish service under this warranty a) to repair damage resulting from attempts by
personnel other than AJA Video representatives to install, repair or service the product,
b) to repair damage resulting from improper use or connection to incompatible
equipment, c) to repair any damage or malfunction caused by the use of non-AJA Video
parts or supplies, or d) to service a product that has been modified or integrated with
other products when the effect of such a modification or integration increases the time
or difficulty of servicing the product.
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iii
THIS WARRANTY IS GIVEN BY AJA VIDEO IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED. AJA VIDEO AND ITS VENDORS DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AJA VIDEO’S
RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS IS THE WHOLE AND
EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED TO THE CUSTOMER FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER AJA VIDEO OR
THE VENDOR HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
FCC Emission Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Contacting Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
KONA LHe Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What’s In The Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Minimum and Recommended System and Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Understanding Disk Storage Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About RAIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Software For Striping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Storage capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using the Breakout Cable and 3 BNCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using KL-box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
About BNC Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connector Descriptions—Cables and KL-box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SDI Input and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Channel Digital AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Analog 2 Channel Balanced Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Analog 2 Channel Unbalanced Audio (KL-box only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
RS422 Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Analog Monitor Out (Component/Composite HD/SD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Reference Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
In This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1
1
Chapter 2: Getting Started—WorkflowKONA LHe And Your Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Understanding Typical Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
PhotoJPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
DV (DV25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
DV50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
DVCPRO HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Apple ProRes 422 and Apple ProRes 422 HQ (SD or HD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Uncompressed 8-bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Uncompressed 10-bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Mixing and Matching Formats in Final Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 3: Installation
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Shipping Box Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Installing the KONA LHe Card in a Mac Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Installing the KONA LHe Card in a G5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Cabling the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
System Video/Audio Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
System Cabling When Using The Breakout Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Typical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Installing KONA LHe Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Software Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2
Genlock and Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 4: Final Cut Pro and Other Application Software
Final Cut Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using The KONA LHe Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Control Panel Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Control Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Control Tab Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Formats Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Format Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Input Select Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Input Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Proc Amp Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
SDI Output Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
SDI Output Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Analog Out Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Analog Out Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Video Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Setup Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Audio Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Audio Setup Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Conversion Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Conversion Tab Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
DS Keyer Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
DS Keyer Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Timecode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Timecode Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Timelapse Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Info Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Saving Your Control Panel Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Who is Controlling KONA LHe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
QuickTime Application—1st Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Mac Desktop Video—2nd Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
KONA Control Panel—3rd Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Control Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Using Multiple AJA Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Notes on using multiple AJA Products: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Easy Setups for Typical Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Easy Setups Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Easy Setups For Use With KONA LHe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Audio/Video Settings Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
To Create A New Easy Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
The Sequence Presets Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Checking the System with a Simple Test Project of Bars and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Using 8-bit Versus 10-bit Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Chapter 5: Troubleshooting
If You Run Into Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Updating Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Apple Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Appendix A: Specifications
Appendix B: Glossary
Chapter 1: Introduction
Edge Shot Photo Here
Overview
Features
Hardware
The AJA KONA LHe brings the highest quality HD, SD and analog video/audio to an Apple Mac
Pro or G5 Mac running Final Cut Pro software. KONA LHe digital and analog interfaces are very
high quality. KONA LHe supports 8 and 10 bit uncompressed video, DV25 and DV50 using the
DVCPRO codec, and JPEG—all on an Apple Mac Pro or G5. DVCProHD, HDV, and Apple RT
Extreme are all supported—and even accelerated by onboard hardware. Using superb 12 bit
video A/D and D/A converters, analog formats like BetaCam SP also look excellent. In addition
to high quality video, KONA LHe also supports balanced analog, AES/EBU, and embedded
audio I/O, all at 24 bits and 48Khz. For simplified system integration, KONA LHe includes
hardware sample-rate conversion for AES inputs (eliminating annoying synchronization
hassles)—and RS-422 machine control.
The KONA LHe card offers a large number of unique features for optimum quality, ease of use,
and support for a wide variety of workflows and environments. KONA LHe provides flexible
standard definition and high definition capture and playback, a hardware downconverter for
working in mixed SD/HD environments—and it supports both analog and digital audio/video
I/O.
•
10-bit uncompressed SD/HD QuickTime capture card
12-bit HD Analog Component I/O
•
•
12-bit SD Analog Component/Composite/S-Video I/O
10-bit hardware HD-to-SD downconversion
•
•
DVCProHD hardware acceleration
HDV hardware acceleration
•
1
1
1
2
•
Dynamic RT Extreme hardware acceleration
•
SDI or HD-SDI Input, 2 independent SDI/HD-SDI outputs
•
2-channel analog balanced XLR audio I/O
2-channel AES XLR audio I/O
•
•
8-channel SDI embedded audio I/O
HD/SD genlock on analog video inputs
•
•
RS-422 Machine Control
Final Cut Pro, Motion, After Effects, Combustion, and more
•
•
Cables standard
Optional KL-box Breakout Box—provides rack mounting and flexible
•
easy I/O (KL-box cabling is included with the KL-box). When ordering, specify a KL-box
for the KONA LH since it uses a unique cable.
