Models: 3 and 3X Installation and Operation Guide May 4, 2007 P/N101660
ii Trademarks AJA, KONA, and Io are trademarks of AJA Video, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, FireWire and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Final Cut Pro, QuickTime and the QuickTime Logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. DVCPRO HD® is a registered trademark of Panasonic Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Notice Copyright © 2007 AJA Video, Inc. All rights reserved.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Limited Warranty Limited Warranty AJA Video warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three years from the date of purchase. If a product proves to be defective during this warranty period, AJA Video, at its option, will either repair the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the defective product.
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KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Table of Contents Table of Contents Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii FCC Emission Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 PhotoJPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 DV (DV25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 DV50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 DVCPRO HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Table of Contents 2K Crop Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Info Tab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Saving Your Control Panel Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Who is Controlling KONA 3? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Models: 3 and 3X Chapter 1: Introduction Overview The AJA KONA 3 brings the highest quality to SD, HD, Dual Link HD and 2K film resolutions to Apple PCI-Express and PCI-X computers.
2 Features The KONA 3 card offers a large number of unique features for optimum quality, ease of use, and support for a wide variety of post production workflows.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Features Crossconversion is high-quality hardware-based, providing capability to streamline dailies and offers true broadcast picture quality in realtime. Because these functions are in hardware on the card, they are available full time, all the time—with no CPU load. Such conversions are useful for cost effective monitoring, making standard definition dubs of an HD project, or upconverting from a standard definition FCP project to an HD deliverable.
4 Hardware-based Acceleration Final Cut Pro users will likely notice the DVCPROHD, HDV, and Apple RT Extreme hardware acceleration provided by KONA 3. This hardware acceleration was developed in close cooperation with Apple.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — What’s In The Box? 5 • KONA 3 Control Panel for audio/video source selection, conversion and control Software of KONA 3 within the overall MacOS environment (Macintosh Desktop, Input Pass-through, etc.) • AJA QuickTime™ Drivers for tightly integrated hardware/software operation • Support for Apple Final Cut Pro™ (application software not included) • Support for After Effects, Combustion, Motion, and other application application software not included.
6 • Cable, KONA 3 SDI In/Out—mini-connectors on the card (technically called “1.0/2.3 connectors”) connect to full-size BNCs for ease of use and compatibility with professional equipment. • Cable, AES XLR digital audio connectors, RS422, and Reference Input. • Read Me First Notice, Registration sheet, and any other late-breaking news and/or errata related to KONA 3. Please save all packaging for shipping the KONA 3 should you wish to do so when moving or sending it in for service.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — System Requirements System Requirements AJA Video recommends that your system meet minimum hardware and software requirements to achieve a satisfactory level of performance when operating it. Here, we provide minimum and recommended requirements and then discuss disk storage issues that should be understood for proper system configuration.
8 Understanding Disk Storage Methods Item Recommended Internal Storage (SATA inside Mac): Best suited for compressed SD/HD formats only External Storage: Note: see Storage Methods topic that follows later in this Chapter Ideally a RAID configuration with Fibre Channel or SCSI connection to the Mac via qualified host bus adapter The KONA 3 card, an Apple PCI-Express Power Mac, and Final Cut Pro, together offer an unprecedented level of features and performance for audio/video post production applicatio
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — System Requirements Striping divides a logical drive into data blocks, or stripes, that are distributed across an array of physical drives. Striping a set of disks improves storage performance because each drive operates concurrently. However, striping alone, known as RAID level 0, offers no data protection. Mirroring involves writing identical copies of all data to a pair of physical drives.
10 Storage Example: AJA KONA 3 for Dual Link HD and 2K resolutions AJA can recommend the following examples of drive configurations to support certain specified video and digital film resolutions and their associated bandwidth requirements. If a particular drive array or manufacturer is not listed, it may simply be because AJA has no experience with the company or a particular unit. This guide simply offers examples that AJA has used with success when working with the specified formats listed.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Cable Connections FORMAT SD Formats 10 bit 4:2:2 SD (NTSC/PAL) 8 bit 4:2:2 SD (NTSC/PAL) DV50(NTSC/PAL) DV25(NTSC/PAL) Photo JPEG SD (NTSC/PAL) HD Formats 10 bit 4:2:2 1080i 59.94Hz/29.97fps 8 bit 4:2:2 1080i 59.94Hz/29.97fps 10 bit 4:2:2 1080i 50Hz/25fps 8 bit 4:2:2 1080i 50Hz/25fps 10 bit 4:2:2 1080PsF 23.98Hz/fps 8 bit 4:2:2 1080PsF 23.98Hz/fps 10 bit 4:2:2 720P 59.94Hz or fps 8 bit 4:2:2 720P 59.94Hz or fps 10 bit 4:4:4 1080PsF 23.
