Digi-will PCIe-PCI Expansion performance=current ?

[spiritG]

Is there any sort of bandwidth overhead needed for translating formats or any other reason that a regular Pci HD or an Accel system would have impaired performance in the PCI-e to PCI chassis compared to either the 32 bit or 64 bit current chassis with a G5?

Thanks

[Dutchmuzik]

Yes I would like to know this as well, have a 64 bit Expansion Chassis sitting here waiting for installation or a return and getting the new HDIExpansion Chassis. I spoke to support today and the reason for the 6 slot is performance couldn't be guaranteed with more than 6 slots. This is NOT a Magma chassis but designed by Digidesign from the ground up, Magma's new PCIe Chassis is 6 slot as well so there must be some kind of performance issue with 7 slot. Not sure what to do, Is the end of the year release accurate ?

[AvidCS]

Performance should be the same with the Expansion/HD chassis as with any other 32 bit or 64 bit chassis.

The Expansion|HD is also of interest because it will offer standard GigaBit Ethernet connectivity to the host, allowing long cable runs (which will allow the expansion chassis to be placed in a machine room for isolation purposes). Another benefit is imperviousness to operating system changes on Mac and Windows.

The end of the year release looks solid right now.

DigiCS

[GL]

Of course the bigger question (the answer to which we know can't be answered by Digi right now for obvious reasons) is whether or not there will be a new higher horsepower PCI Express-based system to follow soon thereafter, maybe announced at NAMM. I'd like not to spend money on a PCI Express crossgrade only to find a new system launched shortly thereafter. Seems likely, given the amount of time HD and Accel have been around, that a major hardware update is in the works. If not, it'd be great if Digi could provide some reassurance that a PCI Express crossgrade is our only option for the near future, and that it would not be a short-lived solution.

[Dutchmuzik]

The Expansion|HD is also of interest because it will offer standard GigaBit Ethernet connectivity to the host, allowing long cable runs (which will allow the expansion chassis to be placed in a machine room for isolation purposes). Another benefit is imperviousness to operating system changes on Mac and Windows.

Does this mean that it doesn't run on the PCI Buss when connected using GigaBit Ethernet ?
Also the 64 Bit Chassis is almost silent, is the new Expansion|HD "silent" as well ?
Will the 64 Bit be supported for the foreseeable future ?

[Dutchmuzik]

Does this mean that it doesn't run on the PCI Buss when connected using GigaBit Ethernet ?
Also the 64 Bit Chassis is almost silent, is the new Expansion|HD "silent" as well ?
Will the 64 Bit be supported for the foreseeable future ?

Digi ?

[AvidCS]

The Expansion|HD still runs on the PCI buss. It is connected via standard GigaBit Ethernet either to a PCI/PCI-X host card or a PCIe host card (your choice).

The Expansion|HD is a bit louder than the 64bit, but not by much.

The 64 bit Chassis will not support PCIe machines.

While we normally do not comment on product development, I can say that we currently have no plans to introduce any new HD hardware in the near term other than the current PCIe cards already mentioned.

DigiCS

[jeremyroberts]

It sounds like the CABLE that connects the PCI host card to the chassis can be a CAT-5e gigabit ethernet cable...

This sounds very different than the Waves APA32, which can connect to your gigabit switch (not a dedicated host card).

What about latency? The Waves APA has a significant amount, a non-issue when mixing using delay comp (it was not designed for tracking) -- but what about the new Digi box - is it a mix-tool only or is the interface fast enough for real time tracking (just like an old-school expansion chassis)?

Sounds like a great product...

[Dutchmuzik]

The Expansion|HD is a bit louder than the 64bit, but not by much.

Hmmm, since my G5 is not in a machineroom I need the quitest boxes possible for all my gear, "silence" is very important in my decision.

[GL]

While we normally do not comment on product development, I can say that we currently have no plans to introduce any new HD hardware in the near term other than the current PCIe cards already mentioned.

DigiCS

Thank you for this info -- really appreciate it.