•
3-year warranty
KONA LHe Audio
KONA LHe supports 2-channel 24-bit 48kHz AES audio via XLR connections, and 8 channel
embedded 24 bit 48kHz audio over the same single SDI connection as the video. If you are
using a digital deck—you’ll have the proper connections to the deck.
Software
For analog audio, KONA LHe provides two-channel balanced audio input and output. If you
purchase the optional KL-Box breakout box, you also get two-channel unbalanced audio
output (RCA jacks).
KONA LHe also features AES input sample rate conversion; this feature eliminates the
requirement for audio source synchronization. Sample rate converters auto-lock to any AES
input, 32-96KHz, and then convert it to 24 bit 48KHz audio, perfectly locked to internal
KONA LHe video. Sample rate conversion is done at very high quality (over 120db THD).e
KONA LHe control panel for source selection and controlling KONA LHe within the
•
overall MacOS environment (Macintosh Desktop, Input Pass through, and more).
•
AJA QuickTime™ drivers for tightly integrated hardware/software operation.
Supports all popular standard definition formats: 8/10 bit uncompressed, JPEG, DV25/
•
50, and 3:2 pulldown for 24Hz support.
•
Support for Apple Final Cut Pro™ (application software not included).
•
Support for After Effects, Combustion, Motion, and Other Applications
(application software not included).
AJA’s KONA LHe software and hardware were developed for use with Final Cut Pro for
powerful integrated video/audio capture, editing, and video production. With an Apple
Mac Pro, FCP, and KONA LHe, you have an ideal high-quality cost-effective system for
standard definition, high definition, and analog video production workflows. Software is
supplied on CD, including the KONA LHe Control Panel, drivers for the card itself, and all files
necessary for Final Cut Pro and other application support (Final Cut Pro software application
not included).
What’s In The Box?
When you unpack your AJA KONA LHe, you’ll find the following components:
AJA KONA LHe Software and Documentation CD-ROM—this CD contains the software
•
installer to place KONA LHe drivers and the Control Panel on an Apple Power Mac.
Install the software as discussed in this manual in Chapter 3: Installation and
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — What’s In The Box?
Configuration. The CD also contains a wide variety of useful information, including
this manual you’re reading (PDF format).
•
KONA LHe PCI Express card.
Cable, KONA LHe Standard Breakout, with Analog video, audio, AES, Reference
•
Input, and RS-422 Machine Control. SD-SDI and HD-SDI In/Out connectors are on
the LHe card itself.
•
Read Me First Notice—Contains late-breaking news and/or errata related to KONA
LHe and the documentation.
Registration Sheet—allows you to register your card by mail or online (details
•
provided).
Please save all packaging for shipping the KONA LHe should you wish to do so when
moving or sending it in for service.
Installation Software CD
Read Me First Notice
and Registration Sheets
AJA KONA LH or
LHe Card
(KONA LH shown)
Installation and Operation Manual
in electronic form on the CD (PDF)
1
3
Standard Cable
KONA LH Breakout Cable
KONA LHe Shipping Box Contents
4
System Requirements
AJA Video recommends that your system meet minimum hardware and software
requirements to achieve a satisfactory level of performance when operating it. Here, we
provide minimum and recommended requirements and then discuss disk storage issues
that should be understood for proper system configuration.
Minimum and
Recommended
System and
Software
Requirements
Item Recommended
Recommended Kona Driver for
Mac OSX and Final Cut Pro:
Note:
release notes for the AJA
software version you are
running (included with
installer)
Macintosh Tower:
The following table outlines the system hardware and software needed.
always consult the
FCP 7.0.x - KONA driver version 9.0.1 (Snow Leopard and
Leopard OS compatible version)
FCP 7.0.x - KONA driver version 7.5.1 (Snow Leopard and
Leopard OS compatible version)
FCP 7.0.x - KONA driver version 7.1 (Snow Leopard and
Leopard OS compatible version)
FCP 7.0.x - KONA driver version 7.0 (Snow Leopard and
Leopard OS compatible version)
FCP 7.0.x - KONA driver version 6.5 (Leopard OS compatible
version)
FCP 6.0.x - KONA driver version 6.0.3 (Leopard and Tiger OS
compatible version)
For the latest appropriate match for your software and
hardware, visit:
http://www.aja.com/support/konaNEW/kona-lhe-lh.php
Recommended KONA LHe System: Apple Mac Pro with
Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processors (2 GHz or better) with a
minimum of 2GB RAM for uncompressed SD or 4GB RAM for
uncompressed HD. Use a Fibre Channel or SCSI external
RAID for uncompressed SD/HD storage.
Internal Storage (SATA inside
Mac):
External Storage:
Note:
see Storage Methods
topic that follows later in this
Chapter
Minimum KONA LHe System: Power Mac G5 (dual) PCI-
Express, 2GHz with 2GB RAM minimum for uncompressed SD
or 4GB RAM for uncompressed HD. Ensure your Macintosh
has a PCI-Express slot for compatibility. Use a Fibre Channel
or SCSI external RAID for uncompressed SD/HD storage.