12 Using The Breakout Box The KONA 3 Breakout Box attaches to the KONA 3 card via cables supplied with it that attach to the back of the Box. For additional functionality, the K3-Box Breakout Box provides some features not present in the standard break-out cables: simultaneous XLR and BNC AES output, 2 channel RCA analog audio monitoring, and looping BNC Genlock reference connectors.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Cable Connections Connector Descriptions— Cables and K3-Box Connectors on the standard cable set are labelled as to their function for easy installation and maintenance. Similarly, connectors on the optional Breakout Box are also labelled. 8 Channel Digital AES/EBU Audio Inputs And Outputs When using the standard cables, XLR connections are provided for digital AES/EBU audio input/output.
14 Analog Monitor Out (Component HD or SD or SD Composite + Y/C) KONA 3 features 12-bit component video output for both HD and SD. The analog component output can be configured in a variety of ways; as a component, composite or Y/C signal. This flexibility allows, for example, the use of an inexpensive analog input-only monitor for both HD or SD viewing.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — In This Manual In This Manual Chapter 1 is the introduction you’re reading, listing features, box contents, and system requirements. Chapter 2 gets you started with using KONA 3 in a typical video environment. Typical workflows for SD, HD, Dual Link HD, and 2K are discussed. Chapter 3 provides complete instructions for installing and configuring the AJA KONA 3 card.
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Chapter 2: Getting Started KONA 3 And Your Workflow There are a lot of ways to think about audio/video workflows. Your setup might be categorized as corporate video, professional broadcast, or desktop video. Or the workflow might be categorized by the type of equipment used rather than the nature of work produced-many systems these days are a mixture of equipment from high-end professional to desktop video.
18 Source Deck Type(s) Workflow Attributes Digital SD or HD Examples: Digibeta, DV50, DVCPROHD, HDCAM, and DVcam Digital capture via Firewire with Output via AJA KONA 3 Example: HDV Without even using a deck; use the video monitor as a second Mac monitor. The KONA 3 desktop lets you drag graphics from programs like Adobe Photoshop from the computer display to the video monitor. You paint full frame and live onto a broadcast monitor.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Understanding Typical Workflows Following are summaries of the most common workflows, listing data rates and relative quality levels. Some workflows require a RAID array and some will work using the host Apple computer's internal system drive—it's noted where this is supported in the following discussions.
20 DVCPRO HD Data rate: 6 to 14 MB/second high definition—supported by internal system drive Quality: Excellent KONA 3 has hardware support that allows capture from HD-SDI to the DVCPRO HD codec. KONA 3's hardware also takes a portion of the DVCPRO HD codec processing load off the CPU, allowing more computer processor time for Dynamic RT effects in Final Cut Pro.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Workflow General Notes AJA Kona 10-bit Log RGB and RGB Codecs as related to a 2K Workflow Data rate: For 2048x1556 2K: • When seen as a QuickTime movie at 23.98fps with a raster of 2048x1556, the data rate is 300MB/second (approximately). • When seen as a single frame DPX file with a 2048x1556 raster, the size is roughly 12+MB/frame. • 2K uncompressed media necessitates the use of high-performance SCSI or Fibre Channel drive arrays.
22 HD Offline Scenario #2 The DV codec has been a staple of Final Cut Pro since the application's inception, providing a well-suited offline editing workflow that has proven to work fine for many projects. Similar to the process described above with the newer DVCPRO HD codec, this codec can be used to capture from your HD tapes at the native frame rates of those tapes (23.98fps).
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Workflow General Notes KONA 3 2K PATH TYPICAL 2K PATH Shoot 35mm Film Shoot 35mm Film Telecine to Kona 3 via HSDL Telecine to Tape 1 Simultaneous DPX and Quicktime Reference Movies are created during telecine vs. Time to digitize: 0 hours Footage is at 2K resolution; Critical monitoring of focus and FX work may be started. Offline media for editorial may be created at lower resolution vs.
24 Important Note about 2K: Operational procedures and information for working with 2K workflows are presented in Appendix C at the back of this manual. 2K workflows are unique and require the use of KONA's VTR Exchange and Final Cut Pro, in conjunction with the 2K Crop features of the KONA Control Panel (discussed in Chapter 4-2K Crop Screen). To begin working with 2K, please read Appendix C.
Chapter 3: Installation & Configuration Installation Overview The installation and set up of a KONA 3 is very simple. All of the steps of installation and configuration are documented in this chapter, summarized as follows: 1. Unpack the shipping box 2. If not previously installed on your Mac, ensure that Final Cut Pro is installed as detailed in its user documentation. (If you do not intend to use the KONA card with Final Cut Pro but the AJA provided stand alone applications, FCP need not be installed.
