AJA KONA LS, KONA LSe Operation Manual

Models: LSe and LS

Installation

and

Operation Guide

May 31, 2006 P/N101656

Trademarks

AJA, KONA, and Io are trademarks of AJA Video, Inc.

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. DVCPRO HD® is a registered trademark of Panasonic Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Notice

Copyright © 2006 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

Contacting Support

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.

To contact AJA Video for sales or support, use any of the following methods:

443 Crown Point Circle, Grass Valley, CA. 95945 USA

Telephone: [phone] or 530.274.2048
Fax: [phone]

Web: http://www.aja.com
Support Email: [e-mail]
Sales Email: [e-mail]

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 LS 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.

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.

1

KONA LS/LSe 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

LSe and LS Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

KONA LS Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

What’s In The Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Minimum and Recommended System and Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Understanding Disk Storage Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

About RAIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Software For Striping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

AJA KONA LS and Xserve RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Storage capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Using the Standard Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Using KL-box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

About BNC Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Connector Descriptions—Cables and KL-box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2 Channel Digital AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Analog 2 Channel Balanced Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Analog 2 Channel Unbalanced Audio (KL-box only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RS422 Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

SDI Input and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Analog Monitor Out (Component/Composite SD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Reference Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

In This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1

1

Chapter 2: Getting Started—Workflow

KONA LS And Your Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Understanding Typical Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

PhotoJPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

DV (DV25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

DV50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Uncompressed 8-bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Uncompressed 10-bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Mixing and Matching Formats in Final Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 3: Installation

Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Shipping Box Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2

Installing the KONA LSe Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Installing the KONA LS Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Cabling the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

System Video/Audio Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

KONA LSe System Cabling When Using The Breakout Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

KONA LS System Cabling When Using The Breakout Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Typical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Installing KONA LS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Software Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Genlock and Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Chapter 4: Final Cut Pro and Other Application Software

Final Cut Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Using The KONA LS Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Control Panel Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Input Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Input Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Proc Amp Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Formats Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Format Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Analog Out Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Analog Out Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Control Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Control Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Setup Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Codec Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Codec Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Timecode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Timecode Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Info Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Saving Your Control Panel Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Easy Setups for Typical Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Easy Setups Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Easy Setups For Use With KONA LS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Audio/Video Settings Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

To Create A New Easy Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

The Sequence Presets Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Checking the System with a Simple Test Project of Bars and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Using 8-bit Versus 10-bit Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Chapter 5: Troubleshooting

If You Run Into Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Updating Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Apple Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Appendix A: Specifications

Index

Chapter 1:

Introduction

KONA LS

Overview

LSe and LS
Models

Edge Shot Photo Here

KONA LSe

AJA KONA LSe and LS bring the highest quality SD and analog video/audio to a
Power Mac running Final Cut Pro software. (For readability this manual refers
throughout to the LSe and LS as “LS”.) KONA LS analog interfaces are very high
quality. Using superb 12 bit video A/D and D/A converters, analog formats like
BetaCam SP look excellent. KONA LS supports 8 and 10 bit uncompressed video,
DV25 and DV50 using the DVCPRO codec, and JPEG—all on an Apple Power
Mac G4/G5. In addition to high quality video, KONA LS also supports balanced
analog, AES/EBU, and embedded audio I/O, all at 24 bits and 48Khz. For
simplified system integration, KONA LS includes hardware sample-rate conversion
for AES inputs (eliminating annoying synchronization hassles)—and RS-422
machine control.

The KONA LSe and LS models both provide the same power and functionality, but
differ in their bus interfaces. The KONA LSe offers a PCI Express interface for use
with the latest Apple Power Macs (G5 PCIe models). The KONA LS is a PCI card
that plugs into a G4 or G5 chassis (G5 PCI and PCI-X models). Both models work
with Final Cut Pro and other applications to provide a professional editing suite,
corporate/industrial video center, or high-powered desktop video setup. And for
even easier connectivity, an optional KL-Box rack mountable breakout box can be
purchased for either model—it ships with its own cable set (please
ensure you buy the correct box for your model since the cables to
the KL-Box differ between the LS and LSe.

