FAQs and Answers:
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What are the system requirements for using Aurora Fuse-X or Pipe-family products
with the "Aurora A/V" drivers under OS X?
Your Aurora card requires an available PCI slot in your Power Macintosh G4 or a PCI-X
slot in your Power Macintosh G5 system. Your system should be equipped with with Dual
PowerPC G4 microprocessors running at least 800 MHz or with dual G5 microprocessors at
1.8 GHz or higher. The Aurora drivers were written specifically for OS X versions 10.3.9
"Panther" and later. Refer to your editing software documentation for specific
minimum system requirements for editing.
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I upgraded to the latest Aurora drivers, and FCPHD 4.5 no longer sees my Aurora
product.
In the change from FCP HD 4.5 to FCP 5.0, Apple changed the
preset format. All current Aurora drivers are shipping with FCP5.x presets.
FCP can still use your Aurora product,
you will just have to change the FCP preference settings
yourself, as outlined in the FCP documentation. Once you have done this,
you can save those settings as your own custom FCP "Easy Setups".
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In Final Cut Pro 5.x, I attempt to do a "Print to Video", or an "Edit to Tape",
but no video comes out. Everything is fine when I just play though...
It's possible that your Easy Setup files have a different output mode selected for
Print-to-Video, and Edit-to-Tape. This setting appears as a checkbox on the "A/V Devices"
tab of Final Cut's "Audio / Video Settings" dialog. Verify that your preferred Aurora
output is selected there.
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When batch-capturing in Final Cut Pro 5.x, sometimes I get a loss of communication with the
VCR.
Closing the "Log and Capture" window, then re-opening it will restore communication with the
VCR, and you can continue the batch-capture process.
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How can I use the Pipe™ to lower my overall editing costs?
With the Pipe™ you can have one editing station equipped
with an IgniterX series of products to get your footage from
your video source and to transfer it back to tape. However,
once the footage has been pulled onto the computers' shared
storage you can have multiple editors working on that it with a
low-cost Pipe for viewing the output and not have to have each
station equipped to transfer footage to and from the media.
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Can I use the Pipe for compressed video input and output?
Yes you can. However the Pipe™, unlike the IgniterX line
of products, does not do on-board hardware compression and
decompression of the video. You can make use of Apple's codecs
to do the compression and decompression in software.
Whether this software compression will work for you or not
depends on the power of your Macintosh. For best results with
all systems, we would recommend you use either DV or Photo-JPEG
compressed formats.
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What support does Aurora provide for the Pipe™?
Aurora Video Systems supports all of its hardware and software.
Because the Pipe™ is an uncompressed-only video card which
utilizes Final Cut Pro's RT Extreme, you are relying on
QuickTime codecs and FCP's Real-Time effects. These are not
supported by Aurora. As long as the the Pipe™ is in your
system and you can select it as a vout, the rest of your
interaction with is will be through QuickTime and FCP.
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Is the Igniter family of products compatible
with the new Apple Power Mac G5's?
With the introduction of Apple's new PowerMac G5 computers,
Apple has created new motherboards for use in these
computers and the PCI connectors on these G5 motherboards
support only 3.3v peripherals.
Only the IgniterX's announced at NAB are compatible with the
new G5's.
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So what does this mean to me as the owner of an Igniter
product who wants to upgrade to the new Power Mac G5?
If you have one of the recently released IgniterX base cards,
it is a 3.3v card and you
can just plug your IgniterX into the new Power Mac G5 and it
will work just as it had before.
You can tell recently released 3.3v IgniterX base cards from
the earlier 5v base cards by removing the device from your
system and looking at the connector edge of the card.
If there is one slot cut into that connector edge, then
you have an earlier version and it will not work with the
G5 motherboards. See picture below.
If there are two slots cut into that connector edge,
then you have a newer version of the base card and it can be
simply inserted into a new Power Mac G5.
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What are my options if I want to upgrade my earlier
version Igniter, IgniterRT, or IgniterLT to a more recent
IgniterX model which will work in the Power Mac G5?
You will have to purchase a 3.3v IgniterX base card or IgniterX
Lite to replace the 5v version you currently have.
Aurora Video Systems offers a customer appreciation program
for users who wish to upgrade from one Aurora product to
another. See our
Customer appreciation program news item
for details on this offer.
If you wish to take advantage of either of this program,
you must:
- Make sure your product is registered. You can do this
online from our registration
page.