26 6. Cable the system audio and video sources, VTR, audio monitor, and video monitor. If you purchased the optional Breakout Box, then install it into an equipment rack or place it on a desk and connect its cables to the KONA 3 card. If you're instead using the standard cable set, then use those to connect equipment. Each of these steps are explained in greater detail in the pages of this chapter.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Unpacking AJA KONA 3 PCI-Express Card Installation Software CD Read Me First Notice and Registration Sheet Standard Cable Set Installation and Operation Manual in electronic form on the CD (PDF) BNC/XLR-cable 1 RS422 Machine Control (9-pin) 3 BNCs (Analog Out Connections): In SD Can be Configured for Component, Composite, or S-Video In HD Can Only Be Component Reference Input BNC Audio Output XLRs Channels 1-8 (2 channels/connector) Audio Input XLRs Channel
28 Note: Save packing materials and the shipping box. If you ever require service or move your system—use the packaging materials and box for safe shipment. Installing the KONA 3 Card into a MacPro or G5 1. Place the computer in a well-lit area, where you will have easy access when opening the MacPro or G5 chassis. 2. Using your hand, touch the outside of the Mac to discharge any static electricity you have. Remove the power cable from the back of the chassis. 3.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Installing the KONA 3 Card into 1 KONA 3 Card To Install: 1. Remove Screw and Cover Plate and Insert KONA Card 2.
30 PCI-Express Slots Slot 4 is the preferred slot on a PCIe G5 for KONA 3 PCIe card installation Slot 3 is the preferred slot on a MacPro for KONA 3 PCIe card installation Top Slot is preferred in PCI-X G5s (133Mhz slot) for KONA 3X PCI-X card installation Card Slots, PCIe G5 shown here Note: After you install the KONA 3 card, you may notice that in the MacOSX Network preferences there is a message stating “You have a new network port named KONA 3 —be sure to check the settings...”.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Cabling the System KONA 3 Installs in PCI-Express Slot (any) Standard Cable Set Showing “BNC/XLR-cable” Use 1 RS422 Machine Control (9-pin) 3 BNCs (Analog Out Connections): In SD Can be Configured for Component, Composite, or S-Video In HD Can Only Be Component Reference Input BNC Audio Output XLRs Channels 1-8 (2 channels/connector) 4-mini BNCs to 4 standard BNCs Audio Input XLRs Channels 1-8 (2 channels/connector) SDI Out1/Link A BNC SDI Out2/Link B BNC
32 4. Connect two SDI cables between KONA 3 and your digital VTR (Digital Betacam etc.): one from KONA 3 SDI In to the VTR SDI Out, and one from KONA 3 SDI Out (1 or 2) to the VTR SDI In. The KONA 3 SDI connections have embedded audio (16-channels) so the VTR must be configured accordingly. These connections will be made via the miniconnectors-to-BNC cable or via the optional K3-Box. 5.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Installing KONA 3 Software Installing KONA 3 Software First ensure that Final Cut Pro is installed as detailed in its user documentation. Next, install the KONA 3 driver. You cannot use KONA 3 with Final Cut Pro until the Final Cut Pro software has been installed and run at least once on the Mac. You also cannot use KONA 3 with Final Cut Pro until you run the KONA 3 driver and software installer.
34 Log On Authenticate Prompt 6. Click on the OK button after entering a valid user and password. 7. The installer will launch and you’ll see a series of installer screens. Initial Installer Screen 8. Click Continue to begin installation. 9. The next screen lets you know that the installer will check your Mac to ensure it has the hardware and software resources required (see Minimum Requirements in Chapter 1).
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Installing KONA 3 Software 1 System Check Installer Screen 10. Read and agree to the Software License Agreement. KONA 3 Software License Agreement Screen 11. The next screen shows all the available drives on the Power Mac. Click on the drive that contains your system files (Apple default is “Macintosh HD”). A green arrow will point to the drive you’ve selected. Click the Continue button to proceed with installation.
36 Select a Destination Drive For the KONA 3 Software 12. At the next screen, click the Install button to place the software on the drive you previously selected.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Genlock and Your System 13. A system prompt will pop up with a reminder that OS X must be restarted after installation. Click the Continue Installation button to proceed. 14. The installer will run and put all the necessary KONA 3 drivers, KONA 3 Control Panel, presets and additional software on the desired hard drive. When it has completed installation, a final screen will be displayed announcing that “software was successfully installed.” 15.
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Chapter 4: Final Cut Pro and Other Software Final Cut Pro After you install the KONA 3 software on your Mac, all you need to do to begin using it is to become familiar with the KONA 3 Control Panel and how Final Cut Pro works with KONA 3. With Final Cut Pro you'll choose the proper setups from those provided by AJA to utilize the card for input and output.
40 For this reason, it is useful to leave the Kona Control Panel application on the desktop while you work in applications and simply command click into it to access it if you are unsure of a setting or wish to make a change. Control Panel Basics Although the KONA 3 card auto-detects the input format depending on the input that it is presented, and the Control Panel intuitively shows at a glance much about what the card is doing—there is even more information presented that may not be obvious.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 41 The “Primary Format” Outputs: one, two, or dual-link Inputs: one, two, or dual-link Conversion Icon Framebuffer Shows the “Primary Format” KONA 3 has selected 1 Tabbed Windows—Click One To Edit/View A Topic Click on Arrows to See Additional Tabs KONA 3 Control Panel, Block Diagram Framebuffer—the framebuffer is the “engine” in the KONA 3 card where active video operations take place using Final Cut Pro, other 3rd-party applicat
42 Input/Output Icons—the input and output icons are triangles that together with their color show all the input and outputs and their status (selected, not selected, input present or not, format, etc.). A complete video path is shown when inputs and outputs are connected with lines going to/from the framebuffer.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 43 Tabs available are: Inputs: view and edit input selections and how they are mapped. Formats: select the framebuffer primary video format, any secondary. formats, and parameters of up/down/crossconversion for input/output. Digital Out: assign outputs either Primary or Secondary formats. Analog Out: configure the component/composite +Y/C analog output. Control: configures KONA 3 default output (test pattern, pass through, desktop, etc.
