Instruction manual

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. How does KONA 3 accelerate
DVCPROHD, HDV, and Apple RT Effects? A precision hardware scalar in
KONA 3 does what the Apple computer's processor would otherwise have to do,
scale less than full raster HD (DVCProHD and HDV) to full raster size, thus
speeding up the system considerably—and doing this scaling at full 10-bit
broadcast quality.
KONA 3 also has hardware support when capturing from HD-SDI to the
DVCProHD codec. With KONA 3, any HD source can be captured using the
DVCPROHD codec-giving you online HD quality at remarkably low data rates.
This feature allows HD to be used where only SD would have been considered
due to drive capacity or drive performance constraints. KONA 3 even supports
the DVCPROHD codec with up or down conversion-allowing projects to be
downconverted to SD, or even upconverted to the DVCPROHD codec on ingest.
When using the Final Cut Pro HDV codec, the KONA 3 advanced scaling engine
takes the native frame (long GOP 1440 HD) and outputs it via hardware-in real
time. Precision AJA circuitry re-sizes the video to full raster 1920 x 1080,
providing instantaneous playback of HDV captured by Final Cut Pro for both
monitoring and recording.
Unlike the DV25 format, which can preview in realtime natively via Final Cut
Pro, the MPEG structure of HDV is much more complex. Fortunately, KONA 3
can provide real time monitoring and playback to both HD and SD monitors and
decks via the realtime hardware scaler and down-converter on board.
In addition to speeding up Final Cut Pro Dynamic RT by using the KONA scalar,
multiple frame size RT (1/4 size, 1/2 size, full size)—a Final Cut Pro feature—also
benefits from KONA 3. The frame count and image size are dynamically changed
during file playback, so you don't get the “un-rendered” message in Final Cut Pro.
The KONA 3 scalar handles the dynamic multiple frame sizes seamlessly, so that
the Dynamic RT you see on the Mac monitor is the same as that shown on your
professional broadcast monitor.
Internal HD/SD Hardware Downstream Keyer
Available for the first time on any QuickTime capture card is a powerful hardware
keyer that can place graphic files with an alpha channel over video in, a selectable
matte, or the contents of the card's framebuffer from a software application (AJA
Kona TV / Apple's Final Cut Pro / AJA's VTR Xchange). Key a bug or text over
picture and avoid what might normally be a lengthy software render. In addition
to working with these software applications, you can also key video that has an
alpha channel over video input or a matte. For example, you could load a
QuickTime clip that has an alpha-channel - a flying logo generated in the
Animation codec - into KONA TV and then place it over live video coming into
the card and then passing both on to a VTR for recording or broadcast.