Slot Placement: Visit our website and view this regularly
updated slot placement document:
http://www.aja.com/support/kona/kona-systemconfiguration.php
Best suited for compressed SD/HD formats only
Ideally a RAID configuration with Fibre Channel or SCSI
connection to the Mac via qualified host bus adapter
Understanding Disk
Storage Methods
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — System Requirements
The KONA LHe card, an Apple Power Mac, and Final Cut Pro, together offer an unprecedented
level of features and performance for all Video/Audio production applications. However, to
ensure performance and quality, the disk storage system used with the Apple Power Mac must
be able to meet the demands of storing realtime uncompressed media. At the very minimum,
the disk storage system must be able to provide and maintain a consistent 50 MB/s transfer rate
from the Power Mac to disk (read/write). There are a variety of system configurations and
peripherals that can provide this level of performance. Possible system configurations are listed
following:
Storage Method Features/Limitations Cost
Xserve RAID Features up to 14 ATA/100
External ATA/IDE or SCSI
RAID
drive channels, dual
independent RAID controllers,
and a dual 2Gb Fibre Channel
host interface. Xserve provides
up to 5.6TB of storage with
throughput of up to 400
megabytes per second.
Scalable. Performance almost
as good as Xserve, although it
can be more complex to set up
and maintain. Many vendors
offer solutions (too many to list
here; check with your Apple
dealer for SCSI Storage
solutions for details). Although
the connection to the external
RAID chassis is SCSI, the
drives themselves may be
SCSI or ATA. A pure SCSI
array will offer higher
performance at a higher cost.
Expensive, although
the cost per
1
gigabyte is excellent
when large storage
is needed
Moderately
Expensive
5
About RAIDs
Redundant Array of Independent Disks, or RAID, is a group of hard drives that appears to the
host Power Mac as a single high-speed storage unit. RAID systems enable you to increase
storage capacity and get the performance, reliability, and data protection needed for video
production, but not possible from a single hard drive. RAID drives inside the array operate
simultaneously, increasing overall throughput. RAID technology is comprised of these
techniques (some or all):
•
Striping data across multiple drives for storage performance (RAID 0).
Mirroring for redundancy (RAID 1).
•
•
Parity for data protection (RAID 5 [plus others]).
Most RAID configurations, or RAID levels, combine these to provide a balance of protection and
performance.
Striping divides a logical drive into data blocks, or stripes, that are distributed across an array of
physical drives. Striping a set of disks improves storage performance because each drive
operates concurrently. However, striping alone, known as RAID level 0, offers no data protection.
Mirroring involves writing identical copies of all data to a pair of physical drives. This results in
very high data reliability: If one drive fails, the data is still available on the remaining disk drive.
However, it also results in a storage efficiency of only 50 percent, because two physical drives are
required to achieve a single drive’s capacity. Mirroring alone is known as RAID level 1.
Parity provides data protection without requiring complete duplication of the drive contents. In
the event of a drive failure, parity information can be used with data on surviving drives to
reconstruct the contents of a failed drive. Parity data can be stored on a dedicated drive, as in
6
RAID 3, or distributed across an array of drives, as in RAID 5. Parity provides much greater
storage efficiency than mirroring—up to 85 percent for a set of seven drives.
Software For Striping
AJA recommends the Disk Utility software provided by Apple with OS X for creating and
striping RAIDs, including 3rd-party, SCSI, and Xserve RAIDs. It is very easy to use and has been
tested to work well. The utility can be found in Macintosh HD/Applications/Utilities, where
“Macintosh HD” is the name of the system drive.
Storage capacity
No matter which storage system you choose, pick one that can scale to meet your needs over
time. Ideally, you should be able to increase storage capacity or switch to a RAID level offering
increased data protection in the future. Balance current and future storage needs with your
budget and choose accordingly.
FORMAT
10 bit Uncompressed
Standard Definition
8 bit Uncompressed
Standard Definition
DV50 Standard Definition 6.3 23 43.4
DV25 Standard Definition 3.1 11 90.0
Photo JPEG
Standard Definition
8-bit Uncompressed 1080i
@59.94/60Hz
10-bit Uncompressed
1080i@59.94/60Hz
8-bit Uncompressed 1080i @50Hz 104 373 2.7
10-bit Uncompressed
1080i@50Hz
8-bit Uncompressed
1080psf@23.98/24Hz
10-bit Uncompressed
1080psf@23.98/24Hz
Transfer Rate in
MB/sec
28 101 9.9
21 76 13.1
2.5 9 111
124 448 2.2
166 597 1.7
138 498 2.0
100 358 2.8
133 478 2.1
Storage
Requirement in
GB/Hour
Hours of Storage
Per Terabyte of
Disk
8-bit Uncompressed 720p@59.94/
60Hz
10-bit Uncompressed
720p@59.94/60Hz
DVCPRO HD 12.5 45 22.2
MB = MegaBytes
GB = GigaBytes
100 358 2.8
133 478 2.1
for uncompressed formats, PAL and NTSC transfer rates and storage requirements are about
the same because PAL has a lower frame rate, but more lines.
Cable Connections
Using the Breakout
Cable and 3 BNCs
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Cable Connections
KONA LHe offers unsurpassed cable connectivity for a video/audio capture card. Connections
are made via a supplied breakout cable and three BNCs on the KONA LHe Card endplate.
