QT sync w/o a video card with ext. sync input

[brandoncross]

I found a very similar number. I get + or - 1/4 frame float. To me that's fine. As long as I'm under a frame, sync wise, I'm good.

[smurfyou]

I think it depends on the DAW and platform. PT on OSX has been shown to get sloppy on playback, but it seems to be less than a frame. Anything more than that and theres usually a different cause in my experience.

[ggegan]

With my Intensity Pro card I get +or- 1/2 frame accuracy.

If I fed a video reference to a Decklink card from my Sync HD, would I be able to get the internal Quicktime to align the video frame edge to Pro Tools with no drift?

[brandoncross]

Yes. Both pro tools and the black magic will be frame alined to the bb signal. The qt 1/4 frame video offset adjustment will not work in 1/4 frames.

[apple-q]

Originally Posted by brandoncross

Yes. Both pro tools and the black magic will be frame alined to the bb signal. The qt 1/4 frame video offset adjustment will not work in 1/4 frames.

The Intensity pro can NOT be gen-locked to tri-level sync. You will need at least a HD extreme (around 900-1000$) plus a Sync HD plus a tri-level sync generator. The Intensity pro doesn't have a sync input.
Due to the QT start-error you can not get the Intensity pro within a consistent 1/4 frame reliable accuracy.

It will also vary depending on session load and QT codec.

When testing with Syncheck you need to do it in the fully loaded session with the identical codec flash QT to compensate. An empty session with just the pips will give you a different offset than a 200-track session with loads of plugins.

[brandoncross]

Originally Posted by apple-q

The Intensity pro can NOT be gen-locked to tri-level sync. You will need at least a HD extreme (around 900-1000$) plus a Sync HD plus a tri-level sync generator. The Intensity pro doesn't have a sync input.
Due to the QT start-error you can not get the Intensity pro within a consistent 1/4 frame reliable accuracy.

It will also vary depending on session load and QT codec.

When testing with Syncheck you need to do it in the fully loaded session with the identical codec flash QT to compensate. An empty session with just the pips will give you a different offset than a 200-track session with loads of plugins.

Sync check says 1/4 + or - on every single play. Not sure how I'm getting it this tight but it's 1/2 frame error. I just put the target on the middle of the 1/2.

You are right about the bm intensity. No gen lock. I would liketo know if you could lock a sync he to the composite video out of it to frame align pt wo the bm. This way syncing the video 100%.

As far as session load goes, I use video satellite so I never have a session with anything but video in it.

[ggegan]

Originally Posted by apple-q

You will need at least a HD extreme (around 900-1000$)

I would think the Decklink SDI should work. It has video reference input and costs about $280 online. You might need an SDI to HDMI converter to connect it to an HDTV, which will cost a couple hundred dollars more, so that would be just under $500.

A DV25 codec on my system needs a 6 quarter frame offset, so wouldn't that mean that a card with a video reference input that requires whole frame offsets would guarantee a half frame error?

Granted, it would be consistant, but it's not clear to me how that would be better than my Intensity Pro, which usually seems to stay within +or- a quarter frame error and occasionally drifts to 1/2 frame error. Am I missing something?

[GregorioM]

Gary:- ProTools only states that it will be accurate to +- 1 frame without genlock. Theoretically you should get frame edge alignment using a Sync HD to lock PT with the video card.

The statement that you will need at least the BM HD Extreme is incorrect. I use a BM Studio 2, which has worked flawlessly for all my SD and HD projects and is considerably cheaper than the HD Extreme.

G

[ggegan]

Originally Posted by GregorioM

Gary:- ProTools only states that it will be accurate to +- 1 frame without genlock. Theoretically you should get frame edge alignment using a Sync HD to lock PT with the video card.

The statement that you will need at least the BM HD Extreme is incorrect. I use a BM Studio 2, which has worked flawlessly for all my SD and HD projects and is considerably cheaper than the HD Extreme.

G

I haven't seen +or- 1 frame errors yet when checking sync with Syncheck, but that doesn't mean they don't occur. I'm about ready to dump the Intensity Pro on one of my systems, anyway, and upgrade to a Decklink SDI or Studio. I'd rather be absolutely sure of what the sync situation is, even if the video offset prevents it from being dead on, at least it will be predictable.

[apple-q]

Originally Posted by GregorioM

Gary:- ProTools only states that it will be accurate to +- 1 frame without genlock. Theoretically you should get frame edge alignment using a Sync HD to lock PT with the video card.

The statement that you will need at least the BM HD Extreme is incorrect. I use a BM Studio 2, which has worked flawlessly for all my SD and HD projects and is considerably cheaper than the HD Extreme.

G

What I meant was that you need at least a card with genlock in be it the extreme HD or what ever other has gen-lock in. It was only an example but with the intensity pro you won't gain 100% accuracy.
AND you need a sync HD because pt will only align to tc edges when you set the sync hd to generate LTC (see info page about sync heck)