Blackmagicdesign DeckLink User Manual
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
DeckLink User Manual
Mac OS X
™
Leading the creative video revo lution
™
Mac OS X
™
Second Edition.
July 2004
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing a DeckLink broadcast
video card. We hope you share our dream for
the television industry to become a truly creative
industry by allowing anyone to have access to the
highest quality video.
Previously high end television and post production
required investment in millions of dollars of
hardware, however with DeckLink cards, even 10
bit uncompressed is now easily affordable. We hope you get years of use from
your new DeckLink card and have fun working with some of the world’s hottest
television and design software!
This instruction manual should contain all the information you’ll need on
installing your DeckLink capture card, although it’s always a good idea to ask
a technical assistant for help if you have not installed hardware cards into
computers before. As DeckLink uses uncompressed video and the data rates
are quite high, you’ll need fast disk storage and a high-end Power Mac.
We think it should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete installation.
Please check our web site at www.blackmagic-design.com and click the
support page to download the latest updates to this manual and DeckLink
driver software.
Lastly, please email us (register@blackmagic-design.com) with your DeckLink
serial number so we can keep you updated when new software is released.
Perhaps you can even send us your latest show reel of work completed on
your DeckLink!
We are constantly working on new features and improvements, so we would
love to hear from you!
Grant Petty
CEO Blackmagic Design
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Contents
Welcome 2.
Storage and data rates for
uncompressed video 3.
Standard Denition Mac OS X
system requirements 4.
High Denition Mac OS X
system requirements 5.
Hardware installation 6.
Blackmagic DeckLink software 7.
Pre-installation checks 9.
Installing Blackmagic DeckLink software 10.
Viruses 12.
Getting connected 13.
Processor Amplier 15.
VANC 15.
Blackmagic Deck Control 17.
Adobe After Effects 19.
Final Cut Pro HD 20.
Trouble Shooting 23.
If things go wrong 26.
Connection diagrams
DeckLink 27.
DeckLink Pro 28.
DeckLink SP 29.
DeckLink Extreme 30.
DeckLink Extreme cables 31.
DeckLink HD 32.
DeckLink HD Plus 33.
DeckLink HD Pro 4:4:4 mode 34.
DeckLink HD Pro 4:2:2 mode 35.
DeckLink HD Pro Single Link 36.
DeckLink HD Pro cables 37.
Blackmagic Design Warranty 38.
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Storage and data rates for
uncompressed video
The data rates for uncompressed video are quite high, and listed below are
minimum recommended disk requirements for uncompressed standard
denition and high denition video.
Uncompressed 10 bit YUV (4:2:2)
Standard Denition
Frame Size MB per second MB per minute GB per hour
720x486/29.97fps 27 1 600 94
720x576/25fps 26 1 582 93
High Denition
Frame Size MB per second MB per minute GB per hour
1280x720p/60fps 141 8 438 494
1920x1080/24PsF 127 7 594 445
1920x1080/50i 132 7 910 463
1920x1080/60i 158 9 482 556
Uncompressed 10 bit RGB (4:4:4)
High Denition
Frame Size MB per second MB per minute GB per hour
1280x720p/60fps 211 12 656 742
1920x1080/24PsF 190 11 391 667
1920x1080/50i 198 11 865 695
1920x1080/60i 237 14 238 834
Due to disk seeks, when calculating the data rates required for your disk
system, it is a good idea to add a safety margin due to uctuations in disk
speed. The degree of margin can be reduced by adding more disks.
Serial ATA (SATA) disks can reduce to half their speed as they become full, so
in a 2-disk SATA array you should aim for a 100% safety margin. In an 8-disk
SATA array, a 30% safety margin should be adequate. SCSI disk arrays seem
to display less uctuation and so a 20% safety margin should be adequate for
an 8-disk SCSI array. Generally the more disks in the array, the better.
Note: Although other vendors and third parties may provide different data rates
for uncompressed video, the above recommendations are tested for use with
Decklink cards.
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Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Standard Denition on Mac OS X™
Minimum system requirements
Operating System
Mac OS X™ 10.2.3 or newer. QuickTime™ 6.1 or newer.
