Specifications

2
Accepted Inputs • HD/SD SDI Video with embedded audio
• HDMI Video with embedded audio
Note: Encoding of Apple ProRes is available only on Apple computers. Apple ProRes can
be played back on a PC with the appropriate QuickTime Windows decoder.
Using Multiple AJA
Products
Starting with KONA, Io HD, and Io Express v7.5, more than one AJA product can be used
with your host computer. Using the AJA/Io Express Control Panel (Mac) or Machina Control
Application (Windows), you can choose which installed product an application uses for
input/output. If you have more than one product and the associated drivers installed, in the
upper left corner of the AJA Control Panel and the Setup Screen of Machina, you will see a
board name, such as Io Express or KONA3. (If only one product is installed, the AJA/Io
Express Control Panel will not show a product or pulldown menu.) To “target” a specific
installed product for use, select it from the list of available products that appear in the
pulldown.
When you launch an application such as Final Cut Pro 7, or AJA TV, that application will use
the product that is currently selected in the AJA Control Panel or Machina application for its
input/output. Once an application is running, you can change the “targeted” product
selection in the AJA Control Panel or Machina and select a different product. The running
application will retain its connection to the product. If you change the “targeted” product
and launch a different application, that application will use the new product for its input/
output, while the first application you launched will continue to use the previous AJA
product.
Example: select an Io Express as the targeted product in the Control Panel application.
Launch Final Cut Pro 7. Final Cut Pro 7 is now using the Io Express for its input/output. Go
back to the Control Panel application and select a KONA 3 as the “targeted” product.
Launch the AJA TV application. AJA TV would now use the KONA 3 for its output.
If you switch back to Final Cut Pro 7, you will see that it still uses the Io Express for its input/
output. Note that some applications, like AJA TV, have a provision for playing in the
background, so playback on one product could even continue when switching the targeted
device for use with another application. You can even feed the output from one AJA
product to another AJA product on the same system in such cases.
AJA TV optionally supports playback in the background; checkbox “Continue Playback”
when AJA TV is in background.
Note: Performance of multi-product use depends on a variety of factors: CPU usage, RAM,
disk IOPS/bandwidth for streams of video, etc. and therefore performance may vary.
Also be aware that multiple input/output streams are only supported by software that
is explicitly designed for a multi-product environment. Also note that due to limitations
of FireWire bandwidth, only one Io HD product may be used at a time on a host
computer.
About Primary &
Secondary Video
Formats
In Io Express operation, the Primary Format is the media format written to disk and used in
your project. The Secondary format is that which may be input for capture or output from Io
Express to VTRs or other devices. Down-conversion may be applied to an input or on
output.
The Primary Format menu allows you to select the video format used in your current
project.
Down-conversion is performed based on the Primary or Secondary Format settings.
Io Express can down-convert the input format (when designated as a Secondary Format
input) to the selected Primary Format. Or you can set a Secondary Format output that will
be a down-conversion of the Primary Format.
Note: When converting an Input to the Primary Format, select the Secondary Format
option that has (I), for input only, appended to it. Conversely, when converting an