The breakout cable supports:
• Reference Input (BNC)
• Component/Composite/S Video Input (3x BNC)
• Component/Composite/S Video Output (3x BNC)
• AES In (2x XLR)
• AES Out (2x XLR)
• Balanced Audio In (2x XLR)
• Balanced Audio Out (2x XLR)
• RS-422 Machine Control (9 pin D)
The three BNCs on the KONA LH Card endplate additionally provide:
• Standard and High-definition SDI input (BNC)
1
7
• 2 SDI outputs (2x BNC, independent outputs)
60-pin connector
To KONA LH
SD-SDI/HD-SDI
Video/Audio
Reference Input BNC
Balanced Audio
Analog Audio
Channel 1 Input
Analog Audio
Channel 2 Input
Analog Audio
Channel 1 Output
Analog Audio
Channel 2 Output
AES Input
Channels 1 & 2
AES Output
Channels 1 & 2
Analog Video
green
blue
red
green
blue
red
6 BNCs (Analog Connections):
Y/CVBS In BNC
Pb/Y In BNC
Pr/C In BNC
Y/G/CVBS Out BNC
Pb/B/Y Out BNC
Pr/R/C Out BNC
Can be Configured for
RS422
Machine Control
to VTR
(9-pin)
Component,
SDI Input BNC
SDI Output 1 BNC
SDI Output 2 BNC
Composite,
or Y/C
Using KL-box
KONA LHe Breakout Cable
The KL-box attaches to the KONA LHe card via cables that attach to the back of the KL-box.
These cables are supplied with the KL-Box (one 60-pin to 60-pin, and one 3-BNC to 3-BNC).
When you purchase the optional KL-Box, you get two-channel unbalanced audio output (2 RCA
Jacks)—not available with the standard cable.
8
Note: When ordering a KL-Box, ensure that you specify one configured for the KONA LHe.
The KL-Box is also available for the KONA LS and LSe, but uses a different cable set when
ordered for the LS card. Separate AJA part numbers exist for each configuration, so
ensure your dealer supplies you with the correct one.
Balanced Audio In
Channels 1 & 2
About BNC
Connectors
RS422
Machine
Control
Analog Audio
Output
Balanced Audio Out
Channels 1 & 2
AES/EBU Audio
In and Out
Serial
Digital
In
Serial
Digital
Out
Component
External
Reference
(loop)
Component
Composite/
Video In
Composite/
Video Out
AJA KL-box Panel Connectors
Although most video professionals are used to BNC connectors, you may not have seen them
if you’ve been using primarily desktop video equipment. BNC connectors ensure a positive
connection by the act of locking the connectors together via pins in one connector that fit
into slots in the corresponding connector.
To make a BNC connection, slide the cable connector over the panel connector and then
when seated, rotate the barrel of the cable connector 90˚ clockwise until the connectors are
locked together. When properly locked, the cable cannot accidentally be pulled out.
Connector
Descriptions—
Cables and KL-box
Pins (2) on BNC Connector
(connector on KL-box)
Align slots in
cable connector
barrel with connector
pins, then slide it over the pins
and rotate the barrel
to lock the connectors
together
Connectors on the standard cable set are labelled as to their function for easy installation and
maintenance. Similarly, connectors on the optional KL-box are also labelled.
SDI Input and Outputs
BNC connectors are provided on the KONA LH card endplate for one SD-SDI or HD-SDI input
and two SDI outputs (independent of the input). The SDI input and outputs support video and
embedded 24-bit digital audio. Use SDI wherever possible for the best quality 10-bit
uncompressed video input, capture and output. If peripheral equipment has a variety of
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Cable Connections
inputs/outputs, look to see if it has SDI I/O, and use it where possible. Most high-end
professional broadcast equipment supports SDI (VTRs, cameras, media storage servers, etc.).
2 Channel Digital AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs
One female XLR connector is provided for the channel 1 and 2 inputs, while a male XLR
connector carries channel 1 and 2 outputs. AES/EBU signals are handled internally as 24-bit
digital.The optional KL-box also provides XLR audio connections on the front panel.
Note: AES XLR connections are digital and cannot be used with analog equipment having XLR
connectors.
Analog 2 Channel Balanced Audio
Two sets of analog XLR connectors, one for each channel, support balanced audio connections.
Male XLRs are provided for outputs and female XLRs are provided for inputs. Balanced audio
(differential) connections provide better analog audio quality over longer cable runs. Most
professional quality VTRs and audio equipment have XLR style connectors for analog audio.
Analog audio signals are converted internally to 24-bit digital.
1
Analog 2 Channel Unbalanced Audio (KL-box only)
On the KL-box are two analog output connectors, one for each channel. These connectors are
RCA-style phono jacks.
9
RS422 Machine Control
A female DB9 connector on the breakout cable provides connection for VTRs, camcorders, disk
media servers, and other devices using RS422 SMPTE (Sony) protocol. This connector is also
present on the optional KL-box. (Connector pinout is listed in Appendix A: Specifications.)