We currently recommend QuickTime™ 6.5.1 with Mac OS X™ 10.3.4.
[Mac OS X™ Server and Mac OS 9™ are not supported]
Processor
• Dual processor PowerMac G4/800 or faster. The G4 must have dual
processors even if a faster G4 processor is used.
• Single or dual processor PowerMac G5 with PCI-X slots. Base-model G5’s
with PCI slots might work but are unsupported.
• The fastest system you can afford is always a good idea.
Note: We advise against using processor upgrade cards as they don’t
improve bus speeds and are of little help with uncompressed video.
PCI slots
• Standard denition DeckLink cards will run at both 5 volts and 3.3 volts and
so are fully compatible with the slots in both G4’s and G5’s. DeckLink SD
cards can be used in any PCI or PCI-X slot in supported Macs. DeckLink SD
cards will run at 33 MHz in G4 and 66 MHz in a G5 with PCI-X.
Note: We advise against using PCI expansion chassis as they are not fast
enough for uncompressed video.
Memory
• 512 MB of RAM or more. 1 GB would be preferable.
Disk Arrays
• SCSI - Ultra 160 or Ultra 320 SCSI card, especially the ATTO UL3D (PCI)
and UL4D (PCI-X) cards; at least 2 x U160 or U320 SCSI disks, 10 000 rpm,
software striped as RAID [0], OR;
• SATA - SATA RAID card; with at least 2 x SATA disks, 10 000 rpm, software
striped as RAID [0].
Standard Denition Monitoring
For monitoring Standard Denition and High Denition video, check out
Blackmagic Design’s low cost HDLink. HDLink converts your SD and
HD-SDI output to DVI-D, perfect for use with LCD displays such as the
Apple HD Cinema™ 23” display. HDLink features 2 x resize of NTSC and
PAL on 1920x1200 pixel displays and also provides analog RCA audio output.
For more information on HDLink visit www.blackmagic-design.com
DeckLink™ DeckLink Pro™
DeckLink SP™ DeckLink Extreme™
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Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
DeckLink HD™ DeckLink HD Pro™
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High Denition on Mac OS X™
Minimum system requirements
Operating System
Mac OS X™ 10.2.7 or newer. QuickTime 6.3 or newer. We currently recommend
QuickTime™ 6.5.1 with Mac OS X™ 10.3.4.
[Mac OS X™ Server and Mac OS 9™ are not supported]
Processor
• Dual processor PowerMac G5/1.8 GHz, or faster, with PCI-X slots. The G5
must have dual processors even if a faster processor is used.
• The fastest system you can afford is always a good idea and we highly
recommend the dual processor G5’s which are fantastic for HD work.
PCI slots
High Denition DeckLink cards require PCI-X slots to perform both HD and SD
work. Either the 133 or 100 MHz slots can be used but the 133 MHz slot is
preferable. See page 8 for detailed installation instructions.
Memory
• 1.5 GB of RAM or more.
Disk Arrays
• SCSI - Ultra 320 SCSI card, with at least 8 x U320 SCSI disks, 10 000 rpm,
software striped as RAID [0], OR;
• 2GB Fibre Channel
Note: Check the Blackmagic Design website for updates on hardware
compatibility at www.blackmagic-design.com and “click on the support page.”
High Denition and Standard Denition Monitoring
For monitoring high denition and standard denition video, check out
Blackmagic Design’s low cost HDLink. HDLink converts your HD and
SD-SDI output to DVI-D, perfect for use with LCD displays such as the
Apple HD Cinema™ 23” display. HDLink features 2 x resize of NTSC and
PAL on 1920x1200 pixel displays and also provides analog RCA audio output.
For more information on HDLink visit www.blackmagic-design.com
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Hardware installation
1. Remove the power plug from the back of your Mac. This is a safety
precaution before opening your computer. Ensure that you are statically
discharged by using a static strap.
2. Remove the side cover of your Mac to gain access to the PCI slots.
3. Remove your DeckLink card from the protective static bag making sure
you don’t touch the gold connectors on the base of the card. These
precautions should be taken when handling any PCI card.
4. Find a spare PCI or PCI-X slot (DeckLink HD series cards require a
PCI-X slot). Remove the metal port access cover, and screw, from the
back of your Mac.