1

1

1

2

Features

KONA LS/LSe work with Final Cut Pro and other applications to provide a
professional editing suite, corporate/industrial video center, or high-powered
desktop video setup.

This manual covers the installation and operation of both the KONA LSe and LS
and discuss using them with Final Cut Pro and other applications. Instructions for
installing the KL-Box are shipped separately with it.

The KONA LS card offers a large number of unique features for optimum quality,
ease of use, and support for a wide variety of workflows and environments.

Hardware

12 bit accuracy Component/Composite/S-video analog I/O

•

•

SDI input, two SDI outputs

•

AES I/O; sample rate conversion on input (2 Channels, XLRs)

•

Balanced analog audio I/O (2 Channel XLR)

•

6-Channel SDI embedded audio support

•

Genlock

•

RS-422 Control Port (Sony), 9-pin D, for machine control

•

64 bit, 66MHz universal PCI card

Breakout cable

•

Optional KL-box Breakout Box—Provides Rack mounting and Flexible Easy

•

I/O (2 KL-box cables are included with the KL-box)

•

Available for PCIe G5s as KONA LSe

•

Available for PCI G4 and G5 as KONA LS

KONA LS Audio

KONA LS supports 2-channel 24-bit 48kHz AES audio via XLR connections,
and 6 channel embedded 24 bit 48kHz audio over the same single SDI
connection as the video. If you are using a digital VTR—you’ll have the proper
connections.

For analog audio, KONA LS provides two-channel balanced audio input and
output. If you purchase the optional KL-Box breakout box, you also get two­channel unbalanced audio output (RCA jacks).

Software

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — What’s In The Box?

At the present time Final Cut Pro only supports 2 channels of audio input and
up to 24 channels of audio output. However, KONA LS supports 6 audio
channels in and out via the hardware, and will support multichannel audio
input when Final Cut Pro supports that function in the future. KONA LS 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, 32-48KHz, and then convert it to 24 bit 48KHz audio,
perfectly locked to internal KONA LS video. Sample rate conversion is done at
very high quality (over 120db THD).

•

KONA LS Control Panel for source selection and controlling KONA LS

within the overall MacOS environment (Macintosh Desktop, Input Pass

1

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).

3

What’s In The Box?

•

Support for After Effects, Combustion, Motion, and Other Applications

(application software not included).

AJA’s KONA LS software and hardware were developed for use with Final Cut
Pro for powerful integrated video/audio capture, editing, and video production.
With an Apple G4 (LS-only) or G5 (PCIe for LSe or PCI for LS), FCP, and
KONA LS, you have an ideal high-quality cost-effective system for standard
definition and analog video production. Software is supplied on CD, including
the KONA 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).

When you unpack your AJA KONA LS, you’ll find the following components:

AJA KONA LS Software and Documentation CD-ROM—this CD

•

contains the software installer to place KONA LS drivers and the Control
Panel on an Apple Power Mac. Install the software as discussed in this
manual in Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration. The CD also contains a
wide variety of useful information, including this manual you’re reading
(PDF format).

•

KONA LSe or LS PCI card.

•

Cable, KONA LSe Standard Breakout or KONA LS Stantard Breakout.

4

•

Read Me First Notice—Contains late-breaking news and/or errata related to

KONA LS 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 LS should you wish to do so
when moving or sending it in for service.

AJA KONA LSe

PCIe Card

or

Installation Software CD

Read Me First Notice
and Registration Sheets

Installation and Operation Manual
in electronic form on the CD (PDF)

AJA KONA LS

PCI Card

Standard Cable

KONA LSe Breakout Cable

KONA LS Shipping Box Contents

44-pin connector
To KONA LSe

KONA LS Breakout Cable

44-pin connector
To KONA LS

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

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — System Requirements

The following table outlines the system hardware and software needed.

