Blackmagic Intensity Pro, Part 1
Posted by: Sean Smith in Post Production, Color, Final Cut Pro 6, New TechnologyIn our latest technology purchase, our shop has bought a Blackmagic Intensity Pro card for our MacPro. We’re hoping to capture off our DVR and use news footage for our shows. After deboxing the B&H shipping box, I discovered the product in a box that seemed to be way to small! I knew the PCI-Express card was small, but man, it was much smaller than expected. Inside, you will find the card, a CD and a small tri-fold quick install guide. The full 35 page manual is on the CD (way to be green!).
After carefully reading the install instruction and reading up on PCI slot choices, I popped open the MacPro and dropped the card into slot #2. Blackmagic’s site mentions that you may be prompted to adjust performance to the slots, but after powering up, I wasn’t prompted. Granted this is the only other card in the machine besides our ATI (ehh) video card.
After installing the software there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the performance of the computer, heck there wasn’t even any outward difference in starting FCP, Color or any of the other apps. However, FCP now has more easy setups, and more options under external video monitoring. I connected our 9″ Sony production monitor via the component out (NTSC out) of the card. Instantly, after setting the Video Output in FCP to Intensity NTSC, the monitor showed video. Amazing! Beyond FCP, I then became interested in if Color would also broadcast to this monitor in the same way. I fired up color, and bam! I had an external monitor for color correcting in Color! Sweet! At $350, this card was becoming a GREAT investment.
We currently don’t have a HDMI monitor in the shop, but I’m pulling for a low end small HDMI TV (about $500). Stay tuned as I will be testing the capture capabilities of this card. But if its as easy as setting up an external monitor, I’ll be highly recommending this product to anyone with a MacPro.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:52 am
That sounds good as I am looking into buying this. Obviously having a way to output Color is great but I am really interested in After Effects output and in particular HD output. Any chance of posting whether these work
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Dear Richard,
I just got a Sony PVM and I am purchasing the Blackmagic Intensity Pro as well. I was wondering how did you connect the Intensity Pro to the Production monitor? I know you used component, but what cords did you use to connect the monitor to the chord that connects to the intensity pro? Please email me at matthewdcyang@gmail.com
Thank You