44 On the Inputs screen you can view the currently selected video and audio input sources and map audio sources to the channels supported by Final Cut Pro (more on this later). Two information panes in the screen are provided: Video Input and Audio Input. Input Tab Screen Settings Video Input—these radio buttons allow you to see and change what's currently selected and the video format that KONA 3 has detected (if any).
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control Formats Tab Screen The Formats screen shows the video format currently in use by the KONA 3 framebuffer (called the Primary Format) and allows you to change it. All throughout the Control Panel, choices are always presented based on what KONA 3 can do with the signals available and the inputs/outputs selected.
46 KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab, Showing Primary Formats Pulldown Menu Format Tab Screen Settings Video Format—this pull-down menu shows the currently selected format. This pull-down appears in both the Primary Format area of the Formats screen as well as the Secondary Format area (if present). If you select an alternate value in the Primary Format using the pull-down, it will change the format used by KONA 3's framebuffer.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control KONA 3 Formats include: 525i 23.98 525i 29.97 625i 25 720p 23.98 720p50 720p 59.94 720p 60 1080i 25 1080i 29.97 1080i 30 1080sf 23.98 1080sf 24 1080p23.98 1080p24 1080p25 1080p29.97 1080p30 1080p50 1080p59.94 1080p60 2K1080p23.98 2K1080p24 2K1080sf23.98 2K1080sf24 2K1556sf14.98 2K1556sf15 2K1556sf23.
48 KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab Showing Crossconversion, 1080i to 720p KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab Showing Crossconversion, 720p to 1080i
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 1 KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab Showing Crossconversion, 720p to 1080PsF KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab Showing Crossconversion, 1080i Downconvert 49
50 KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab Showing Crossconversion, SD to 720p Upconvert KONA 3 Control Panel, Formats Tab Showing Dual-link In/Out (no conversion)
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control Up (Conversion)—the Up and Down pull-down menus are available when conversion has been selected for the video path to/from the framebuffer and like Hz formats are selected (the one exception is 1080PsF 23.98 which can be downconverted to 525i 29.97.) Different choices will be available depending on the type of conversion and formats being converted.
52 KONA 3 Control Panel, Digital Out Tab Digital Out Tab Screen Settings Separate information panes will be listed (as applicable) for SDI Outputs 1 and 2. Information that can appear includes the following items. You can view the current setting or click on another to change to it: Primary—when selected, this indicates that the SDI output is set to the same format as the framebuffer. That value will be listed in blue.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 1 KONA 3 Control Panel, Digital Out Tab, Video+Key Output KONA 3 Control Panel, Digital Out Tab, Showing Downconvert (secondary format) 53
54 Analog Out Tab Screen KONA 3 provides a high-quality analog component or composite + Y/C output, generally used for monitoring. This screen shows the current settings for that analog output, and allows you to re-configure it when desired (format and black-level). KONA 3 Control Panel, Analog Out Tab Analog Out Tab Screen Settings Analog Output Format—choices in the Analog Format pulldown menu vary depending upon the Analog Output video standard.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control Control Tab Screen The KONA 3 can be controlled by various software applications running on a host Mac as well as be used as a Macintosh Desktop extension. The Control Tab is where you select how the KONA 3 directs video and is used by application software. This screen also provides control for configuring output timing with regard to external reference video and horizontal/vertical delay.
56 KONA 3 Control Panel, Control Tab, Default Kona Output Pulldown Menu Default KONA Output Choices and their meanings: Macintosh Desktop: when selected, this selection causes the KONA 3 program video output (digital and analog) to be an extension of the Macintosh desktop. Mac OS windows and applications can appear (when applicable) on the KONA outputs.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 1 KONA 3 Control Panel, Test Pattern Choices Hold Last Application: this selection directs KONA 3 to hold and output the last frame of video from the last application to control KONA 3. This can be helpful when operating in an environment where you're switching back and forth between multiple application windows.
58 DS Keyer Tab Screen The KONA 3 has a hardware-based downstream keyer that is ideal for putting logos, “bugs” or other video material with an alpha channel on top of video being played out or printed to tape. A typical application would be putting a television station's call letters or channel over program video content. Keyed video can be from the KONA's internal Frame Buffer (from storage, video In, Kona TV, etc.) or from a graphics file that has an alpha channel (PhotoShop etc.).
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control Graphic over Video In—places a graphics file having an alpha channel (chosen in “Graphic File” pulldown) over the video input for playout or print-to-tape. Graphic over Frame Buffer—places a graphics file having an alpha channel (chosen in “Graphic File” pulldown) over the current contents of the KONA card’s Frame Buffer (which might be from storage, video In, Kona TV, etc.).