Item Minimum Recommended

Macintosh
Operating System

Editing/Production
Software Suite

Macintosh

OS X, version 10.4,
QuickTime 7

Final Cut Pro 5 Final Cut Pro Studio

Model KONA LS
Minimum:

Power Mac G4, 800
MHz with
Minimum 512 MB
RAM

Model KONA LSe
Minimum:

Power Mac G5 (dual)
PCI-Express
2GHz with
1GB or more RAM

OS X latest release.
QuickTime 7 or
Latest

Model KONA LS
Recommended:

Power Mac G5
(dual) with
1GB or more RAM

Model KONA LSe
Recommended:

Power Mac G5
PCI-Express
(dual) 2.3 GHz or
Quad 2.5GHz with
1GB or more RAM

1

5

Understanding
Disk Storage
Methods

Internal Storage (inside Mac)
For DV only; uncompressed
SD requires external RAID.

RAID Interface Fibre Channel or

Disk Storage

Note:

see Storage Methods
topic that follows later in this
Chapter

SATA (1 internal HD) SATA (2 internal

SCSI

4 SCSI Hard Drives
External RAID

HDs RAIDed)

Fibre Channel or
SCSI

Apple Xserve RAID

The KONA LS 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:

6

Storage Method Features/Limitations Cost

Xserve RAID Features up to 14 ATA/100

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.

External ATA/IDE or SCSI
RAID

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.

Note: LSe Requires a PCI-Express Macintosh
LS Requires a PCI Macintosh

Expensive, although
the cost per
gigabyte is excellent
when large storage
is needed

Moderately
Expensive

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Disk Storage Solutions—G5 With Xserve RAID

LSe or LS Card

(Installed in PowerMac)

(Installed in PowerMac)

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — System Requirements

LSe or LS

(Installed in PowerMac)

1

Disk Storage Solutions—External ATA/IDE or SCSI RAID

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):

7

•

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 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.

8

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.

AJA KONA LS and Xserve RAID

For the optimum in disk storage with Final Cut Pro and AJA KONA LS, we
recommend Apple’s Xserve RAID. Xserve RAID holds up to 14 hot-swap Apple
Drive Modules—5.6TB of storage—in a rack-optimized 3U enclosure. Each 7200­RPM hard drive connects to a dedicated ATA/100 drive channel, eliminating a
traditional source of bottlenecks and maximizing the 2Gb/s Fibre Channel host
connection(s). By adding more Xserve RAID systems, you’ll have very large
expansion capabilities: A standard 42U rack can hold over 78TB of Xserve RAID
storage.

Xserve RAID is designed for nonstop operation. Redundant hot-swap power and
cooling modules allow the system to keep functioning even if one module fails. A
high-availability architecture and dual independent RAID controllers support
RAID levels 0, 1, 3, 5, and 0+1. In addition, Xserve RAID supports hybrid RAID
levels 10, 30, and 50 when used in conjunction with host-based software RAID.
Remote Xserve RAID management capabilities are provided via Apple’s Java-based
RAID Admin application.

Note: When creating and striping an Xserve RAID for KONA LS using the Apple

Disk Utility provided with OS X, use RAID 50 : in other words, the internal Xserve
RAID drives are set up as RAID 5; the Xserve RAID then shows up in Disk Utility
as two drives (regardless of the number of internal drives) which must be configured
together as RAID 0. Apple calls this configuration “RAID 50.”

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

Transfer Rate in
MB/sec

28 101 9.9

21 76 13.1

2.5 9 111

Storage
Requirement in
GB/Hour

Hours of Storage
Per Terabyte of
Disk

MB = MegaBytes

GB = GigaBytes

Cable Connections

Using the
Standard Cables

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — Cable Connections

Note: for uncompressed formats, PAL and NTSC transfer rates and storage
requirements are the about the same because PAL has a lower frame rate, but more
lines.

