HD3|Accel Video Solution

[stangroom]

What up DUC?!

So I've been trying to figure out a solution lately for an HD Video setup with my ProTools HD3|Accel system, and have hit a wall.

We currently have a Canopus ADVC-110, which has been fine, but we want to expand up to HD video capabilities. Unfortunately, all of our PCI slots are used up by the graphics card and the ProTools cards.

I was looking at the other BlackMagic Intensity options aside from the Intensity Pro (PCI), but they are either Thunderbolt (don't have) or USB 3.0 and I'm not sure of ProTools compatibility with them.

I do have a 2nd Monitor set up, but unfortunately some of the bigger videos we work with, especially ProRes, really slow our system down. H264s are probably the worst due to the compression refreshing that the computer then has to do. It really slows ProTools down in a bad way - not good when clients are in the room.

Short of buying a Magma expansion chassis or switching to HDX, does anyone have a possible solution under $1000? Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Brandonx1]

I would simply satellite another pro tools le rig. You'll probably be able to get a video satellite going for right around a grand but it's a great way to work. All the load of video completely off your daw.

[Craig F]

you don't say your on a Mac Pro but I'm going to work under that assumption:
you do not have USB 3.0 ether
what model do you have? (the older video cards suck on High Def QTs)

A Vid Sat rig is a way to go but that another computer + a PT licence + a Vid Sat licence + maybe a video card depending on the computer
You could convert everything to something like photo-JPEG (that is what we use and do, except when we Vid Sat w/ MC off of ISIS)
More than $1k but the new Mac Pros that are do soon should have both Thunderbolt and
USB 3.0

[stangroom]

Hey Craig, yes MacPro.

Thanks for your guys' input.

Although the satellite system sounds awesome, this is actually a multi room facility that we're trying to upgrade. No centralized machine room either, and Gigabit ethernet throughout the studios. I do have a couple year old MacPro sitting around that can be setup for satellite, but I think running two or three sessions simultaneously over anything other than Fiber would be very stuttery and maybe cause more problems than solutions.