60 KONA 3 Control Panel, DS Keyer Tab, Loading a Graphic File to Place Over Framebuffer Click Matte Color Button to Bring Up Color Selection Dialog KONA 3 Control Panel, DS Keyer Tab, Loading a Graphic File to Place Over a Matte
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control Setup Tab Screen KONA 3 provides a high-quality analog component or composite output, generally used for monitoring. This screen shows the current settings for that analog output, and allows you to re-configure it when desired. 1 KONA 3 Control Panel, Setup Tab Setup Tab Screen Settings Analog Black Level—choices in the black Level pulldown menu are only available for the two Composite analog formats.
62 Codec Tab Screen This screen offers a variety of controls that determine how the card behaves under Final Cut Pro. KONA 3 Control Panel, Codec Tab Codec Tab Screen Settings Pause On—these two choices determine what happens when Final Cut Pro is paused in stop mode: Full Frame: both fields are displayed resulting in some jitter while paused. Single Field: a single field is displayed, showing no flicker (useful when color correcting or whenever the flickering would be a distraction).
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control YUV-RGB Conversion: These pulldowns select industry standard color space and gamma transfer functions for the YUV-RGB conversion, or allow you to direct the KONA card to automatically determine it for you. Colorspace—choose from: Rec 601 Rec 709 Auto Gamma—choose from the following: Linear (1.8) Rec 601 (2.20) Rec 709 (2.22) Auto 1 Enable Custom LUTs—this checkbox enables a custom color lookup table (LUT) for use in Final Cut Pro.
64 Select a “canned” LUT or create your own Click to restore factory defaults Adjust Gain & Offset sliders to change color. Changed values will appear in red in text fields. You can also enter specific numbers to explicitly set a value. KONA 3 Custom LUTs Dialog Timecode Tab Screen The timecode screen is used for both monitoring the RP-188 timecode embedded in the digital data stream and for selecting a timecode offset on output (if desired).
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 1 KONA 3 Control Panel, Timecode Tab Timecode Tab Screen Settings Input RP-188 Timecode —in RP-188 timecode there can be multiple timecode values in the data stream. Use this pull-down to select the one you wish to monitor. The selection will be displayed in the timecode value displayed to the right of the pulldown. User Bits—for monitoring Varicam timecode, you may wish to monitor the user bits embedded in the timecode.
66 Output Use QuickTime Timecode—when checked, this directs KONA to output timecode from the QuickTime timecode track. When not checked, KONA uses the Output Timecode Offset value plus the number of frames into the movie. Note: not all QuickTime applications use or support timecode tracks, so sometimes the QuickTime timecode is missing or not meaningful.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 2K Crop Tab Screen This Tabbed screen allows you to determine how 2K frames captured with VTR Exchange and brought into Final Cut will be cropped. You can select a crop mode and then pan and scan around to choose the area that will be displayed.
68 Here’s another 2K crop, this time showing cropped output to a 2K projector: KONA 3 Control Panel, 2K Crop Tab, Showing a 2K Crop to 2K Projector In the Format Tab window, this corresponds to: Once a crop is selected, KONA 3 defaults to the crop being placed in the center area of the 2K frame. You can change or move the cropped area from within the frame by selecting the green rectangle with the mouse cursor and dragging it to a desired spot.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 1 KONA 3 Control Panel, 2K Crop Tab, Selecting Crop Mode Important Note about 2K: Operational procedures and information for working with 2K workflows are presented in Appendix C at the back of this manual. 2K workflows are unique and require the use of KONA’s VTR Exchange software and Final Cut Pro, in conjunction with the 2K Crop features discussed above in the KONA Control Panel.
70 KONA 3 Control Panel, Info Tab Saving Your Control Panel Presets After configuring the KONA 3 Control Panel via the Tabbed screens, you can then save all your settings as a snapshot for later recall—called a preset. In this way, you can organize the presets for all your typical tasks, saving time by not having to manually reconfigure each time. To save a preset, simply go to “File -> Save Preset...”. Be sure to give the preset a meaningful name.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control Who Has Priority? Masters That Can Control KONA 3 1st Priority Final Cut Pro 1st Priority Other “QuickTime Application” 2nd Priority Mac OSX Desktop Video 3rd Priority KONA 3 Control Panel Application .. .. Control of KONA 3 and Primary Format Selection 1 When you click in an application window, the “Master” controlling KONA 3 changes, possibly changing the Format Selections in effect.
72 What can be confusing is that QuickTime applications can start and stop and change modes—even while they are running! And the behavior of different QuickTime applications can vary: some applications take control of the board as soon as they are launched and don't give it up until they quit, while other applications take control of the board only when they are the “front-most” running application and then relinquish control when they’re not. Final Cut Pro is one of the latter type QuickTime applications.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Using The KONA 3 Control 1 When the Finder is in control of the KONA board, the KONA Control Panel disables the Primary Format popup and puts a message in the KONA Control Panel “Formats” tab as follows: KONA Control Panel—3rd Priority If a QuickTime application is not running and the Default Video Output is not set to Mac Desktop, then the KONA 3 Control Panel gets control of the board.