Note: If installing a DeckLink, DeckLink HD or DeckLink HD Pro please
refer to the instructions “Which slot should I use in a PowerMac G5?”
on page 7.
5. Insert your DeckLink card and ensure that it clicks rmly into place. G5’s
seem to have tighter slots so make sure the DeckLink card is rmly
seated in to place*.
6. Secure the card by the screw.
7. The procedure for installing a RAID controller card is similar to the
above.
8. Now replace the side cover of your Mac. Reconnect the power and start
up the computer.
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G4
G5
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Which slot should I use in a PowerMac G5?
High Denition DeckLink cards require PCI-X slots to perform both HD and SD
work. Either the 133 or 100 MHz slots can be used but the 133 MHz slot is
preferable. See page 8 for detailed installation instructions.
The high denition DeckLink cards are PCI-X cards and it makes a lot of sense
to place a HD card in the top slot. If you nd the job of installing the DeckLink
HD in the top slot to be too tricky, simply install it in to one of the 100 MHz
slots (slots 2 or 3). It is much easier to t the card in to these slots and we have
veried that the card runs fast enough in the 100 MHz slots. Avoid placing a
slower PCI card in the other 100 MHz slot as both slots will be reduced to the
speed of the slower card.
If you decide to install a DeckLink (SD), DeckLink HD or DeckLink HD Pro card
in the top slot of a G5, you will need to carry out the following procedure:
• Lie the G5 on its side to make it easy to insert the DeckLink card.
• Loosely seat the card in position in the top slot.
• Press the back end of the card in to the slot, i.e. the end that does not have
connectors.
• Tilt the top of the card towards the top of the G5, i.e. towards the bay that can
hold the two Serial ATA drives.
• Whilst tilting the card on this angle, you should be able to press down carefully
on the front of the card and it will slide down in to the slot. Whilst doing this,
be careful as the metal connectors on the DeckLink card will press against a
black, plastic plug. The plug will ex slightly as you slide the DeckLink card in
to position.
This procedure does not require much force. If you nd yourself having to use
too much force, or feel at all uncomfortable with this procedure, use one of the
100 MHz slots instead and you will nd that you can install your card easily.
7
G5
G5
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
8
Blackmagic DeckLink Software
The Blackmagic Design software installer supports standard and high denition
video formats and all Blackmagic Design DeckLink PCI cards.
The Blackmagic DeckLink software installer will install the following components.
1. Blackmagic DeckLink drivers.
2. Blackmagic Deck Control application.
3. Blackmagic DeckLink control panel.
4. Blackmagic QuickTime™ codecs.
5. Final Cut Pro™ Easy Setups, presets and enablers.
6. Blackmagic LiveKey.
7. Blackmagic Disk Speed Test.
Note: Before installing any software or hardware you will need administrator
privileges.
Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Pre-installation checks
SCSI Devices
Check the web site of your SCSI card vendor for the latest rmware and
drivers. Firmware and drivers for the ATTO UL3D and UL4D can be found at
www.attotech.com. Sometimes rmware updates are also released for SCSI
disk arrays. Firmware for disk arrays from Huge Systems can be found at
www.hugesystems.com.
If you intend to run your disk array as a software stripe, you can use Apple’s
Disk Utility which is located in the /Applications/Utilities folder of Mac OS X.
Use RAID tab in Disk Utility to set up your software RAID, or refer to third party
instructions when using pre-congured hardware RAIDs.
QuickTime™
Make sure the latest version of QuickTime™ is installed on your Mac.
QuickTime™ can be found at www.apple.com/quicktime. A QuickTime™ Pro
serial number is included with Final Cut Pro HD as this is required to unlock
many QuickTime™ features.
Software Applications
DeckLink cards work with applications such as Final Cut Pro HD™, Adobe
After Effects™ and Discreet Combustion™. The DeckLink installer will install
components into some of these applications. If you install or update these
applications after installing your DeckLink card, you should reinstall the
DeckLink drivers to ensure these applications will work with your DeckLink card.
Having software applications pre-installed will simplify the installation of your
DeckLink card.