Analog Monitor Out (Component/Composite HD/SD)
Both the standard I/O cable and the optional KL-Box feature two groups of 3 BNC connectors
(each) for input and output of component, composite and Y/C functions. The signals are labelled
on both the cable and KL-Box connectors.
Component video signals are generally higher quality than composite, but not as high quality as
serial digital (SDI).
A Note About RGB —Although RGB is used less in today’s video systems, KONA LHe supports
it. However, because the KONA LHe (and SMPTE SDI) native format is YPbPr, AJA
recommends the use of YPbPr whenever possible for analog monitoring. Although
component video monitors often have RGB inputs, it’s better to use YPbPr when the
monitor supports it. The YPbPr format provides “headroom” for “superwhite” and
“superblack”—and these video levels will be clipped when transcoding to RGB. Also, the
RGB/YPbPr transcoding involves a level translation that results in mathematical round-off
error. RGB can be configured in the KONA LH Control Panel.
A Note About YPbPr —Component Video, or YPbPr, has been given several names over time.
YUV, Y/R-Y/B-Y, and YCbCr, are just some examples. Although these various formats have
some differences in levels, they are all basically the same. KONA LHe uses the modern
YPbPr terminology exclusively. KONA LH supports three different types of YPbPr: SMPTE/
EBU N10, Betacam (NTSC), and Betacam (NTSC Japan). These three formats differ in level
only and are configured in the KONA LHe Control Panel.
Reference Video
A single BNC on the standard KONA LHe cable—or two BNC connectors on KL-box (it loops
through)—allow you to synchronize KONA LH outputs to your house analog reference video
signal (or black burst). If you have a sync generator or central piece of video equipment to use
for synchronizing other video equipment in your studio, then connect its analog composite
output here. When KONA LHe outputs video it uses this reference signal to lock to. When
connecting a reference video source, the locking signal should be the same format as the
In This Manual
Primary format selected in the KONA LHe Control Panel. It is possible in some circumstances
to use an alternate format video signal as long as the basic frame rate is compatible.
Chapter 1 is the introduction you’re reading, listing features, box contents, and system
requirements.
Chapter 2 gets you started with using KONA LHe in a typical Video environment. Typical
workflows are discussed.
Chapter 3 provides complete instructions for installing and configuring the AJA KONA LHe
card. The user is guided through unpacking, installing the card into a PowerMac, installing
KONA LHe Mac Software From CD, cabling the system and then getting it up and running.
Important configuration information is also provided on video settings and use of genlock/
external reference.
Chapter 4 discusses operational aspects of KONA LHe when used with Final Cut Pro.
Chapter 5 discusses troubleshooting problems with your system and what to do when there’s
a problem you can’t solve.
10
Appendix A presents a list of technical specifications for the product.
The remainder of the manual consists of appendices listing specifications and an index
section to help you rapidly find topics in the manual.
KONA LHe And Your Workflow
There are a lot of ways to think about the video/audio workflow you follow. Your setup might
be categorized as corporate video, professional broadcast, or desktop video. Or the workflow
might be categorized by the type of equipment used rather than the nature of work
produced—many systems these days are a mixture of equipment from high-end professional
to desktop video. This chapter hopes to show how Final Cut Pro and KONA LHe can help fit
into whatever workflow you currently have and make it more efficient.
A Workflow Scenarios diagram on the following page shows types of equipment, sorted by
VTR source, and the types of workflow attributes and KONA LHe applications supported. After
the diagram, we also discuss some typical applications.
Chapter 2: Getting Started
Source Deck Type(s)
Digital SD-SDI or HD-SDI
Examples: Digibeta, DV50, DVCPRO HD,
HD Varicam and DVcam
Analog
Examples: Beta, VHS, and U-matic
Digital capture via Firewire with Output via AJA
KONA LHe. The LHe has Analog HD component in,
which also allows you to bring in HD directly from
an HDV camera head.
Example: MiniDV, HDV
Without even using a deck; use the video monitor
as a second Mac monitor. The KONA LHe
desktop lets you drag graphics from
programs like Adobe Photoshop from
the computer display to the video monitor. You
paint full frame and live onto a broadcast monitor.
Output virtually anything to video—ideal for
animators and compositors.
Workflow Attributes
KONA LHe captures and outputs
SD-SDI/HD-SDI video with embedded
audio. Use high-quality AES/EBU
and/or embedded 8-channel audio
output.
KONA LHe captures and outputs
Y/C, Component, and Composite
Video, with 2-channel audio.
Using standard desktop video
techniques, video/audio is captured
directly from a camcorder or deck.
KONA LHe is used for playing back
captured media and editing/mastering
to tape or DVD using Final Cut 5 HD
and other tools such as After Effects,
Combustion, Apple Motion, etc.
HDV playback is aided by KONA LHe
onboard hardware scalar.
Using Final Cut Pro, work with
a wide range of old and new SD and
analog sources, and then also
using desktop graphics and video
software for creative power and
flexibility.