74 Easy Setups for Typical Uses Final Cut and KONA 3 together make working with multiple formats an easy proposition. Inside of Final Cut, equipment and setting presets are available in groups called Easy Setups, from which you can choose typical system configurations. A large set of Easy Setups are supplied with KONA 3 and installed along with the KONA 3 software. These canned choices can be used directly or as the basis for making your own customized Easy Setups unique to your system.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Easy Setups for Typical Uses 1 Easy Setup Dialog At the top of the Easy Setup dialog is the currently selected Easy Setup. It can be changed by clicking on the pulldown arrow at the right. Doing so results in a long list of the factory Easy Setups stored on the system. If you wish to see all of the Easy Setups, factory and user-defined, then ensure the “Show All” checkbox is marked at the right side of the dialog. By default, all AJA Easy Setups will be checked.
76 Easy Setups For Use With KONA 3 The factory default Easy Setups currently shipped with KONA 3 are shown below and may not be inclusive as AJA attempts to add to this list regularly as is the case for emerging HDV formats for KONA supported playback. In addition to this, there are additional easy setups available on your KONA Software CD and on the AJA website. Your list may differ as AJA is continually improving and adding functionality.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Easy Setups for Typical Uses Easy Setup (as listed in FCP Pulldown) Description/Usage AJA KONA 3- 1080i 29.97 DVCPRO HD Use this preset when working with high-definition 1080i at a 29.97 framerate. Material will be processed as DVCPRO HD. Use this preset when working with high-definition 1080i at a 30 framerate. Material will be processed as 8 bit uncompressed. Use this preset when working with high-definition 1080i at a 30 framerate.
78 Device Control Preset—select the AJA Video KONA 3 device (NTSC or PAL as desired). This tells Final Cut that the KONA 3 will control the VTR attached to KONA 3. A/V Devices (Audio and Video Playback)—select the KONA 3 as video and audio playback devices for Final Cut and the format to be output.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Easy Setups for Typical Uses 1 Audio/Video Settings, Creating a New Easy Setup At any point in the above procedure you can go to the other tabbed windows and make additional changes. For example, in the Sequence Presets, Capture Presets, and Device Control Presets windows you can select a preset and click on an Edit button to change specific aspects of the preset.
80 The Sequence Presets Window Audio/Video Settings, Sequence Presets Window This window allows you to select an editing timebase for the current sequence. Once you add a clip to the sequence this cannot be changed. For example, once you’ve selected uncompressed 10-bit NTSC 48 kHz, you then have to stay in that timebase and can’t switch to another. By clicking in the leftmost column (see the checkmark in the sample screen above), you select a new Sequence Preset for use.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Easy Setups for Typical Uses The Capture Presets Window 1 Audio/Video Settings, Capture Presets Window This window lets you choose a preset format for incoming source video and audio media you’ll be capturing. Select the maximum quality format you’ll be using for most of the material so there will be no need to re-render later. The information on the right window pane describes the preset and all it’s parameters.
82 Capture Presets Editing Audio/Video Settings, Capture Presets Editing Window Note: Whenever a Preset is being copied as the basis of a new preset, always change the name and description to fit the new preset so users aren’t confused between it and the original. Frame Size—below the name and description are the frame size settings. These can be changed via the pulldown menu. Selecting a new Aspect Ratio value also changes the values in the width and height fields.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Easy Setups for Typical Uses QuickTime Audio Settings—these settings select an audio input source and affect how it's processed by Final Cut Pro. The Device pull-down should be set to KONA 3. The Input pull-down selects that KONA 3 will be used for capturing audio-it does not select the specific inputs. For specific audio input selection use the KONA 3 Control Panel. The Rate pull-down selects a sample rate; it should always be set to 48 kHz for KONA 3.
84 When editing a Device Control preset you can change the following: • Name and description of Device Control preset • Protocol for capture/playback VTR (for KONA 3 this will be RS422) • Audio Mapping • Time Source (LTC/VITC/both/etc.) • Port • Frame Rate • Default Timecode (Drop Frame etc.) • Capture/Playback Offsets (to correct for VTR versus Final Cut timing issues) • Handles/Pre-roll/Post-roll • Auto Record and PTV KONA 3 ships with VTR Device Control Presets for Sony and Panasonic VTRs.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Checking the System with a The Video Options button is greyed out for KONA 3 (use the KONA 3 Control Panel for video configuration; the Audio Options button opens a second dialog where Final Cut gives options for changing bit depth, number of channels, and the sample rate. Since Final Cut currently only supports 2 channels of audio, AJA recommends you leave all of these settings as set in the factory defaults.
86 5. Click the mouse cursor on the Bars and Tone in the Viewer window and drag it to the beginning of the sequence window. You’ll see the bars and tone show up on the sequence where it can then be played. 6. Go to the beginning of the sequence by clicking on the left-most icon and then click the “Play” icon. You should see and hear the bars and tone on your video monitor and audio monitoring system.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Checking the System with a 1 Bars and Tone In Sequence Window Click “Play” to Test the System Sequence Window Showing Bars and Tone Clip Dragged from Viewer If everything works properly, go ahead and try capturing audio and video media from your VTR.