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Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Installing Blackmagic DeckLink software
Installing Blackmagic DeckLink software
1. The CD supplied with the DeckLink card contains the Blackmagic
installer. In order to ensure that you have the very latest driver please
visit www.blackmagic-design.com and click on the support page.
Note: Should the installer on the website be a newer version than
the one on your installer CD, download and save the zip le for future
installations.
2. If you wish to uninstall existing DeckLink drivers before installing a new
version, open the “Blackmagic Installer” disk and scroll down to folder
named Installer Files. Open this folder and you will nd the Uninstall
Blackmagic utility. Run this utility and you will require an Administrator
password before it will allow you to uninstall the old drivers.
3. Go to the location of the downloaded installer and double click the zip
le which will then expand. Double click on the resulting “DeckLink_
Macintosh.dmg” le and the “Blackmagic Installer” disk will mount on
your desktop.
4. Open the “Blackmagic Installer” disk and double-click on the
“Blackmagic Installer” application. You will require an Administrator
password before it will allow you to install the new drivers. All DeckLink
cards use the same installer.
5. Click “Continue”, “Agree” and “Install” buttons and the drivers will be
installed on your system.
6. Now restart your machine to enable the new software drivers.
Note: Keep the installer available as you may need to reinstall the drivers after
having installed or updated Final Cut Pro™ or QuickTime™.
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Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
7. To check the installation has been successful, go to the Apple menu and
choose System Preferences. Click on the Displays icon and then on
the Arrangement tab. You should see an extra display which represents
the extended desktop feature of your DeckLink card. The size of the
DeckLink display will appear different to your computer display and may
be a NTSC or HDTV resolution.
8. Select where sound is routed when playing and capturing QuickTime™
movies. To do so, go to the Apple menu and choose System
Preferences. Click on the Sound icon and then on the Output tab.
• Select DeckLink’s “SDI Digital Audio” to output audio channels
1 to 8.
Click on the Input tab and you will see 2 or 3 options related to your
DeckLink card. Due to a current limitation in QuickTime™ in Mac OS
X™, it is currently only possible to input 2 audio channels at any one
time. You will need to specify which audio input you wish to use from
the following options. The settings in Final Cut Pro™ override these
settings and can be set independently to these settings.
• “SDI Digital Audio” will input channels 1+2.
• “SDI Digital Audio (Ch 3+4)” will input channels 3+4.
• “AES/EBU Digital Audio” will input channels 1+2 through the
SPDIF/AES input of the DeckLink HD Pro.
Note: “SDI Digital Audio” should be chosen even when using analog audio with
cards such as the DeckLink SP and DeckLink Extreme. Analog convertors on
the analog DeckLink cards ensure the audio is converted to and from analog or
digital as required.
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Blackmagic Design - Leading the creative video revolution
™
Mac OS X
™
Viruses
Viruses are an ever-increasing problem on computers. Computers will often
slow down if they become infected. This can cause various problems in video,
especially dropped frames and stuttering audio. For this reason, we recommend
you dedicate your Mac to video work and avoid using it for other tasks which
may introduce viruses, e.g. email, web browsing and sharing of ejectable disks
such as USB disks and non-commercial CD’s & DVD’s.
It is good practice to run antivirus software and keep it up to date. However,
the memory-resident component of many antivirus products is likely to cause
your video to drop frames. Accordingly, we recommend disabling the memory
resident component of your antivirus software while performing any video or
audio work.
Most antivirus programs show an icon in the System Preferences of Mac OS X™
and clicking on this icon will usually reveal an option to disable automatic virus
protection. Disable the automatic protection (“memory resident protection”) while
working on video or audio.
If you are also going to use your Mac for purposes other than video or audio
work, it would be wise to re-enable the automatic virus protection whenever you
have nished your video and audio work. At the time of writing this manual, there
were no known viruses which could infect Mac OS X™ and cause system slow
downs.
Given that memory resident antivirus software on Mac OS X™ will cause
performance degradation during video and audio editing, many DeckLink users
have chosen to permanently disable automatic virus protection for maximum
performance. Anyone choosing to take the same approach should re-evaluate
this decision on a regular basis, especially if new viruses become a problem on
the Mac OS X™ platform.
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