Setting up new Mac Pro.... HDMI out or AJA?

[Jon_Atkinson]

Hey all,

Just setting up a new Mac Pro... Up until recently I've been using a Mac Pro 2010 with an AJA iO Express connected by HDMI to an HD TV to run picture. All fine and rock solid.

I'm wondering if there's a way to utilise the HDMI outputs on the new Mac to behave in a similar way to the AJA when running video from PT?

I know I can set the screens up in display preferences, and can just have 2 screens, and simply move the video window to the TV. But I actually prefer having the single screen for PT and having the video behave as a self contained picture which just runs to the TV (so the cursor doesn't ever enter the video picture)

Is there a way to set that up? Google was no help...!

I know I can simply install the AJA on the new machine (and AJA are amazing at keeping legacy products up to date with drivers etc).... But I'm wondering if the AJA would potentially just be duplicating what the Mac could already do?

BTW.... I'm a composer, not doing post, so the bar doesn't have to be set too high regarding pic quality and exact frame edge sync etc...

Thanks in advance!

[Farhoof]

It's not a matter of Mac supporting AJA like functions, it's a matter of Avid building something like it into Protools (if possible at all). Currently it's the same as it has always been, you can manually drag the video window to a 2nd or 3rd computer screen and maximize it to fullscreen. As long as your on Intel Macs I'd say stick to AJA/BM.

[Jon_Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Farhoof

It's not a matter of Mac supporting AJA like functions, it's a matter of Avid building something like it into Protools (if possible at all). Currently it's the same as it has always been, you can manually drag the video window to a 2nd or 3rd computer screen and maximize it to fullscreen. As long as your on Intel Macs I'd say stick to AJA/BM.

Thanks for the reply... Yeah, that was kind of how it seemed to me...

I might just stick with the AJA for now, as I'm comfortable with that workflow.

Seems like something which AVID could look at in the future, seeing as the current Mac Pro has multiple options for display out... It would seem like a no-brainer to bring control over those outputs to within PT (or Media Composer for that matter)... so that PT isn't then having to deal with potentially numerous video drivers etc...

(spoken like someone who know nothing of coding or any of that..!...)

[reichman]

I'm not a video expert, but keep in mind that the macOS desktop is running at a different frame rate than a video. Avid can't fix this issue. Having dedicated video interfaces like Blackmagic or AJA makes for a more stable and better-looking picture.