Applications
Pro Broadcast
Corporate/Industrial
On-site Editing
Corporate/Industrial
Pro Broadcast
On-site Editing
Desktop Video
Corporate/Industrial
On-site Editing
Pro Broadcast
Post-production
Animation
Compositing
Workflow Scenarios
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Understanding Typical Workflows
KONA LHe and Final Cut Pro allow more workflow flexibility than ever before. Users can
independently select different formats for capture and storage media, while also
outputting to an array of analog and digital uncompressed formats—with all outputs active
simultaneously. Capture can range from analog, DV, or SD and HD digital uncompressed.
Media can be stored on disk as:
• offline quality at low bit rates
• on-line quality at moderate bit rates
• or with the highest quality as 8 or 10 bit uncompressed SD and HD
As quality and codecs improve, the lines between offline and online are blurring. For
example, with the Apple ProRes 422 codec, native HD editing in that codec is now possible,
providing very high quality results (true HD editing) at very low data rates.
Following are summaries of the most common workflows, listing data rates and relative
quality levels. Some workflows require a RAID array and some will work using the host Mac’s
internal system drive—it’s noted where this is supported in the following discussions.
PhotoJPEG Data rate: approximately 1-3 MB/second standard definition or high definition—supported
by internal system drive
Quality: Very Good
The Apple PhotoJPEG codec offers an excellent compressed media choice for on-line
quality at low data rates. PhotoJPEG can use the full-raster at 4:2:2 sampling. Final Cut Pro
allows you to adjust quality using a PhotoJPEG control panel. KONA LHe allows for
PhotoJPEG monitoring and/or output in both SD and HD. KONA LHe can capture from
almost any HD or SD input, directly to PhotoJPEG media.
DV (DV25) Data rate: 3.13 MB/second (megabyte/second) standard definition only—supported by
internal system drive
Quality: Good
In this workflow, DV is usually input to a Mac Pro running Final Cut Pro through its FireWire
port. DV offers good quality, but it has lower Chroma resolution when compared to DV50,
JPEG, or uncompressed. You can use KONA LHe to convert DV projects to uncompressed—
in real time—for monitoring and/or output. Alternatively, KONA LHe can capture
uncompressed from any input, directly to DV media.
DV50 Data rate: 6.26 MB/second standard definition only—supported by internal system drive
Quality: Very Good
Like DV25, Final Cut Pro also supports the Panasonic DV50 standard definition codec. DV50
is a 4:2:2 compressed format and therefore has higher chroma resolution when compared
to DV25. Also like DV25, you can use KONA LHe to convert DV50 projects to
uncompressed—in real time—for monitoring and/or output. KONA LHe can capture
uncompressed from any input, directly to DV50 media.
DVCPRO HD Data rate: 12 MB/second high definition—supported by internal system drive
Quality: Excellent
Like DV50, Final Cut Pro also supports the Panasonic DVCPRO HD high definition codec. You
can use KONA LHe to convert DVCPRO HD projects to uncompressed—in real time—for
monitoring and/or output. KONA LHe can capture uncompressed from any input, directly
to DVCPRO HD media. When playing the DVCPRO HD format back, the KONA LHe hardware
handles the work of properly scaling the video for monitoring and output—which provides
for more streams of RT effects, since the Mac processors are freed up to handle the RT.
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Understanding Typical
HDV Data rate: 19 MB/second high definition720p, 25 MB/second high definition 1080i—
supported by internal system drive
Quality: Excellent
KONA LHe supports and accelerates the Final Cut Pro HDV Codec. You can use KONA LHe
to convert HDV projects to uncompressed—in real time—for monitoring and/or output.
KONA LHe can capture uncompressed from any input, directly to HDV media. The KONA
LHe advanced scaling engine takes the native frame (long GOP 1440 HD) and outputs it
via hardware—in real time. Precision AJA circuitry re-sizes the video to proper 1920 x
1080, providing quick playback of HDV captured by Final Cut for monitoring and
recording.
HDV captures HD images via MPEG2 compression and allows for recording the signal to a
MiniDV tape. This MPEG2 compression is similar to a DVD (although DVD is a program
stream vs. HDV’s transport stream and HDV uses a constant bit rate whereas DVDs use
variable bit rates). The issue for post production is that the HDV transport stream is based
around a long-GOP structure (group of pictures) which produces images based on
information over a section of time, via I, P and B frames; Intraframes, predicted frames and
bi-directional frames. Formats that do not use this scheme treat frames as individual
units, as in the progressive formats where a frame truly is a frame, or as interlaced frames
where two fields create the image. Sometimes we refer to these formats in contrast to
MPEG formats, as I-frame formats where frames can be easily defined as individual.
Since the frames of HDV have the long GOP structure to define them, herein lies the
problem for post-production; how can we work with the material if we must know what
lies before, after and during? Luckily, the transport stream MPEG2 can be transmitted
over IEEE1394 (aka FireWire). This means that the compressed HD material can be
transferred into systems with the appropriate hardware and software (for example, a Mac
Pro with Final Cut Studio 2). While this seems like a simple solution for post-production,
it means that the footage must be brought into the system as a rather heavily
compressed format and that the computer must continue to work with the material as a
MPEG2 transport stream, which is incredibly processor intensive for the computer.
