Everything works...almost

[danbrazda]

Hey Dan,

Glad to hear that you acquired a Red!

We're running a Multibridge Pro like Kaku and have used the Blackmagic output as the second display and it works fine, so perhaps you are correct in that Color and the HDMI signal from the Decklink are not talking. Did you also say that you were unable to get dual desktops using the other video card out?

Tim

The odd thing is I have no problems at all working with a dual display in Final Cut or anything else- both using the HDMI out of the Decklink HD Extreme and/or using the 2nd Graphic card output. It's only when I have to kill the extended desktop and go into Color and activate dual display that I lose my 2nd display completely. Logic says that the output preferences in Color are not set up right but I've tried all available flavors of Deckling HD outputs and nothing works.

Tim, what output on the Multibridge Pro are you using to feed your 2nd display? Are you working with Color in dual display mode?

 

[Kaku Ito]

I've tried every option of Decklink out in the Color preferences and none work. Does it have something to do with the fact that I'm using the HDMI output of the decklink card rather than HD-SDI? Extended Desktop is definitely off and Color is definitely in dual display mode but nothing is reaching the Plasma.

HDMI output of Multibridge Pro is working with my Sony Bravia, even with the 23.976 frame rate. But if your monitor does not accept 23.976p nor 23.976pfs, then what you would have to do is to select 29.97 output (so it will be pulldown inserted).

But since you have it working with dual monitor mode, I think this is not the problem.

I guess something to do with your video card. My ATI 3870, I had all three working at the same time. It could be a lot to do with the ability of the video card because Color does use GPU power to get realtime displaying control.

 

[Uli Plank]

Color and Blackmagic Intensity is working fine for me via HDMI. I use the ATI 3870 as well.

 

[Kaku Ito]

Hi Uli,

Didn't realize Intesity covers more that how it was when first released. Does it support 23.987, too now?

 

[Uli Plank]

Don't think so. Sorry, I'm in PALandia…

 

[Kaku Ito]

Don't think so. Sorry, I'm in PALandia…

Right, I forgot that.

This is what their website says.

HDTV 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/59.94, 720p/50, NTSC and PAL.

So, it only does the broadcast standards.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

I just ordered the new Mac pro 8 core 2.93GHz. I'm interested to see if I can get real time 2k playback in Scratch with the NVIDIA Quadro® FX 5600 SDI. Since I don't have a license for scratch as of yet.. I am wondering if anyone has tested this yet on the Nehalem Mac Pro's.

 

[M Most]

I just ordered the new Mac pro 8 core 2.93GHz. I'm interested to see if I can get real time 2k playback in Scratch with the NVIDIA Quadro® FX 5600 SDI. Since I don't have a license for scratch as of yet.. I am wondering if anyone has tested this yet on the Nehalem Mac Pro's.

Apple does not support Nvidia SDI cards, which is one of the major reasons that Scratch is not available on the Mac. You would have to be running Scratch under Bootcamp, but I'm not sure you can even have the Nvidia card in the machine if you want to run it under OS X.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

Apple does not support Nvidia SDI cards, which is one of the major reasons that Scratch is not available on the Mac. You would have to be running Scratch under Bootcamp, but I'm not sure you can even have the Nvidia card in the machine if you want to run it under OS X.

Thanks for your response. I intend to run it under bootcamp. I cannot afford 2 high end workstations... so I figure the Mac Pro is the best for compatibility reasons with Windows. I would love to know if any Scratch users have tried it out with the nehalem Mac Pro's. If it does work realtime in 2k with no issues then I will go ahead and order the Quadro 5600 SDI card and try to acquire the Scratch license.

 

[M Most]

Thanks for your response. I intend to run it under bootcamp. I cannot afford 2 high end workstations... so I figure the Mac Pro is the best for compatibility reasons with Windows. I would love to know if any Scratch users have tried it out with the nehalem Mac Pro's.

I seriously doubt it, because any sensible Scratch user would be running it on PCs.

A Mac is a Mac. I know it can be used to run Windows, but that is not its stated purpose. If one is trying to build the fastest Windows machine possible - which is necessary to get the kind of performance necessary to do 2K High debayering in real time - they're not going to accomplish that with stock machines, even on the PC side, with or without the new chips. It might sound nice to think that one can set up one machine and have it be a rip roaring fast Windows machine AND a kick ass Mac, but that's not particularly practical when using specialty software that requires very high hardware performace, and especially when talking about video cards that are not even supported by Apple.

What I'm curious about is that although you claim you can't afford two workstations, you're talking about acquiring software that costs more than both workstations put together.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

I seriously doubt it, because any sensible Scratch user would be running it on PCs.

A Mac is a Mac. I know it can be used to run Windows, but that is not its stated purpose. If one is trying to build the fastest Windows machine possible - which is necessary to get the kind of performance necessary to do 2K High debayering in real time - they're not going to accomplish that with stock machines, even on the PC side, with or without the new chips. It might sound nice to think that one can set up one machine and have it be a rip roaring fast Windows machine AND a kick ass Mac, but that's not particularly practical when using specialty software that requires very high hardware performace, and especially when talking about video cards that are not even supported by Apple.

What I'm curious about is that although you claim you can't afford two workstations, you're talking about acquiring software that costs more than both workstations put together.

I would think with the 8 core 2.93GHz Nehalems being so damn kick ass.. that they could out run a suped up older gen PC. Perhaps I'm wrong in this thinking and the new architecture doesn't make a difference. As far as the video cards not being supported by Apple... are they supported in bootcamp?

In any case I justified my reasons by stating that I can't afford both an high end Mac and a high end PC workstation. Given a choice between the two I will go with the high end Mac system. The workstation alone with memory expansion, RAID will cost us way over 20k. I don't think its prudent to duplicate this cost on both operating systems. I am planning to purchase the workstation, tangent control panels, RAID, etc.. and my partner will purchase the license.

Perhaps a couple months down the road we can purchase a dedicated PC workstation.

 

[M Most]

Given a choice between the two I will go with the high end Mac system.

In that case, I'm going to suggest the same thing a previous poster did and advise you to either look at Iridas' products or use Final Cut Pro and Color together. Scratch on a Mac is just a bad idea, no matter how you guise it. But it's up to you.