88 Using 8-bit Versus 10-bit Video While both 8- and 10-bit uncompressed video are capable of providing excellent quality broadcast video, 10-bit represents a significantly higher quality and is preferable in many situations. Because 10-bit video has four times the numerical precision when compared to 8bit, it has a signal-to-noise ratio 12 db higher than 8-bit video. Visually, in 8-bit video compared to 10-bit video, you will notice a substantial difference.
Chapter 5: Troubleshooting If You Run Into Problems One useful way to find the source of problems is to isolate your system to the smallest size where the problem still occurs and then note all the symptoms. This serves to eliminate areas not involved in the problem and make finding the problem easier. Once you’ve noted problem symptoms, look through the following table and see if any of the symptoms are listed. If so, check the items listed.
90 Table 5-1. Problem Solving by Matching Symptoms to Remedies Symptom Check Dropped frames during playback Look for scroll bars in the viewer or canvas as a warning sign that the zoom setting exceeds the fit-twindow. Changes made to Final Cut’s configuration aren’t remembered or you need to force a change to them. Under some circumstances, Final Cut Pro may need to be initialized back to the factory default state as it was when you installed it.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Support If the problem is unknown or you need general help, first contact the dealer where you purchased the product. AJA dealers offer product support for many service requirements. If the problem is a Final Cut Pro operational issue, Mac system issue, or Xserve RAID issue, then call Apple Customer Support for help.
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Appendix A: Specifications Video Input Dual-rate (SD or HD) SD and HD-SDI, SMPTE-259/292/296 Single Link 4:2:2 Dual-link HD 4:4:4 2K HSDL (High Speed Data Link) 4:4:4 Video Formats 525i 23.98 (intermediate format only) 525i 29.97 625i 25 720P 23.98 (intermediate format only) 720P 50 720P 59.94 720P 60 1080i 25 1080i 29.97 1080i 30 1080PsF 23.98 1080PsF 24 1080P 24 1080P 25 1080P 29.97 1080P 30 1080P 50 1080P 59.94 1080P 60 2048 x 1080P 23.98 2048 x 1080P 24 2048 x 1080PsF 23.
A-2 Audio 24-bit SDI embedded audio, 16 channel, 48kHz 24-bit AES audio, 8 channel, 96kHz or 48kHz, 16-bit capable Up-Conversion Hardware 10-bit Anamorphic: full-screen Pillar box 4:3: results in a 4:3 image in center of screen with black sidebars Zoom 14:9: results in a 4:3 image zoomed slightly to fill a 14:9 image with black sidebars Zoom Letterbox: results in image zoomed to fill full screen Zoom Wide: results in a combination of zoom and horizontal stretch to fill a 16:9 screen; this setting can introdu
Appendix B: Glossary Reference Terms 3:2 Pull Down 3:2 pull down is a process where six frames are added to a film’s original 24frames-per-second format so that it can work within the 30 fps NTSC standard. 24P A term for 24 full frames per second digital video progressively captured. It generally refers to the HD format of 1920x1080, although it is also used with 1280x720 images as well. 1080i Refers to a picture resolution of 1920 vertical pixels by 1080 horizontal pixels.
B-2 16:9 Refers to the aspect ratio of movie screen and widescreen DTV formats used in all HDTV (High Definition TV) and some SDTV (Standard Definition TV). The ratio is 16 arbitrary units of width for every 9 arbitrary units of height. 4:3 The aspect ratio of traditional National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) TV screens. The ratio refers to four units of width for every three units of height. 720p Refers to a picture that is 1,280 vertical pixels by 720 horizontal pixels.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Reference Terms B-3 DTV (Digital Television) DTV stands for Digital Television. It refers to all digital television formats and standards established by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). Two basic DTV standards are HDTV (high-definition television) and SDTV (standard-definition television) Frame rate The rate at which frames are displayed per second. Frame rates are used in synchronizing audio and pictures for video and film.
B-4 SDTV (StandardDefinition Television) Standard Definition Television pictures are higher quality than NTSC, however, they do not reach the quality and resolution of HD. SDTV is based on 480 lines of vertical resolution, available with both interlaced and progressively scanned formats. SD-SDI Refers to a standard definition signal provided on a serial digital connection. Upconverting Process by which a standard definition picture is changed to a simulated high-definition picture.
Appendix C: Working With 2K Workflows Introduction This chapter provides a simple overview of 2K workflow and how the KONA 3 can be used as an integral part of it. Overview of 2K and Its Uses In Digital Cinema 2K is a term, like SD and HD, used to describe a particular image size and quality of data. 2K data exceeds our pre-existing television broadcast standards for both SD and HD and is therefore most commonly associated with traditional cinema and the emerging digital cinema initiative.