- After you are contacted by our registration staff, make
sure you confirm your email address by replying to the
confirmation email. This completes your registration.
- Email
our customer support center at
support@auroravideosys.com and request the upgrade. Be
sure to include your Customer ID (received in your final
registration confirmation), the full serial number of
the product you wish to upgrade (AVSxxxxxx-yyyyyy), and the
product to which you would like to upgrade.
You will then be contacted by
our support staff with further details.
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Are Aurora products PCI-X compliant?
Yes, all the Aurora products are compatible with the new
PCI-X bus in the G5. Because of changes in the G5
architecture, only the PCI-X G5s are approved for use
with Aurora video cards -- PCI G5s are not.
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Is there a specific G5 slot that I should install my Pipe-family card into?
Yes. To avoid performance problems such as black flashing,
you should put the storage controller (ie: SCSI or FC card)
in Slot 4 of your G5. The Pipe-family card can then go
into either Slot 2 or Slot 3. Because of changes in the G5
architecture, only the PCI-X G5s are approved for use
with Aurora video cards -- PCI G5s are not.
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If I am getting a G5, how do I know if it has a PCI or
PCI-X bus?
That can be tricky because apple changed the models which
have the PCI-X architecture.
In the first series of G5s, the 1.6GHz model had a PCI bus
and the 1.8GHz and faster systems had PCI-X busses. In the
second series, the Dual-1.8GHz system has the PCI bus and
the 2.0GHz and faster systems have the PCI-X busses.
This means that any G5 with a clockspeed of less than
1.8GHz, or is a Single CPU model, it
has a PCI bus -- which is not approved. Anything with a
clockspeed of 2.0GHz or faster has a PCI-X bus -- which
is approved.
If it is a Dual-1.8GHz system of new manufacture, it
probably has a PCI bus -- not approved. If it is a
Dual-1.8GHz system of older manufacture, it probably has a
PCI-X bus -- approved.
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What makes the IgniterX family unique?
Film capablities: The IgniterX family of boards are the only
QuickTime-compatible systems capable of both 23.976 and true
24 frame-per-second capture and editing.
Hardware Compression: The IgniterX family is the only
QuickTime-compatible system with high quality MJPEG-A
compression hardware on the board.
Scalability: The IgniterX family offers a base model with
S-Video and Composite. You can later expand to IgniterX Pro
for your analog component I/O setup. Also available is an
IgniterX SDI for your high-end digital connections.
World-class support: Aurora offers the best support in the
industry, with direct access to professionals who know the
hardware, software, and equipment used in modern studios.
Experience: Aurora has built and sold more than 12,000
Macintosh-based editing cards over the last 5 years.
Quality: The IgniterX family's video output speaks for
itself. The video quality exceeds that of any other 8-bit
system, and it is indistiguisable from any 10-bit system
available.
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What are the system requirements for using IgniterX
under OS X?
While many aspects of OSX have greatly improved speed and
overall performance, the data throughput is lower in OSX
than it was in OS9. Because of this, the minimum required
system for the IgniterX is as follows:
IgniterX in any mode:
AGP video card
OSX 10.2.3
QT6.1
IgniterX in MJPG mode:
G4 PowerMacintosh ("Digital Audio" model or newer) with
dual 466MHz processors
256Mb of RAM
Fast IDE Drive
IgniterX in MJPG RT mode:
G4 PowerMacintosh ("Digital Audio" model or newer) with
dual 533MHz processors
256Mb of RAM
Fast IDE Drive array or SCSI RAID0 array
IgniterX in Uncompressed RT mode:
G4 PowerMacintosh ("Digital Audio" model or newer) with
dual 800MHz processors
512Mb of RAM
Fast IDE Drive array or SCSI RAID0 array
IgniterX in Uncompressed RT mode with RT overlays:
G4 PowerMacintosh ("QuickSilver" model or newer) with dual
1.0GHz processors
512Mb of RAM
SCSI RAID0 array
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What is Genlock and when would I need it?
Genlock is the mechanism used to synchronize multiple playback
devices to one external clock. With the IgniterX family, you
would use genlock anytime you are planning to synchronize the
IgniterX video playback with another playback device, such as a
third-party audio system.
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I'm a compositor or animator. Why is IgniterX a good
solution for me?