When KONA LSe or LS is installed in a PowerMac, it connects to the outside world
via either the standard breakout cable supplied, or the optional KL-box (using the two
cables supplied with it). Although the LSe and LS are functionally identical, they do
have different bus interfaces (LSe is PCIe and LS is PCI) and cable connections.

KONA LSe/LS comes with complete cable connectivity for your video/audio system
connections. Simply plug in the supplied breakout cable to the 44-pin connector on
the card.

KONA LSe breakout cable supports:

• Reference Input (BNC)

• Component/Composite/S Video Input (3x BNC)

• Component/Composite/S Video Output (3x BNC)

1

9

• 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 LSe Card endplate additionally provide:

• Standard-definition SDI input (BNC)

• 2 SDI outputs (2x BNC, independent outputs)

KONA LS breakout cable supports:

• SDI input (BNC)

• 2 SDI outputs (2x BNC, independent outputs)

• Reference Input (BNC)

• Component/Composite/S Video Input (3x BNC)

• Component/Composite/S Video Output (3x BNC)

• AES In (1x XLR)

• AES Out (1x XLR)

• Balanced Audio In (2x XLR)

• Balanced Audio Out (2x XLR)

For VTR machine control, connect a 9-pin RS-422 cable directly to the 9-pin
connector on the KONA LS card end-plate.

10

60-pin connector
To KONA LSe

KONA LSe
Cable

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

SD-SDI/HD-SDI

Video/Audio

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)

SDI Input BNC

SDI Output 1 BNC

SDI Output 2 BNC

Component,

Composite,

or Y/C

Labelled BNCs:

Reference Input BNC

SDI In BNC

KONA LS

SDI Out 1 BNC

SDI Out 2 BNC

Cable

Labelled XLRs (audio):

Channel 1 Analog In

Channel 1 Analog Out

Channel 2 Analog In

Channel 2 Analog Out

Channels 1&2 AES In

Channels 1&2 AES Out

KONA LSe and KONA LS Breakout Cables

To 44-pin
KONA LS Connector

Analog Video
Input:
Y/CVBS,
Pb/Y,
Pr/C

Analog Video
Output:
Y/CVBS,
Pb/Y,
Pr/C

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — Cable Connections

Using KL-box The KL-box attaches to the KONA LSe or LS card via cables that attach to the back of

the KL-box. These cables and installation instructions are supplied with the KL-Box.

Note: The LSe and LS use different cables to attach to the KL-Box; ensure you have
ordered the correct KL-Box for your model.

11

Balanced Audio In

Channels 1 & 2

About BNC
Connectors

RS422

Machine

Control

AES/EBU Audio

In and Out

Serial

Digital

In

Composite/

Component

Video In

1

Balanced Audio Out

Channels 1 & 2

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.

Serial

Digital

Out

External
Reference
(loop)

Analog Audio
Output

Composite/

Component

Video Out

Connector
Descriptions—
Cables and KL­box

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.

12

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: These 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.

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.

RS422 Machine Control

A female DB9 connector provides connection for VTRs, camcorders, disk media
servers, and other devices using RS422 SMPTE (Sony) protocol. This connector is
present on KONA LS card endplate and on the optional KL-box—either can be
used similarly. On the KONA LSe, this connector is on the breakout cable.
Connector pinout is listed in Appendix A: Specifications.

SDI Input and Outputs

BNC connectors are provided for one SDI input and two SDI outputs
(independent of the input). SDI inputs 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 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.). On the KONA LSe these connectors are on the card
endplate. On the KONA LS, these connectors are on the breakout cable.

Analog Monitor Out (Component/Composite 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).

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — In This Manual

A Note About RGB—Although RGB is used less in today’s video systems, KONA LS

supports it (RGB out only). However, because KONA LS (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 LS 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.