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How does the AJA KONA LHe card connect to HDV and digitize material to uncompressed
HD files for editing—or at the very least, to a lightly compressed I-Frame HD format? The
answer to this is provided in a feature common to many HDV devices: analog HD output
via component video. The component connectors on JVC cameras and decks, along with
Sony cameras and decks, allows for the output of the long GOP MPEG2 data as a standard
HD video format such as 720P in the JVC products—or 1080i in the Sony products.
Since the KONA LHe has the ability to digitize analog HD signals, the analog component
output of the HDV devices can simply be connected to the KONA inputs. Note that HD
signal cannot be transported over composite or S-Video (Y/C) cables, so the HDV device
must have an analog component HD output. The KONA LHe also has the ability to ingest
analog audio, so the analog audio outputs of the HDV devices can be sent to the KONA
card as well. (Also note that these analog audio outputs on the HDV devices are usually
unbalanced RCA connections where the KONA card uses balanced XLR style connection
so some sort of audio level correction device, such as a mixer or a stand alone active
interface amplifier, should be used for accurately attenuated audio.)
Finally, you will want to control your device. Where all of the video, audio and timecode
information moved over the FireWire cable, now you are dividing those tasks. Device
control is the most difficult to configure for HDV devices because so few HDV devices
have implemented any form of device control other than IEEE1394. The one notable
exception is the JVC BR-HD50 HDV deck which has a remote serial port for RS422 protocol
and device control. Check the KONA LHe support area on the AJA website for a
whitepaper on HDV, which gives details on using KONA LHe with various HDV equipment.
Note: direct capture into HDV media on the LHe is not possible. Direct capture into the
LHe can only be done using uncompressed, DVCPRO HD, or Pro Res. Regarding
ProRes 422, capturing HD resolution ProRes 422 from an HD source requires a Mac
Pro with an Intel Xeon processor.
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Apple ProRes 422
and Apple ProRes
422 HQ
(SD or HD)
Uncompressed
8-bit
Data rate: Approximately 18 MB/second ProRes 422, Approximately 31 MB/second ProRes
422 HQ— supported by internal system drive or attached storage
Quality: Excellent, broadcast quality
Captured media is virtually indistinguishable from pristine uncompressed sources. Better
yet, ProRes maintains the quality during editing, surviving multiple encoding/decoding
generations without degradation. It was designed by Apple for editing, rather than as a
transmission/distribution codec as are most popular codecs. Some of the advantages
include:
• Full-size 1920-by-1080 and 1280-by-720 HD resolutions.
• Full-size 720-by-486 and 720-by-576 SD resolutions.
• 4:2:2 chroma sampling. Provides precise compositing and blending at sharp saturated-
color boundaries.
• 10-bit sample depth. Preserves subtle gradients of 10-bit sources (perfect for green-
screen compositing, graphics or color correction) with no visible banding artifacts.
• I frame-only encoding. Ensures consistent quality in every frame and no artifacts from
complex motion.
• Variable bit-rate (VBR) encoding. “Smart” encoding analyzes the image and allocates
more bits to complex frames.
• Low data rate requirements make for more storage options and require less drive
space to store high quality video.
Data rate: 21 MB/second standard definition, or 100-124 MB/second high definition (see
later “Storage Capacity” chart in Chapter 1 for the various transfer rates per format)—
requires SCSI, Fibre Channel, or ATA drive array
Uncompressed
10-bit
Quality: Excellent
Uncompressed media is KONA LHe’s native storage format, offering the highest quality
available. Capturing in uncompressed results in no compression artifacts, and video is
sampled over the full raster at a 4:2:2 rate.
Using uncompressed maintains a higher quality in your project from capture all the way
through effects rendering. Final Cut Pro supports RT with uncompressed media using RT
Extreme. KONA LHe supports capture of uncompressed through any of its inputs, and
uncompressed projects are output to all of its outputs simultaneously.
Data rate: 28 MB/second standard definition, or 133-166 MB/second high definition—
uncompressed 10-bit requires SCSI, Fibre Channel or SATA drive arrays.
Quality: Excellent, very high quality
Offering all the benefits noted previously for 8-bit uncompressed, 10-bit additionally offers
the very highest quality available. With 10-bit media and Final Cut Pro’s 32 bit Floating Point
YUV Codec, video quality is second to none. For more information on this subject, please
see the topic at the end of Chapter 4: Installation and Configuration, titled “Using 8-bit Versus
10-bit Video.”
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Mixing and Matching
Mixing and Matching Formats in Final Cut
In Final Cut Pro, it works best to use one format consistently. For example, if you capture DV 50
files and then capture 8-bit uncompressed files, you’ll have to rerender one or the other when
using the two types on the same Final Cut sequence (the timeline where media is edited into a
project). You could even capture 8-bit uncompressed and HDV, and then place them both on a
PhotoJPEG timeline and end up having to render them both. You can capture directly, in real
time to any supported format, even if it doesn’t match the source formats at all (for example, DV
and DV50 to 8 bit uncompressed).
Therefore, it makes sense to capture media into your system at the highest quality you’ll expect
to use to eliminate rerendering and ensure best results. KONA LHe is ideal for this since it has the
connections necessary to bring in a variety of media for capture into Final Cut.