Customers such as "Film Roman", the animators of "The Simpsons"
television show, have chosen IgniterX because of its ability to
capture high-quality stop-frame animation at a true 24 frames
per second. They can then play it back immediately on a
television with the 3:2 pulldown applied without the need to
render it off-line.
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I'm using BetaSP decks and footage. What is the best
IgniterX system for me?
The best fit for you is the "IgniterX Pro", which includes
component (YUV) video and balanced (XLR) audio I/O. IgniterX
Pro can be connected directly to your BetaSP machine and work
in both offline MJPEG-A and full uncompressed resolutions.
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I'm using DigiBeta decks and footage. What is the best
IgniterX system for me?
The best fit for you is the "IgniterX SDI", which includes SDI
video and AES/EBU digital audio I/O. IgniterX SDI can be
connected directly to your DigiBeta machine and work in both
offline MJPEG-A and full uncompressed resolutions.
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I'm using both BetaSP and DigiBeta machines. Is there
an IgniterX product with both Component and SDI I/O?
Yes. The "IgniterX Studio" has all of the connections for both
analog and digital, audio and video, input and output in a
single integrated solution.
These connections are provided through two professional,
rack-mountable, breakout
boxes which provide the highest quality I/O attainable. This
eliminates the need for any intermediate converters which may
induce signal degradation and cable-routing problems.
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I'm using an all DV or DVCAM setup. Would IgniterX
benefit me?
That depends... If you do cuts-only editing, you will not
notice a difference between using IgniterX versus just Firewire
connectivity. However, once you apply effects, titles, any
graphics or color correction, you will certainly notice the
improved quality attainable with the IgniterX family.
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I'm doing feature film work, with BetaSP telecines.
What is the best IgniterX system for me?
The best fit for you is the "IgniterX Pro", which includes
component (YUV) video and balanced (XLR) audio I/O. IgniterX
Pro can be connected directly to your BetaSP machine and work
in both offline MJPEG-A and full uncompressed resolutions.
The "IgniterX Pro" includes hardware pulldown insertion and
removal, allowing you to edit at either a true 24 or 23.976 fps
with accurate audio correction. The online capabilities are
stunning and the offline quality is excellent with up to 20:1
compression.
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What is the difference between 24fps and 23.98
(actually 23.976) fps?
The difference is related to the audio rate, and is really
dependent on your particular workflow. If you have your dailies
telecines with no audio, you'll want to use 24 fps exclusively.
This allows you to bring production audio into your timeline
and sync up with no additional audio processing. If you are
synching audio at telecine, you can work in either 24 fps or
23.976. You might choose 23.976 specifically if your final
output is to broadcast.
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When I am working in 24fps and I'm using the 2:3
pulldown to record on a Digibeta deck, the deck will stop
recording before the end of the timeline is reached. For
example, if I try to record 1 second of 24fps footage to the
deck, the deck stopped after 24 frames, even through the
IgniterX played the correct number of frames. What is
happening and how do I fix it?
This is a problem with Final Cut Pro. It was a problem in
3.0.2 which we thought would be corrected in 4.0, but it was
not. FCP is cuonting the number of frames being output rather
than the times being output and stopping the deck when it
thinks the whole timeline has been played. To work around
this, add a black slug to the end of your clip which whose
length is 25% of the lengh of the clip. This will fool FCP
into playing out the entire clip.
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Under OS 9 there was a simple capture app called
"Media Grab" that was simple and effective. However, it
doesn't seem to be available for OS X. What can I use
instead?
You are correct, "Media Grab" did not make the transition to OS
X. However, it was based on a freely-available Apple utility
called Hack TV. Hack TV Carbonwas moved to OS
X as a Carbon application and is available in the
Developer section of Apple's website,
along with its source code.
There is also an analogous application which will play QT
movies of suitable format out a vout. It is called
SimpleVideoOut.
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I do DVD mastering. What is the best IgniterX system
for me?
If your footage comes from DigiBeta or other SDI-capable format,
the IgniterX SDI is the better product. The uncompressed format
of the IgniterX SDI lends itself well to MPEG-2 encoding in
either Final Cut Pro or Cleaner.
Note that some consumer-level DVD burning applications will
only work with footage in DV format. Professional applications
like DVD Studio Pro will usually work with QT files in any
format.
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What does the term "Broadcast Quality" mean? Is the
IgniterX family suitable for direct broadcast?
"Broadcast Quality" is a relative term which is highly misused
today. Broadcast engineering societies such as the "Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers" (SMPTE) set standards
for transmission. The IgniterX family meets all SMPTE and CCIR
quality standards for direct-to-air broadcast.