C-2 2K Color: More Like Film than Video 2K images, like SD and HD images, can come in 8 bit, 10 bit, 12 bit, 16 bit, and other sizes. But most commonly, 2K files are written in a 10 bit Log RGB or RGB format. This provides for 1024 gradations of a given color in three equivalent colors of red, green and blue. By using RGB, 2K data can emulate, to some extent, film—which achieves its color reproduction via red, green and blue layers of emulsion.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Transporting 2K Data: HSDL B-3 Now we are seeing the first generation of what can truly be referred to as “digital cinema” cameras as they lack video recording devices, specifically tape recording capability, in their design and instead concentrate on producing electronic data that aims to emulate the image quality of traditional photochemical film processes.
C-4 The advantages of using the KONA 3 as an input/output device extend beyond its 2K HSDL functionality. Not only can users ingest 2K data as simultaneous 2K DPX files and QuickTime files, edit this information, and then output 2K data, but users can also elect to ingest 2K data and output simultaneous HD from a crop directly derived from the 2K media. An SD downconvert of this HD video can also be created simultaneously, if so desired.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — The KONA 3 2K Process—Ingest B-5 B. For the Format tab of the KONA Control Panel, make certain that the Video Format for Primary and Secondary is matched and matches the incoming “video”—which should be indicated in the graphic portion of the KONA Control Panel next to the SDI in 1 and SDI in 2 icons. 3. Run AJA VTR Xchange software. Go to the Capture pulldown menu in the application and select Video Settings.
C-6 7. You can elect to either view the footage out of the card on monitors in one of three ways (two of which may occur simultaneously) or output from the Kona 3 card via HSDL to another HSDL compliant device. For monitoring, the 2K Crop tab of the Kona Control Panel can be configured to output 1920x1080 from the 2K source. These settings are described in Chapter 4 earlier in this manual under the description of the “2K Crop Screen.
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — The KONA 3 2K Process—Ingest B-7 1 VTR Xchange Preferences Screen—Click “Save as Numbered Files” for file-per-frame capture VTR Xchange Main Window Screen
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KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Index I-1 Index Symbols .
I-2 Box Contents 26 Breakout Box 12 Breakout Cable diagram 31 Browser window 85 Burn-in, timecode 66 C Cable Connections 11, 30 Cable connector descriptions 13 Cables 2 Cabling the System 30 Capacity 10 Capture Preset 77 Capture Presets Window 81 Card installation, MacPro or G5 28 Card Slots, recommended installation 30 CD 5 CD, KONA Software 5 Chassis 5 Chassis Connections 32 Checking the System 85 Cineon file format 2 Codec settings 80 Codec Tab Screen 62 Color matte 58 Color Meanings, Control Panel 42 C
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Index DVCProHD Acceleration 4 DVCProHD hardware scaling 2 Dynamic RT 4 E Easy Setup (as listed in FCP Pulldown) 76 Easy Setup, creating an 78 Easy Setups 74 Easy Setups For Use With KONA 3 76 Easy Setups Menu 74 EBU N10 14 Editing long form content, scenario 21 Editing timebase 80 Embedded audio channel selection 44 Embedded digital audio 2 F Factory Easy Setups 75 Feature films, HD offline scenario 21 Features 2 Features, KONA 3 software 5 Fibre Channel 9 Field d
I-4 Installation Software CD-Rom 5 Installer Screen 34 Installing Software 33 Installing the KONA Card 28 IRE 61 K K3-Box 12 K3-Box connector descriptions 13 Key a bug 4 Keyed video 58 Keyer 2 Kodak Cineon 2 KONA 3 2K Process—Ingest to Output 4 KONA 3 control 70 KONA 3 Control Panel 39 KONA 3 Control Priorities 71 KONA 3 Formats 47 KONA 3 installation 25 KONA 3 Software 33 KONA 3X 1 KONA 3X, installation 25 Kona Output Pulldown Menu 56 KONA TV 5 L Letterbox 51 Linear 63 Linear RGB 2 Load File 59 Lock Input
KONA 3 Installation and Operation Manual — Index Problems, what to do if you encounter 89 Progressive frame 47 Progressive segmented frame 47 psf 47 Q QTToDPX Translator application 4 QTtoDPXtranslator 5 Quality and codecs 18 Quality, lowest to highest 18 QuickTime Audio Settings 83 QuickTime Timecode 66 QuickTime video 80 QuickTime Video Settings 82 QuickTime™ Drivers 5 R RAID 9 RAIDs 8 RCA connector pair, K3-Box configuration 61 Read/write 8 Rear panel 13 Rec 601 63 Rec 709 63 Recommended System Requirem
I-6 Tabs available, KONA Control Panel 43 Telecine 2 Telecine to KONA 3 3 Test Pattern 56 Testing the system 85 Time Source 84 timebase 80 Timecode 84 Timecode Burn-in 66 Timecode Offset 66 Timecode Screen 61, 64 Timecode Screen Settings 65 Timing adjustment, Control Panel 57 Transforming 51 Transporting 2K Data 3 Troubleshooting 89 Typical applications 17 Typical system interconnections 31 Typical Workflows 18 U Uncompressed 10-bit 20 Uncompressed 8-bit 20 Unpack 5 Unpacking 26 Upconversion 2, 50, 51 Upco