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Chapter 3: Installation & Configuration
Installation Overview
The installation and set up of a KONA LHe is very simple. All of the steps of installation and
configuration are documented in this chapter, summarized as follows:
1. Unpack the shipping box
2. If not previously installed on your Mac Pro, ensure that Final Cut Pro is installed as
detailed in its user documentation. Final Cut Pro must be installed and have been run at
least once prior to installing AJA KONA LHe software.
3. For Mac Pro and LHe:
Visit: http://www.aja.com/support/kona/kona-system-configuration.php
Locate your Mac model and install in the recommended slot.
For Model LHe and a G5:
Lay the PCIe PowerMac G5 on it’s on it’s side (motherboard facing up). Install the KONA
LHe capture card into one of the PCI Express slots in the PowerMac. The RAID controller
card (SCSI or Fibre Channel) can go in any other available slot.
4. Install AJA KONA LHe software on your Mac from the
supplied AJA CD-ROM
5. Cable the system audio and video sources, VTR, audio monitor,
and video monitor. If you purchased the optional KL-box, then
install it into an equipment rack or place it on a desk and
connect its two cables to the KONA LHe card. If you’re instead
using the standard cable set, then use those to connect
equipment.
Each of these steps are explained in greater detail in the remaining
pages of this chapter.
Unpacking
Shipping Box
Contents
KONA LHe is shipped with a CD containing system software and an Installation and User
manual (a PDF on the CD), and a cable. If you purchased the optional KL-box breakout box, it
ships with its own set of cables and instructions for connection to the KONA LHe card.
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Read Me First Notice
and Registration Sheets
Standard Cable
AJA KONA LH or
LHe Card
(KONA LH shown)
Installation Software CD
Installation and Operation Manual
in electronic form on the CD (PDF)
KONA LH Breakout Cable
Contents, KONA LHe Shipping Box
As you unpack the shipping box(es), carefully examine the contents. Ensure you received
everything and that nothing was damaged during shipment. If you find any damage,
immediately notify the shipping service and supply them with a complete description of
the damage. AJA will repair or replace damaged items. If you find shipping damage, contact
your AJA dealer or distributor for details on how to have your KONA LHe repaired or
replaced.
Note: Save packing materials and the shipping box. If you ever require service or move
your system—use the packaging materials and box for safe shipment.
KONA LHe Installation and Operation Manual — Installing the KONA LHe
Installing the KONA LHe Card in a Mac Pro
1. Place the Mac Pro in a well-lit convenient area, where you will have easy access to
the chassis access door.
2. Using your hand, touch the outside of the Mac Pro to discharge any static
electricity you have. Remove the power cable from the back of the Mac.
3. Remove the access door as described in your Apple User Manual. Lay the Mac on
its side, motherboard facing up.
4. Remove the KONA LHe card from its protective anti-static bag; place the card on
top of the bag.
5. Visually locate the PCIe slots inside the Mac chassis. The slots are numbered along
the left side. Visit:
http://www.aja.com/support/kona/kona-system-configuration.php
....and determine which slot works best for your Mac Pro model. This page is
updated regularly to account for Apple product line changes.
6. Remove the card edge locking plate on the right side of the card cage, using a
Phillips screwdriver (it is held in place by two captive phillips screws).
7. Carefully insert the KONA LHe card by rocking it slowly into the desired PCIe slot.
Ensure the card edge aligns properly with the Mac Pro’s rear panel opening (where
the card edge locking plate was just removed) and that it is fully seated in the slot.
8. Replace the card edge locking plate removed earlier, securing the two phillips
screws.
9. Replace the Mac Pro’s access door.
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KONA LHe Card
20
Installing the KONA LHe Card in a G5
1. Place the PCI-Express G5 in a well-lit convenient area, where you will have easy
access to the chassis access door.
2. Using your hand, touch the outside of the G5 to discharge any static electricity you
have. Remove the power cable from the back of the PowerMac G5.
3. Remove the access door and clear inner panel as described in your Apple G5 User
Manual. Lay the G5 on its side, motherboard facing up.
4. Remove the KONA LHe card from its protective anti-static bag; place the card on top
of the bag.
5. Visually locate the PCI-Express slots inside the G5 chassis. The KONA card only
requires a 4-lane PCI-Express slot, so any of the available slots will work correctly.
6. Remove the card edge access cover from the desired slot where you will be inserting
the KONA LHe card. The card edge cover is secured by a phillips screw; save this
screw for use in installing KONA LHe.
7. Holding the KONA LHe card by the card edge plate and an outside edge, carefully
insert the KONA LHe card by rocking it slowly into the slot. Ensure the card edge
aligns properly with the G5’s opening (where the card edge cover was just removed)
and that it is fully seated in the slot.
8. Secure the card in the slot using the screw removed earlier.
9. Replace the G5’s clear inner panel and outer access door.
Note: After you install the KONA LHe card, you may notice that in the MacOSX Network
preferences there is a message stating “You have a new network port named KONA LHe
—be sure to check the settings...”. There is no need to take any action; this occurs
because MacOSX detects the RS-422 serial port on the KONA LHe card that you will use
for VTR machine control.
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