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I do audio post-production work. Is there an IgniterX
product to allow me to output QuickTime in my DAW timeline?
Any IgniterX product will work for you. For economy, you would
probably want the "IgniterX Lite." This gives you MJPEG-A
capture and playback via Composite and S-Video connections and
it, like all IgniterX products, can be genlocked to your audio
hardware using an external sync source such as a black burst
generator.
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I still use Mac OS 9. Will the IgniterX still work in
OS 9?
Yes. The Igniter OS 9 drivers are still available for using
your IgniterX board in legacy systems.
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I live in a PAL or SECAM country. Does IgniterX work
in these modes?
Yes. The IgniterX family works in all popular PAL, NTSC, and
SECAM modes and submodes, including NTSC 4.43
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How much drive space will I need to have available for
my project?
That depends on your compression rate and total hours of
footage. At its full uncompressed rate of just over
20MB/second, you'll use about 75GB/hour. At 10:1 compression,
you'll get 7.5GB/hour. Size your drives and target compression
ratios based on your total footage requirements. Keep in mind
that compression greater than 20:1 will look better if you scale
to half size (both horizontally and vertically). For audio
workstations we recommend a frame size of 360x240 and a data
rate of 600k/second or about 2.2 GB/hour.
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What types of drive subsystems are qualified by Aurora
for use with the IgniterX family?
Qualification of specific systems is ongoing. For the most
part, you should be able to use any two modern drives striped
in a RAID0 array using software RAID. We don't support the use
of hardware ATA RAID cards such as the Sonnet TempoRAID, the
ACARD boards, or similar hardware RAID cards.
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Does the IgniterX work in the XServe platform?
The latest hardware revision of the IgniterX board does work in
the XServe. See above for more information on the 5v vs. 3.3v
cards.
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How do different MJPEG-A compressions look compared to
Uncompressed and DV formats?
To view comparisons of different compression rates, visit our
movie comparisons page.
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Where can I buy Aurora Products?
At our US resellers,
International resellers,
or the Aurora Online Store.
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I am a video products reseller. Where can I learn about
offering my customers Aurora's products?
Send an email to our
Sales department.
We will send you info to get signed up to sell our products.
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What about real time effects capability?
The entire IgniterX family, except IgniterX Lite, offer real
time capability with Final Cut Pro.
Aurora is first concentrating on delivering RT effects which
save editors hours of time on an entire clip.
Color corrections, brightness, contrast, SL Balance,
and other effects typically rendered by an editor throughout a
sequence.
Our drivers will constantly be adding new effects at no charge
with a simple driver update, so check our Software page often.
Unlike other cards, there is no requirement to render out your
footage for your final cut.
When you apply an IgniterX supported effect, it's ready to
output to tape!
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Why has Fuse been discontinued?
Fuse was designed several years ago using chips that are now
obsolete. These components are simply impossible to purchase.
The removal of the audio I/O features on several G4 models also
made the Fuse capture board unattractive for new systems.
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Can the IgniterX Film card convert PAL to NTSC or
vice-versa?
The IgniterX Film card can capture PAL or NTSC footage and put
either into a 24FPS timeline.
You may then switch output modes to output the required NTSC or
PAL frame rate with the reverse telecine feature.
However, you will first need to render a frame size change
(PAL=720x576, NTSC=720x486).
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Can you mix footage in the same project and timeline
from different sources (i.e. DV via FireWire and BetaSP through
component analog)?
You can. However, the DV footage will have to be rendered into
an Aurora format by using one of our CODECS.
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Does IgniterX do deck control?
Deck control is dependent on your editing application and your
deck, not the IgniterX card.
You will most likely need a firewire or RS-422 cable to connect
from your Mac to your deck, and then set up your editing
application and deck to use it. If your deck has a serial
(RS-422) control interface, you will need a Macintosh-compatible
USB-to-Serial converter, such as that made by Keyspan. Check
with Apple for more compatibility details.
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The troubleshooting section does not solve the problem
that I am experiencing.
Send an email to Aurora Video Systems
technical
support.
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I want to send material to someone who doesn't have
IgniterX hardware. What should I send?
Apple's standard quicktime installation includes a MJPEG-A
format. Aurora's and Apple's CODEC are compatible.
No hardware is needed to be able to play this format on a Mac.
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