1

KONA LS uses the modern YPbPr terminology exclusively. KONA LS 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 LS Control Panel.

Reference Video

A single BNC on the standard KONA LS cable—or two BNC connectors on KL-box
(it loops through)—allows you to synchronize KONA LS 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 LS 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 Primary format selected in
the KONA LS Control Panel. It is possible in some circumstances to use an alternate
format video signal as long as the basic frame rate is compatible.

13

In This Manual

Chapter 1 is the introduction you’re reading, listing features, box contents, and system
requirements.

Chapter 2 gets you started with using KONA LS in a typical Video environment.
Typical workflows are discussed.

Chapter 3 provides complete instructions for installing and configuring the AJA
KONA LS card. The user is guided through unpacking, installing the card into a
PowerMac, installing KONA LS 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 LS 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.

Appendix A presents a list of technical specifications for the product.

Appendix B gives a glossary of technical terms and acronyms used in the manual.

The remainder of the manual consists of appendices listing specifications and an index
section to help you rapidly find topics in the manual.

14

KONA LS 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 LS can help fit into whatever workflow you
currently have and make it more efficient.

Chapter 2:

Getting Started

A Workflow Scenarios diagram on the following page shows types of equipment,
sorted by VTR source, and the types of workflow attributes and KONA LS
applications supported. After the diagram, we also discuss some typical applications.

2

1

1

16

Source Deck Type(s)

Digital SD
Examples: Digibeta, DV50, DVCPRO
and DVcam

Analog
Example: Beta

Digital capture via Firewire with Output via AJA
KONA LS
Example: MiniDV

Without even using a deck; use the video monitor
as a second Mac monitor. The KONA LS
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 Scenarios

Workflow Attributes

KONA LS captures and outputs
SD video with embedded
audio. Use high-quality AES/EBU
and/or embedded 8-channel audio
output.

KONA LS 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 LS is used for playing back
captured media and editing/mastering
to tape or DVD using Final Cut 4.5HD
and other tools such as After Effects,
Combustion, Apple Motion, etc.

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

Understanding Typical Workflows

KONA LS and Final Cut Pro 4 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 DV to analog, or
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

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 Power Mac’s internal system drive—it’s noted where this is
supported in the following discussions.

KONA LS/LSe Installation and Operation Manual — Understanding Typical

PhotoJPEG Data rate: approximately 1-3 MB/second—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 LS allows for PhotoJPEG monitoring and/or output in SD.
KONA LS can capture from almost any input, directly to PhotoJPEG media.

DV (DV25) Data rate: 3.13 MB/second (megabyte/second)—supported by internal system

drive

Quality: Good

1

In this workflow, DV is usually input to a Power Mac 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 LS to playback DV projects to uncompressed—in real time—for
monitoring and/or output. Alternatively, KONA LS can capture uncompressed
from any input, directly to DV clips.

17

DV50 Data rate: 6.26 MB/second—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 LS to playback DV50 projects to uncompressed—in real time—for
monitoring and/or output. KONA LS can capture uncompressed from any
input, directly to DV50 clips.

Uncompressed
8-bit

Data rate: 21 MB/second (see later “Storage Capacity” chart in Chapter 1 for
transfer rates)—requires SCSI, Fibre Channel, or ATA drive array

Quality: Excellent

Uncompressed media is KONA LS’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 realtime effects with
uncompressed media using RT Extreme. KONA LS supports capture of
uncompressed through any of its inputs, and projects are output to all of its
outputs simultaneously.

18

Uncompressed
10-bit

Data rate: 28 MB/second (see later “Storage Capacity” chart in Chapter 1 for
transfer rates)—requires SCSI, Fibre Channel or ATA drive array

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 effects rendering, video quality is second to
none—at any price. 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.”

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
convert 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 DV, 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 LS is
ideal for this since it has the connections necessary to bring in a variety of sources
and formats for capturing into Final Cut.